Review: The Vers 1.5R

The Vers 1.5R feels as light as it looks. This is coming from someone who lugged it home by foot, train, then bus, but just as well, felt the irrepressible urge to destroy the cumbersome packaging once there. (If it wasn’t for the return-after-review policy, I would have.) The terribly conspicuous box (it’s lime green) doesn’t swing corners well, and I very distinctly caused a subway scene at the turnstile trying to time my Metro-card swipe and “Go” advance with the passing-through of me and my new fixture. Nevertheless, it is light in weight and once in safekeeping, can easily be transported from nightstand to bookshelf and so forth.

Unfortunately, I first listened to the Vers 1.5R while it sat on carpeted ground and played Kanye West’s 808’s & Heartbreak (which, now, officially sounds strange everywhere), and I was far from impressed. Raising it to a more appropriate level - my kitchen counter - and switching the track to something less robotic, I finally experienced what the Vers boasts about.

Claiming that no music sounds better than when coming from a wooden instrument, the Vers 1.5R cabinet is harvested from sustainable-managed plantation sources, and promises that for every tree used, new ones are planted. The zero-tolerance protective packaging (there’s no bubble wrap to pop or Styrofoam to set afire) is made from 100-percent recycled paper, and there are no wire cable ties, plastic snaps, or adhesives, just screws - which makes for an easier disassembly, if ever needed.

The Vers 1.5R (also an AM/FM sound system and alarm clock) states it’s compatible with all iPod docking models, except for third-generations, but makes no mention of iPhones. I was able to navigate my first-gen iPod Touch through instinctive use of the provided 18-function IR remote; the pictures are self-explanatory (i.e. final selections are made via the press of a button embedded with a checkmark). However, once it came time to choose “Favorite” preset radio stations, signified by the symbol of a star and of which there can be ten, the instruction manual got plenty of page-flips and re-reads.

Even if switched to radio play or turned off entirely, the Vers 1.5R always puts a pause on whatever song was last sounding from your iPod, so when ready, you can listen from where you left off, without having to search for the track again. You can also access your iPod’s lists of artists, albums, and songs by pressing the remote’s “Menu” button the respective number of times. And for those who have a plethora of playlists, “Gym Workout,” “Drinking Games,” “Baby-Making” and the like, there’s a button that assists in those selections, too.

Treble and bass can be altered even at 25 feet away using the remote - which, by the way, is cheap-looking and made silver to match the two volume and tuner dials on the device itself but, on the upside, can’t be misplaced under a Post-It like the iHome’s thumb-sized and over-simplified control. There’s rear port design for a deeper bass response, 15-watt speakers, a 3.5mm auxiliary input that other personal audio players can be connected to, and a class D amplifier which tends to be more energy efficient by producing a lot less waste heat than traditional Class AB’s.

After using the Vers 1.5R for only two days, I, true to my nature, began to take it for granted. But, I didn’t realize it as such until I got into my car. Suddenly, all the noise coming out of my 3-part contraption (made up of tape adapter, charger, and iPod) sounded muffled, so much so that I began to unplug everything and check wires to ensure nothing had broken or split. I eventually chose to drive in silence. I had adjusted pitches, volumes, and balances, but to no avail. The music was now completely uninspired and lifeless.

The Vers 1.5R comes in Piano White gloss, and the real wood veneers of Bamboo, Natural Cherry, Natural Walnut, and Dark Walnut; prices range from $200 - $220 at www.versaudio.com.

-Danielle Cheesman