By Elianne Halbersberg
Fashion, style, vogue — that’s the concept behind V-MODA, where sound and sexy come together to create a new world of music, headphones, clothing, and instruments. Calling themselves “the first music lifestyle company,” V-MODA incorporates culture and design in all of its products.
DJ/producer/designer/audiophile Val Kolton founded the company in 2006. During a summer in Ibiza, Kolton was inspired by the club scene, the DJs and the overall vibe, and was determined to capture the experience and bring it back to the U.S. So began V-MODA, with its dance-inspired couture, compilation CDs, and fashion headphones.
The company’s latest offering is its Vibe II with Microphone luxury headphone/headset. The Vibe II features four pairs of earbuds (XS, S, M, L), in-line hands-free microphone, call/music control button, ergonomic detachable ear hooks for use during exercise, and a 45-degree plug. Designed with the iPhone and iPod in mind, it also works with other music-enabled phones equipped with a 3.5 mm jack. Indeed, the Vibe II with Microphone is stylish, but best of all, the quality is impeccable and the comfort level is remarkable.
Nick Golfar, vice president of marketing for V-MODA, spoke to Planet Ill about the Vibe II and what makes it so unique.
Planet Ill: Most headsets sound either like two tin cans connected with a string, or create insufferable static in the ears. What elements make the Vibe II’s sound so clear?
Nick Golfar: It simply boils down to quality. We go to extremes to make sure it sounds right. Val is a DJ, and in Ibiza he heard the best DJs with the best sound systems in the best clubs. He came home and wanted to recreate the sound in his headphones. It was impossible to get the bass you can feel, the warm mids and crisp highs. It drove him to look into how to make the best in sound and comfort. The earbud caps are medical-grade silica and multiple sized to get the tightest, cleanest fit so that they’re not too big or too small. The snugger the fit, the better the sound, and there’s no ambient noise coming in.
Our headphones are all-metal construction. They’re durable, and the resonance is a much clearer audio experience. Our cables are Kevlar-reinforced. There are strands of Kevlar around the audio wires, giving them three times the durability of the competition. The plug is at a 45-degree angle. When your iPod or iPhone is in your pocket, this gives you a better range of flexibility. We have a gold-tipped plug for better conductivity.
Inside the buds — at our factory we have a guy tuning to our signature so that the bass is more pronounced. You listen to music and feel like you are in a venue. Other brands have a very utilitarian, basic, flat sound. We want it to be about sound quality.
Planet Ill: How do you balance out the high end and treble that are so prevalent in much of today’s music?
NG: The clash of frequencies in the high end is what hurts your ears. Inside the headphone are tiny bits of thin filtering paper, like in a speaker — behind the cone it’s a paper filter, and there’s a precise art to making sure that the filter is right. We do that. It’s how you tune a headphone or speaker, and we want the sound clear and crisp, not tinny at the top.
Planet Ill: Let’s talk about your price point. Why spend $120 when you can get an adequate headset for much less?
NG: The Vibe II is our flagship. We’ve taken all the things we learned from our other products — the design, the sound — and put them into this. Not everybody will buy the Vibe II, but a lot of people will pay the extra money because most of what the competition offers is not the same manufacturing or sound quality. This is the pinnacle of our line; it’s substantially better and we think $120 is a good price point.
This system gives you the quality of something twice its size. We do have products with great quality that cost a lot less. The Vibe and Vibe Duo are fantastic. They have all-metal construction and great sound, but they lack the luxury element of the Vibe II.
Planet Ill: What is the life expectancy of the Vibe II?
NG: This is what makes V-MODA hands above the competition. We have a one-year, no questions, full guarantee. You call, send it in and we replace it. We do what we can to make you happy. Let’s say you break it or step on it. Send it back and we’ll send you an upgrade for a 50 percent discount. You tell us what happened and we make sure you get back in a V-MODA headphone. We listen to customers. That helps us with design. The Vibe II has one of the best warranties on the market and we like to stress that. We’re the first to admit that there can be problems with the product. It happens. Call us and we’ll take care of it.
Planet Ill: How many prototypes were there of the Vibe II?
NG: We have a fairly extensive design and innovation program. All the products are designed here in Hollywood; all the key elements, the industrial design, graphics, engineering and audio are all done here. Val oversees everything. On average, it probably takes up to a year to develop. One thing we have that makes us innovative is that we move to market trends much quicker because it’s all done here.
Planet Ill: Where do you see those market trends going?
NG: We’re looking at another in-ear bud, the update for the Vibe Duo, with new design and positioning. We will be launching a product with a three-button remote for the iPhone, iPod and iShuffle. We’re tight partners with Apple. Because a lot of what we do centers around DJ’s, we will come out with overhead headphones because they’re more conducive in loud places. We have other rather interesting innovations for 2010. We’re a young company and our curve is shorter, so we’re able to react to innovation much quicker.
Planet Ill: What is the best way to care for the Vibe II?
NG: They come with a leather case, so keep them in the case when they’re not in use. Don’t wrap them around your mp3 player, as that tends to stretch the cables. As long as you keep them in a cool, dry place, in their case, they will be fine. If you wear them for an extended amount of time and want to clean off the speaker part, use a soft cloth and wipe gently. Just keep them in the pouch … and treat them with love!
For more information: www.v-moda.com
Elianne Halbersberg is a freelance writer whose work has also appeared in Mix, Premier Guitar, Electronic Musician, Audio Media, Ink 19 and many other magazines and websites.
*****CONTEST*****
Register as a citizen of Planet Ill and email screencaps of 3 Articles from the site to odeisel@planetill.com and get a chance to win a free pair of Vibe II headphones ($120 USD value!!)
Follow us on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/planetill
Join Us on the Planet Ill Facebook Group for more discussion
