[Impulse]

I don't see how it's a ****ty policy or how their advertising is misleading, a retailer's return policy always supersedes a manufacturer's, this isn't news... I'm sure this is in their fine print.

Maybe it's different in Europe? I know the EU enforces these things more strictly. V-moda still has one of the better warranties and customer service out there.

 

[Snoopy Ears]

What other headphone manufacturer will let try out their headphone for 60 days and take them back if not satisfied? Seriously!!!

 

[Snoopy Ears]

.

 

[shredder47]

Quote:

This is the V-Moda official policy from their website:
 

[size=9pt]Two-Year Warranty - Immortal Life Program - 60-Day Test Drive Guarantee: Each M-80 purchased from a Verified Reseller is backed by a 2-Year V-MODA Premier Warranty, double the industry average. In the unlikely event you run over your headphones with a tank, with the V-MODA Immortal Life Program, you get 50% off a replacement for a lifetime. V-MODA is so confident the M-80 is a superior headphone, it even offers an unrivaled 60-day test drive guarantee.

[/size]
If you purchase direct from V-Moda, you will get the full 60 day test drive guarantee. That is their store's satisfaction guarantee.
 
If you purchase from another retailer like Amazon or GuitarCenter, they obviously have their own return policy, so the fact that another retailer will not be able to honor V-Moda's 60-day test drive return policy has nothing to do with V-Moda. The return policy you get is dependent on the store you purchase it from. For example, New Egg is an authorized V-Moda retailer, but they only offer a 30 day return window and can charge a 15% restocking fee. DJTechTools is another authorized retailer that offers only a 15 day return window & charges a 15% restocking fee. Different stores have different refund policies. lol
 
If you purchased from an authorized vendor, the V-Moda will still back up their headphones with their 2-year warranty and the Immortal Life program.

 
The 60 day test drive is advertised on Amazon....wouldn't you expect if I bought it from there then? I obviously don't own a multi-national business, so I don't know how you would work this out, but it should be made clearer that the 60 day trial period is ONLY if purchased from V-Moda....i.e. don't advertise it on other sites if they aren't eligible 
 
Quote:

I don't see how it's a ****ty policy or how their advertising is misleading, a retailer's return policy always supersedes a manufacturer's, this isn't news... I'm sure this is in their fine print.

Maybe it's different in Europe? I know the EU enforces these things more strictly. V-moda still has one of the better warranties and customer service out there.

 
I understand, and I'm not hating on the company, I'm just saying I think it's a little misleading to advertise something that isn't necessarily true....
 
Quote:

What other headphone manufacturer will let try out their headphone for 60 days and take them back if not satisfied? Seriously!!!

 
I agree, and I was just saying that I wish I was able to have the full 60 days (as was advertised when I bought them), even though I ordered them from Amazon...it's very possible that they would have gotten to be passably comfortable between 30 and 60 days, but instead I had to send them back before 30 days in order to get the Amazon return policy....

 

[Impulse]

I can see how it could be construed as slightly misleading since it's mentioned on the description in Amazon's page under the "From the manufacturer" heading... But this is standard fare if you've ever bought anything retail, at the end of the day it's the store's policy that counts. Plus you do get them at a significant discount from Amazon. They're also the ones that control what goes into that page tho, so if anything your beef should be with Amazon for posting potentially contradictory info.

Amazon customer service is usually pretty good but I doubt you'd get any kinda wiggle room with that kinda policy... I also doubt comfort would improve much beyond 30 days unless you just didn't use them much in those four weeks. Headphone fit and comfort is rarely universal, specially when you're talking IEM & on-ears.

 

[shredder47]

Quote:

I can see how it could be construed as slightly misleading since it's mentioned on the description in Amazon's page under the "From the manufacturer" heading... But this is standard fare if you've ever bought anything retail, at the end of the day it's the store's policy that counts. Plus you do get them at a significant discount from Amazon. They're also the ones that control what goes into that page tho, so if anything your beef should be with Amazon for posting potentially contradictory info.

Amazon customer service is usually pretty good but I doubt you'd get any kinda wiggle room with that kinda policy... I also doubt comfort would improve much beyond 30 days unless you just didn't use them much in those four weeks. Headphone fit and comfort is rarely universal, specially when you're talking IEM & on-ears.

