Fantastic sound, odd design.
The Vibe Duo is V-MODA’s mid-range set of earbuds for the iPhone & iPod touch. At $79 sits between the $59 Vibe set and the $99 Remix Remote sets. In my opinion, the visual appeal of the Vibe Duo stands out from the other two models. The chrome accents give a sort of diamond encrusted look. For the rest of the bud case, there are 3 colors to choose from: Nero, Chrome, and GunMetal Rouge.
Looks aren’t everything, and the Vibe Duo delivers a big sound from such a small package. Low and high-ranges were crystal clear, with mid-range getting only slightly muddy at times. The bass thumb (as I like to call it) is very impressive, which brings dance and hip hop music to life. It made the music games I played on my iPhone all the more immersive, particularly Radio Flare: Redux.
The “BLISS” sound-isolating technology worked well on low-end sounds, but didn’t do much for mid to high range. It’s odd to have this kind of technology on a pair of ear buds that comes with a microphone and remote button for phone calls. It’s tough to hear your own voice when your canceled out! Still, the microphone sounds good to recipients, and the remote works with the standard 1-3 click format with both iTunes and your iDevice.
The Kevlar reinforced cable feels very solid, as does the 24-carat gold-played audio jack. In fact the overall design feels very durable. To cap it off, the set comes with 3 sizes of black silicon ear fittings, 2 sizes of clear fittings, and a sexy black pouch to hold everything.
My only issue with what would otherwise be a fantastic sound experience is quite a big one: the lack of comfort. Remember the “diamond encrusted” design I mentioned earlier? Well, it turns out that diamonds don’t feel too good scraping against your ear. Obviously everyone has different ears, so some might not have this issue, but my ears got quite sore after a few days of constant use. The problem lies in the complete lack of physical support as the buds sit in your ear. Rather than being designed to rest against your skin, the buds are more designed to just be shoved into your earl canal, held in place by the silicon fittings. This means that the sides of the buds end up resting against the bottom of your outer ear, which causes irritation. I constantly had to re-adjust the Duos and remove them from my ear during use to keep things from getting unbearable. I wanted to make sure it wasn’t just me, so I checked with a couple other folks and they had the same results.
Let me be clear in closing: the V-MODA Vibe Duo boasts some impressive sound fidelity for the low mid-level price range. These buds brought out the best in my games and music on the go. Unfortunately, I was looking for a pair of headphones that could sit in my ears for hours at a time, and with their rough exterior and lack of in-ear support, that’s just not going to happen. But if you have ears of steel, aren’t looking for a long-term relationship, and don’t want to spend $100+ on equipment, these buds pack a punch!
