v-moda is the music lifestyle brand based in Hollywood, California, making earphones that look as good as they sound. Their Vibe earphones have been in the market for some time now and are giving audiophile grade earphones a run for their money! With the launch of the iPhone, v-moda decided to take the game to the next level by adding a microphone to the vibes, creating the VIBE Duo – the first third party headset for the iPhone. Read on for an in depth review of the VIBE Duo noise isolating headset.

Design

As I said earlier, v-moda tops in the design department and the VIBE Duos are no exception. These earphones are a perfect match for your iPhone or iPod. The VIBE Duos are really small and have a black metal body with chrome textures that give it a glossy look. The connector is coated in 24 carat gold and is enclosed in black plastic housing. The cable is sleeved with some sort of fabric which prevents it from tangling. A chrome plated tag with v-moda logo engraved on it splits the cable into two ending in the earbuds. The right side cable has the microphone enclosed in black plastic and a removable shirt clip. A black leather cover is also provided in the package to store the earphones.

However, the headset is crippled by one critical flaw or should I say a flaw that is a result of short development time. The headset lacks a call answer/end button and thereÙs no way to attend calls or control music without your phone. As v-moda had to release these earphones along with the iPhone, they didnÙt have time to add feature. Anyways, v-moda told us that an upgraded VIBE Duo Control will be launched in October, for which pre-orders are already underway, and will feature a button for the purpose of answering and ending calls, playing and pausing music, etc.

The VIBE Duos are in-ear type earphones and offer excellent noise isolation on par with some high end earphones. Three clear and three black pairs of silicone ear tips are provided to ensure perfect fit for your ears. As with any in-ear earphones, using the VIBE Duos when driving, jogging, or working near machinery should be strictly avoided.

WhatÙs in the Box

• Vibe Duo earphones/headset with microphone
• Carrying pouch
• Six pairs of silicone ear fittings (S, M, L) in clear and black

Features

Maximum mobility, convenience, and comfort

• Hands-free microphone for extreme mobility and convenient communication
• MicrophoneÙs call control button quickly answers phone calls and operates music playback features
• Comfortably secure fit with three sizes of ultra-soft silicon fittings (S,M,L)
• Durable and lightweight fabric cable complements the ergonomic design
• Suitable for intense activity or calm relaxation

High-Definition and Noise Isolating Sound

• V-MASQUE dynamic driver for high definition clarity and 3-D soundstage
• Noise-isolating (BLISS) technology to reduce ambient noises and enable deep bass
• BLISS introduces no artificial sound into your music and requires no batteries, unlike bulky active noise cancellation

Pinnacle sound, sight, and touch

• Vibrant bass, vivid mid-range, vivacious highs
• Solid alloy composition creates sculpted sound curve
• Handmade premium metal craftsmanship and sophisticated design

Specifications

• Frequency response: 12Hz-22kHz
• Speaker driver: V-MASQUE dynamic technology, 9mm neodymium rare-earth magnet
• Cable length: 32 in./81.3 cm plug to y-connector; 13.5 in./34.3 cm even-length earphone cables
• Cable diameter: 0.08 in./2 mm (optimal for sport)
• Plug:24k gold-plated, 3.5mm (1/8”) dual standard stereo/iPhone compatible plug
• Weight: 13gm

Testing

As the VIBE Duos are designed to fit the recessed iPhone connector, donÙt expect them to work with all your audio gear. These earphones work with most portable audio players out there but you may hear some distortions when connected to some older players like the 1st gen iPod Shuffle.

Music

IÙve plugged these directly into the 3.5mm connector on my Nokia N95 and I didnÙt hear the full sound. The volume was low and sometimes I heard a lot of distortion. But connecting the Duos to the Nokia audio adapter put an end to these problems. The sound quality is much better compared to the stock bass-less Nokia earphones. I use my mobile phone for listening to music instead of a dedicated audio player. For the first time, I am impressed with the music playback capabilities of my N95, thanks to the VIBE Duos! The Duos performed excellently over the entire range with rich bass, crisp treble, and a warm mid range.  There was very little noise when listening to some songs though.

Next, I tested these earphones with a 2nd gen iPod Nano and the result - the sound quality just got better! The noise almost disappeared and the music reproduction is comparable to some high end in-ear monitors. I also connected the VIBE Duos to the Fubar Headphone Amplifier and played back some FLACs on my PC. I was blown away yet again by the sound quality of these earphones. For the first time I could feel the sound stage come to life when using earphones.

Calling

I borrowed my friendÙs iPhone to test how well the VIBE Duos handled calling. I really felt a little odd listening to callers speak, and their sound went right into the ears, which is something I am not used to. But you get used to it after answering a few calls. There was a little bass to the callerÙs voice and that made it hard at times to understand what the caller is saying. The microphone seems to be a little too sensitive as it easily picks up background noise in busy environments. This may make it difficult for the person on the other end to understand you.

Conclusion

If you are an iPhone owner looking for a headset that matches your sexy phone, and does justice to the iPod part of your phone, look no further and buy the VIBE Duo right now! But if you are disappointed by the lack of any kind of button for answering/ending calls on the Duos – donÙt be! v-moda is currently accepting pre orders for the VIBE Duo Control headset ($101) which gives you that much needed control on your music and calls and should be available in early October.