Vision Ears EXT MK II
Vision Ears EXT MK II delivers electrifying treble, punchy textured bass, and superb separation in a finely integrated hybrid design. MajorHifi highlights its crisp, controlled sparkle and precise layering, while Tone Deaf Monk praises its natural mids, convincing dynamics, and exceptionally comfortable fit. It is a thrilling flagship for listeners who value vivid detail and immersive focus.
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Deliciously Crispy
Sound Quality
92/100
Fit Comfort Isolation
90/100
Build Accessories
90/100
Value for Money
85/100
Pros
Deep, controlled bass combines authoritative slam with texture and clean separation from the mids.
Extended, crisp electrostatic treble delivers sparkle, definition, and high-frequency detail without harshness for some reviewers.
Excellent separation and precise imaging keep complex arrangements organized and engaging.
Secure, low-fatigue fit benefits from the revised nozzle and thoughtfully shaped shells.
Cons
The soundstage is intimate to moderate rather than expansive or holographic at this price level.
Treble energy can be intense, with occasional sibilance or excess bite on certain recordings and at louder levels.
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What Reviewers Are Saying
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 92/100
Reviewers hear an energetic, highly resolved presentation with deep, controlled bass, exceptionally vivid treble, and strong driver integration. Its main tonal trade-offs are a cleaner, less weighty lower-midrange and a soundstage that is more intimate than expansive for this price level.
Bass
94/100
Reviews consistently praise the low end for deep extension, punch, rumble, and clean decay. Major HiFi notes authoritative sub-bass bloom without obscuring individual notes, while other reviewers describe it as smooth, controlled, and never forceful.
Midrange
89/100
The midrange is widely described as clean, clear, natural, and organically rendered. However, Major HiFi hears more emphasis on upper-mid liveliness than lower-mid fundamentals, and ZPProductions finds the mids capable rather than especially distinctive.
Treble
93/100
The upper range earns especially strong praise for sparkle, crispness, extension, and control. Tone Deaf Monk calls it among the best treble they have heard, though ZPProductions cautions that its energetic, bitey character can occasionally be too much with some music.
Resolution Separation
93/100
Reviewers find the EXT MK II highly detailed and especially adept at separating dense, overlapping mix elements. Piano, strings, and high-frequency information are described with strong nuance, clarity, and textural definition.
Soundstage Imaging
86/100
Imaging is precise, with Major HiFi highlighting pointed movement and secure positional cues. The stage is not unusually large, however: reviewers describe good width and height but average depth, with a more intimate scale than some similarly priced rivals.
Dynamics Coherence
94/100
The EXT MK II is praised for convincingly scaling from quiet passages to forceful crescendos, bringing real energy to music. Tone Deaf Monk also hears a notably cohesive blend between the dynamic drivers and electrostatic tweeters rather than a disconnected hybrid presentation.
FIT COMFORT ISOLATION PERFORMANCE 90/100
Fit feedback is strongly positive overall, with reviewers praising the shell design, nozzle angle, secure seating, and low perceived weight. One review finds the earpieces somewhat cumbersome at first, but still secure and non-fatiguing once positioned properly.
Seal Stability
91/100
The shells are reported to sit securely without feeling loose, and the nozzle design accepts ear tips easily. Major HiFi notes an initially cumbersome fit, but ultimately finds the fit stable; Tone Deaf Monk describes fitment as phenomenal.
Comfort
91/100
Reviewers report a light, non-fatiguing fit and praise the revised shell and nozzle geometry. Tone Deaf Monk found them exceptionally comfortable, while Major HiFi says the body does not carry enough weight to become tiring.
Isolation
89/100
Major HiFi describes the fit as isolating, and the secure, relatively deep-fitting design should support consistent passive attenuation. The available reviews provide little direct comparison of isolation against dedicated stage-monitor designs.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Build Accessories
90/100
Reviewers praise the considered shell and nozzle design, while the supplied case is described as notably premium. The limited edition's Effect Audio cable is a meaningful inclusion, although the available commentary says little about long-term durability or the standard cable's performance.
Value for Money
85/100
At roughly $3,100-$3,400, the EXT MK II is firmly positioned as a flagship purchase. The reviews document its price and package differences, but offer little direct judgment on its value against competing IEMs at the asking price.
Reviews & Sources
Professional reviews and sources for this product's Watt'n Potatoes analysis.
Online Reviews & Mentions
YouTube Reviews
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Specifications
- Crossover
- 3-way crossover
- Drivers
- 1 × 9.2mm Dynamic Driver (re-designed) 1 × 6 mm Dynamic Driver 4 x EST, Electrostatic Tweeter
- Impedance
- 10 Ω @ 1KHz
- Sensitivity
- 108.5 dB SPL @ 1KHz (100mV)
- Cable
- 4.4mm balanced plug
Manufacturer's Description — Vision Ears
Renowned for its high-performance electrostatic drivers, the EXT has won numerous awards and received high praise from top reviewers worldwide. With the EXT MK II, we are taking this excellence to a new level. With a sound that inspires you even more and an improved fit for hours of pleasure.
The Vision
Based on the idea of the ELYSIUM to create an electrifying detailed but also warm and embracing sound, we wanted to explore what is possible. We wanted more. More lows that make you feel the rumble. More mids that vividly embrace you. And more highs to bring an airy and elated experience.
The feeling of an electrostatic headphone is unparalleled and hard to achieve with a small earphone. The EXT MK II will prove it wrong. An easy lightness surrounds this creation, airy, silk-like notes gather around your head, musical areas you never recognized will unfold before your closed eyes, a truly electrifying experience.
