Gadget Reviews – Page 11 – Overclockers HQ

Phones and MP3 players are not the only things that is getting more and more features added to them all the time. Of all things, the classic earbuds are getting pimped out with new features these days. You can get earbuds that include inline mics for your cell phone, and now a button to answer your phone and skip songs. One such earbud set is the Vibe ii’s from V-moda, not only do you get these features you also get Kevlar shielding to ensure that these bad boys last for a long time. Is it really worth it to buy a pair of pimped-out earbuds instead of buying a pair from the dollar store and using them till they die? Well let's get a better look at these and see if it is, really worth it: Provided by: V-Moda Closer Look: As I always say I love seeing what I am buying, the people at V-moda did a great job in their package design. It looks very quality and it still has the product window! In my opinion if they can’t show the product on the packaging it must be pretty poor quality. Judging purely on the packages quality if I walked by these I would say they are very high end. I love the fact that all of the info you need is on the back of the packaging. It has simple features listed for those that do not understand frequency response etc. But for those of you that do, it gives that information as well, along with full sound quality details. All of this info is found by opening the center of the packaging which shows all of the extra bonuses included. There is a virtual cornucopia of extras with the V-Moda Vibe ii Earphones. Included with the buds themselves are 2 sets of flanges (XsS,S,M,L) in both black and white. You also get a nice carrying pouch that actually holds all of the extras nicely. The addition of the over ear sport earhooks is something I haven’t seen with other iPhone earbuds in the past, also included is the manual. Another cool bonus is the VIP card which gets you into the member’s only sections of V-Moda. There isn’t much there yet but they are planning on adding tour dates and a number of other cool bonuses you will only get to see if you purchase a V-moda product. Let's take a closer look at the V-Moda Vibe ii Earphone's themselves: Closer Look: The V-Moda Vibe ii Earphones are by far the nicest looking earbuds I have seen yet. I have never seen such a meaty quality looking earbud to date in this price class. I especially love how seamless the earbud venting is built into the groove of the earbuds design. There is quite literally no angle I could get a decent picture of the flow ports to show them because they are so well integrated. The wire shielding is a lot better than the Zagg Zbuds I reviewed before. There was no worry of these fraying anytime soon which is nice when you are paying $120 for a set of earbuds, I would pay the $40 difference for these over the Zagg’s. Now for the features that make these earbuds more than just earbuds. There is an inline button that has multiple functions. One click answers your iPhone/Smartphone and one click hangs up. If you double click the song skips to the next one. There is a built in mic in order to use your V-Moda Vibe ii Earphones as a headset for your iPhone/Smartphone. Another great bonus is a clip to keep the buds right where you want them to stay. The plug for the V-Moda Vibe ii Earphones is gold plated to insure the best possible clarity and connection. Let's see the specs and testing: Specifications: Frequency Response: 12 Hz – 22 kHz Speaker Driver: 8mm V-MASQUE dynamic technology, neodymium rare earth magnet Cables:Kevlar® reinforced, 32” plug to y-connector,13.5” even-length earphone cables Plug: 24k gold-plated, 3.5 mm (1/8”) stereo plug Weight: 22g Warranty: One year V-MODA premier warranty Features: Maximum Mobility and Comfort. Hands-free microphone with call/ music control featureFour pairs of both black and clear silicone fittings (XS, S, M, L)Sport earhooks precisely designed for a tailored & secure fit, featuring ACTIVE FLEX Sculpted Stainless Steel Alloy and Kevlar® Reinforcement for Paramount Durability Handcrafted entirely from stainless steel alloy, luxurious fabrics and 24k goldKevlar® reinforced fabric cable for luxurious durabilityRevolutionary metal craftsmanship High-Definition Noise-Isolating Technology for Pinnacle Sound V-MASQUE high-definition clarity and 3D soundstageBLISS noise isolating (Bass Level Isolating Soft