The v-moda vibe duo In-Ear Headphones w/ Mic, available in the iMore Store for $99.95, are compatible with the iPhone 3G, iPhone 2G, iPod Touch, and iPod Touch 2G. In a sea of headphones ranging from the very inexpensive to the absurdly expensive, v-moda has found a nice middle ground in price without compromising quality. The design is stylish and the performance is above-average. Keep reading for the full, detailed review!

Headphone Design

The v-moda vibe duo has an in-ear design with a selection of two earbud colors, black and clear (frosted), and three sizes in each color: small, medium and large. The headphone driver housings are black with an etched chrome-like band around the housing, giving the headphones both a stylish look and providing a textured surface for a more sure grip between your thumb and index finger when putting the headphones in your ears. Another nice addition is the small black carrying case that will accommodate the headphones and extra ear tips, if needed.

The fabric cable is an excellent upgrade from lesser headphones. I'm a big fan of fabric cables because they are both more durable and less inclined to tangle. The v-moda vibe duo sports an adjustable/removable plastic clip for securing the headphones to your clothing, thus supporting the weight of the cable at the point of the clip rather than having the weight pull the earphones from your ears.

About six inches down from the right earphone is the mic and call control button housing. The "duo" in this product's namesake is the ability to listen to audio but also take a call. The call control button can be depressed to answer or cancel a call. In addition to simple call handling, the call control button is compatible with the iPod features of one click for pause, two clicks to forward to the next song, and three clocks to listen to the previous song. My only gripe with this setup is the size of the mic/call control button housing. It seems a bit large and hefty and it would be nice to see it trimmed down in size and weight.

Performance

The v-moda vibe duo In-Ear Headphones w/ Mic deliver a clean, crisp sound with punchy bass and clear high-end levels. The volume range is just about right and if you use the right size of ear tip (requires a bit of experimentation), you will be rewarded with a firm fit in your ear delivering superior sound quality and impressive noise-isolation.

Making and receiving calls with these headphones is impressive. The sound quality during calls is more than adequate, with stereo sound during the call. The people I spoke to while using the headphones could hear me just fine and I could hear them without difficulty. Using the "clicker", or call control button, to answer and end a call is convenient, as well as using it for one, two, or three clicks while listening to music for pausing, skipping ahead, or listening to previous songs.

The plastic clip is a great feature to have. I really like being able to clip the headphones to my clothing so as to support the weight of the fabric cable, which in turn allows the headphones to remain securely in my ears without the nuisance of the weight of the cable pulling the ear tips from my ears. This can be more of a problem when you are doing something active, so the clip solves the problem. The fabric cable performs very well, giving these headphones a durable build quality and a greater resistance to tangling.

Conclusion

For $99.95, the v-moda vibe duo In-Ear Headphones w/ Mic deliver quite a bit of bang for the buck. You can certainly spend much more for headphones, particularly if you are a serious audiophile, but these could be the earphones you use on a regular basis for a long time due to their quality. The sound is better than average, the inclusion of a call control button and microphone for calls is great, and the plastic clip and fabric cable are wonderful upgrades to justify the additional expense. Having two sets of ear tips in two colors and three different sizes is very convenient, especially given that losing an ear tip is a possibility during your time of ownership. I dislike the size of the call control button/mic housing. I wish it were smaller. Other than this small little gripe, the overall design, quality and performance of these headphones make them easy to recommend.