This is a video review from my YouTube Channel

First to give you some context, I have tested and listened to many, many different wired headphones such as: ATH-M50's, Bose, Beyerdynamic DT 990, Sennheiser HD 598, Sony MDR10R/MDR1R and so on. So I have a real good idea of what you generally get sound, comfort and feature wise at different price points.

For the money, these V-MODA's are an incredible value!

In my video review you'll see me talk about:

1. Sound Quality
2. Comfort
3. Who these are best suited for
4. Durability & Build Quality

If you want to hear me go into more detail about the sound quality, see an unboxing and hear a live sound leak test then refer to my original YouTube video as I wasn't able to keep the full length here.

These are the perfect all-purpose pair of wired headphones, particularly for those who love bass. They have a distinctive, stylish look that you can customize. They're built like a tank so if they'll last forever even if your hard on headphones. They barely leak any sound so they're great for taking to the library or using around the office. And although they're not noise-cancelation headphones, they still do a great job of blocking out noise even to the point of being able to use these to block out airplane noise.

Unless you're looking to spend over $300, these are one of the best wired headphones you can get at or around this price point.

ENJOY the video!

PS - You should totally subscribe to my YouTube Channel youtu.be/lYQPrR0uDxM

Hello, this is DDay1944, and today I will be reviewing the VMODA Crossfade LP2 Vocal. With that, let's get started!

Introduction:

7... lucky seven... jackpot: Lots of aliases and different luck given names to people who often experience fourtune with the number. In two-thousand 7, however, VMODA didin't even need it, as they were already climbing high by teaming up with Apple for their iPhone 3. In the years that followed, however, VMODA acsended into what I'd call the "Hierarcy of Headphones", joining the ranks of Sennheiser, Audio Techinca, Shure and other legendary synomonys titans within the audio world deubting their M series and LP series. It is now 2014, and VMODA has an ever growing fanbase and continually churns out new products, such as their VAMP Amp. However, one headphone has stood tall for "7" years and is still widely reguraded as the best headphone under $200: Audio Technica's ATH-M50. While the LP and LP2 couldn't budge it, things got even more difficult as the M50 has been upgraded to the M50x: The updated form of the M50. At the same time though, VMODA has updated their LP2's to the Limited Edition Vocals. Question is, is this another "Limited Edition" scam, or does the Vocal's address all the sound issues from the LP2's? Ready? Set? Go!!!

Desgin/Appearance:

Ever since the LP and M series' inception, VMODA brought us a hybrid twist of appearance: Modernized look with a hint of retro spice. For the Vocals, not too much different from the original LP2's, but that isn't a bad thing. Steel hinges, stealth black color variation, reinforced kevlar exposed cabling and wires that come in the box, and a sci-fi esque case are all eye catching. Wanna go further? Those plates, or rather "Shield Plates" as VMODA would call them, are removable and swappable, so you can personalize it to your tastes. As for the packaging goes, well thought out and stylish. This isn't your average packed in headphone. Every detail and every piece is streamlined but gorgeous to look at. VMODA hasn't broke the fourmula too much, but with so many concepts to like about it, who's going to argue?

For a comparision check, the ATH-M50x hasn't broken anything either. Much of what you loved about the original M50 remains unchanged, minus the new detachable cable. With that said, which one looks better? Well..., sadly, this is going to have to come down to your preference. VMODA definitley has some retro kick, but don't expect to see these being rocked in professional recording studio's anytime soon, even if DJ's do use them. For the M50, it definitely screams a professional look, but doesn't have the modern flare quite like the VMODA Vocal's or even the customization options. With that said, this battle is a tie. Neither does anything revolutionary for its brand, but doesn't disappoint for looks.

Even though it remains unchanged, the Vocals still ooze style in every sense of the word. Built for personalization, this bad boy won't have you embarrased one bit, regardless of where you are in public. However, looks aren't everything if the product doesn't last (Dre Beats Studio = Public Suspect No.1). With that said, on to the build quality.

