The V-Moda Vibe Duo has been my headset of choice for my iPhone ever since I reviewed them a few months ago. From the fabric cabling to the excellent sound quality, the Vibe Duo was pound for pound (well…ounce for ounce) the best headset I had used for the iPhone. That being said, I was even more psyched to try on the Vibe II’s – the successor to the Duo.

This time around V-Moda focused on making an even more stylish headset design, improving the fit, and balancing the incredible sound quality. Oh, and did I mention they replaced almost all the plastic parts with stainless steel? There’s a reason Terminators are made out of metal instead of plastic: metal is smexier.

Hit the jump for a video unboxing, lots of JAMM pics, and the full review!

Unboxing

Instead of just talking about all the parts, I thought I’d try an unboxing vid to show what the parts really look like and for some quick Duo vs Vibe II comparisons.

Design & Usage

One thing I was worried about with the all-metal redesign was how shiny (blingy) the Vibe II’s would look. I looked at a few other Vibe II reviews (notably the Gizmodo lightning review) while I waited for my own review sample to arrive and I was quite surprised at how shiny they looked in silver and red. The Vibe II’s I received are the Noir (black/silver) colour scheme and I definitely prefer this one more. The earphones still look like pieces of art, but they don’t have that over-sized diamond ring look either. I’m also really happy they kept with the fabric cable, and I think it actually helps keep the length of cable lighter overall. Perfect for me.

The real advantage to the redesign is the construction — the Vibe II’s feel a lot more solid than the Vibe Duo. The earpieces, microphone, and the in-line controls are all encased in stainless steel, and the button for the controls features a very solid and satisfying *click*. It’s also worth mentioning that the mic and in-line controls work with the latest iTouch 2G

You will have to get used to the weight though, as the Vibe II’s are noticeably heavier than the Duo’s due to the metal construction. They’re not going to pull your ears off, but you might end up hearing some thumping noises that have nothing to do with the music you’re playing. If you don’t use the included shirt clip, use the sport ear-hooks, or loop the Vibe II’s over your ears then the microphone and in-line controls will keep thumping against your chest like a second heartbeat. I usually eschewed the shirt clip altogether, since I found it a little too big and it kept acting like a grappling hook on my clothing and suddenly and violently tugging my head. I taught Mr. Shirt Clip a lesson by removing him and keeping him on the desk for the duration of the review period (ha!).

The 3.5 mm jack, on the other hand, is the absolute perfect size. It’s perfection on a 3.5 mm scale. It’s smaller than the Vibe Duo connector, but it features the same angled design so that it’s easy to insert or remove from the iPhone/iPod. It also fits iPhone 2G’s without any kind of adapter.

The Fit

The Vibe Duo had a decent fit; I could wear them for hours on end without an earache, but the isolation left something to be desired. It turns out that the Vibe Duo secretly wanted to be Vibe II’s. The Duo’s successor is a better fit in pretty much every way, and it even has some extra toys to help the earbuds stay secure and com. There are four sizes of earbuds (as shown in the video), but there doesn’t seem to be any major difference between the black and silver tips aside from the colour.

Isolation is top notch and is as good as the Shure SE210′s I used to use — put them on, keep volume at 25-40%, and you’re good to go for all but the busiest subway trains. I’ve never had any problems with in-ear earphones falling out, and the Vibe II’s are no exception.

However, for those of you who still find the earpieces falling out V-Moda packaged a set of sport ear-hooks to really lock things down. The ear-hooks are a cinch to put on. Ideally, you’ll need about an inch and a half of cable at the top of the ear-hook. I’ve gotten more used to measuring this out by feel, but it would be really helpful if V-Moda put some marks right onto the cable to show the minimum amount most people would need.

Case

As you saw in the video, the leather case is quite different from the one that came with the Vibe Duo. It’s still made of leather and it’s about the same size, but you can’t fit quite as much into it as the previous version. It seems V-Moda traded some functionality for form, as the Vibe II case looks very classy.

V-moda VIP

Each Vibe II also comes with a VIP membership to Club V-Moda, but I actually wasn’t able to get anywhere with my membership card yet. I registered on the website, but the login button wasn’t actually a link, just underlined text. I’m guessing the site might still be a work in progress, but you can supposedly go there for exclusive tracks and preview upcoming products once it’s fully operational. You will want to register, though, since the VIP club is how to activate the one-year warranty.

Microphone

Like most headsets, the microphone on the Vibe II’s is in-line on the right earpiece. This design suffers from two basic problems: 1) as your cables become inevitably twisted you’ll have to turn the mic to make sure it’s facing the right way and 2) using the mic with the ear-hooks basically cancels all functionality as the microphone just lies against your cheek (my test callers didn’t hear anything). When used without the ear-hooks the microphone lay just below my jaw and most callers gave it a 6/10 for volume, but they could tell it was a headset. Truth be told, I’ve never used a headset that had a microphone that I didn’t need to raise right to my mouth for a conversation. I’m fine with doing this, though, since I always feel a bit silly just talking on a headset in public – raising the wire with my hand helps the call volume as well as my comfort level.

Sound

Sound quality is always something that’s tough to convey in words, but it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that I got goosebumps the first time I listened to the Vibe II’s. I’m not a huge audiophile and I’m not sure if these earphones really need to be burned in for 100 hours or so, but the combination of the fantastic isolation and the rich sound really blew me away. The bass feels a lot clearer than on the Vibe Duo, as if they had somehow removed a very minor echo. The mids and highs are still fantastic, but really just more so because the low end doesn’t get in the way as much. I’ve thrown a lot of Regina Spektor, Death in Vegas, and Flight of the Conchords at the Vibe II’s and they have gloriously risen up to the task.

Conclusion

I’ve got another favourite headset for my iPhone and it just so happens to be the successor to my previous favourite, so I guess that says something about what I think of V-Moda products thus far. The only thing I can’t really test for is long-term (8-12 months) durability, but I think the Vibe II’s have topped the scale in pretty much every category I can think of.

I’d probably need a plane ticket or a space shuttle to recommend them more highly to any iPhone user: they feature the best look and sound I’ve experienced with a headset, and their build quality is superb and a clear improvement over the Vibe Duo.

What I liked (loved):

• improved sound, build
• sleeker look
• smaller 3.5mm jack
• fabric cable
• four earbud sizes; two colours

What needs improvement:

• cable could use a mark to help users put the ear-hooks on
• shirt clip is maybe a bit too big and angular; gets caught on a lot of things

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You can pick up your own Vibe II’s for $119 at V-Moda.com. They’re available in silver/red and black/silver.

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