Sweden is known for a few different things which are particular to that part of the world, such as a certain brand of flatpack furniture, a certain car in which you can take your flatpack furniture home, and a certain pop quartet which you can listen to as you do so. Perhaps we can add to that list a certain Bluetooth headphone which would be useful in keeping our dated musical tastes to ourselves – the Sudio Vasa Blå!
The product name ‘Vasa Blå’ has a certain ring to it and the word ‘Blå’ translates to ‘Blue’ in English which is probably due to the Bluetooth functionality, rather than Sweden’s being partly within the Arctic Circle, or indeed their film industry.
Pros:
- Wireless convenience
- Battery lasts and is quick and easy to charge
- Sounds superb
- Nice leather pouch included
Cons:
- Battery and controls may snag on clothing
Design and Appearance
The Vasa Blå comes in very neat packaging which gives a good impression of quality, and upon taking the earphones out this does not change; accessories are well presented too. The earphones themselves are quite smart, with a ribbon-type cable running between them. Controls and battery are on the cable itself; it’s more usual to see the a battery or batteries perhaps as a part of an enlarged capsule on each side, but these wouldn’t look nearly as good whilst being worn.
The black model comes with rose gold-coloured metal capsule on each side, which gives a certain touch of sophistication.
Durability & Build Quality
It’s a given that Bluetooth earphones should be as small and light as possible; in recent years these design challenges have been more or less mastered and what we have is a very nice little package. There are no obvious weak points; it would be nice to see some strain reliefs where the cable meets the capsules and the battery, but I doubt if these are necessary on a bluetooth earphone of this type.
The Vasa Blå is covered in rubber (apart from the rose gold parts) making for a rugged and sweat-proof product. Also, the mic/controls are contained within a rugged looking housing which looks as if it could take a lot of abuse.
Comfort
The earphones are well balanced when being worn; the even distribution of weight, with battery on one side and mic/control housing on the other prevents the earphones from wanting to slip one way or the other. However, as the battery and controls are thicker than the cable, these might have a tendency to get caught on clothing if moving the head from side to side (if the cable is worn around the back of the neck). Other than that, one can almost forget that the Vasa Blå is being worn, were it not for the music!
Suitability for Intended Application
There’s a lot of Bluetooth models aimed at sporty uses, but I don’t feel the Sudio Vasa Blå is aimed solely at that type of scenario. The design lends itself well to casual use in the home, commuting, well, anything really. The graduated volume moves up or down in well spaced-out steps which makes adjustments easy for those who are on the move.
Sound Characteristics:
Sudio have wisely tuned the Vasa Blå to appeal to most people; a decent well controlled bass with clear, mellow midrange and a smooth treble. This is what most people are looking for at this price level and it’s well implemented. However, the sound can also be tweaked very successfully if using your favourite EQ settings.
Bass:
Bass is given some prominence and this is quite noticeable when called for; extreme low frequencies can be quite strong but this doesn’t lead to any problems with non-bassy genres. There’s a visceral quality within the bass which really appeals; fundamentals are given a solid, authoritative footing for an engaging and enjoyable experience.
Mids:
There’s a large amount of clarity and detail here and the midrange does not sound recessed. There’s a nice sense of space and harmonics which gives instruments a 3-dimensional feel with good imaging.
Treble:
Treble may be smooth but not at the cost of detail and sparkle; it’s simply a nice balance between detail and musicality. It stays out of analytical and sterile territory, but not at the cost of making the earphones sound dull.
Soundstage & Separation
Soundstage is good for an in-ear model, with sound appearing to emanate from a point outside of the earphones’ physical confines. Instruments are well separated and easy to pinpoint even with a lot of action going on within the music, there is never a muddle with complex pieces.
Music genres good for and why
A lot of different music has been tried with the Sudio Vasa Blå, and nothing comes up short. Having said that, Dance Music, Pop and Rap may be the genres which will benefit from an increased bass response and give a nice thumping presentation. More mid-centric genres and older recordings will still benefit from the clarity of the midrange however.
Summary
A good effort from the Swedish brand Sudio; we never get tired of trying better and better Bluetooth earphones, and considering the bright future ahead for wireless models, Sudio may be well placed for inclusion in everybody’s list of notable Swedish things!