 
Yeah I mean I was able to return them for a full refund to Amazon, so I'm satisfied in that regard, but I can also imagine someone being very upset if they waited for as long as they could (up to 60 days) and then were unable to get a return 

 

[money4me247]

Quote:

The 60 day test drive is advertised on Amazon....wouldn't you expect if I bought it from there then? I obviously don't own a multi-national business, so I don't know how you would work this out, but it should be made clearer that the 60 day trial period is ONLY if purchased from V-Moda....i.e. don't advertise it on other sites if they aren't eligible 

It is a fair point that you bring up that it may appear confusing if you don't read it carefully.
 
However, the basic problem is simply that AMAZON control+copied the product description chart from V-Moda's website. If you note, the chart is pasted under the section that is named "Product Description - From the Manufacturer." I do think that having the product description directly from the manufacturer is generally the best policy, but V-Moda includes their 60 day test run on their chart.
 
It's really just a matter of understanding the concept of retailers. Retailers purchase the headphones from V-Moda and they get V-Moda's 60 day return policy. However, when they resell the item, they will give the buyer a return window stated by their own general return policy. The general return policy of the retailer that is listed does NOT get superceded by the manufacturer's return policy. Manufacturer warranties are also only honored if the store is an authorized retailer. If you ever purchased from ebay, you will see that this practice of copying the exact manufacturer's description including the warranty & return policy is often done, and the seller obviously will not honor the manufacturer's return policy and the manufacturer will not honor that warranty since ebay is not an authorized retailer.
 
Unfortunately, it may appear confusing if you are not being careful. However, it still seems to me that it is the specific retailer's fault in advertising rather than the manufactor. lol. If you really care about the issue, just write something in the Amazon review or e-mail Amazon customer service and ask them to make a note of it somewhere.
 
I think it is even sketchier that retailers like Guitar Center completely omit the fact that the V-Moda M80 is covered by a 2-year manufacturer's warranty & immortal life program, and instead add an add-on option to purchase a 2 year warranty for an additional $44.99. Now that is shady as hell and definitely something worth complaining about.

 

[jmonfar]

Quote:

I wouldn't call the M-80 semi open or poor at isolation... The cups are slightly vented, and there are some on ears that isolate more (most of those clamp way harder too, e.g. Senn HD25-1 II), but there are way more with poorer isolation.

For me it's just the right amount of isolation, enough that I don't hear people speaking near me or the general background noise of a mall/airport, but not so much that I'll miss an important PA announcement or someone trying to get my attention (though I still have to pause the music to understand anything).

If I want to be completely oblivious to the world I'll grab my IEM, and honestly, no headphone is gonna come close to the more isolating IEM in that regard.

 
This is the best description of the level of isolation of the M80 you can read. I second it word by word, especially the statement about being "just the right amount of isolation" for exactly the same reasons.
 
But I thought that for benefit of anyone searching for "M80", "isolation" and "plane", it would be worth adding a note of warning.
 
I have only found a place in which this level of isolation is not enough for a satisfactory listening: a flying plane. The isolation (or lack of) seems not equally distributed through the spectrum, and higher frequencies pass better than bass. So the kind of continuous white noise coming from the wind and engines was still too prominent, drawning the already not-that-so-prominent highs that the M80 produce, totally ruining a quality listening experience.
 
I would strongly recommend against the M80 on a plane, even if I immensely enjoy them elsewhere. Knowing what they are capable of, the contrast is so painful. If anyone is thinking on them as a option where one of the primary uses will be flying, my advice is to look elsewhere. For any other primary use they are a _very_ strong contender, but not for this one.
 
I have not tried any of the usual contenders on the same tier (HD25-1 II, DT1350) in flying. But I would bet that, even if we find that the M80 really perform worse than them on that environment, none of them really matches the clean listening experience than an active noise cancelling headset can provide. Even if they perhaps don't sound as damned good as the M80 in favorable conditions, on the plane wind and engines mask this to the point to which a somewhat not-so-perfect sound that you _can_ hear will always beat any glorious sound drown behind the 'smoke' of background noise.
 
