Beyerdynamic is a German brand that has been known to deliver quality sound when it comes to audio. Their over-ear headphone designs are very well-known and applauded by audiophiles. They have released a new addition to their repertoire of audio equipment, this time as a pair of true wireless earphones: the Verio 200. These come in 3 different designs – black, cream, and sport – and are available at a reasonable $219.99. What makes them a good purchase? Let’s look at the details.
What Comes In The Box
- Verio 200 Headphones (Sport Model)
- Charging Case
- USB-A to USB-C Charging Cable
- Startup Guide Booklet
- Safety/Warranty Booklet
Aesthetics and Functionality
The beyerdynamics are a great set of earphones. The pair I tested was the sport model, which I thought had some differences from the other Verio models. Upon closer inspection, the sport model doesn’t have any difference aside from the orange accents in visual design. Between the matte black finish and touches of orange, they are stunning and a great set to wear. The ergonomic design to fit around the ear was a bit odd at first; I hadn’t ever worn an earphone like this. It took a moment for me to get it properly adjusted to my ear, and the memory wire allowed me to customize it to my own ear shape. I admit: I thought the earphones were going to fall off my ear nearly the whole time. It was an interesting wear that I couldn’t see staying on my ear due to the sound of it. I would have liked to see another place to adjust the earphone be in the design, because while it was easy to wrap around the ear, having the speaker part stay in place was a little more difficult. It took a bit of patience, but eventually I was able to get them to fit comfortably and securely.
Connecting the earphones via Bluetooth was a piece of cake. Holding down the center button and selecting the earphones on my smart device made it easy to start listening right away. The Bluetooth connection was strong and didn’t waver at all, even when I walked away from my device. The Verio 200 at full charge gives 8 hours of listening, and the case with it allows for an additional 27 hours. There is also an app that was suggested to be downloaded, and that allows you to customize and keep track of the features of the earphones. You could set the touch-controls for each headphone, set the disconnection timer, and even personalize EQ if the four presets didn’t suit your fancy. I had a lot of fun testing out all these qualities, and I was pleased to see how I was able to tune the sound to be exactly how I wanted (to a degree).
Tech Specs
- Transmission: Wireless via Bluetooth®
- Battery: Up to 8 hours, 27 hours with charging case
- Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20kHz
- Bluetooth® version 5.3
- Codecs: aptX™ Adaptive Lossless, AACm SBC
- Charging Case Weight: 98g
- Charging Case Dimensions: 69.5 x 25 x 100 mm
Listening Review
Soundstage
The Verio 200s give an impressive soundstage for a pair of earphones that don’t go in ear. The sound was a bit deceiving, as it seemed as though the audio was coming from much farther away than it actually was. I felt as though there was music playing in the room I was in rather than the headphones I was wearing. This makes sense given that the open design paired with a non-invasive driver made for a rather wide field. It wasn’t tight or compressed like a lot of earphones and earpods naturally are. Those sit right inside the ear canal, so it tracks that something outside of that would result in an open sound (as the title of the product suggests). The wideness, despite how good it was, did not translate well to the height of the sound. It was instead very flat and one dimensional, which was a shame given that the natural qualities of the sound jumped out. Still, the quality of the sound was very well done and on par with what beyerdynamic is known for.
Low Frequencies
The low end of the Verio 200 was expansive and rich. It held a lot of depth and a good foundation, which is not what I expected from a pair that was very open. Sub bass frequencies even got a chance to shine, with pop synths and tuned 808s taking center stage. Deep strings and kick drums have earthy warmness that is pleasant to listen to and helped accentuate the vibe of each genre they were in. Particularly, I was listening to “Yesterday” by the Beatles, and I loved the low tones that came through with that track. It was calming and soothing, which is just as I imagined the song to be. ROSALÍA’s album “MOTOMAMI” has a lot of tuned synth bass kicks, and each track felt just as powerful as they were intended to be.
Mid-Range Frequencies
In this range, my feelings are mixed. On one hand, the lower mid-range has an excellent clarity that ties the bass and midrange together quite nicely. There is clarity here that jumps out and makes tracks pleasant to the ear. On the other hand, there is an unwelcome muddiness that comes from the absence of the high mids. Luckily, the EQ adjustment makes up for that, but I want to blame user error on this disappointing midrange. I admit I was struggling to wear them correctly for a long time, and I thought the headphones themselves were just a boxy-sounding pair that wasn’t worth the $219.99 someone might spend. However, after playing with the memory wire and adjusting it to my ear, I was able to get the mid-range back to what I expected it to sound like. I found there still to be missing depth in that higher mid range, which may be the cause of what was making the overall soundstage rather flat.
High Frequencies
The highs have balance and color, giving tracks a rounded out and full sound. I think the openness of these expands this range to be perceived higher than it actually is. There is an airy quality to the high end, which I could hear coming through on songs that had more “sparkle” to them. Charlie XCX, for example, implements a lot of higher synth melodies to decorate the top end and give contrast to the heavy downbeats. It comes through on Verio 200 and makes the tracks very balanced and enjoyable. On a more critical note, however, this airness comes with a downfall: a lack of clarity. The clarity that would give this more shape and depth is missing, and I think with the one dimension soundstage, the floaty top end gets a little lost. It’s odd because this section does have a beautiful sound, it just is missing that extra oomph. It is nice that the lows have the balance they need, otherwise the Verio 200 would be very fatiguing to wear.
Custom EQ Feature
The custom EQ feature in the app was a highlight for me and advertised heavily upon setup, so I wanted to talk about it a bit. When applying the presets, you are able to hear a noticeable difference in how each affects the tracks you listen to. I tested out each of the genres provided: rock, jazz, classical, and pop. I listened to hard rock from the late 70s, jazz renditions of well known songs from the Postmodern Jukebox, a few pop hits from the charts, and some classical piano from Debussy. The EQ did well to highlight what should be highlighted in each of those genres. Even if the preset wasn’t what I particularly wanted, it was easy to create a custom EQ setting that I could save and call back on later.
That being said, there are some downsides to this. I could see how this customization becomes a more irritable task when listening than a pleasant one. If I’m trying to have optimal sound for a playlist that spans across a wide number of genres, I don’t want to have to keep going back to the app and adjusting the levels of my EQ to properly enjoy it. Also, the presets do not cross genres too well. If I am listening to a jazz EQ preset, listening to a pop song directly after that does not make the song that much better. Instead, it makes it sound just slightly off and it takes me out of the listening experience.
Summary
To conclude, the Verio 200 is a great purchase for people who want to elevate their earphone experience. I may have a lot of criticisms for the pair, but at the end of the day, I see who this was marketed towards. People who want to listen on-the-go, during exercise, or casually at home/office are sure to enjoy these. Audiophiles and people looking for detailed listening might not be impressed, but can applaud the ergonomic design and customizable features. At $219.99, these are right in the middle of the price range for wireless headphones. If you’re willing to spend the extra money to get a quality brand that will last a while, this is the pair for you. With three designs to choose from, the beyerdynamic Verio 200 is an excellent addition to the wireless earphone world.
The Verio 200 is available in all 3 design options at Audio46.
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