The Sound
The EXT MK II brings you closer to the true heart of your music. It provides you with a captivating sound experience that takes you to all the secret treasures your music has in store for you.
With enhanced tuning, we have refined the low frequency response to achieve greater accuracy and detail while improving midrange clarity. As a result, the EXT MK II offers an even more natural and immersive listening experience with unsurpassed depth and balance across all frequencies. Experience your music like never before - with a precision that lingers for a long time.
The four EST drivers deliver the widest high frequencies we've ever built, creating a wide, open landscape with lush detail that's never overdone. Combined with a dynamic 9.2 mm driver with plenty of sub-bass power, that we've re-designed for the EXT MK II, and a 6 mm driver for the mids, we were able to reveal the uncompromising beauty and breathtaking power of your music. All in all, the EXT MK II is a virtuoso of music, capable of masterfully reproducing almost any genre.
Exclusively featuring the 2nd generation of the Vision Ears HALC (High Precision Leveling Chamber). Finely tuning the sound of our dynamic Mids driver to highest accuracy.
Lows
Dynamic drivers are known to give a natural performance to the lows, with great depth and decay. For the EXT MK II, we re-designed the 9.2mm dynamic driver to create even deeper, more accurate and impactful lows with an outstanding structure, naturalness and impact. The lows are broad and layered, giving a solid ground to this outstanding sound composition.
Mids
The EXT MK II continues to use the 6mm dynamic driver for the middle frequencies, finely tuned by our 2nd generation HALC, a widely praised tuning concept we introduced with our ELYSIUM for the first time. Additionally to the leveling chamber of the HALC we use a STC (Side Tuning Chamber) that allow the midrange to be precisely tuned on the vocal range. The result is a smooth and rich presence to the middle frequencies. Vocals are full and rich, marvelously performing with a vivid and natural tone.
Highs
Four state-of-the-art Electrostatic drivers are powering the highs, unveiling all the micro details with a stunning easiness. The result are lively, airy highs with breathtaking purity, precision and richness. An uncompromising experience which makes you listen to your music like it’s the first time.
The Design
The idea was to create a technical but elegant shell with the aesthetics of an open back headphone. The most captivating element of the EXT MK II is the machined faceplate with the prominent and magnificent X design.
The complex cnc machining was optimized for this project to realize the delicately shifting lines of the design. A vacuum metalized mesh is elegantly sparkling underneath the open structure of the X design. This special aluminium acoustic mesh is giving the dynamic drivers the air to breathe and unfold their rumbling power, while protecting the internal components from outer influences.
The shell was made of solid black acrylic in a semi-custom shape. A black transparent area is allowing you to have a discreet peek on the black HALC and the four electrostatic drivers.
For the EXT MK II, we have added a beautiful grey to the purple that is already familiar.
The Case
The EXT MK II design is prominently covering the finely machined aluminium case. A striking and unmistakable look, showing the remarkable design of the EXT MK II. The machining of this case was made with extraordinary precision, to make the two parts of the case fit perfectly together.
The inside walls are all covered with a rubber inlay, so that the earphone is always protected when you are on the go. A premium leather pocket holds the earphones in place, preventing them to collide during transport.
New Nozzle
The newly designed, smaller nozzle offers an incredibly secure and comfortable fit for even more ears, without losing a single note of our signature sound.
HALC
An improved HALC tuning concept was exclusively developed for the midrange driver. Additionally to the leveling chamber of the HALC we use a STC (Side Tuning Chamber) that allow the midrange to be finely tuned on the vocal range. This new generation is giving us more abilities for tuning and in the end a significant higher level of realism in the midrange.
EST
The technology of electrostatic drivers is well known to high demanding audiophile people but they were yet mainly equipped in high class headphones. In the recent time this technology is gaining more and more ground with IEM´s all over the world, making the huge benefits of electrostatic drivers now portable. Due to a voltage transformer inside the earphones shell the electrostatic tweeters don´t need any external power source but only a high quality and powerful amplifier inside your DAP. The first generation of the Sonion EST drivers have been introduced to the market in 2019, now the second generation is state of the art. Due to their higher output spl and using two EST dual drivers, we were able to increase and extend the output to a whole new level.
Dynamic drivers
Our re-designed 9.2mm for the lows and 6mm dynamic drivers for the mids are equipped with a Liquid Silicone Rubber (LSR) surround. This technique of making the surround allows the driver to perform with a very low THD (Total Hormonic Distortion). The Al-Mg Alloy diaphragm of these drivers are light but stiff, which makes the performance surprisingly fast, very deep and precise. A Super Strong Rare Earth N52 Neodymium Magnet, allow the driver to perform better in more demanding situations, with less distortion at any operating level. In addition, we have added to our 6mm driver a double N52 Neodymium Magnet, to decrease even more the THD and increase the SPL without increasing the size of the driver.
Verified Dealers
Online Dealers
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Authorized dealers for Vision Ears EXT MK II
- Audio 46 — online and in-store — New York, New York, United States (website)
- Audio Concierge — online and in-store — England, United Kingdom (website)
- AV ONE — online and in-store — Singapore, Singapore (website)
- Bloom Audio — online and in-store — Gibbsboro, New Jersey, United States (website)
- CASQUES HEADPHONES — in-store — Lyon, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France (website)
- Headphone Zone — online and in-store — Laxmi Industrial Estate, Maharashtra, India (website)
- MusicTeck — online and in-store — Tenafly, New Jersey, United States (website)
- Star Picker — in-store — Sea Park, Selangor, Malaysia (website)
- Zeppelin & Co. — online and in-store — Singapore, Singapore (website)