3X0
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Sep 2, 2006
- Posts
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I ordered a Vibez 8GB from J&R a while ago and it finally came in today.
I can say that the GUI is an improvement from the X5 but the belly wheel is a bit cumbersome and difficult to get used to; the wheel lacks precision and often feels slippery. The screen size is very disappointing as well; I would've much preferred a screen that made use of the entire circle. Overall the style of the Vibez really does nothing for me.
One thing crazy cool about the Vibez is the removable cover and replaceable battery. The battery is absolutely ingenious as they manage to add in the removable battery without too much unnecessary bulk added to the physical unit itself. The accessory slot turns me off, though; I would've preferred capable features to have been included though I understand this opens the possibility of future upgrades. The playlist feature is really damn amazing as well; I'm normally not very apt to always choose songs and the various DJ functions are really useful for a "press it and forget it" person like me.
The sound is pretty good but it doesn't "wow" me. The Vibez is an improvement over my Meizu M6 in that it handles the highs better with greater extension; this is immediately apparent in cymbals (ATH-ES7, KSC-75). However, the Vibez bass isn't quite as impressive (iM716, ATH-ES7, KSC-75): it seems to not be as well extended or present and the lowest octaves it can manage seem to lose control (iM716, ATH-ES7 [this, however, seems to be a problem with many players I have tried]). The mids are very liquidy and cannot be faulted (iM716, ATH-ES7). However, the overall sound of the Vibez seems slow, large, but brilliant (ATH-ES7). Don't get me wrong, the soundstage is luscious and thoroughly large, and separation is great (ATH-ES7). However, the Vibez does not seem to handle fast trance, rock, metal, or other quicker genres as well as the M6 or X5 (iM716, ATH-ES7, iM716). I think it'd be great for jazz, classical, and other genres of that sort.
Amped, it's better than the amped M6 and about on the same level as the amped X5. The X5 has more extension in the bass, but the Vibez has a little more extension in the highs (ATH-ES7, KSC-75). Soundstage seems similar (ATH-ES7), and separation seems similar as well (ATH-ES7, KSC-75) but the Vibez still has that rich feeling to the sound in comparison that makes it sound more lush but less quick (ATH-ES7). Sound-wise, I'd rank the Vibez at least as good as the X5 from a purely technical sound point, though the sound signature is really hit-or-miss. It's good, but not amazing.
I'm going to hate myself for returning the Vibez. The main things that put me off were the scroll wheel and relatively low capacity compared to other hard-drive players. To a lesser extent, the sound didn't impress me as a whole either (even if technically very proficient). I'm going to REALLY miss the brilliant highs and DJ features. I think if the Vibez had a more intuitive control system and higher capacity (20-30GB) I'd keep it.
I can say that the GUI is an improvement from the X5 but the belly wheel is a bit cumbersome and difficult to get used to; the wheel lacks precision and often feels slippery. The screen size is very disappointing as well; I would've much preferred a screen that made use of the entire circle. Overall the style of the Vibez really does nothing for me.
One thing crazy cool about the Vibez is the removable cover and replaceable battery. The battery is absolutely ingenious as they manage to add in the removable battery without too much unnecessary bulk added to the physical unit itself. The accessory slot turns me off, though; I would've preferred capable features to have been included though I understand this opens the possibility of future upgrades. The playlist feature is really damn amazing as well; I'm normally not very apt to always choose songs and the various DJ functions are really useful for a "press it and forget it" person like me.
The sound is pretty good but it doesn't "wow" me. The Vibez is an improvement over my Meizu M6 in that it handles the highs better with greater extension; this is immediately apparent in cymbals (ATH-ES7, KSC-75). However, the Vibez bass isn't quite as impressive (iM716, ATH-ES7, KSC-75): it seems to not be as well extended or present and the lowest octaves it can manage seem to lose control (iM716, ATH-ES7 [this, however, seems to be a problem with many players I have tried]). The mids are very liquidy and cannot be faulted (iM716, ATH-ES7). However, the overall sound of the Vibez seems slow, large, but brilliant (ATH-ES7). Don't get me wrong, the soundstage is luscious and thoroughly large, and separation is great (ATH-ES7). However, the Vibez does not seem to handle fast trance, rock, metal, or other quicker genres as well as the M6 or X5 (iM716, ATH-ES7, iM716). I think it'd be great for jazz, classical, and other genres of that sort.
Amped, it's better than the amped M6 and about on the same level as the amped X5. The X5 has more extension in the bass, but the Vibez has a little more extension in the highs (ATH-ES7, KSC-75). Soundstage seems similar (ATH-ES7), and separation seems similar as well (ATH-ES7, KSC-75) but the Vibez still has that rich feeling to the sound in comparison that makes it sound more lush but less quick (ATH-ES7). Sound-wise, I'd rank the Vibez at least as good as the X5 from a purely technical sound point, though the sound signature is really hit-or-miss. It's good, but not amazing.
I'm going to hate myself for returning the Vibez. The main things that put me off were the scroll wheel and relatively low capacity compared to other hard-drive players. To a lesser extent, the sound didn't impress me as a whole either (even if technically very proficient). I'm going to REALLY miss the brilliant highs and DJ features. I think if the Vibez had a more intuitive control system and higher capacity (20-30GB) I'd keep it.