Before anyone jumps in and says the he has been very happy in a plane with the M80, let me acknowledge that perhaps not all planes and engines (and ears, and volume levels) sound equal. I can only talk by my own personal experience in a Boeing 767, which seems to be a notably noisy plane to the point of being banned from some airports just because of noise peaks on take off and landing. But at the same time is a very common model for long range trips where you have to be there for over 10 hours, just where you will regret more not being able to properly enjoy your music for so long.

 

[SpiderNhan]

I was running late for a martial arts/parkour audition this morning and while sprinting on the sidewalk in front of the studio I completely ate it. Galaxy Note went flying, I went sprawling and my V-80s did the electric slide across the pavement. My phone now has a blemished corner (thanks a lot Ballistics case, said with and without sarcasm) and my ankle took a good thumping. The V-80s escaped nearly unscathed with a tiny fleck of black paint now missing from one of my Y-prongs. This is the second time my V-80s have taken the gravity enable route towards a hard surface while outdoors and both times the cosmetic damages have been almost unnoticeable. The build of V-MODA headphones never ceases to amaze me. Thankfully, my ankle also held up and I was able to drunken kung fu myself into a slightly sore-footed applause break from the other actors.

 

[money4me247]

Quote:

I was running late for a martial arts/parkour audition this morning and while sprinting on the sidewalk in front of the studio I completely ate it. Galaxy Note went flying, I went sprawling and my V-80s did the electric slide across the pavement. My phone now has a blemished corner (thanks a lot Ballistics case, said with and without sarcasm) and my ankle took a good thumping. The V-80s escaped nearly unscathed with a tiny fleck of black paint now missing from one of my Y-prongs. This is the second time my V-80s have taken the gravity enable route towards a hard surface while outdoors and both times the cosmetic damages have been almost unnoticeable. The build of V-MODA headphones never ceases to amaze me. Thankfully, my ankle also held up and I was able to drunken kung fu myself into a slightly sore-footed applause break from the other actors.

cool story bro

 

[Tom22]

Quote:

Pretty sure someone asked the same exact thing recently, it was either on this thread or on joker's portables round-up thread, pretty sure it was this one tho... The guy also made a separate thread for the topic. You can use the search tool to search this thread only for the word sleep btw (or the board-wide search to look for the other thread), just mentioning it because alternatives were discussed and different opinions were shared so it'd be spot on for you.

Personally, I can fall asleep with them on, and I have in fact done so... Though mostly in a semi-seated position, like when I've been on a flight and I was too lazy to pull my IEM out of my bag. However, I wouldn't buy them for the express purpose of falling asleep with them in bed... I do find them comfortable enough for 1-2hrs of use but I roll around too much at night to have these on, doesn't seem remotely practical compared to IEM.

I know others disagreed on those threads I mentioned before, you'll find all extremes... Everything from the guy above who can't stand them at all (I'd suggest bending the headband a bit, tho I haven't had to do it with mine), to one ex-soldier who said he easily slept with them and loved the durability.
I wouldn't call the M-80 semi open or poor at isolation... The cups are slightly vented, and there are some on ears that isolate more (most of those clamp way harder too, e.g. Senn HD25-1 II), but there are way more with poorer isolation.

For me it's just the right amount of isolation, enough that I don't hear people speaking near me or the general background noise of a mall/airport, but not so much that I'll miss an important PA announcement or someone trying to get my attention (though I still have to pause the music to understand anything).

If I want to be completely oblivious to the world I'll grab my IEM, and honestly, no headphone is gonna come close to the more isolating IEM in that regard.

i'm just curious because generally on ears are not very good at isolation, but if they are to be used for portable use, they should have adequate isolation. i'm not expecting iem level of isolation but ideally not to too far behind those.
 
whats the point of having a portable headphones if they don't isolate ( unless their for exercise of course or if they are intended to be aware of your surrounding)

 

[Tom22]

Quote:

 
This is the best description of the level of isolation of the M80 you can read. I second it word by word, especially the statement about being "just the right amount of isolation" for exactly the same reasons.
 
