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V-moda Vibes... The review is finished. (56k beware, big pics...) - Page 95

post #1411 of 1475
9/14/07 at 11:11pm
I always assumed the Gunmetal ones were more expensive because they were more popular. Which would also mean that Amazon would go through them more quickly, so they'd be the newer version.

I've noticed that the gunmetal ones are consistently more expensive than the other colors, which would imply to me that it's not just a matter of leftover stock when updates are made, unless the other colors are so unpopular that Amazon simply cannot move them.
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post #1412 of 1475
9/15/07 at 7:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ericj View Post
Big pallet of V-Moda Vibes at my local Costco. iirc $73/pr.
Thanks for the info Eric. Any info on colours, or which version? My wife will probably be in Costco in a week, but I doubt I'll make it till November, given our current plans. (Closest Costco is about 2.5 hours one way.) Might ask her to look for a pair.

Steve
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post #1413 of 1475
9/17/07 at 12:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jon118 View Post
There appears to be two listings. The cheaper one uses the old photos, thusly we can assume they are the older Vibes. The more expensive ones use the newer photos, so we can assume they the new ones.

You have to remember though, there were multiple versions of the "first gen". The pre-production were apparently not at all like the production, very light on the bass in comparison, not much known about these since they are very rare. The first production model was good too, copious bass, but it was tight and controlled, or somewhat controlled. The second production is apparently where all the bad reviews came from, it isn't clear what happened here, but the bass was less controlled. I believe the third change came when they added another port that you can't see in the back, the pre-production had this, so they figured this would help bring the sound back. Then the fourth change came with the strain relief and the black pouch for the first time. Finally we come to the current one, the first major visible change, with the new Duo style plug. The positive comments makes it look like these are another good one.

So that is the summary of real generation and changes as I remember it, you can find out more by reading basically every page of the thread, but it is a lot less simple than first and second gen. I would go with the current one. The consensus on it is that it is pretty good again, whereas with the older one you'll probably get the most recent of the "first" gen, which is better than the second iteration, but not as good as the first and possibly not even as good as the current one.
Hmm. I just did a swap of some Etys for some Vibes. With these new Vibes, I'm noticing that isolation isn't very good (is this the same for all the generations of the Vibes) and the bass feels a little bit all over the place. It's great for electronic dance music, but for rock, I feel like I lose a LOT of the higher end. Did I get the second generation?

Justin
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post #1414 of 1475
9/17/07 at 1:42pm
Etymotics are all balanced armature, completely closed and create a full seal. Vibes are dynamic driver based, they are semi-open on top of that, so yes none of them will have the isolation that the Etymotics have. Also, single armature IEMs like the Etymotics tend to be a bit bass shy, so it definitely will seem overpowering at first, probably even later on it will seem bass heavy, because they are very bass heavy phones. Unless you bought them used I doubt there is any chance of getting one of the first release Vibes anymore, even if you do get the old style plug. The sound definitely is not for everyone. But, they definitely do not seem to have the almost bright sound of the Etys, you will notice the bass a lot more and it probably should seem like the highs are not quite as prominent as with the Etys.
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post #1415 of 1475
9/17/07 at 3:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jon118 View Post
Etymotics are all balanced armature, completely closed and create a full seal. Vibes are dynamic driver based, they are semi-open on top of that, so yes none of them will have the isolation that the Etymotics have. Also, single armature IEMs like the Etymotics tend to be a bit bass shy, so it definitely will seem overpowering at first, probably even later on it will seem bass heavy, because they are very bass heavy phones. Unless you bought them used I doubt there is any chance of getting one of the first release Vibes anymore, even if you do get the old style plug. The sound definitely is not for everyone. But, they definitely do not seem to have the almost bright sound of the Etys, you will notice the bass a lot more and it probably should seem like the highs are not quite as prominent as with the Etys.
Thanks for the info, man. When I EQ up the high and mid ranges, it sounds a lot better.
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post #1416 of 1475
9/22/07 at 8:46am
Val,

Does the upcoming 'Vibe Duo Control' have less bass, I find the regular Duo's a bit too bass-heavy.
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post #1417 of 1475
10/1/07 at 5:25pm
Just got my Vibes in the mail today They're second generation (have the strain relief).

