Veho 360 Z1 / VEP-003-360Z1

The 360° Z-1 (VEP-003-360Z1) are stereo earphones with noise isolating features designed by the Southampton based Veho Corporation, and assembled in China. They come in red, blue, pink, orange, black, white, and green, colours. They have 10 mm drivers with frequency response of 10 Hz to 25 kHz, sensitivity 106 dB, and coil impedance 16 Ω. They come with three sizes of ear buds, and have flat anti-tangle cord 125 cm in length terminated by 3.5 mm stereo jack plug. They are available in the following colours.

Review

Everything about these Veho 360° Z-1 earphones was surprising and better than I had hoped; from the packaging, to the way they sounded. I bought them because they were only £3.95 including postage and I was not expecting much. I recently acquired the Sony MDR-EX110 earphones and wanted to see if there was anything else out there, that might sound better. What I was expecting was re-hashed colourful thrift-store quality earphones with 20 Hz to 20 kHz response, but what I got was surprisingly much more. The figure of interest was the upper end of the frequency range 25000 Hz, which goes into high-end quality. I would not expect any headphones to go that high unless they had copper-clad aluminium wire (CCAW) technology. When headphones produce frequencies that high, the sound has that wonderful treble that makes the music crisp and clear, and surprisingly that is exactly what I heard! In addition, the absolute maximum power handling capability is 10 mW, and as a result, these headphones were loud when connected to a cassette Walkman with Mega Bass.

If you are a bass junkie, then 10 Hz for the lower end of the frequency range is extremely good value for money because I have seen expensive brands that do not go anywhere near that figure and cost ten times more. Just remember that the level of bass you get will depend upon the intra-aural coupling, and therefore it is a good idea to try the supplied ear-buds to find the best fit. In addition, make sure you wear them the right way round for the optimum angle of audio injection. Due to the angled sound tubes, you must wear each side correctly, and if you wear them the wrong way round, then you will not experience much bass.

The manufacturers also boast noise-isolating technology; however, passive noise isolation usually works when the ear buds fit properly to make a good seal. In addition, those ear buds are usually a special double-skinned type; however, the ones that came out of the box seemed ordinary. It did not really matter, but certainly had me thinking trying to figure out what this elusive isolation technology was.

One down side is part of the cord that goes into the earphone had some play and the cord was sliding up and down. Although both earphones exhibited this, the play on one side was much greater. This gave the impression that the wire retention system might not be robust. I was hesitant to pull harder in case they broke. I liked the flat anti-tangle cord and the fact that it was light; because I was able to forget wearing them. I hope future models will have even thinner flatter cords. Overall, the design was good value and I found that the sharpness, definition, and clarity, were all there, which is remarkable for the price.

They have this extremely complex shape with an angled sound tube to inject the sound waves precisely into the ear.

It has a very large elliptically shaped sound port that ensures all the sound comes out.

The wire termination at the jack plug end has a nice and simple pinch on the sleeve to secure it and appears robust. If these break, it will likely be at the earphone end.

Specification

Price/eBay

The 360° Z-1 are usually for sale at auction sites and you can find them if you search for the model number VEP-003-360Z1GB which is the orange pair. Make sure the seller is an authorised Veho reseller so you get an authentic genuine pair, and that way you will not have to worry about fakes. When I bought these ones, the stocks for the red and pink coloured ones had run out, but eventually, I plan to acquire one in each colour.

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