When it comes to headphones, I always start by mentioning the few things that makes a good pair. It has to sound good, after all that’s why you buy one, because you love music and you want a great way of enjoying what you love. Next, it needs to look good – at the end of the day, if you’ll be wearing it in public, it needs to be stylish. People who buy headphones, tend to move around a lot, which means it needs to be portable and even better, come with a carry pouch to keep it secure in transit.
The VK1 by Aedle is a work of art, it’s stylish, minimalist and feels very personal. It also sounds good, no matter what music genre you’re into. The headband is a flexible metal covered in leather and although it doesn’t have any sort of foam in between the leather and the metal, it’s light to compensate for the comfortability. The 40mm Titanium Neodymium drivers are housed in an aviation grade T6066 aluminium cover and lambskin leather with subtle branding that it almost looks neutral to the naked eye. Both drivers are very comfortable and can just about see the two thin ventilation lines on each piece and I also have to mention, they don’t leak music as you would have expected them to.
On the left side, you will notice the 3.5mm port to plug in your cable which is supplied in the box with metal ends. Aedle advice users to avoid frequently plugging in and detaching the cable as it could affect the longevity of the tip. We soon found this to be an issue as the metal casing came lose after doing so quite frequently, as the headphone itself is not foldable which means removing the cable was necessary when travelling at times. Having said that, the cable is a standard 3.5mm one, so you you can easily replace it with another one or use the other options available in the box.
Cable Options available:
- 1.2 m cable with inline remote control
- 1.2 m aramid fiber cable
- 2.4 m aramid fiber cable
Overall experience with the VK1 was great, it’s very fashionable, sounds great, handling the bass and the trebles very well, although not studio grade. The carry case is also stylish, reminding us of something Barbour would design with the stitching, padding and the fabric used. You even get your own personal registration/ID card for your headphones. The style and materials used here also reflects in the pricing – you will be willing to spend just over £250 to acquire yours.