But I thought that for benefit of anyone searching for "M80", "isolation" and "plane", it would be worth adding a note of warning.
 
I have only found a place in which this level of isolation is not enough for a satisfactory listening: a flying plane. The isolation (or lack of) seems not equally distributed through the spectrum, and higher frequencies pass better than bass. So the kind of continuous white noise coming from the wind and engines was still too prominent, drawning the already not-that-so-prominent highs that the M80 produce, totally ruining a quality listening experience.
 
I would strongly recommend against the M80 on a plane, even if I immensely enjoy them elsewhere. Knowing what they are capable of, the contrast is so painful. If anyone is thinking on them as a option where one of the primary uses will be flying, my advice is to look elsewhere. For any other primary use they are a _very_ strong contender, but not for this one.
 
I have not tried any of the usual contenders on the same tier (HD25-1 II, DT1350) in flying. But I would bet that, even if we find that the M80 really perform worse than them on that environment, none of them really matches the clean listening experience than an active noise cancelling headset can provide. Even if they perhaps don't sound as damned good as the M80 in favorable conditions, on the plane wind and engines mask this to the point to which a somewhat not-so-perfect sound that you _can_ hear will always beat any glorious sound drown behind the 'smoke' of background noise.
 
Before anyone jumps in and says the he has been very happy in a plane with the M80, let me acknowledge that perhaps not all planes and engines (and ears, and volume levels) sound equal. I can only talk by my own personal experience in a Boeing 767, which seems to be a notably noisy plane to the point of being banned from some airports just because of noise peaks on take off and landing. But at the same time is a very common model for long range trips where you have to be there for over 10 hours, just where you will regret more not being able to properly enjoy your music for so long.

i'm only asking for isolation because many headphones can drown out the background noise if you turn it up to max or at 75% on your portable device
but at that level your ears are screaming for relief
 
i'm not asking for 1 or 2 clicks of volume on my iphone but no more than 50% 
 
how loud did you have to turn up the volume on your device

 

[SpiderNhan]

Quote:

i'm only asking for isolation because many headphones can drown out the background noise if you turn it up to max or at 75% on your portable device
but at that level your ears are screaming for relief
 
i'm not asking for 1 or 2 clicks of volume on my iphone but no more than 50% 
 
how loud did you have to turn up the volume on your device

It's not loudness. I had a similar experience with the V-80 on airplanes. It's almost like it amplifies the sound of the airplane noise. I swapped them out for my $50 Sony noise-cancelling IEMs to much MUCH better results than the V-80. The M-100s work pretty well for flying, though.

 

[Uruha]

Quote:

 
Yeah I mean I was able to return them for a full refund to Amazon, so I'm satisfied in that regard, but I can also imagine someone being very upset if they waited for as long as they could (up to 60 days) and then were unable to get a return 

I ran into the same issue. I bought from Amazon and I couldn't return the M-80 even though it had the 60 day test thing advertised on Amazon and the wording was funky. It seemed as though the testing and authorized reseller statements were one thing.

 

[Tom22]

Quote:

It's not loudness. I had a similar experience with the V-80 on airplanes. It's almost like it amplifies the sound of the airplane noise. I swapped them out for my $50 Sony noise-cancelling IEMs to much MUCH better results than the V-80. The M-100s work pretty well for flying, though.

oh i don't mean for flying... i rarely fly (student budget) just for public transits (subway, trains) thats were i listen to my music the most
 
the m-80s seem to have the complete package (style, durability, sound, comfort(dunno about that) but if the isolation is poor theres no point for where i'm using them for
 
i already have that experience with the noontec zoros, they are "ALMOST" the complete package( not at the extent of the m-80s, but for sub 100 their really good) (their build is questionable though, but i baby my headphones so not as worried about that) ( my noontecs have never been dropped, and when placing them on the table ( i use both hands) they have mouse pad under them
 
  however, they fail in one category isolation, its relatively poor in that regard too so i don't want to have to go through that again
 
thats why i'm so wary of isolation (as stated before i'm not asking for etymotic isolation or anything) which is mutes about 37db if i'm correct... maybe 20-25db? like maybe slightly just slightly less than the average iem (ex klipsch s4) is enough for me