REVIEW: V-Moda Vibe Earbuds - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

xepherys · 12-09-2006, 09:50 PM

So... I was looking for good earbuds to take with me to the 'ghan for my iPod. I wanted something that had some amount of noise-cancelling, good sound across a wide range and wouldn't put my already poor ass into the toilet before I left. After some research, I came across the 'Vibe' earbuds by V-Moda. Honestly, I had never heard of V-Moda before, so I thought I'd do a bit of research. Most of what I saw in the way of reviews was pretty good. At US$100 I wasn't sure what to expect. I figured it'd be better than some crappy apple 'buds, but nothing compared to some Sennheisers or the like.

Tonight I picked up a pair at Fry's Electronics. To sum it up... I'm VERY pleased! The advertised freqeuncy response range of 12Hz - 22kHz seems very plausible to me. While I don't have pro gear to test them, and so far I've only listened to MP3s on my iPod (192kbps and 320kbps), I can easily say this range is likely very correct. The bass response is truly deep, doubly so for earbuds. Highhats sound just about right on (especially for an MP3). Midrange is lush and vibrant. Mmmm...

They come with three sized tips in the package. Two each of S, M and L sizes. The default ones (which I assume are small) fit my ears quite nicely. The tips are like a soft rubber grommit on the end. As for noise cancelling, I don't believe they have actual noise-cancelling technology, but the snug fit and angled sound (right into the ear canal) make even the slightest volume efficient at preventing outside sounds from being heard. I suppose this could be bad for some people, but this is exactly what I was looking for.

The official product site can be found here. These come highly recommended by me. I'd love to hear other people's experience with these 'buds as well.

~X

Halx · 12-10-2006, 12:08 AM

How is the actual noise cancellation? I am looking for something of the sort, and they have to stand up to the noise of the New York subways.

flat5 · 12-10-2006, 03:59 AM

Interesting. Let us know if they get to be fatiguing after awhile.
Do they hurt your ears after a half hour?

How is the cord management system?
Is the cord always a problem to unwrap after storage?

Do you have to be very careful not to lose the rubber tips?

xepherys · 12-10-2006, 09:26 AM

Halx, as I mentioned, there isn't an actual noise cancellation technology in place, as far as I can tell, but the snug fit (see next section) and great frequency response seem to be very effective. Even at rather low volumes I cannot hear "standard" noise... the TV, conversation, my 1 year old screaming. At a slightly higher (but tolerable volume) I can't even hear myself talking. It's nice.

flat5, I wore them for about ninety minutes last night and they were VERY comfortable. As I mentioned, i normally don't like earbuds, and that's one of the reasons. Even "ergonomic" designs, like those of the Jabra earbuds for cell phones start to agitate my ear after about 15 minutes. I did swap the tips from the S to the M sized ones and they were actually MORE comfortable (though the small were just fine). The tips themselves are a very thin, flexible rubber membrane-type material.

The cord management "system" is a bar that you can wind extra cord up around. It's very simplistic, but does the job it's made to do. The cord itself is not as long as I would've expected. At first I was disappointed by that, but then retrospectively, usually the cords are FAR too long.

As for losing the tips, the extra tips could easily be lost as they are small. However once they are attached, they fit snugly to the earbuds. Of course, I'll have to see if they keep that snugness over time. Since they give you multiples of each size, I'm going to pull them off and reapply them often to see if they break down (such as the case would be if a couple used them, and needed different sizes or the like).

So far, the only thing I can see as a potential downside is the shorter cable. It's not bad though. Oh, and I was wrong, the tips are silcone, not rubber. Very soft!

flat5 · 12-11-2006, 10:29 AM

Thanks for your reply, xepherys.
I put my Creative mp3 player in my shirt pocket so don't need a long cord.
I did lose the little covers over the earpieces. Bought a one Euro headphone
and used it's covers. I may copy the cord wrapping idea.
The phones that came with the Creative player and quite good!