Build Quality:

After the first of the VMODA series line-up of headphones were introduced, one of the biggest praises that VMODA was commended for was its unrvialed durability. Utilizing military standard specifications, VMODA's headphones had become the most durable and well built headphone series in history; A feat only summit tier headphones had prior to the M and LP series inception. Now, with the Vocals, again, no change. However, as stated before, this isn't a bad thing. Scratch that, it was NEVER bad to change to begin with. This is easily and arguably the LP2's strongest assest, as no other headphone below or above $200 (Sans other M and LP series of VMODA products), are no match for this type of build. Everything has been specified to military standards as stated above, so you literally have a "Armoured Audio Tank" with the Vocals. Throwing these on solid concrete was one of the crazy tests I have done with these, and no scratches or dents were present. Trying to break the kevlar cables was utterly pointless, and smashing the headphone case, with the headphone in it, using a hammer proved just how tough these really are. However, many would consider the exposed cabling a weakness. Rest assured, that cabling isn't going anywhere, as that too is kevlar reinforced, and, for fun, I tried pulling the cable out, but to of no avial. For those of you who love music in the weather, the Vocals can handle heat and snow easily.

For the comparison against the M50, no contest. The Vocals are beyond what the M50's are and the M50's don't hold a candle. That's not to say that the M50's are bad, because with that detachable cable, the longevity has increased. It's just that VMODA wanted to revolutionize how well a headphone is built, and to this day, no other headphone company can match it.

Built to last, the Vocal's are unmatched. While it is still not a considerable upgrade to the LP2, it doesn't have to be, as the Vocal's can take on extreme forms of tourture and still function for a listening session. Even so, it needs to be comfortable to work. With that said, onward to comfort.

Comfort:

Memory foam for headphones is pretty much the standard when it comes to headphones using 3 digit numbers nowadays. With that said, the Vocals are comfortable for good listening sessions. My experience clocks in at 4-6 hours, max 6.5, so nothing groundbreaking, but nothing disappointing either, so the Vocals are solid. However, protein leather padding has been an issue of mine, and even though the breathability of the Vocals are great, they still produce toasty ears. Using the 3 and 1 button cables are unchanged since their inception within the world of headphones: Click a button to do something to either pause, play, skip, fast foward, rewind, etc., etc. Again, nothing new, but the Vocals do take it to good effect to make it work.

To put this into comparison to the M50x, this one goes to the M50x. Even though both never caused cramps and both still left toasty ears, the M50x had slightly better padding materials, allowing me to get max. of 7 hours of listening time. Even though the half hour difference seems minimal, for music enthusiants like myself, that half hour can make all the difference.

Even though it's not the most comforting headphone, the Vocals can still get the job done for great listening experiences. Memory foam is great, but the breathability is average. However, one thing that sometimes is often forgotten for headphones are their features; the unique abilities that make the headphone a stand-out product. To that end, we continue this review with features, so let's get to it, shall we?

Features:

Most of the features regarding the VMODA Vocals were already stated in the build quality section, so I really don't need to reiterate the whole breakdown, but in short, here is Vocals 2nd key trait. Being built from military standards, the Vocals are essentially an "Armoured Accessory" on your head. Virtually indestructible, these headphones will last a long time. However, many of you might be asking "If this is the 2nd key trait, what's the 1st?" That trait lies within the dual diapraham drivers within the Vocals. Ever since the invention of the headphone, companies often utilizie a singular voice coil called the driver to deliver sound to your ear. The differences in sound are not only up to the EQ'ing that the company outputs for the headphone, but the driver as well. However, even with newer materials, like titanium, silver, or even in rare cases, gold, find their way into the building process, the design, which is a spiral pattern, remains unchanged. "What does the Vocals do, that's so groundbreaking?" you may ask. Rings on the outisde and inside the driver itself. At first, it doesn't sound revolutionary at all. Adding rings seems easy, but this has never been done before in the history of headphones. These rings are supposed to further increase sound quality, but you will have to wait until the performance section to find out if it does that. Getting back on topic, the inner and outer rings definitley add a different outlook on the traditional form of the driver itself, as it not only changes the building process, but changes the overall look of the driver as well. Even though the M and LP series of heaphones have this trait, the Vocals still are a revolutionary step up for designing headphones. Minus those two key, or rather revolutionary characteristics, not much else over the horizon. Detachable cable and smartphone/tablet compatibility are the norm. within this price bracket these days, and even though you can use these as gaming headphones, you'll need an Astro Mixamp, Turtle Beach ACU, or Plantronics RIG mixer. In addition, prepare to pony up $30 if you don't like the inline microphone, as the BoomPro mic is your gaming tailored option.

