Well, I’ve spent the weekend with the rose gold Crossfade II Wireless (CF2W) headphones as well as going through my weekday morning walk. I think I’ve done enough listening to offer my thoughts. This is probably going to be a long read so I apologize for that upfront. I paired the headphones with a Moto Z Force Droid (Android 7.0), iPad Air 2 (iOS 10.3.1), and a Surface Pro 4 (running Windows 10 Anniversary update). I subscribe to Google Music All Access and that’s what I used to listen to audio content, songs are mp3 files encoded at 320kbps and I’m not sure what encoder Google uses. I have some manually uploaded songs that I encoded myself using LAME 3.99 using the -b 320 setting (so 320kbps).
I listened to content on all of my devices in wired and wireless mode with the CF2W headphones. I also compared the CF2W’s, in wireless mode only, to my Beats Solo3, Bose QC35 headphones, and the memories I have of the CFW1’s.
Comfort: The CF2W’s are more comfortable than the CFW1’s and Solo3's, they aren't as comfortable as the QC35's but that's to be expected as the CF2W headphones are heavier. They don’t clamp on my head as much as the CFW1's but are still secure (more secure than the Solo3's). The headband doesn’t seem to be as rigid either and it’s a bit wider. I have a huge noggin and these better accommodate it. I also prefer the new earpads. The first thing I did when I purchased my pair of M-100’s ~5 years ago was install a pair of XL pads. I still have those pads and they are easily squished. In fact, the new pads on the CF2W’s are the same thickness as my worn-in XL pad. The new memory foam pads feel plusher, they hold their shape a bit better, and I think they make a better seal around my ears. The XL pads never sat quite right on my head, they would always lean one way or another instead of conforming uniformly. I put the XL pads on the CF2W’s and took them off after a few minutes. I will be sticking with the new memory foam pads. 8/10
Wireless Signal Strength: This is one area where I feel the CF2W’s fall short. I really wish more companies would use Class 1 Bluetooth chips as it would really help. Apple puts them in their current line of Beats headphones, I think Plantronics has used Class 1 Bluetooth in the past, and UE has put a Class 1 chip in their Bluetooth speakers for a while now. The CF2W are fine around my house but they skipped on me during my morning walk. I have a smart watch paired with my phone as well so I know it’s hogging some of the Bluetooth bandwidth. I also walk next to a college campus and they broadcast a powerful 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network. The CF2W were able to stay connected to my phone the entire time but they skipped about 6 times during a 10-minute period. They performed a lot better than the Bose QC35’s (which have actually disconnected themselves) or the CFW1’s (which skipped even more) but not as good as the Beats Solo3 or even BeatsX earbuds. Had V-Moda included a Class 1 chip, these would have been stellar. The Beats Solo3's still have the best wireless strength and range of any on-ear/over-the-ear headphones I have used. They never skip with any of my devices. 5/10
Sound Quality: I tried testing a bunch of different artists/bands but I mainly used metal songs to judge audio quality. I listened to tracks from Nero, Eminem, The Birthday Massacre, Lamb of God, Five Knives, Korn, The Black Dahlia Murder, Rob Zombie, Slayer, and Tool. I think these are still fun, bass-heavy headphones but everything has been refined. The sub-bass doesn’t bleed into other areas (including the mid-bass), the highs are detailed but not fatiguing, and the vocals and other mids come through clearly. The sound stage of these in wireless mode still impresses me. They don’t feel like I have a pair of speaker strapped to my head (unlike the Solo3's) but rather like I’m in the studio with the band playing. Electronic music still shines but the bass isn't bloated so other genres sound great. These definitely sound more refined than I remember the CFW1's sounding through Bluetooth. Those would often have a more bloated bass and the highs could be harsh and fatiguing for non-electronics music. There isn't even a competition with the Bose QC35's in terms of sound quality, the CF2W take the cake. Surprisingly, the Beats Solo3's compete somewhat with the CF2W's. Their bass is stronger (although not as refined) and the highs are there (albeit a little too much) but the mids are lacking and so is the overall detail and sound stage. The CF2W headphones have a much, much wider sound stage than any of the other wireless headphones I have. Does aptX make a difference? Generally, not much. Wireless sound quality was still good with my Surface Pro 4 and iPad Air 2. I'm not sure if my Pro 4 has aptX or if the CF2W have AAC but sound quality coming from both was fine. I think there was a tad less detail in the highs and the bass was a bit more on both the Pro 4 and iPad Air 2 compared to my Moto Z but I didn't do any blind, volume-matched testing so it could all be placebo. Unlike the CFW1's, I really can't hear a difference between wired and wireless mode with these. Granted, I'm not listening to 24-bit 192KHz tracks that would benefit my dog but the CF2W's perform well with my source mp3 files. I know people are saying that these were designed for wired use first with wireless being an added benefit but the CF2W's are truly competent wireless headphones. There were times I actually forgot I was supposed to be critically listening to music and I ended up enjoying it. That's something that hasn't happened to me in a while. If I could describe my preferred sound signature, I think the CF2W headphones would be it. 10/10
Battery Life: It depends on your listening volume but I was continually getting a solid 14 hours of use. Unfortunately, for Android users, there isn’t a way to monitor the battery level of the headphones other than to take them off and look at the status light. It would have been nice to have a companion app allowing me to at least see the battery level and perform firmware updates. The battery life is more than the CFW1's (I would only get about 9 hours out of those) but less than the QC35's and a lot less than the Solo3's. It also would have been nice for V-Moda to include a quick charge feature as it takes a couple of hours to fully charge these. 6/10
Overall: V-Moda has another hit on their hands. I enjoyed the CFW1 headphones but they had their flaws. I think most of those have been fixed with the CF2W headphones and then some. The added folding hinges, increase in battery life, more refined audio quality, and solid Bluetooth audio quality really are top notch. The wireless strength isn't as high as devices with Class 1 chips but I enjoy everything else about these. I like the rose gold accents and the new memory foam earpads are another improvement. V-Moda still has some work on their hands to make things better. I would really like to see a companion app with these, something that can update the headphone's firmware as well as tweak the EQ and monitor the battery level. I also think V-Moda needs to come out with a Crossfade featuring adjustable ANC. These aren't perfect for $350 but I haven't come across any perfect pair of wireless headphones yet. Each model, whether they're $200 or $500, still has some drawbacks. I am happy with these and will definitely keep them. I might turn to my Solo3's more when I'm out walking simply because their wireless strength and battery life are class-leading but I also only spent $200 on those (thank you Costco). I would rather have those get damaged than my CF2W headphones. But I will definitely grab the CF2W's whenever I travel, I am listening at home, when I'm in the office, or in situations where I want to fully enjoy the music. 8/10