JBL 220 > V-Moda Vibes

[electro house]

Just reporting that after 1 month, my V-Moda Vibe cable frayed and disconnected at the jack (common problem with these). While waiting for a replacement from the company, I thought I'd test out some JBL 220s, then probably return them when the Vibes arrive in the mail.

The JBLs kick the Vibes rear so bad, I'm not returning the JBLs.

SQ is better across the board. Construction is better. Much more user friendly. The 220s come with a nice carrying case big enough for an mp3 player and even airplane adapters etc -- accessories that would cost maybe $30 in the store. On top of everything else, they stay in my ears much better when I'm working out, etc.

But again, all that really matters: The SQ is superior.

All this for $70 (I've seen them as low as $55 or so at Staples on sale or online).

Vibes are more like $95 most the time.

Obviously this isn't a technical review. I'm just sayin' if you're going to buy some Vibes, give the JBLs a chance. I was surprised I liked them that much better than the Vibes.

 

[warrior05]

My take on the comparison is more a matter of preference. I find the JBLs to be a bit more refined than the Vibes and I preferred their more subtle character. I can see how someone would prefer the Vibes over the 220s though.

Boy, the Vibes have been taking a beating lately!

 

[LaBreaHead]

"Boy, the Vibes have been taking a beating lately!"

Yeah -- wow. The Vibes manage to be both over-hyped and over-criticized. As a poster in another thread said, they're "consumer-fi." Nothing wrong with that, if intended as a replacement for ghastly shaped or sounding earbuds that are bundled with audio players. I guess it comes down to expectations and perceived value (the sub-$100 prices are nicer than the suggested $101, for example). With the variety of avid opinions, I have to wonder whether some batches aren't as good or well made as others.

The ones I've heard (my friend's) are doing and sounding fine. She doesn't use them as her gym 'phones, though -- she uses them at home in place of conventional headphones, and they get handled very carefully. And yes, they sound "fun."

 

[warrior05]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LaBreaHead /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yeah -- wow. The Vibes manage to be both over-hyped and over-criticized. As a poster in another thread said, they're "consumer-fi." Nothing wrong with that, if intended as a replacement for ghastly shaped or sounding earbuds that are bundled with audio players. I guess it comes down to expectations and perceived value (the sub-$100 prices are nicer than the suggested $101, for example). With the variety of avid opinions, I have to wonder whether some batches aren't as good or well made as others. The ones I've heard (my friend's) are doing and sounding fine. She doesn't use them as her gym 'phones, though -- she uses them at home in place of conventional headphones, and they get handled very carefully. And yes, they sound "fun."

Totally agree with your observations.

I do question their durability since a number of people have had issues. Similar to your friend, I only used them around the house or on my dog walks so they didn't see any rough handling.

 

[antonyfirst]

I'm not sure about the perceived value. I happened to pay only 32 dollars for them, but I can't listen to them without having a headache.

 

[souperman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LaBreaHead /img/forum/go_quote.gif "Boy, the Vibes have been taking a beating lately!" Yeah -- wow. The Vibes manage to be both over-hyped and over-criticized. As a poster in another thread said, they're "consumer-fi." Nothing wrong with that, if intended as a replacement for ghastly shaped or sounding earbuds that are bundled with audio players. I guess it comes down to expectations and perceived value (the sub-$100 prices are nicer than the suggested $101, for example). With the variety of avid opinions, I have to wonder whether some batches aren't as good or well made as others. The ones I've heard (my friend's) are doing and sounding fine. She doesn't use them as her gym 'phones, though -- she uses them at home in place of conventional headphones, and they get handled very carefully. And yes, they sound "fun."

i guess the vibes really are made for the ipod...overly priced, not that great in terms of sound quality, over-hyped, over-criticized, looks great...lol

 

[3X0]

Quote:

Originally Posted by souperman /img/forum/go_quote.gif i guess the vibes really are made for the ipod...overly priced, not that great in terms of sound quality, over-hyped, over-criticized, looks great...lol

100% YES!

^5

 

[dissembled]

Quote:

Originally Posted by souperman /img/forum/go_quote.gif i guess the vibes really are made for the ipod...overly priced, not that great in terms of sound quality, over-hyped, over-criticized, looks great...lol

Ipods over-criticized? IMO they're not criticized enough. And it's quite a contradiction why so many of you here have Ipods instead of better sounding players (Iriver/Creative/Cowon)

You spent thousands of dollars on headphones but decide to buy players with bad sound quality. I find that to be hilarious.
I bet stock Creative players sound better than IPODS amped.

ON TOPIC: I'm not sure why any one would ever buy open canals. If you want your phones to be open, just spend them on some better sounding cans instead.

