Product Review:V-Moda: Vibe Headphones




	Product Review: V-moda: Vibe Reviewed by: Jason Gillard


I just recently bought a 3rd generation Ipod Nano. It was the perfect chance to try out V-Moda's Vibe in ear earphones. First let me talk a little about the company and their philosophy. V-Moda feels that your earphones should not be generic. They should almost be like a piece of jewelry. They feel that it should be an expression of your personality. The owner of the company saw that everyone was walking around with the same white earphones that come with their Ipods. He thought that earphones don't have to look bland and white and from that V-moda was born. Here is what it says about the Vibe earphones right from V-Moda's web site. "the Vibe are a revolutionary noise-isolating modaphone that allows discerning music enthusiasts to experience state-of-the-art audio on the go. The luxurious, unprecedented all-metal design of VIBE puts the earphones on par with high fashion jewelry, while the lightweight micro-size and ultra-soft silicone fittings provide a secure, comfortable fit during the most rigorous activities. VIBE is the first hi-fidelity earphone of its caliber to possess such mobile flexibility". I have to admit they are nice looking earphones. So the question is with all this glitz and glamour are there great sounding? This is what I am going to attempt to find out.



The Vibe comes with quite a few accessories. It comes with 8 pairs of silicone fittings in different sizes as well as two colours (clear and black) It also comes with the Modawrap. This is an interesting cable management system in the shape of the company logo. It also includes a black leather pouch to hold everything in. It's great that they decided to include 8 silicone fittings, because I would think it would be easy to lose these. So it's nice that they included a backup. In other reviews that I have read about these earphones the pouch that they included was gold. I am glad that the ones they sent me came with a black pouch, because I honestly would not want a gold pouch, I think that would be too flashy. The Modawrap is a really interesting idea. First since the shape is that of the company logo, it's almost advertising the brand. Second it's made of a silicone and has a quality feel to it. For me I use it mostly as a way of storing the earphones. If your using it to shorten your cord I find it's a little to heavy and tends to bounce around a bit.



Let's talk a little bit about the look of these. There pretty amazing, there almost entirely made of metal, but surprisingly they are very lightweight. When I first got them I was looking for the left and right symbols to know which ear they go in. I didn't find any so I figured it didn't matter. But after close inspection the L and the R are there. I wish they would have made it a little more obvious. The cable is see-through and braided. The cable seems to be very robust and would hold up. They also don't seem to tangle as much as other earphones I have tried. Overall I really like the design. Sometimes its nice to be different and not blend in with a sea of white earphones. There well made and very light which is a perfect combination in a pair of earphones.



So we have talked about the design, what comes in the box, but all that doesn't really matter if they don't sound good. When testing these out I tried them on a Creative Zen and on a 3rd generation Ipod Nano as well as my Nintendo DS. I have to make one thing clear that I have found out by doing this review. It's that personally I don't like in the ear earphones. I love the sound but I don't like they way they feel. I didn't know that going in, but now that I have used them for awhile they are starting to grow on me a little. But if you have never used this type of earphone before it's a good idea to see if you can borrow a pair off a buddy just to make sure your ok with the way they feel. I also listened to a variety of different types of music as well. I listened to Sarah Mclachlan's Afterglow album. I also listened to some classical music. Plus I listened to the soundtrack from Blade Runner which has a lot electronic sounding sounds. Both the Creative Zen and the Ipod nano come with headphones that are pretty bad. I listened to the tracks first with these headphones than I switched to the Vibes. The difference is really noticeable. I found that the Vibe did a better job with the bass. But if your looking for thumping bass these aren't the earphones for you, there more of a refined bass, but I did like the sound of it. They also had a crispness to the audio that was very well done. I could make out little nuisances in the Blade Runner soundtrack that I did not hear with the stock headphones. Treble was also something the Vibe's really excelled in. These are great sounding earphones and I don't think you would be able to find anything that sounds as good as these for the price there retailing for (MSRP $100).



Overall would i recommend these in the ear earphones? Yes I would. But I still would suggest trying in the ear earphone before purchasing them. This isn't a knock against the vibes fit, it's just a personal preference of mine. If you find you don't like them, then there is the bassfreq earphones from V-moda which come in the traditional ear bud. I hope to be able to review those as well. If your looking for great sounding earphones for a decent price then look no further than the V-moda Vibe's. Plus if your looking to stand out they also come in a variety of colours. I could just see myself with a pair of red earphones. Hey but to each his own! Highly Recommended!