Hey everyone!

Just wanted to get some feedback on the VSX headphones by Steven Slate. I picked up a pair of the platinum version in March off eBay for £338 and they were in excellent condition...barely used, only once or twice.

I switched from using the Waves NX head tracker, which was decent, but I've been curious about how the VSX system stacks up in the long run. I’ll be real, I haven’t used them as much as I thought I would. Still, the few times I have used them, I’ve noticed a slight improvement in my mixes. It’s not groundbreaking at first, but I feel like the more I use them, the more I'll start to see those small, but crucial improvements.

Also, something I've noticed, is that Steven Slate really pushes these things...I mean, every single software update email I get is packed with screenshots of 5-star reviews and glowing feedback (Not slating him for it at all, just an observation!)

It’s like he’s constantly reminding us just how amazing they are. Makes me wonder if there’s more to it than just hype, or if it's genuinely that good...I'm on the fence about this.

I will admit though, one thing that did get me excited, was when I saw that they’d modelled Warren Huart’s studio in the latest update. This may encourage me to get more studio time in...I mean, having access to that kind of setup, even virtually, feels like it could be a game changer.

Anyone else using VSX? What are your thoughts on them after you've gotten some serious time in?

 

Here is a professional, high-quality SOS review:
Steven Slate Audio VSX - Virtual Monitoring System --> www.soundonsound.com/reviews/steven-slate-audio-vsx

 

Last edited: Oct 29, 2025 at 7:20 PM

Being a producer always on a road, the VSX are amazing to me. It took me a few months till I started knowing them well. It helps to choose only one Room / pair of speakers to work with and stick with it. And just to check how your mix sound in the other rooms provided.
Once getting used to only listen the music on them, the ears will train for quality very fast. The translation is very good.

What I don't like is that they basically disintegrate, if you use them daily, in less than 2 years, if you are lucky. The Ear Cups are very fragile and they won't get better, because Slate Customer Service replied that if they will make the Ear Cups more durable, then that will affect the sound of the headphones. The replacement pair costs 200$ + delivery from USA, so if you are from Europe, like me, you are kinda milked for more money. The replacing Ear Cuscions cost 30$ + again the delivery.


My personal favorite is the Yellow Matter Room, using Midfields. The new Spitfire Room's Midfields is also amazing, it sounds the best out of all, but I feel that somehow the elements of the song get hidden in the space, making me to not notice if the song needs more sounds or not.

 

Thinking about jumping into VSX myself after watching a few reviews. Just waiting for VSX Platinum to go on sale soon.

 

I recently got it. I’ve done a couple of mixes and i am pleasantly surprised with the results. The headphones it self are not anything special, plastic quality and very lightweight cheaply built headphones. The integration with the vsx software is what makes these the real deal. Being able to have a flat curve while referencing (HD linear) is amazing. I could notice a difference in my vocal mixes right away, i have always had problems with my vocals sitting right. The room emulations is something i need to practice and learn more, i only have the essentials version and im waiting for black friday for a platinum upgrade.

 

VSX software and headphone calibration is top notch. The physical build is meh - you'll have to buy replacement cushions and headband protection at some point (buy it now before they go out of production). I also have the platinum bundle, but there's a twist to that - for effective mixing, you should narrow down to one room and learn how it translates to your audience. It's NOT meant for your to learn all the rooms, in fact its counterintuitive. So platinum users pay for what they won't use, but at least you have the option to explore which simulation is best for you. I use Mike Dean's room, and occasionally check the phone and club mix to know how the bass it translating.

Maybe there are some gifted mix engineers that can parse between rooms, or prefer mixing a certain genre in specific studio rooms. For the average producer/musician, less is more, and it already takes a many days to truly learn the characteristics of a mix environment.

Now, for pure entertainment, having the extra rooms is nice to experience. Overall VSX is excellent. What I want to understand at some point is how to make it useful with my other headphones without screwing up a mix.

 

Yeah, totally get that. I think my problem is I keep jumping from one room to another instead of just sticking with one and really learning it. It’s super tempting to try them all since they sound so different, but you’re right...it kinda messes with consistency.

 

Something Steven Slate Audio is being announced 10-30-25 @ 9AM PST. May or may not be VSX related.

 

Last edited: Oct 29, 2025 at 6:39 PM

IMHO products like this sound cool and the marketing lures many taking advantage of peoples low creative confidence. In reality it matters little what room you are in, what monitors you use, or what headphones you mix with as long as you know any of those inside and out and how music translates on them.

I learned to mix in ATH-M50's and can work ANYWHERE in the world on a pair, because I know them. I can also work on NS-10's because so many rooms had them, and once you know what you are using you'll deliver quality work. Sit me in front of most other monitors and I'm lost... until I reach for my M50's.

So... it's NEVER about what you use, it's ALL about knowing whatever you use.

