HeadPhones by Dr. Dre …And What!?

By: Jeff Bordeaux

Act like you ain’t not heard, or maybe you have. For those who haven’t, Monster Cable is releasing some high end headphones mutually designed by themselves as well as Dr. Dre. Two years in the making, it will be interesting to see how the consumer/musician/producer/DJ will view and use these thangs. Will they use them as actual studio reference monitors, or will they use them at the gym with their iPhones? Will DJ’s use them as well and will they sound best playing back “The Chronic”? A price of $399 should help separate peeps in casual and professional settings as well as be a possible deterrent to anyone involved in other genres of music besides hip-hop. Will it be any good for Metal or Country? Hitting the “Streets” this June, we will see the outcome of this strangely ambiguous product. The site suggests nothing of either scenario, though Dre is best know as a producer right? So you would think they would be studio reference monitors? Or everyday consumer headphones? Both?

Check the Site!

Add comment April 24th, 2008

Simple $20 iPhone Car Integration

How so you ask? Start by purchasing an iSonTalk Microphone Headphone Adapter and a cassette-to-3.5mm adapter. Next, plug everything in into its respective receptacles. Crank your tunes and take a spin around town. When a call comes, simply click the mic’s answer button, the music stops, and the caller should be heard over the car’s stock speakers. I’m not sure on the feedback implications of the mic picking up the caller’s voice (it’s designed for headphone use), but if all goes right it’s a super cheap yet slick iPhone integration into any car with a cassette deck, and it’s only $20 (plus whatever the cassette adapter costs you).

Available here for $20.

1 comment February 26th, 2008

Plantronics Introduces Military Grade Bluetooth Headset: Explorer 370

Plantronics unleashed their new Bluetooth headset today: the Explorer 370. It’s certified to MIL-STD 810 standards. In English, that means it’s United States Army approved. It sounds like it can survive everything just short of a nuclear winter - water, dust and shock resistant. The Explorer 370 also includes ‘windscreen technology’ to minimize the whisping we’re all so familiar with, especially if you’ve lived in Chitown or Boston. Sounds like the perfect headset for those who like to run triathlons in the rain.

Available in March ‘08 for $80.

Via Press Release

Add comment February 11th, 2008

V-Moda Vibe Duo (iPhone) Headphone Review

The V-Moda Vibe Duo is the essential accessory for any discerning iPhone user. Kinda sounds like “Men’s Warehouse” ad, huh? The packaged iPhone headphones are junk, and like many I’ve felt the scorn of the white buds while running, riding or just about doing anything.

Design
Drool worthy might sum it up. The pair I got were finished in black with silver accents. The cord is finished in a fabric like material cutting down on cord noise in the headphones and minimized tangling. The Vibe Duos were specifically designed for the iPhone (and the recessed jack), and feature an integrated microphone and call answer/end button. The button - at times it was difficult to locate due to size - serves a dual purpose as it can play and stop music as well, and if pressed twice will skip forward a song. The headphone jack is finished in 24k gold-plate, which should cut down on corrosion and ultimately interference - a nice touch. Unfortunately, the casing holding the headphone jack detached. This resulted in me having to pull on the cord in order to remove from a plug.

A simple fix with some glue, but annoying nonetheless. Notably, the headphones include a plastic clip for attaching to your clothing and insure optimal mic positioning. I’m a big fan of the clip although I wish V-Moda had sought a hire end version - that is if one exists. Included in the box, are additional silicone earfittings: 6 pair of clear (S,M,L) and 2 pair (S) of black. The worst of it - I know, I hate to say that - was the included leather pouch. It’s intended to hold the headphones and/or the additional earbuds. Unfortunately, it just looks like an after thought, and produced in a back room leather shop located in the nether regions of South America.