Alrighty, time for those comparisions. For the M50x, swiveling earcups and detachable cabling, especially the latter for Audio Techinca, sound nice, but are already commonplace within the $100-200 range. That's not to say those features are bad, but their isn't anything else exciting beyond that for the M50x. With that said, it is safe to say that the Vocals take this one, as two new ways to develop headphones vs. a tried and ture fourmula is pretty much lobsided.

With two new ground-breaking forms of technology and design, the Vocals are no slouch. Encompassing some other tried and true fourmula's work too, but the former statement easily catapaults the Vocals above and beyond any of its competitions, sans the M Series and other LP seires of headphones. However, one thing is for certain, if the headphone sounds good, it is good. With that said, we go on to our final topic, performacne.

Performance:

VMODA claims that the dual diapraham drivers actually make the midrange more balanced out with the treble and low ranges. However, in my experience with VMODA's headphone line, only the M-80 and M-100 have done this, not any of the LP series. Even though the dual diapraham works, it seems that VMODA pushed a little too much bass into the LP series. Not Beats bass, but bass that sometimes blended in a bit too much into the overall musical experience. However, I am happy to confirm that VMODA has listened and has toned down the bass a bit. Does this surpass the M100? No, but this LP2 variation is the one that got the fourmula right.

My first test was with music. Starting up Beethoven's 5th, I wanted to see how well of a sound stage the Vocals would give. I have to say, I was impressed with the results. Even though this isn't an open-backed headphone, the vocals, trumpet cues, tympanii crashes, and other various insturments came out very well. However, I did notice some slight quibbles. Upon listening to Megadeath's Kill the King, it seemed as though the lower mids and upper treble were slightly compressed. The vocals sometimes came out a bit too sharp and the china crahses a bit too shrill, but it wasn't a detractable factor, as the tonal balance more than made up for it. Listening to Mozarts Requiem, I noticed that while the tonality was dark, it wasn't too dark to detract from a great listening experience. Yes, the upper treble sometimes did lack detail, but the amount of treble was so well balanced and contained such good definition, it didn't concern me that much. The mid range doesn't take a hit this time, as the definition and detail came out, all the while having good enough amount to make it feel vibrant and colorful. Dubstep fans are in for a real treat, as listening to Rings of Saturn by Abducted proved just how well the vocals could handle the various bass drops and loops. Vocals are a key part in country, so listening to Life is a Highway by Rascall Flats was just great. Rascall Flats' voice sounded not only colorful, but natural, even with some slight lower mid range hiccups. All in all, the vocals can handle any type of music whislt adding some vibrancy and color to them.

For gaming, awesome. Using the Plantronics RIG mixer, hearing all those little minute details in Black Ops 2 sure did help a lot, as I was able to get the jump first beofre any of my foes did. Another great example was in Hitman Absolution: A game that requires stealth and tactical thinking to reach an objective. Thanks to the sound cues I got from the vocals, subtle footsteps from guradsmen were easy to detect, even if I wasn't paying any sort or form of attention to the radar. Ohter examples like Sonic 3 & Knuckles were siimply great, as the theme from Sky Sanctuary was all the more pleasing to listen to. Even though the vocals weren't designed for Dolby Digital 5.1, I used said feature to see just how big a difference it got. The result is a borderline surround sound can opener. Does it beat high end Bose surround sound systems? No, but it is on par with lower priced ones, as sound whoring in Black Ops 2 proved to be very fun to do. Borderlands' 2 sound signature was also impressive, as hearing gunshots wizzing past your head, or Tiny Tina's references came out smooth and well defined.

For the quality of the microphone, it performed well. Not spectacular, but well, as taking calls were a snych, even in some congested areas, such as department stores or walking through town. However, if you want to increase your mic quality, purchase the BoomPro mic., as that further increases your voicing over Xbox Live, Skype, or PSN.