Silicone) technology reduces outside noise and enables deep bassWorld renowned sound signature features vibrant bass, vivid mid-range, and vivacious highsTuned to ensure a truly a unique hi-fidelity experience that evokes the soundstage, bass, and sensations of the ultimate music experience Testing: For testing we will be going through mainly sound quality. I will be testing the highs, mids, and lows, along with the over all speed response. I will also be testing the V-moda’s with the Qinpu Q2 desktop amp to see how well they perform with analog amperage. Before I do any testing I will be burning the V-Moda Vibe ii Earphones in for 24 hours before testing to ensure the sound quality is at its peak. If a headphone or earphone is not properly burned in the voice coils tend to be stiff and do not produce the full potential of the earbud or headphone. Highs (Treble): One thing I must say about these is that the treble is extremely loud which is perfect if you are a speed metal fan and love the sound of your brain being ripped apart by banshee screams. The treble is the most sibilant of any earbuds I have reviewed to date. Sibilance and smoothness of treble are personal preference I for one prefer smooth. Once I used my Qinpu Q2 amp in conjunction with the V-Moda Vibe ii Earphones I was pleasantly surprised how nicely the analog portion of the tube amplification affected the sibilance. If you like a very piercing hiss to your treble (great as I said for metal songs), the V-Moda Vibe ii Earphones are great stock. If on the other hand you like a bit of smoothness to your treble, while still getting a nice bright sounding treble, adding in a tube or hybrid amp like the q2 would be a match made in heaven for you. Of course the down side of this is that you cannot bring the Q2 with you when you jog so you will have to tough it out. Mid's (Mid Range): I have to say out of all of the earbuds I have reviewed as of late these are by far the best for mid-range. Vocals and guitar are very easily distinguished, and come through much clearer than any of the other buds I used. The bass is nice on the V-Moda Vibe 2 Earphones but not over powering like cheaper “bass buds” I have heard in the past. The smooth bass makes the mid-range a lot more prominent and easily picked out from the other frequencies. These are perfect buds for alternative rock because they have all the vocals you need with the right amount of bass to appreciate the drum-heavy songs that pair themselves with this genre. Low's (Bass) and Speed: Unlike the Zagg Zbud’s the V-Moda Vibe 2 Earphones bass is not over powering. I had to play with the equalizer occasionally with the Zbuds to get to the point where I could hear the mid-range. The bass is very clean and deep with the Vibe ii’s, out of everything I was most impressed with the quality of the bass these little buds produced. For bass I tried some Yo-Yo Ma’s cello, Timbaland, and Common. The V-Moda Vibe 2 Earphones performed seamlessly with all ranges of bass. The speed response for punk and house music was unbelievable they hit every note without problems with triplicate tones blending together or one long bass hit when there were supposed to be multiple fast punches. Over all the V-Moda Vibe 2 Earphones were amazing they are 10 times the Earphone that the Zbuds where. I personally hate all of the bonuses they make everything cumbersome but this is my opinion and you may love these options. Let's see the final consensus: Conclusion: Overall I loved the V-Moda Vibe 2 Earphones, I finally found a pair of earbuds I like more that my RE0’s. One thing I must say I absolutely hated the treble on these at first. I like my treble smooth but once I plugged in the Q2 amp to these I absolutely loved the smooth bright tones the V-Moda Vibe 2 Earphones produced. The over all look of these buds is by far the nicest looking buds out of any earbud I have seen yet. Would I recommend these? Yup, if you have the money for a higher end earbud these are the best option I have seen so far. The Zbuds had some great options but I like these a lot more. If you are into heavy bass or metal these buds are a great choice; if you are more of a jazz lover pick up yourself a nice tube headphone amp like the Q2 and you will be in audio bliss with the V-Moda Vibe 2 Earphones. Pros: DurableStyleAmped Sound QualityBass PerformanceShielding on the Cables Cons: A bit too Sibilant (for Some)Price (for Some )