Early impression: I like them alot.

The bass is very much there but still tight and not at all muddy. The soundstage is great as said by others. The isolation is virtually non-existent when the music is paused but when the music is playing even at low volumes I have trouble hearing what people are saying with both 'buds in, so it's fine by my requirements. At a moderate music level I can't hear anything unless someone is yelling right in my ears

The only thing I don't like so far is that the highs seem a little lacking for my tastes. For some music this is great and sounds better than most of the other buds/speakers I've tried, but for bass heavy rock and rap music it seems that the fine detail gets drowned out by the loudness of the bass. Note that it's not at all muddy or anything of the sort, it's just pure volume. The bass is very tight and controlled, just loud.

With the treble boost on in my iPod most songs sounds a lot better.

I'm guessing with some reports of the sharp highs they toned them down a bit with this second generation?

Note that this might just be due to it not having any burn in. Overall I'm very happy as they sound great for the most part, look great, and are very comfortable. Had no trouble getting a seal with the stock tips. (Use the mediums though the smalls work for me too)

ALSO, mine came with a black leather pouch rather than the gold leather that was shown in the reviews I read. I like the black leather better
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post #1418 of 1475
10/2/07 at 6:05pm
I just got my vibes. The bass is great, the mids are below average, and the highs are fairly poor - I can tell there are cymbals in the music, but they don't sound like cymbals.

Do these things get better with burn in? If not they're going back. I had to destroy the packaging to get them out as well.
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post #1419 of 1475
10/2/07 at 6:24pm
anyone had the little metal mesh bit that protects the drivers fall out?.. one fell out of my girlfriends vibes.. I'm guessing they'd just send me some spare bits if I pay postage.. or so I hope.. any experience with them and this? thanks..
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post #1420 of 1475
10/5/07 at 12:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by commando View Post
I just got my vibes. The bass is great, the mids are below average, and the highs are fairly poor - I can tell there are cymbals in the music, but they don't sound like cymbals.

Do these things get better with burn in? If not they're going back. I had to destroy the packaging to get them out as well.
After a couple days of burning them in overnight as well as listening a few hours each day, they certainly seem to sound better to my ears. The bass is still pretty loud but mellowed out a little bit and the highs are greatly improved.

I don't need the treble boost EQ anymore

Though this could just be me getting used to their sound :P

ruZZ.il, never had that problem but the last time a pair of my v-moda buds crapped out I just sent them a picture of the problem and they shipped me a new pair without me evening having to return the old pair. Very happy with their warranty replacement and customer service.
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post #1421 of 1475
10/5/07 at 12:56pm
.double post
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post #1422 of 1475
10/5/07 at 1:01pm
Found some V-Moda Vibe Knock-offs thanks to Engadget
They cost $3.99 and $5 shipping. I went ahead an bought a pair to see how they sound. If they even sound batter than the JVC Marshmellows, then they were worth it. I only hope my pair doesn't have to "Right" side canalphones like what is pictured below :P



http://www.uxcell.com/35mm-stereo-ne...ck-p-5170.html
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post #1423 of 1475
10/5/07 at 2:07pm
I believe dfkt has a pair of those. The tips look different, but the price and colors match. If so then the sound should be pretty awful. At least they look kind of decent.
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post #1424 of 1475
10/5/07 at 5:40pm
They are more than horrible. Every store-bought $0,50 earbud sounds better than those.

Here's a thread I made about those fakes: http://www.anythingbutipod.com/forum...ad.php?t=13907

Quote:
Ok, I gave them a chance, letting them burn in over night. They still sounded terribly sibillant with no bass whatsoever, so I stuffed some foam down the tone canals. With an insane EQ setting of +9 -4 +2 -6 -6 (the best sounding setting for these POS'es) they still sounded like AM radio streamed over a cellphone that's been dropped in the toilet one too many times...

Worst $2 I ever spent - you get what you pay for, definitely.

If you see them somewhere: run, don't walk away.
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post #1425 of 1475
10/5/07 at 6:02pm
oh well couldn't cancel the order. guess I'll just give them to my system for X-Mas since she can't tell the difference on sound anyways.
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