£885 / $899 (headphones and VSX software), stevenslateaudio.com

I reviewed Steven Slate’s original VSX system in 2021, but little did I know at the time just how much they would integrate themselves into my mixing workflow. The headphones — paired with a room and speaker simulation software — now account for 90% of my studio time, with my studio monitors only being used for occasional mix checks.

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The VSX software has seen multiple updates that refine and improve how its virtual rooms are captured and presented. Despite users worldwide getting effective results, it always felt that the system was slightly held back by the somewhat modest, closed-back headphones that were supplied with the system.

That is, until now.

The new Immersion One’s are open-back headphones with planar magnetic drivers housed in a high-quality enclosure. Like the closed-back design, each production run has been fine-tuned to work with the VSX software, offering improved transient and bass response, and a wider, three-dimensional sound stage. Could these headphones finally get me to ditch my studio monitors entirely?

Out of the box, the Immersion One feels like a quality product. The maple wood ear cups and aluminium casing are solid and sit comfortably on the ear. There’s also a twisted Y-cable that connects to each side separately. I find it a perfect fit, although some users online report that it sits a little low if you have a smaller head. At around 480 grams, they’re not light, but I don’t find them uncomfortably heavy. Planar magnetic cans tend to be on the heavier side and these sit alongside comparable units. The headphones are a a modified version of Sendy Audio’s AIVA, but have been fine-tuned by Steven Slate to get the best binaural sound via the software.

The planar driver is 97 x 76 mm, delivering a frequency response of 20Hz to 40kHz. While this isn’t quite as big a spread as headphones from the likes of Audeze (which can achieve 10Hz to 50kHz), it’s more than enough to get a hi-fidelity sound.

The impedance is low at 32 ohms, but as these are planar magnetic drivers, they benefit from being paired with a proper headphone amp due to current demands and sensitivity. Yes, you can power the Immersion Ones from a laptop or audio interface, and they will sound wide and detailed but you may not get the absolute best out of them. Using a dedicated headphone DAC/amp will provide more headroom, which means more potential volume, cleaner transients and less distortion when pushed. To be clear, this isn’t an issue that is unique to these particular headphones, rather it’s generally relevant for any planar magnetic models because of the need for increased voltage. I’m testing these on an Apollo X6 and also via a Fiio QX13 headphone DAC/amp (around £175).

Before I talk about the sound, it’s important to explain the VSX software, which is where the real magic in this system lies. It can either be loaded as a plugin in your DAW, or as a system-wide app. The Immersion Ones come with the full Platinum version of the software, which includes seven virtual headphones, 11 studio and listening rooms, two clubs, four cars, plus a boombox and cellphone. Many of these environments come with more than one setting, with most rooms featuring options for near, mid and far field monitors. With so much choice on offer, it pays to start by picking a single room and listening to a lot of reference material. Once you’ve built a mix, you can then easily switch to check how the low-end will translate in a club environment, and also balance parameters like vocal levels via the NS-10s or cellphone. By checking on several setups, you can refine your mix so that it translates across a range of speakers.

Since launch, the VSX software has enjoyed free updates, each of which has improved the process of capturing and presenting the modelled spaces. It’s comforting to see a company that’s so dedicated to continuously improving a single product — Steven Slate himself is active on forums helping users tune their software. The latest version of VSX includes technology that models the subtle interactions of the inner ear. It includes an E.CCO (Ear Canal Curve Optimization) EQ that can be modified to work with your unique ear shape. You can choose the recommended option of moving a single slider to customise the upper midrange of VSX to your ears, since ears have varying resonances between 2kHz and 5kHz according to their unique shape. Alternatively, you can get more granular and perform a custom calibration across the spectrum. I’m hoping that a separate left/right ear calibration option will eventually appear in an update.

Planar magnetic headphones are generally known for quick and accurate transients, along with low distortion and a linear and consistent response at both low and high listening volumes. All of these things are present here. I listen through a range of material and get totally lost in the detail. I can hear the tiniest of high-end transients in Max Cooper’s Spectrum, a forceful sense of weight listening to Noisia bass drops, and Daft Punk’s Get Lucky feels like a live performance, with multiple Pharrell harmonies clearly positioned in three-dimensional space. Throwing pop into the mix, I hear specific reverb and panning choices in the many vocal layers of Taylor Swift’s Fate of Ophelia. All of this translates to me being able to hear these kinds of details in my own mixes with more fidelity, ultimately making it easier to make settings and macro adjustments.

Although the headphones sound impressive enough through the Apollo’s headphone amp, I notice an improved high-end lift and less bass distortion at loud volumes when listening through the QX13. Also, these are incredibly open headphones, with close-to-zero noise cancellation. You’ll struggle to use these for tracking or in any space that has a lot of ambient noise, so there’s still a reason to keep the closed-back version if you’re upgrading.

Other companies make similar products to the VSX software, such as dSoniq’s Realphones and Lewitt’s Space Replicator. While these are effective when working with a range of different headphones, they simply can’t compete with the rigorous testing and refinement that comes from pairing specific hardware with software. Steven Slate and his team are now years deep into research into this topic, and each update has found a new way to improve the balance and accuracy of what you’re hearing.

There are times when the headphones melt away, and it really feels like you’re sitting in front of speakers. The combination of a calibrated headphone and a calibrated hearing EQ means that, in theory, any two VSX users can hear exactly the same thing. This can’t really be said for any other speaker or headphone system.

There’s still value in the physical sound of speakers, and I plan to continue checking mixes on my monitors. However, if I were working remotely, I would be happy to trust my mixes or masters from working on these headphones alone.

Although the raw sound from the Immersion Ones is decent enough, some may argue that there’s better headphone hardware out there for the overall asking price. However, when you factor in the big improvements in sound that come from the software, along with the usefulness and flexibility of mixing in different environments, then they’re really in a class of their own.

Key features

• Open-back headphones and room simulation software
• 97 mm x 76 mm planar magnetic driver
• 20 Hz – 40 kHz frequency response
• 32 Ohms impedance
• Maple wood earcups and aluminium casing
• VSX Platinum V6 plugin and system-wide software
• 11 studio and listening rooms, 2 clubs, 7 headphones, 4 cars, a boombox and a cellphone
• Multiple modeled speakers from Genelec, Kali Audio, ATC, Adam, Neumann, PMC and more
• E.C.C.O (Ear Canal Curve Optimisation) EQ
• Weight: 480 grams
• Comes with softshell case/hemp cable pouch; 2.5m unbalanced cable

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