V-Moda has been energetic as of late, releasing a number of wi-fi headphones and earbuds over the course of 24 months. We obtained the surprisingly good M-200 ANC final yr, together with the spectacular Hexamove Professional and unforgettable Hexamove Lite. Regardless of their present audio lineup being hit and miss, that hasn’t stopped the hi-fi headphone maker from placing out new fashions. Now, they simply dropped their newest creation: the S-80.
V-MODA S-80 SPECS
Worth:Â $399.99
Colours:Â Black, Rose Gold, and White
Battery life (rated):Â 20 hours
Connectivity:Â Bluetooth 5.1
Water resistance:Â None
Measurement:Â Not said
Weight:Â 12.52 ounces
These on-ear wi-fi headphones had been crafted to ship premium sound and double as a conveyable Bluetooth speaker when twisting the earcups at a 90-degree angle. Additionally they sport V-Moda’s signature hexagonal enclosure form and help the model’s customization service to deck out the magnetic plates on the entrance with personalised designs.
Sadly, this headphone-and-speaker combo is under the standard that many have come to count on from V-Moda. To not point out it’s unjustifiably costly.Â
V-Moda S-80 evaluation: Availability and value
The V-Moda S-80 sells for $399 on the firm’s web site. Accessible shade choices are Black, Rose Gold, and White. Contained in the field are a USB-C to USB-A cable, fast begin information, guarantee, and an additional pair of shields.
These are a number of the pricier on-ear wi-fi headphones on the market. Different top-rated fashions within the class just like the Jabra Elite 45h ($99) and Beats Solo Professional ($299) are extra attainable. A number of of the market’s greatest noise-cancelling headphones just like the Bose 700 ($379) and Sony WH-1000XM4 ($349) go for much less as effectively.
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V-Moda S-80 evaluation: Design and luxury
The S-80 appears like V-Moda’s different headphones, however with a slimmer and smaller profile and different distinctive particulars. Construct high quality is great with development consisting of aluminum, alloyed zinc, polyurethane leather-based, and stable plastic, all of which really feel premium. Discover there’s an arc-shaped pivot as a substitute of a collapsible v-shaped body, which was featured on the Crossfade 2 and M-200 ANC and related the earcups to the extenders.
Customization stays one among V-Moda’s greatest promoting factors. Magnetic shields are put in on the entrance of every cup and will be swapped out or custom-made (laser engraving, shade printing) for an additional price. One key distinction with these shields is that they don’t have bolt enclosures, giving headphones a cleaner look.
V-Moda headphones normally include a carrying case. Not this one. I don’t know whether or not this was intentional, or resulting from provide chain points, nevertheless it’s a chintzy gesture from a model that wishes 4 Benjamins for his or her headphones.
The selection in supplies provides critical weight (12.5 ounces) to the headphones, which impacts each consolation and match. The S-80 feels heavy atop the top and when worn across the neck. The headscarf additionally applies stress across the cranium, primarily across the ears, the place the gentle padding supplies little cushioning. For the reason that headband has some heft to it, one should modify the extenders to the right setting to stop slippage. In any other case, fast head actions will trigger the headphones to fall off.
V-Moda S-80 evaluation: Controls and voice assistant
The signature three-button module returns, solely this time it’s positioned on the higher nook of the fitting earcup. A multifunctional button used for playback/name administration/digital help is flanked between quantity buttons.
Not solely is the module inconveniently positioned, nevertheless it’s not person pleasant. Every button is small and feels similar to at least one one other, so except you’re feeling the embossed icons on every, that are additionally tiny, it turns into irritating to distinguish them. There’s no approach to not hit the extender each time you attain for the low quantity button. Moreover, the buttons aren’t very conscious of presses and produce subpar tactility that doesn’t guarantee the person of supposed instructions being met.
Solely the ability/paring button is positioned in a really perfect space (the underside proper earcup), and it additionally suffers from poor tactility.
There are not any put on sensors to allow auto-pause when taking off the headphones. V-Moda might have at the very least added them when factoring within the excessive price ticket.Â
A minimum of there’s the digital assistant. Proper? Effectively, the characteristic doesn’t function as easily as many would love. Google Assistant granted passable efficiency, with V-Moda’s mic array selecting up each syllable spoken for correct voice command execution. Nonetheless, Siri wouldn’t all the time flip up when utilizing my spouse’s iPhone 12 and infrequently misinterpreted phrases. It was additionally unusable on macOS gadgets; Siri would activate on my MacBook Professional, nevertheless it didn’t settle for vocal enter.
V-Moda S-80 evaluation: Audio high quality (Headphone Mode)
Most on-ear headphones are designed to ship pure sound, however the S-80 ups the ante. Music doesn’t simply have an natural presence – it’s versatile and effectively balanced too. That is achievable by way of highly effective 40mm drivers and Bluetooth 5.1 with aptX HD codec help for prime quality 24-bit audio.
