V-MODA Vibe In-Ear Noise-Isolating Metal Headphone (Gunmetal Black)
by V-MODA
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List Price: Our Price: $36.99 You Save: $22.96 (38%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of V-MODA Vibe In-Ear Noise-Isolating Metal Headphone (Gunmetal Black)
Customer Review: Without doubt, best BOOM for your ear-bud headphone buying buck!
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had these bad boys for quite a while, so I can say without reservation, these are the best headphones available in this price range, and perhaps at ANY price point. I've tried some low-end Shures, but not only were they harder to use (the cord goes up and AROUND your ear?), but they didn't have anywhere NEAR the bass response of the V-MODAs. And for my cash, that's where it's at, the bass. Perhaps the higher-end, near $300 stuff is more exacting in sound reproduction, but I have pretty good ears and the V-MODAs are just excellent, and as I said, these 'phones have no peer in the area of bass response. With the right tunes, the bass will feel like it's practically BOOMING out of your head! But it DOES NOT come at the price of thin mid-range or highs. Really, if your source material is of even average quality, these 'phones will deliver by every measure.
My only wish-fors would be the same for any similar product. Sound isolation could be better, as I travel on increasingly noisy buses, but that might only come at the cost of more invasive buds, and after the Shures, I'll have none of that. The ones I tried didn't have the famous triple-flanged sleeves, but even once you got the hang of inserting them AND got used to the feel of them sliding ever deeper into your ear, fit remained a problem. I could never get them to snug in the same way twice, and the only way to really keep outside noise outside is to have a tight AND consistent fit. The V-MODAs don't go in near as far, but they fit very snugly and do so every time. With the excellent bass response, cranking up some movin' tunes tends to knock out the outside world well enough!
I'd also like them to be more durable, but I don't know if ANY ear-bud 'phones will be sturdy enough for me. I'm REAL hard on these things (apparently; I don't know anyone else who uses this style of 'phones, so I can only go by my experience), so nothing I've used in the past 5 years or so have lasted more than six months. I'm being REAL careful with my current set, using the included case and cord wrap to keep them safe and untangled, and so far, so good.
[And as an aside, I wish someone who makes good mid- to high-end earbud headphones like these would just copy the wind-up style hard plastic case that Sony uses for their low-end 'phones. Maybe it doesn't match up to some preconceived notion of quality to use such a case, but it made life SO much easier!]
Though I wouldn't go back to using the 'buds from Sony, I did like their "neck-chain" style, where the cord going to the right bud was longer than the one to the left, so that when temporarily not in use, you could hang the 'phones around the back of your neck. Not a deal-breaker, just a nice handy thing that I'd like to have with the V-MODAs. Also, it's REAL hard to distinguish the left and right buds from one another. The "L" and "R" are printed on them, but right next to the earphone sleeve, thus obscured by the outer portion of the sleeve. My easy solution: they come with pairs of both semi-translucent white and black sleeves, of three sizes each, so I put a white sleeve on the left 'bud and a black one on the right. So simple and ingenious, I keep wondering what took me so long to figure it out!
Even with the above minor caveats, I can't see using any other 'phones so long as V-MODA stays in business. They have no peer in sound quality, they're feather-light, and as an added bonus, they look great! I favor the "gun-metal black" color, and even that has a near-jewelry look to it, so if you're something of an aesthete, there's another bonus! Give 'em a shot. I highly doubt you'll be sorry!
Customer Review: Good ECH buds for bassheads looking for fun sound
Summary: 3 Stars
I bought these as an introduction to the world of ECHs looking for good isolation and the great sound quality I've heard ECHs are capable of. I had reada lot of positive reviews of the Vibes from people on Amazon that had previously owned other well regarded ECH models. So I thought I'd give them a try. YEEAAHH!!!
In short, the Vibes have overpowering bass (by design) that, imho, is only suitable for certain types of music like heavy metal, dance, techno-ish stuff and hip hop (not good r&b though). Maybe classical would even be ok with these given their innately slight bass. However, classical would present the user with the Vibe's separate issue of recessed and inarticulate highs and mids. This did not improve after 5 days of continuous burn-in.
According to their website, the people at V-Moda specifically designed the Vibe's sound along a "signature" EQ curve to enhance the listening experience for specific kinds of music (i think the site described it as "club music"). The curve chiefly involves "rolled-off highs" and a slightly exaggerated low end. Though, for obvious reasons, the site assures would-be buyers that the Vibes are acceptable for all other kinds of music as well. After giving these buds a fair shot, I have to whole-heartedly disagree.
