[frix]

put the volume control somewhere on the headphones instead?
 
With BT getting better and the support for apt-x I also don't hear much degenartion of SQ.
 
Only the additional weight of wireless headphones may be a deal breaker.

 

[ashutoshp]

As enticing as it sounds to get a bluetooth headphone, I am not sure at all if its going to improve much, even with aptX. Why, because the way i understand it is that Bluetooth for one was never meant for audio and hence compresses most mp3 files even further than what is already compressed by Spotify or Beats or whatever. FLAC etc will sound good but only just. For 4-5 months late last year, i tried so many headsets because of their convenience but the sound was always dodgy and depending on the signal, the frequency responses were all over the place, as if no song would ever sound the same. And the difference between wired and bluetooth was night and day, at least for headphones under $200.
   Having said that, I am no engineer but I've always wondered if somebody had thought of or already made tiny little Bluetooth music receivers ideally the size of a V-Cork for example, that can be plugged straight into the ear-cup instead of the wire giving us two options and avoiding any compromise? At home or when possible for good sound, use the wire and when out and about, use the bluetooth. Thoughts?      

 

[jazzman7]

  As enticing as it sounds to get a bluetooth headphone, I am not sure at all if its going to improve much, even with aptX. Why, because the way i understand it is that Bluetooth for one was never meant for audio and hence compresses most mp3 files even further than what is already compressed by Spotify or Beats or whatever. FLAC etc will sound good but only just. For 4-5 months late last year, i tried so many headsets because of their convenience but the sound was always dodgy and depending on the signal, the frequency responses were all over the place, as if no song would ever sound the same. And the difference between wired and bluetooth was night and day, at least for headphones under $200.
   Having said that, I am no engineer but I've always wondered if somebody had thought of or already made tiny little Bluetooth music receivers ideally the size of a V-Cork for example, that can be plugged straight into the ear-cup instead of the wire giving us two options and avoiding any compromise? At home or when possible for good sound, use the wire and when out and about, use the bluetooth. Thoughts?      

Cool idea on the second part.  Instant wireless headphone for any headphone with a 1/8th-inch detachable cord...
 
On the first part:  There are high quality Bluetooth standards now which allow lossless audio, so Bluetooth does not have to involve a loss of quality from a technical perspective.  But my experience with all Bluetooth headphones so far is that the associated electronics aren't adequately shielded, so one hears hum/zips/interference from electronic things nearby that defeats the point of a high-quality wireless link in the first place.

 

[ashutoshp]

  Cool idea on the second part.  Instant wireless headphone for any headphone with a 1/8th-inch detachable cord...
 
On the first part:  There are high quality Bluetooth standards now which allow lossless audio, so Bluetooth does not have to involve a loss of quality from a technical perspective.  But my experience with all Bluetooth headphones so far is that the associated electronics aren't adequately shielded, so one hears hum/zips/interference from electronic things nearby that defeats the point of a high-quality wireless link in the first place.

I presume the interference is from the transmitter (eg, cell phone). Do you ever hear this with Bluetooth speakers?

 

[heatofamatch]

 
Quote:

 I've always wondered if somebody had thought of or already made tiny little Bluetooth music receivers ideally the size of a V-Cork for example, that can be plugged straight into the ear-cup instead of the wire giving us two options and avoiding any compromise? At home or when possible for good sound, use the wire and when out and about, use the bluetooth. Thoughts?      

 
The closest thing right now is probably HTC's A100/A200 car adapter, but I think there's no volume control on that thing. I've seen Japanese bloggers mod an existing BT receiver, just any regular kind with a headphone jack, so that they dangle from a very short cord off of a headphone (the one I seen was done with a Bose headphone).
 
The futility of Bluetooth isn't really in all the technical details, it's that you're using a ton of circuitry to replace a single piece of cable that's a lot cheaper, possibly more reliable and yet offer better sound quality. So any hate of cables is really not very rational in this context. BT is not an elegant solution by any means IMO. Personally I chose to abandon BT after a while and put that money into either a new source or headphones - which is why I'm in this thread cause I see an XS in my future.

 

[jazzman7]

  I presume the interference is from the transmitter (eg, cell phone). Do you ever hear this with Bluetooth speakers?

I can't say I've listened to enough Bluetooth speakers to hear it.  The main problems I've heard with wireless headsets are hum when walking around (most likely by some transformer in an appliance), the interference caused by cellphones if they are very close like in a shirt pocket, and, less often, dropouts when the Bluetooth connection is lost. 
 
Some of the hum issues also show up in active noise control headphones.  In fact, the UE9000 which I have has ANC engaged when you use Bluetooth, so it might be a problem in the ANC part of the design. 

 

[Tom22]

Hey guys so after tyll's review,
 
he mentioned about the seemingly overly smooth fuzzy treble and the somewhat loose bass , i recently tried something that might help with that fuzzy treble and the loose bass on my xs. i did find the bass was not as tight as i what i would like, but the treble thing was not as obvious to me. (i listened to my re400 again today a/bed with the xs--> i know one is an iem and the other is a on ear) but the treble on the re400 is clearly more articulate and extends farther.
 
what i did was take some medical or transpore tape and basically stuck them over the v-port. (not the prettiest thing) this suppressed the width of the soundstage a bit but helps a bit with tightening that bass and help with the treble articulation. 
 
the treble is still smooth but its a little less smoothed over compare to before, helping out a bit (a huge plus for me, i like my sparkly treble 
easily reversible. i now moved on to putting it on the underside of the shield. so its out of sight 
i haven't tried with other tape but i think it helps a bit. its not world changing but i find it helps.
 

