V-MODA Red Roxx VIBE Earphones

Introduced in late 2006, V-MODA introduced the VIBE Modaphones which they called “the world’s first hi-definition luxury earphones” designed for active lifestyles. V-Moda also sees their line of “hearwear” as a fashion statement as well. Val Kolton, founder of V-Moda states, “They’re the first hi-fidelity earphones that don’t teather you to your chair when you want to experience pristine audio. And the sleek design and polished metal craftsmanship make a bold statement n a world of ordinary, carbon-copy plastic earphones.”

Ohhh snap!! Take that you generic-ipod-looking-sold-at-Best-Buy-headset!

I must admit, these headphones really do look nice and light, but I care more for how they sound and the comfort than anything else. With that said, I don’t really want to walk on campus or at work with a full over the head-type set that makes me look like I just walked out of Puff Daddy’s studio. The more discrete the better I say…but they’d better sound good.

All of which leads us back to the $101 V-Moda VIBE. Today we evaluate the VIBE in their latest color, Red Roxx. This is the newest of the 5 colors that the VIBE comes in. The Red Roxx and others (La Mocha, FlashBlack Chrome, Gunmetal Black, and Gunmetal Rouge) are designed to be a perfect aesthetic match to the media player of choice. The Red Roxx edition of the VIBE was specifically designed to match the color of the iPod nano RED. These all metal headphones are touted as being light, noise cancelling, high-fidelity sets perfect for the audiophile on the go.

Shure SE420 Sound Isolating Earphones

Shure demoed their prototype SE-series earphones at CES Unveiled.; we're told that they're more wallet-friendly than their professional series. They do have fewer drivers--the 420, which we've got, has two, while the lesser two headphones (SE210, SE310) in the series each only have single drivers, and the SE530s have three. The SE-series is targeted towards consumers (the E-series is targeted towards performing artists) and don't have the same drivers as the E-series.

The range is great, near perfect with very little drop off at the bass end of the equalizer. At ridiculously high volumes their snap turns into a rattle, but they are noise-blocking, so the idea isn't to crank them all the way up anyway. And to be nice and polite, other people can't hear what you're listening to no matter how loud it is.

In a hotel-room test, they did a better job of blocking noise than a pair of Sennheiser noise-canceling headphones, and with an iPod at about 40% they blocked out the CES showroom noise completely. With a $350 MSRP, they'd better. We think online retailers will probably be selling them for a paltry $200. The real improvements are comfort and features; the new earphones come with earplug-style foam tips which are more flexible than the ones included with the E-series. The various provided tips are (relatively) easy to switch out, even though I think we might have torn one while passing the headphones between us.

In terms of features, Shure will be rolling out a line of accessories to go along with the SEs, including in-line cables that have volume control or little switch-controlled mics for the option to hear things without having to yank out an earphone. These are definitely the headphones to look out for if you have a couple of bills budgeted for sound. We're certainly fighting over who gets to use them here.

Kurtis' Note: Shure was kind enough to provide us with a SE420 earphones prototype to test out since I've got some Shure E2c earphones to compare them to. Sound quality is noticeably better from the moment you start listening, as there are 2 drivers (for lows and highs) instead of a single one, so the range is a little better. With that said, I'll have these on hand for a few weeks, so you can look forward to a full review after I've had more time with them. While these are prototypes, I've been told that the sound quality will not change whatsoever, there are just some minor design tweaks which they're working on.

iPod Earphones Are One Thing Everybody Wants Safe for the iPod ofcourse!

Next to your iPod, your iPod earphones are going to be your best friend. Where you and your iPod go, your iPod earphones also go, that’s how close you’re going to be! Seriously speaking though, your white iPod earphones which are supplied with the iPod is a definite statement.

They are distinctive and tell the world that you have an iPod. They are the one thing that everybody wants (next to the iPod of course!), for the statement that they make. No self respecting iPod owner would ever be without their iPod earphones, and that’s the truth.

Now, all that hype and hyperbole aside, what is it with the iPod earphones that makes people automatically want to have one, even if they don’t have an iPod to their name?

Simple really, and I’ve already mentioned it. They are the distinctive trademark of the iPods and since just about everyone in the living world lusts after an iPod of some sort or other, this is a great way to let the world know, discreetly of course, that you have an iPod!

That aside, if you ever want to change your generic iPod earphones to a different pair, you have a choice of downgrading to a normal set of in-ear, or over the head earphones, or you can look around for a pair earphones that cost almost as much, and in a great many cases more, than your iPod!

So what prompts a person to buy another set of earphones when the existing iPod earphones you have are perfectly fine? Quality, of course. The white iPod earphones you get with your iPod have a great sound quality and all that, but there are better ones.

For instance if you do a lot of air traveling, you will find that your enjoyment of the music on your iPod is marred by the noise of the engines which cuts through even the loudest ear splitting song. And even if your song drowns out the engine noise, you will have a raging headache by the time you spend two or three hours listening to head pounding rock music.

This then is one the reasons why people will look to replace their iPod earphones with another pair: to drown out all noise! Another good reason for changing your iPod earphones lies in the earphone itself.

Although it is by far a superior type of earphone, the iPod earphones can still be uncomfortable for many people. By the time they finish listening to even one hour of music, they will find their ears aching. The solution to this dilemma lies in purchasing a better, more ergonomically designed pair of earphones which will dispel any pain that you might feel.

So although you might think people to be crazy for wanting to spend more on another pair of earphones, over staying with their present iPod earphones, you can see now that there are a number of legitimate and logical reasons for wanting to do this.