This final and crucial battle was very close, but I have to give it to the LP2 Vocals, but not by much. The vocals may have the better sound-stage, but the M50x's have the better tonal balance, although for both, it is not by much. The M50x's overall midrange isn't as recessed as the vocals like on the LP2 vocals, but the sound-stage isn't as great on the M50x as it is on the vocals.

Even though the bass seems the theme, rest assured that VMODA curved out some of the overpowering bass and lifted it with a more refined, yet colorful sound. Despite some small issues with tonal balance, the sound-stage, detail (minus lower midrange), and definition are all up to par with many of its competitors. With that out of the way, time for the ratings list and then the final verdict!

Design/Appearance: 5/5

Build Quality: 5/5

Comfort: 4/5

Features: 5/5

Performance: 4.5/5

Total: 23.5/25

Before I end this, I would just like to say this. I am not a fan of giving out "5 out of 5" ratings due to the fact that, for me, it means the product is perfection. If those of you that do give out these types of reviews, I am perfectly fine with said score. It's just that I am not a fan of it. However, with the VMODA Vocal, my perception has changed. Do I still like giving products 5 star reviews? No, but great pieces of hardware like the vocals showcase that sometimes near perfection isn't a bad thing. VMODA continually impresses me with its products, from my time with the LP's, to the M80's, then M100's, and now the LP2 Vocals. Are they as good as the M100's? No, but there price is justified as other headphones within the M100's price bracket, like the NAD HP50's or the PSB M4U1's, would easily trump the vocals in sound. Again, though, for the price that is in the $100-200, very few headphones have done what the vocals have done: balance out sound to make it appease to all demographics of music listeners. From 2007, I thought that the ATH-M50 would be the undisputed king for a long time. I was right, but now, even though the ATH-M50x got a great update, I personally believe we have to crown a new champion in the VMODA vocals. Their build, looks, comfort, features, and most importantly, sound, propell it far above and beyond any other in its tier. If you want to get higher, but not above the $200 asking price, get these. You will not regret it.

Well, thanks for reading! Join me next time for another review. As always, feel free to ask questions or give suggestions as it always helps me out! Until next time, this is D-Day1944 saying so long and:

Checking Out.

I recently purchased these headphones after my dog ate the left ear piece on my Klipsch in-ears, never really liked the Klipschs so I wasn't super disappointed.

First let me preface that I have been in the AV field for 10+ years and currently own a custom home theater sales and installation business, so I like to think that I have a pretty well trained ear. These headphones without a doubt outperform any Beats headphones, yes they may not have as much bass, but let's be honest music is not just about bass (sorry to those of you that are bass heads). That being said these headphones do lack in the clarity of the mids and highs due to the powerful lows. After reading all of the reviews of how stellar these sounded I may have had my hopes higher than I should have when I first put these on. To be frank I was a little disappointed. I was expecting to hear the same quality as my Monitor Audio Silver RX8s, but just right in my ears. However, the LP2s left me wanting more.

So I decided to pony up the money and order the M-10s and compare the two. Upon the very first audition the M-100's definitely had the mids and highs I was looking for. The highs are nice and crisp with out being sharp and the mids are punchy and full. The M-100s definitely lack the bass response that the LP2s had though. So I got the highs and mids I wanted, but sacrificed a little bass. Not to say that these don't have bass because they definitely do, they just don't have the same boom as the LP2s

My listening consists mainly of classical, alternative, reggae, folk rock and acoustic music. The M-100s hit those genres right where they need to. If you listen to a lot of hip-hop, pop, electronica or you're a DJ then the LP2s are definitely for you. The M-100s are for the audiophile who listens to a wide genre of music.

My final decision was to keep the M-100s as I prefer the highs and mids over the LP2s overwhelming bass. I liked that the M-100s let me choose which earpiece to plug the cable into, making them ambidextrous, as well as the M-100s fold up making the carry case half the size of the LP2s. The LP2s were also slightly large for my head (6 7/8 in a fitted cap), where as the M-100s fit perfectly. Worth the extra $100? For me the answer was an easy.......Yes!

No matter what you cannot go wrong with a set of Vmoda headphones. They simply are top notch for their price point.