I'm not an audiophile snob, but I think that 80% of all music should not be listened to with Vibes. This sounds harsh, but for my personal tastes I need some semblance of fidelity to the original recording. The Vibe's ear drum popping bass (though it's fairly precise and not overly bloated) and scarcely audible mids and highs, along with a rather small soundstage make for an overall underwhelming product.
I will say, however, that they look really cool, have great isolation and, if you don't mind hearing sounds in your head or the brushing of the cables, could certainly be a "fun" pair of phones for some of us out there. I would not, on the other hand, recommend these for those looking to hear their music, and I mean ALL genres of music, the way it was intended to be heard.
If you don't need/want total isolation from outside noises but want an absolutely fantastic pair of regular (semi-supra-aural) earbuds, go with the Yuin PK2s. They will blow you away right from jump street. give them a little burn-in and the highs will mellow out, then give them a little more and the bass will become more pronounced. I don't need to write a separate review of these since there are plenty of them out there (all good, i might add) but I am currently using these on the go and am extremely happy with them!
In conclusion, the Vibes are certainly not for everybody, especially not if you have smallish ear holes. But if you are a basshead at heart, lol, and want to set your head to rattling while on the go, check these babies out. But if you don't like them you can always take advantage of Amazon's return policy (as I did ;p).
Aside: I also use Ultrasone HFI-700s (an example of the proper way to use thundering bass without ruining the overall sound) and recently got a pair of Yuin PK1s for home use (a good step up from the PK2s, though still burning in). The PK1s require an amp for best sound.
Customer Review: Outstanding!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been using the v-moda vibe for about a week now with my iPod Nano and I absolutely love this baby. Although I have a huge music collection as well as three iPods, I never considered buying high end earbuds until about two weeks ago. Since I'll be heading on a 16 hour flight in a couple of days, I thought - why not invest in some great noise isolating earbuds instead of putting up with the terrible earphones that the airlines usually hand out.
After reading the reviews on Amazon, I first went to my local retailer and bought a Shure E2C. While the audio quality on the Shure E2C was great, it takes a lot of maintenance..... and as other reviewers point out, the bass response is terrible unless you get the silicone insert perfectly right. If thats not enough of a headache, the bass response can differ widely every time you use the earphones, depending on whether the earbuds "seal" correctly. It took so much work everytime I used it, it made more sense for me to get a pet instead!!!
So I returned the E2C's and got myself the Creative Aurvana's. Great packaging and slick presentation, but the earbuds suck!!! The bass response was terrible and my music sounded flat! I returned those within 48 hours of use. Seriously, dont even bother with the Creative Aurvana. Its a total waste of time and money.
Finally, with my trip looming large, I decided to get the v-moda vibe once again after reading the stellar reviews on Amazon. I mean, a product with 4 stars after 312 reviews has got to be good, right? I got the earbuds and decided to try them on (skeptically). I was completely blown away! So much so, that I decided to write my first review ever on Amazon. So here are the pros and cons of these earbuds.
Pros:
1. Phenomenal bass response. It doesnt have the "please make me deaf" kind of "super bass", but has a rich uniform bass - much better than the Shure and Creative buds.
2. Mid range and highs are also great and crisp
3. The fit and maintenance are both super easy. No clogging, not 'ear wax cleaning tools' etc
4. The "seal" is also great - and importantly, consistent. Also, the seal pretty much isolates most sound. So you definitely want to be careful when wearing these. (For example - I couldnt hear the tap running when I was in my kitchen. I couldnt even hear my phone ringing right in front of me)
5. Fits right, no slipping even when you are walking or running
Cons:
None really. The packaging, presentation etc could be better. The "leather" bag it comes with looks kinda cheap, etc. But all of this, in my opinion is purely incidental and immaterial. I mean, do you buy earbuds for the sound or for the way its packaged/accessories?
Another suggestion:
When using the iPod, I found the "Rock" EQ setting gave me the best response on the buds. Try listening to "Stairway to Heaven" and you can hear Jimmy Page's (I think) fingers brush against the strings of the lead guitar as he plucks away. Beat that Shure! Creative, just roll over! :)
Customer Review: Some easy solutions to reviewer complaints
Summary: 5 Stars
Despite having absolutely no interest in cosmetic design of earbuds, I have great interest is functionality and performance, and the Vibes shine in these areas.
Thanks to the (relatively few) negative reviews, I have found several plausible solutions to the cord failures, microphonics and one-side loss of audio for this otherwise outstanding product. I also propose likely solutions to some confusion about tonal characteristics.
