- Steven Slate Audio Introduces VSX Immersion One Wired Headphones
- Headphones focused on mixing and mastering with software that simulates real-world professional music studios.
- Available for pre-order now, priced at $899 (around £689 or AU$1,389)
If you’re like me, you’ve spent a lot of time wondering what your favorite songs would sound like through the sound systems of the world’s best music studios. Having visited a handful of wonderful spatial audio listening rooms (and the UK’s largest spatial audio festival), it can be difficult to go back to even a pair of the best headphones for everyday playback.
Luckily, there could be a solution on the horizon. Steven Slate Audio’s new VSX Immersion One planar magnetic headphones aim to bridge the gap between home listening and professional playback, with an impressive spec sheet and nifty software.
For reference, planar magnetic headphones use a planar diaphragm that oscillates in response to magnetic pulses. This can deliver more detailed and responsive sound than traditional cone-shaped headphone drivers, especially when it comes to bass. The VSX Immersion One comes equipped with a 97 x 76mm flat panel measuring just one micron thick, with a full frequency response range of 20Hz – 40kHz.
Home studio sound
As Notebookcheck reports, the VSX Immersion One headphones come with visualization software that lets you choose from a variety of virtual listening environments. This is more than just EQ and reverb: the software apparently uses binaural psychoacoustic techniques to create a deeper, more immersive experience.
The VSX Immersion One environment list actually includes models from real-world professional studios, such as NRG Studios in Hollywood, as well as everyday systems like a car stereo or smartphone speaker. As far as I know, there is nothing like it on the market.
Those last two options reflect the VSX Immersion One’s inclination toward mixing and mastering for various listening platforms and in various user scenarios. As a music producer in my spare time, I’m no stranger to subjecting my demos to the infamous “car test” and would love the option to perform them from home (especially since I don’t have my own car stereo to test!)
As my colleague Carrie Marshall (musician) wrote in a recent headphone roundup, “If you’re making music for others to listen to, it helps if you listen to it with the same headphones and earbuds they will listen to,” and the same applies to listening scenarios: the “place” where your fans will listen to your music is usually a car.
However, a promotional video from Steven Slate Audio definitely names the new cans as listening headphones too, so I’d expect great sound even if you’re not interested in making the tunes yourself – just keep in mind that studio headphones can have a flatter frequency response than conventional headphones.
Expensive flat performance
To be clear, the VSX Immersion One is not on the market yet. Steven Slate Audio has listed the new headphones for pre-order priced at $899, with other regions covered by international distributors (£888 at Thomann, AU$1,599 at Manny’s). Shipping is expected in December 2025.
That’s a little pricey for the everyday listener who just wants to try out some new sound profiles, but for the audiophile or hobbyist producer I think there’s potential for something of real value. The VSX Immersion One launches right after Black Friday, so I’m not sure we can expect any great deals for that high price, but stay tuned for coverage of our headphone deals just in case.
As for the build, the frame is made of aluminum with maple wood earcups, with a 2.5m Y-cable that connects to 3.5mm and 1/4-inch sources (those looking for the best wireless headphones should look elsewhere). The headphones have an open design, which means better detail but obvious sound leakage, and they have a nominal impedance of 32 ohms, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to power them through a laptop or lower-powered amplifier.
I’m reminded of the AIAIAI TMA-2 DJ Wireless Headphones, which I spent some time with earlier this year, a pair of low-latency wireless DJ headphones that elevate a simple concept with intuitive but expensive technology. It’s a trend that I think is worthwhile for true enthusiasts, so I’m eager to see (or rather hear) if Steven Slate Audio can deliver with the VSX Immersion One.
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