 



 
 
 
Tom
 
all credits goes to @dj1001 for this idea and the m100 black shield pictures

 

[Armaegis]

Maybe flip the tape the other way so it's on the cup. Otherwise you might get little fluffs of dust or hair sticking to the exposed tape through the vents.
 
I've tried similar things with micropore rather than transpore. Same effect to varying degrees.

 

[Tom22]

  Maybe flip the tape the other way so it's on the cup. Otherwise you might get little fluffs of dust or hair sticking to the exposed tape through the vents.
 
I've tried similar things with micropore rather than transpore. Same effect to varying degrees.

i would but the transpore tape is pretty sticky i don't want it to rip off any of the foam or whatever v-moda put there (then it'd be irreversible, if i screw up)
 
hm... very interesting i have yet to try that.
 
i actually have since took off the tape to see how it sounds now, the mid bass seem to be elevated some with the tape. it did seem to tighten up the bass a bit 
 
the highs seems to improve even less really it did have a bit more pop to it but not much 
 
the isolation i would imagine would be much better (only tried at home) with the tape on
 
i might give that micropore tape a try =) but it would seem that the micropore tape has more and larger holes (who knows)
 
after tylls review i would really want to hear the amperiors or the hd 25s, i was about to snap one up (but the design isn't to my taste--> practical, but not decent looking)
 
the xs even with the pearl white, i own. i feel  is pretty low key doesn't grab too much attention (abeit like the fire engine red beats studios or the solos) but just blends into with everything else i wear =)

 

[Armaegis]

  i might give that micropore tape a try =) but it would seem that the micropore tape has more and larger holes (who knows)
 
after tylls review i would really want to hear the amperiors or the hd 25s, i was about to snap one up (but the design isn't to my taste--> practical, but not decent looking)

 
The micropore I have is like paper. No obvious holes, but it's breathable. I think it's 3M brand from Walmart.
 
The HD25 are worth a try. If nothing else, it's one of the most common headphones and has been around forever, so it serves as a good comparison point

 

[jazzman7]

I have the HD25-II (for many many years) and more recently got the Amperior.
 
The Amperior is definitely better than the HD25-II.  The former sounds cleaner and more refined.  But both Senns have a treble spike that is fatiguing.  I think the XS is much better in the treble. 
 
Also, both Senns have a strong clamp.  The earpads on both are nice, but the clamp is strong. 

 

[valkolton]

Few review updates, its always good to see what the media is saying as well as the forums!
 
XS just won it's 5th Editors' Choice award in just a few weeks, this time by USA Today's Reviewed.com... I am AMPED!
 
"When you combine their high-quality sound with great extras and a form factor that might outlast the car you bought last year, the $200 price tag feels very fair—especially considering the closest competition is over $100 more expensive." -USA Today Reviewed.com Editors' Choice 
http://headphones.reviewed.com/content/v-moda-xs-headphones-review
 
"Practically Perfect in Every Way" -Innerfidelity Tyll
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/practically-perfect-every-way-v-moda-xs
 
"Durable, powerful and just plain beautiful, V-MODA's XS headphones are a trifecta of awesome"-NBC News Listen Up! Best Headphones for Students 
http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/gift-guide/listen-best-headphones-students-n104611
 
Maybe you'll come across XS in newspapers and magazines soon!  
 
I'm off to drive to Germany on the autobahn, arrivederci!

 

[BeBop Lives]

  Few review updates, its always good to see what the media is saying as well as the forums!
 
XS just won it's 5th Editors' Choice award in just a few weeks, this time by USA Today's Reviewed.com... I am AMPED!
 
"When you combine their high-quality sound with great extras and a form factor that might outlast the car you bought last year, the $200 price tag feels very fair—especially considering the closest competition is over $100 more expensive." -USA Today Reviewed.com Editors' Choice 
http://headphones.reviewed.com/content/v-moda-xs-headphones-review
 
"Practically Perfect in Every Way" -Innerfidelity Tyll
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/practically-perfect-every-way-v-moda-xs
 
"Durable, powerful and just plain beautiful, V-MODA's XS headphones are a trifecta of awesome"-NBC News Listen Up! Best Headphones for Students 
http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/gift-guide/listen-best-headphones-students-n104611
 
Maybe you'll come across XS in newspapers and magazines soon!  
 
I'm off to drive to Germany on the autobahn, arrivederci!

A fine bit of workmanship in many ways.  However, the closest competition is far less than $100 more.  Maybe, just maybe even a $100 less.  Again, like any other review, subjective at best........Enjoy the ride.

 

[DrSheep]

Yep, just watched Tyll's review and couldn't agree more.

 

[boylit]

"Practically Perfect in Every Way" -Innerfidelity Tyll
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/practically-perfect-every-way-v-moda-xs
 

 
Tyll watches Mary Poppins? lol kidding...