Posts Tagged v-moda

One of the first things you should do when buying a new iPod is take the cheap earbuds Apple put in the box and throw them away.  Seriously.

Then, replace them with something that will do justice to the music in your collection.  Something like the V-MODA Vibe II earbuds which include an added bonus—a built-in microphone.

When I’m traveling, my iPod touch 2g always goes along.  It’s something familiar—a few thousand of my favorite songs I can carry into sometimes-unfamiliar surroundings.

The Vibe II has a clean sound for listening to music.  It’s not muddy or tinny—common problems with lower-end headphones.

The mids and highs are clear and transparent.  The Vibe II is heavier on the bass end than most earbuds.  Some will like the sound.  Or, if it’s not to your taste, the equalization controls on the iPod can trim the bass response.

I usually avoid equalization, but that’s a matter of personal taste.  The encoding quality of your music tracks also makes a difference in deciding whether to tweak the sound with the iPod equalizer.

The Vibe II comes with four sizes of silicone fittings, in both black and white, that should match any ears.   Also included are sport earhooks that will help keep the earbuds in place when you’re working out.

A good seal in the ear is important, especially for bass response and reducing noise.  These earbuds do a good job of noise isolation that will overcome engine roar on airplanes, as well as crying babies and passengers who want to tell their life stories to anyone within earshot.

The sound is not quite as crisp compared to my Shure SE530s.  But that might not be a fair comparison, given the Shures cost almost four times as much.  For the price, the Vibe IIs are solid performers and hold their own against more-expensive headsets.  They really sound better than I expected.

The Vibe II not only makes the music sound good, but can almost turn the touch into an iPhone with the built-in microphone.   With a free download of Skype from the apps store, you’ll be able to call other Skype users at no charge—or landlines or cell phones for a small fee—using a wi-fi connection on the iPod.

The voice quality is good on Skype.  And the microphone sounds very clear recording voice memos on the iPod.

Of course, the Vibe II can also be used with an iPhone and some other phones, including several Blackberry models, that have 3.5 mm jacks.   It’s also compatible with the new Apple MacBooks.

The Vibe II works well on my HTC Fuze/Touch Pro.  As I write this, I’m listening to a streaming signal from a radio station 1,500 miles away.

The Vibe II also includes an inline switch that could have been made just for me.  With a phone, it can be used to answer, hang up, or send a call to voicemail.  But it also lets you pause and resume music playback, skip a track or go back to a previous song.

I’ll have to confess, I’m a chronic track-skipper.  Now, all it takes to advance to the next song is two presses on the button–instead of waking up the iPod and pushing the advance button or shaking it to reshuffle the track list.   (The shake control is part of the latest software update.)

If you’re looking for bling, the Vibe II comes in black or chrome with jewel accents in the center of the earbuds.   The company is promising more designs in the future.  The cord is covered with black fabric.

The retail price for the Vibe II is $128.  It is available from the Apple store, V-MODA’s website and other online retailers.

One minor note—the Vibe II packaging is attractive, but I had to wrestle with it to get to the earbuds and accessories.

While some will be drawn by the design, what I’m really interested in is the performance.  And the V-MODA Vibe II with Microphone doesn’t disappoint.

At airports and on planes, I see a lot of iPod owners still using the stock earbuds.  They really don’t know what they are missing.

Get the V-MODA Vibe II at Amazon.

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