Preventing cord failure at the ends
The simplest preventative is minimize movement of the cord. At the 'bud ends, this is easily done by wrapping the cord around the ear instead of just letting it hang (heck, at this price you might even prefer to lose an ear than damage the cord). A big additional benefit of ear-wrapping is that noise from cord movement is practically eliminated.
The durability of the cord at the stress points at the plug and earbuds can be easily improved by applying a small drop of 'Liquid Electrical Tape' (Star Brite, Ft. Lauderdale, FL) for about 2 mm (3/16-inch) along the cord from the existing rubber strain reliefs, using a toothpick. I obtained this from the Ace hardware store for about $5, and have used it successfully for several similar jobs, indoors and out. This liquid vinyl gradually stiffens over time, but retains flexibility and durability similar to that of the existing rubber reliefs. It adheres very well to the black rubber cord, but I can't speak to the clear insulation on some models (although this may not impede its effectiveness). Of course this doesn't make the cord any stronger, but may increase durability by increasing the minimum bending radius.
Fixing loss of sound on one side
Near the bottom of the FAQ on the V-Moda website is the description of this problem being often caused by foreign matter entering the earbud and physically obstructing motion of the transducer. The FAQ recommends blowing gently into the business end of the earbud to clear the obstruction. Perhaps some of the negative raters might have solved their problem this way.
Distorted audio characteristic
The Vibes are the first earbuds that I find allow me to completely disable all equalization and hear much of the definition that the sound engineer intended (when listening to an appropriate sound source*). However, the downside to this level of quality is that the distortion introduced by equalization can become glaringly obvious. Perhaps some who don't observe the richness of the Vibe's audio may be hearing the real effects of some equalization or audio processing they have enabled to improve the sound of weaker devices. Try disabling all equalization and see what happens. I found that most SRS and DFX features, while still functional, tend to obscure the superb definition that these 'buds can otherwise provide. If distortion remains, check for dirty connectors.
* For example, when listening to 'Music Choice' 48-kHz PCM from an SA digital cable box via S/PDIF decoded with the Intel ICH4 AC'97.
Customer Review: Great sound, but...
Summary: 4 Stars
Caveat: I'm not an audiophile so I won't use a lot of esoteric gobbledygook about the sound quality. Also, these were the first 'high-end' (some might consider them 'mid-range' or even 'beginner' level, but for me it's as 'high-end' as I'm likely to go with canalphones).
The sound quality of these phones was great. If there is any complaint about the sound that I have, it would be that they are definitely designed for music. I also listen to a lot of spoken-voice podcasts and voices seemed to get a bit muffled... I would have to turn the volume up... then some voices (such as the host of the BBC World News) would be a bit whiny on the S's and become very noisy.
Nevertheless, the main issues I had with the vibes was not the sound quality... First of all, the little storage bag is a bit of a pain to use. No matter how you try to store the phones in it, they will come out in a tangled mess. I found the little plastic thing (I call it a "bone") that you're supposed to wind your cable around pretty much useless. It's too short to wrap the entire cable around for storage purposes, and it's too big and impractical to use for excess cord while listening (and really, the cord isn't long enough to have much excess, unless you're using a shoulder strap or something).
The biggest day-to-day inconvenience with the Vibes was that the left one didn't want to stay in my ear (the right one was not as bad). Even after using the larger size bud, it just wouldn't stay in very well. Whether jogging, walking or sometimes just barely catching the cable, the left phone would pop right out. Perhaps it's just my mutant ear, but it seems like the buds just didn't provide enough of a seal, and the rest of the driver, although looking beautiful, adds a little too much weight to keep them stable (and the nice thick rubber cable doesn't help in this case). Your ears may vary.
Finallly, the unfortunate events that have separated me from my Vibes. I have an ipod nano (original model), and the straight plug of the Vibes definitely is not optimal for such a device. Although the cable is pretty well protected with nice thick rubber insulation, the weakness is at the plug. Because it's a straight plug, unless you're pretty careful how you carry your player, chances are, you're going to be bending the cable right against the metal base of the plug. I often would wrap the phones around the ipod for storage (since the "bone" and the bag were more trouble than they were worth), which only exacerbated the problem. Eventually, the rubber wore enough at the plug to reveal the wire shielding underneath, which inevitably frayed and killed the earphones. From now on, I will go out of my way to get the bent plug for my ipod.
So, if you get the Vibes, make sure you'll be prepared for a straight plug, and if you wrap your plug around your player, unplug it first, and perhaps yours will last longer than mine (which is ~1 year).