12-09-2006, 09:50 PM	#1 (permalink)
xepherys <3 TFP Location: 17TLH2445607250	REVIEW: V-Moda Vibe Earbuds So... I was looking for good earbuds to take with me to the 'ghan for my iPod. I wanted something that had some amount of noise-cancelling, good sound across a wide range and wouldn't put my already poor ass into the toilet before I left. After some research, I came across the 'Vibe' earbuds by V-Moda. Honestly, I had never heard of V-Moda before, so I thought I'd do a bit of research. Most of what I saw in the way of reviews was pretty good. At US$100 I wasn't sure what to expect. I figured it'd be better than some crappy apple 'buds, but nothing compared to some Sennheisers or the like. Tonight I picked up a pair at Fry's Electronics. To sum it up... I'm VERY pleased! The advertised freqeuncy response range of 12Hz - 22kHz seems very plausible to me. While I don't have pro gear to test them, and so far I've only listened to MP3s on my iPod (192kbps and 320kbps), I can easily say this range is likely very correct. The bass response is truly deep, doubly so for earbuds. Highhats sound just about right on (especially for an MP3). Midrange is lush and vibrant. Mmmm... They come with three sized tips in the package. Two each of S, M and L sizes. The default ones (which I assume are small) fit my ears quite nicely. The tips are like a soft rubber grommit on the end. As for noise cancelling, I don't believe they have actual noise-cancelling technology, but the snug fit and angled sound (right into the ear canal) make even the slightest volume efficient at preventing outside sounds from being heard. I suppose this could be bad for some people, but this is exactly what I was looking for. The official product site can be found here. These come highly recommended by me. I'd love to hear other people's experience with these 'buds as well. ~X __________________ The prospect of achieving a peace agreement with the extremist group of MILF is almost impossible... -- Emmanuel Pinol, Governor of Cotobato My Homepage

12-10-2006, 12:08 AM	#2 (permalink)
Halx Please touch this. Owner/Admin Location: Manhattan	How is the actual noise cancellation? I am looking for something of the sort, and they have to stand up to the noise of the New York subways. __________________ You have found this post informative. -The Administrator [Don't Feed The Animals]

12-10-2006, 03:59 AM	#3 (permalink)
flat5 Very Insignificant Pawn Location: Amsterdam, NL	Interesting. Let us know if they get to be fatiguing after awhile. Do they hurt your ears after a half hour? How is the cord management system? Is the cord always a problem to unwrap after storage? Do you have to be very careful not to lose the rubber tips? Last edited by flat5; 12-10-2006 at 04:02 AM..

12-10-2006, 09:26 AM	#4 (permalink)
xepherys <3 TFP Location: 17TLH2445607250	Halx, as I mentioned, there isn't an actual noise cancellation technology in place, as far as I can tell, but the snug fit (see next section) and great frequency response seem to be very effective. Even at rather low volumes I cannot hear "standard" noise... the TV, conversation, my 1 year old screaming. At a slightly higher (but tolerable volume) I can't even hear myself talking. It's nice. flat5, I wore them for about ninety minutes last night and they were VERY comfortable. As I mentioned, i normally don't like earbuds, and that's one of the reasons. Even "ergonomic" designs, like those of the Jabra earbuds for cell phones start to agitate my ear after about 15 minutes. I did swap the tips from the S to the M sized ones and they were actually MORE comfortable (though the small were just fine). The tips themselves are a very thin, flexible rubber membrane-type material. The cord management "system" is a bar that you can wind extra cord up around. It's very simplistic, but does the job it's made to do. The cord itself is not as long as I would've expected. At first I was disappointed by that, but then retrospectively, usually the cords are FAR too long. As for losing the tips, the extra tips could easily be lost as they are small. However once they are attached, they fit snugly to the earbuds. Of course, I'll have to see if they keep that snugness over time. Since they give you multiples of each size, I'm going to pull them off and reapply them often to see if they break down (such as the case would be if a couple used them, and needed different sizes or the like). So far, the only thing I can see as a potential downside is the shorter cable. It's not bad though. Oh, and I was wrong, the tips are silcone, not rubber. Very soft! __________________ The prospect of achieving a peace agreement with the extremist group of MILF is almost impossible... -- Emmanuel Pinol, Governor of Cotobato My Homepage

12-11-2006, 10:29 AM	#5 (permalink)
flat5 Very Insignificant Pawn Location: Amsterdam, NL	Thanks for your reply, xepherys. I put my Creative mp3 player in my shirt pocket so don't need a long cord. I did lose the little covers over the earpieces. Bought a one Euro headphone and used it's covers. I may copy the cord wrapping idea. The phones that came with the Creative player and quite good!