On tracks with headbanging basslines like Metallica’s “Orion,” the low finish was aggressively efficient and had the correct amount of punch to it that leveled my eardrums with out damaging them. Reverberation was glorious, with the bass guitars creating an eternal echo that diminished delicately throughout the music’s mid-section. I additionally discovered the highs placing; the crashing cymbals sounded crisp and dynamic.
De La Soul’s “Ego Trippin’ [Part Two]” delivered the funk-infused rhythm I desired from a 90’s hip-hop traditional. Every snare struck with ferocity, and the deep bassline was reproduced exceptionally effectively. The shawm instrument pattern additionally sounded outstanding in sections the place it was sprinkled.Â
V-Moda’s sound profile is excellent by itself. Nonetheless, you could have the choice to tweak it within the Sound Settings through companion app. You’ll uncover 4 presets – Rock, Pop, Hip-Hop, and Jazz – every one barely enhancing the efficiency on music tracks from their respective genres. The Handbook setting enables you to modify V-Moda’s five-band EQ.
aptX HD supplied a lift in readability when streaming from suitable Android gadgets. AAC additionally operated easily on my MacBook Professional, Google Pixel 6 Professional, and iPhone 12.
Noise isolation was surprisingly good. Oftentimes, on-ear headphones permit in additional noise than they passively block out, however the S-80 managed to hush most distractions. Conversations that occurred a number of ft away from me went unheard, although my toddler’s screams and the loud noises coming from his digital toys had been clear.
Sadly, V-Moda selected to not embrace an analog enter.
V-Moda S-80 evaluation: Audio high quality (Speaker Mode)
Primarily based on V-Moda’s advertisements, they’re additionally pushing the S-80 as a wearable speaker system. The burden alone makes this a tough promote as a result of nobody needs to pressure their neck to listen to music that’s being projected from the earcups hanging on their shoulders.
When it comes to audio high quality, the characteristic doesn’t sound that dangerous. However I need to emphasize that the S-80 is not going to change any of the greatest Bluetooth audio system and even your smartphone speaker. A practical expectation is that you simply’ll hear music clearly, however solely at max quantity. You’re not going to get the Wonderboom bass, nor the delicate sound from the Sonos Roam. I’d say it’s simply adequate to entertain a small group in a convention room.Â
V-Moda does make enabling the characteristic ridiculously simple. All you could do is flip the earcups flat on their again.
V-Moda S-80 evaluation: App and particular options
Prolonged performance is restricted within the V-Moda app. All you get are a battery degree indicator, auto-off timer, firmware updates, and the flexibility to allow presets. On high of that, V-Moda put little or no effort into designing the app, which is a vanilla template with their shade scheme.
Customers deserve way more for $400. A minimum of some type of noise cancellation or different good options that improve useability. Not having a Discover My Headphones perform isn’t the tip of the world, particularly when V-Moda might have tried to make Google’s Discover My System suitable with their headphones, however they selected to not both approach. Opponents in the identical value vary include many extra options.
V-Moda S-80 evaluation: Battery life
V-Moda charges battery life at 20 hours. That’s acceptable for some noise-cancelling headphones just like the Bose 700, however not normal for wi-fi headphones. For comparability, the budget-friendly Elite 45h can pull off 50 hours per cost. I wasn’t precisely thrilled about having to recharge the S-80 after 5 days of use (4 hours day by day).
What about speaker use? This characteristic is capped at 10 hours. Listening at excessive quantity drops playtimes by 2 to three hours. Including extra insult to harm is the shortage of fast charging, which is one thing discovered on most headphones.
V-Moda S-80 evaluation: Name high quality
The S-80 is sufficient for voice and movies. My greatest concern was the design permitting noise to come back by way of on calls, and that’s just about what occurred when chatting in entrance of the home. In accordance with my spouse, rush hour site visitors and wind had been audible and precipitated muffling. Taking her name within the yard led to clearer outcomes, although there was nonetheless some muffling. Utilizing the S-80 indoors delivered one of the best outcomes; two shoppers talked about how loud and crisp I sounded.Â
Bluetooth 5.1 carried out decently. Whereas I loved prolonged vary (as much as 50 ft) for wi-fi listening, auto-pairing wasn’t all the time on-point. The S-80 would solely acknowledge my final used gadget and never beforehand paired ones. Google Quick Pair doesn’t come a part of the package deal.
Multipoint know-how is supported and allows you to pair the headphones to 2 gadgets on the identical time. It doesn’t perform effectively. The connection turns into scrambled and jumbles audio at any time when switching between audio packages on each gadgets. YouTube audio received’t all the time play on the secondary gadget both.
V-Moda S-80 evaluation: Verdict
Regardless of its terrific sound and craftsmanship, the S-80 is an overpriced over-ear headphone with too many flaws to miss. I wouldn’t even suggest it if the worth was slashed in half. The mediocre efficiency from Speaker Mode isn’t a deal-breaker, however the S-80’s lengthy listing of useful flaws, lacking options, and low playtimes make it a tough cross.