The reason one would sacrifice the sound quality is to attain some degree of isolation w. canals/IEMS. With open canal phones, you're giving up both isolation and sound quality. Portable cans is the better decision.

 

[RasmusseN]

I haven't heard the Vibes but I do like the JBL 220's

 

[iPodschun]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RasmusseN /img/forum/go_quote.gif I haven't heard the Vibes but I do like the JBL 220's

Yep. My Pk2 are my choice portable phones now, but I still use my 220s from time to time and enjoy them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dissembled /img/forum/go_quote.gif ON TOPIC: I'm not sure why any one would ever buy open canals. If you want your phones to be open, just spend them on some better sounding cans instead. The reason one would sacrifice the sound quality is to attain some degree of isolation w. canals/IEMS. With open canal phones, you're giving up both isolation and sound quality. Portable cans is the better decision.

I get a level of isolation with my 220s that I enjoy quite a bit. It's enough to not hear other people talking, but I can still hear loud noises such as a car honking or someone yelling at me. It's also enough to block out the horrible gym music and whirring of cardio machines.

 

[LaBreaHead]

"i guess the vibes really are made for the ipod"

It was mentioned somewhere in the (epic) Vibes thread that they were engineered with iPods in mind. I do think they sound better with my 2nd generation iPod Nano than they do with my Rio Carbon (but my highly EQ'able Carbon was set for Shure E3's at the time and I didn't change the settings). I don't like the fit of earbuds, so I can see that a set of in-ears that sound "fun" with an iPod is a form of upgrade ... and let's face it, the Vibes are not shy about being looks-oriented ... remember, people didn't start buying portable digital audio until Apple helped make it a mainstream commodity rather than the merely the realm of hardcore techies and computer geeks. From a V-Moda (or Bose, or whatever) point of view, it makes one kind of commercial sense to manufacture with the big sellers in mind.

"The reason one would sacrifice the sound quality is to attain some degree of isolation w. canals/IEMS. With open canal phones, you're giving up both isolation and sound quality. Portable cans is the better decision."

Good point. I think, though, that with the proliferation of the iPod, many novice users would expect that "headphone" listening consisted primarily of earbuds. And for people who don't delve deeper into the subject matter, or who don't post 1,000 times on Head-Fi, there might not be discernable difference between "open" and "closed" earphones (or headphones, for that matter). In other words, I would guess that white earbuds have become the de facto, iconographic baseline "headphones" for the masses (could that be why Apple doesn't offer black iBuds to match its black players?). So anything that fits more securely in the ear, looks kind of flashy and sounds "fun" would be a pretty big consumer step up from the white buds (especially since many people can't see why you would pay for earphones when earbuds come with each player ... for example, a co-worker described the Sony canal phones as "pricey" recently).

I'm certainly no real audiophile -- the best earphones and headphones I have are Etymotics ER6i's, Koss PortaPros, Sennheiser PX100's and Sennheiser HD555's ... still, those are exotic and light years beyond what most consumers want to (or can) spend money on -- or even know about. Which, along with the Vibes debate, touches on a topic for another thread -- the increasing democratization of Head-Fi as more people become aware of low-fi and mid-fi options available to them ...

 

[LaBreaHead]

Repeat post

 

[penguindude]

The Vibes is a semi-isolated in-ear-monitors (NOT canalphones). They block out major ambient noise, but definitely not every single outside noise. Depending on your needs, you might find the vibes' semi-isolation enjoyable.

 

[uraflit]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dissembled /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ipods over-criticized? IMO they're not criticized enough. And it's quite a contradiction why so many of you here have Ipods instead of better sounding players (Iriver/Creative/Cowon) You spent thousands of dollars on headphones but decide to buy players with bad sound quality. I find that to be hilarious. I bet stock Creative players sound better than IPODS amped. ON TOPIC: I'm not sure why any one would ever buy open canals. If you want your phones to be open, just spend them on some better sounding cans instead. The reason one would sacrifice the sound quality is to attain some degree of isolation w. canals/IEMS. With open canal phones, you're giving up both isolation and sound quality. Portable cans is the better decision.

ipods get their fair share of hate in this forum too, but they have evidently been used by others around here through the line-out and they seem to like it a bit more than with the cowon/creative players. the ipod certainly is not "bad" though... unless you are talking about the output from the headphone jack

i think ppl buy open "canals" because of looks. that's all. (and maybe for the semi-closed nature)

 

[warrior05]

My reason for using open canal phones is portability and being able to hear environmental noise. For example, I enjoy wearing my 220s while walking my dog. I get good quality sound but can also hear if a car is approaching from behind. Also, with any kind of earphone - you can wear a hat and up here in the Northeast, that's a good thing!