 

Unnecessarily cryptic

 

I was thinking about VSX, but decided to go with Sennheiser HD 490 Pro and APL Virtuoso 2 software. As WillTheWeirdo said it's all about learning what you have, and I have also gained extreme headphone comfort, replaceable parts, and a class-leading binaural monitoring system.

Good luck with whatever you choose

 

Marketing is bit OTT but think they're really great, one of the best investments I've made. At first you have to listen lot of music you resonate with to choose one room or 2 rooms you feel comfortable with then mix away (for me its Archon mids or Zuma Fars). Translation has never been so good, cant complain. Some years ago was on that train of thought like, "ahhh if you know your headphones you make great mixes anywhere" and.. at least for me, using HD25 that I know really well for almost 20years didn't take me anywhere.

 

Agreed for the most part. I was on the go so much, as a producer / assistant for an international DJ, that i got to know my mb pro speakers so well, that i can now get a mix 90% there on just my mb. Flushing out the final 10% with actual monitors. I relied heavily on visual tools at first, but after a year or two would just start mixing. Does suck when i change to a newer model but that's only happened twice, and surprisingly is easy to adjust to relatively quickly.

All that being said, I cannot recommend the VSX enough. I no longer travel, and due to health reasons work from home the majority of the time. I have an actual studio, with excellent room treatment and monitors, but my home rig is just my apartment, in a 100+ year old building with plaster walls and hardwood flooring. Ive done a fairly decent job of cleaning the room up, with diffusers, panelling etc, and i have excellent monitors that i know very well, but when it boils down to it, its still just an apartment in the middle of LA. Sirens, garbage trucks, birds, crackheads, neighbors yelling at each other, dogs, people beneath me banging out somehow 40 times a day etc etc. While i could just use any headphones, and i have quite a few pairs, including Audeze, I thought i would try the VSX, and am i glad i did. The build quality is shit honestly, cheapo, feel like im one wrong move away from breaking them, but when paired with the software, and you find the room that works for you and learn it, a mix just comes to life. It really does feel like your in a room sometimes, and it gives you results that translate almost effortlessly. Its also a huge bonus to have access to the other rooms, cars, boomboxes etc as a quick point of reference when you are approaching the end.

 

Slate VSX really is fantastic. I reluctantly had to admit it to myself after fighting it for a long time. The environmental/speaker modeling is excellent, but it's really not about that for me. There are three major elements to VSX that make it the best investment I've made in my mixes:

1. The eq calibration is customized to your individual ears. Everyone hears things differently, has different ear shape, different frequency response, changes over time, etc. The software walks you through calibrating the response curve for your hearing. Right off the bat, that means I'm hearing something more accurate in terms of translation to other listeners.

2. It completely eliminates any shortcomings in your physical space from the equation. There's no need to calibrate your room, mess with baffles, bass traps, eliminate standing waves, treat the walls/ceiling, etc. Save the time and spend a fraction of that money on VSX. And since the monitors sit on your ears at all times, the sweet spot always follows your head in perfect alignment.

3. What you hear today is exactly what you will hear tomorrow. Whether you are in a hotel room, a new house, the back deck, the subway, etc., your control room moves wherever you go. The same exact mixing environment your ears are used to is with you anywhere on the planet, anytime. Since the number one key to good mixes is learning and trusting your space, that's huge.

There are probably other ways to accomplish much or most of what VSX does, but the cost is minimal compared to what you'd spend on a high-end set of headphones, not to mention room treatments (that's a money pit), and the VSX software just works so well. It really makes it easy. And when I want to be entertained, I love listening to my favorite music through them and the different mix rooms and monitor setups. I constantly notice new elements or nuances to songs I've heard a hundred times already, and that's just flat out fun.

 

With new e.c.c.o calibration system, I worry that I’ve not done it right. so at the moment I’m using the old calibration system and it is set to average

 

I am using two soup cans and a Kinyo tape deck.
But I know the shit out of them.
[edit: Actually the tape deck is "King Yo".
Not that it matters...]

 

I have decent normal headphones and the VSX as well as good monitors. Honestly - I love them and they are more accurate and far more useful than some people give them credit for, but that's only my opinion. If you use something enough, you learn whether it can do the job or it can't. I have a tendency to sell things I do not need or that do not do what they are supposed to. They do the job.

 

I just wished they release a premium headphones made of strong and lightweight metal and premium cushion materials that don't rot away within two years. I'd pay a premium for such headphones.

 

Sadly, they won't! This is the reply I got from their support regarding the cushions:

Me: Are these cushions of the same quality like the ones that came with my VSX that I bought in August 2022?

Support: These are the same cushions. We won't change them as they sound perfect, so any thicker or different ear cushions will change the sound.

 

They just did, VSX Immersion One, Planar magnetic open back headphones, built by Sendy Audio; https://stevenslateaudio.com/immersion-one