Normally we'd turn to a company like Shure to add the sonic quality we seek however we wanted to see if V-Moda could offer an alternative at a price somewhat less than the often expensive Shure range. Vmoda claim that the Vibe earphone we have for review offer "vibrant bass, vivid mid-range, and vivacious highs" which is quite some claim, so we set about testing the Vibes hooked up to a 5G iPod.

The pair of Vibes we had been supplied with certainly look the part and it's all part of the V-Moda range of stylish kit. The earbuds are significantly smaller than the iPod ones and therefore already start with a comfort advantage, then there is the silicone surrounds which both add comfort and also forma partial seal in the ear blocking out background noise. V-Moda have ensured that the Vibes have more than their fair share of bling from the silver caped earphones along the silver effect chords to a 24k gold-plated 3.5mm jack, they do look more impressive than your average earphones.

Then there is the pouch they come in, nothing had quite prepared us for what was inside the box and then the silver pouch emerged looking like a mini version of J Lo's handbag. It has the same rigid opening mechanism as a glasses pouch and is bound to keep your V-Moda's safe and secure while causing a stir whenever you choose to get the pouch out in public.

So time to turn to the rather high claims for the audio quality of the vibe units. Testing with a mixture of tracks including some Amy Winehouse certainly showed that they had some punch in fact vibrant, vivid and vivacious are not bad descriptions. The bass is rich and very punchy although "rehab" from Winehouse's album showed some slight muddiness and confusion between the bass line and the midrange organ. The midrange is there in spades as is the top end which could almost be accused of being overdone but manages to stay the right side of the line and can only be described as bright. There was no hint of distortion even when driven as hard as an EU limited iPod will allow and no extraneous noise or hiss introduced by the units.

For those who would choose the Vibe earphones for the look the sound is probably very appropriate, the sound isolation afforded by the moulded ear surrounds is not bad although not up to the same level as the Shure earphones. That said they are more comfortable and less intrusive than the deep ear Shure's which can feel a bit too invasive for many.

The V-Moda's are supplied with a range of earphone gels and sleeves in order to get the best fit and you also get a natty membership card through which you can register your product at the V-Moda website and get the benefits including access to events, music and Podcasts.

Priced at around £70 you do pay a premium price for the V-Moda style and audio performance but we have to say that it is worth it. If you want pure audio quality and are not too worried by the look and design then the Shure E2C's may be a better bet for the cash but they aren't exactly lookers!  For the combination of style and performance the V-Moda Vibe earphones make a very string statement.

Published - 22/01/2007

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