Astrotec is a well-known brand in the HiFi circle in China. Its products basically cover all price ranges. The brand has launched a lot of entry-level wired headphones in the early years, AM700, AM800, AM90 are still very popular products. With the advent of the era of wireless earphones, Astrotec has gradually shifted its research and development focus to true wireless earphones and mid-to-high-end HiFi earphones.
However, not everyone can accept the drawbacks of bluetooth headphones, and not everyone is willing to empty their wallets for a pair of HiFi earphones. Perhaps also aware of the needs of this small group of consumers, Astrotec recently released a new entry-level wired earphones: Astrotec Vesna, also known as “Little V”. The standard and premium versions (Vesna EVO) are priced at just $20/$30 respectively. The earphones are cheap, but they don’t compromise on configuration and tuning. It adopts a 6mm LCP liquid crystal diaphragm imported from Japan, and is tuned with a Harman curve, which is very suitable for primary audiophiles.
Packaging & Accessories
The Astrotec Vesna and Vesna EVO are simple and elegant in packaging, but they don’t feel cheap at all.
In terms of accessories, both earphones also come with a storage bag and two pairs of replaceable eartips. The regular version comes with one more Type-C to 3.5mm adapter than the advanced version, which is more friendly to audiophiles who are used to listening to songs on their mobile phones. Some netizens may have questions, why does the cheaper regular version have more accessories? It should be the brand considering that consumers who buy an interchangeable Vesna EVO will not use their phones to listen to music. But I think this idea is actually biased, after all, the Astrotec Vesna EVO is also positioned as entry-level, and most people will not choose to equip a $200+ DAP with $30 headphones.
Design & Workmanship
By design, the cables for the Astrotec Vesna are fixed, while the cables for the Vesna Evo are replaceable. Both earphones come standard with high-purity oxygen-free copper wire with strong conductivity, but the Astrotec Vesna headphone cable is a single-strand wire, while the Vesna Evo headphone cable is twisted, which obviously costs more. At the same time, the color of the outer wrapping layer actually has some subtle differences.
The cavity structure and shape of the two are exactly the same, and both are made of aviation-grade aluminum alloy. The only difference is that the Astrotec Vesna’s outside panels are blue, while the Vesna EVO has a more high-key gold. The three-dimensional cross pattern also makes them appear more design.
Sound quality
Both earphones are equipped with 6mm neodymium permanent magnet dynamic driver and imported LCP liquid crystal diaphragm as standard. This sounding structure has also been used in a variety of Sony’s high-end in-ear headphones, including the MDR-EX1000, to ensure the quality of the sound from the hardware. In terms of parameters, the frequency response range is 5Hz-22000Hz, the impedance is 30Ω, and the sensitivity is 102dB, which can be driven by most mobile phones.
The actual sound quality is also surprising. Astrotec Vesna has made appropriate gain in low frequency to improve the listening sense of pop music, but in general the three frequencies are still relatively balanced, and the overall analysis is also very good. The mid-range vocals are clear and layered. The Astrotec Vesna doesn’t tune the vocals to an extremely close-to-ear position like most entry-level headphones, and the proper distance makes the instrument sound more enveloping to the vocals.
Thanks to better cables and a different tuning orientation, the overall resolution of the Astrotec Vesna EVO is a step higher than the regular version. The clarity of the overall sound has been improved to a certain extent, and the downward extension of low frequencies and the upward extension of high frequencies are also more sufficient. In terms of vocals, the performance of the two headphones is comparable, but in terms of the presentation of the instruments, the Vesna EVO is even better.
Summary
Overall, the Astrotec Vesna and Vesna EVO surprised us enough in terms of workmanship and sound quality. However, in the context of the wireless trend of low-end headphones, it is still unknown whether they can really win the favor of the market.
Check the Astrotec Vesna EVO price:
- Check price on AliExpress
- Check price on Amazon US