Performance
I’m a firm believer that all speakers, and headphones, need breaking in to reveal true performance. I’d say such is the case of the Vibe Duo’s. First and foremost, make sure to adjust your EQ in order to capture top notch sound. I found that ‘rock’ performed best for me, even though it’s a little strong in the ‘highs’. The Vibe Duos are rated at 12hz - 22khz. No way these can accomplish 12hz (i.e. low bass). In fact, they’re a little light in bass even though they boast a “9mm neodymium rare-earth magnet”. But what they lose in bass they make up for in clarity, fidelity and dynamics. At full volume the audio distorted, but I’m attributing this to a lack of amplification on the iPhone’s part, not the Vibe Duo’s. V-Moda’s noise isolating technology - BLISS - claims “to reduce ambient noises and enable deep bass”. Unfortunately, my experience differed, albeit slightly. Although the Vibe Duos produce decent bass, the noise isolation was limited and didn’t exceed that of my $30 Sony headphones. Ear comfort of the headphones was variable, as was bass response dependent upon positioning of the buds. I found that placing the buds in a more parallel like position increased not only bass and comfort, but noise isolation. So with that said, perhaps the BLISS technology is variably depending on ear canal structure and size. I’ve used the Vibe Duos, for calls, primarily in the car. I’ve got a more sport like vehicle and that means ‘road noise’. After numerous calls NOT ONE person complained of poor sound quality. Even questioning the callers with “can you hear me ok”, they all responded “ya, just fine” as if I were insane. The only issue in call quality I was faced with was a result of my own stupidity. On one occasion the mic was tucked beneath my collar preventing the caller from hearing me. The other, when I first received the Vibe Duos my iPhone’s volume limitation was ‘on’. So as you can imagine the callers sounded faint, but after turning this option off I experienced crisp and clear audio.

Wrap Up
If you’re still jamming to the white Apple buds STOP NOW! Those things are junk and don’t even come close to capturing the iPhone’s true audio quality. There’s a reason Apple worked with V-Moda to design these buds: because they kick ass. I wouldn’t even suggest going the route of ‘after market iPhone’ jack. You’ll just end up losing it and remove any possibility of sleekly placing the iPhone in your pocket. Like I said, they lack the deep bass that some folks might desire but the V-Moda Vibe Duo headphone’s other features easily eclipse this small short coming. You can pick them up at most major retailers or by them direct at V-Moda.

10 comments December 1st, 2007

V-Moda Vibe Duo: Are They THE Ideal Headphones for the iPhone?

I took me sometime, but I finally found what just might be the best corded headphones for the iPhone. I realize that everyone is probably sick of hearing about the iPhone, but I picked it up just over a week ago, so I gotta write from my perspective and needs - selfish, I know. The V-Moda headphones looked great, but lacked the built-in microphone like the stock iPhone headphones. After all, if I just used regs headphones I’d only be taking partial advantage of the wonda device. So, the genius that I am, I started search around for high end headphones with a built-in mic - I did this via Google. Hold your applause. After no success I started with the obvious, Apple.com/store, and found the V-Moda Vibe Duo. I haven’t tried them yet, but my next order of business is to request a pair for review. If anyone has used these slick-ass looking buds, please drop a comment and let us know.

You can pick them up at Apple for $99.95. Unfortunately, Amazon only has the non-mic versions but the price drops about $30 if you don’t care about an ‘all in one’ solution. Looks like you can get them direct from V-Moda for $101 and that includes shipping and tax up to $20.  Update: Amazon now has the newest version of the Vibe Due Headphone which includes playback control.  Available for $99 shipped.

Apparently, V-Moda is releasing a new pair of headphones tomorrow. I am waiting to hear back from their media rep any minute now.

Update: As mentioned above, V-Moda released an updated version of their Vibe Duo Headphone today.  The updated version includes a playback control button located in the mic - the mic is now slightly larger on the new version.  Turns out that V-Moda worked directly with Apple to produce this product and did so in just 6 weeks!  I am anxiously awaiting a pair for review so stay tuned.

2 comments October 1st, 2007