V-MODA Vibe Duo

Frequency Response (4.31)

Well, if you like bass, the Vibe Duo headphones are more than willing to oblige. You’ll notice that the bass frequencies are actually emphasized right off our chart — the line extends up to the 105 decibel range for 100 Hz. Once the frequencies settle down a bit, there are two spikes that barely peek above the top limit. This area might sound a bit strange, as that range might sound a bit inconsistently emphasized. Also, towards the end of the limits, the response plummets below 60 decibels quickly. The sharp drop means two sounds that are relatively similar in pitch might be emphasized differently. This can lead to instruments sounding like they’re dashing toward and away from you, which is plain unnatural. In this particular instance, spoken sibilance or cymbals might be affected.

To summarize, the bass is off the charts, there are few sharp slopes, and high-pitched sounds might seem a bit muted. For the most part, however, the Vibe Duo headphones performed well.

Below we have a chart comparing the Vibe Duo’s frequency response performance to five other sets of headphones. In this case, the comparison headphones are all focused on portability as well, and with the exception of the iGrados, they’re all also in-ears.

In terms of a round score, the Vibe Duo was about average. They had the most absurd bass result by far, with the Denon AH-C351 headphones, which come in a distant second for loudest bass. The middle and high frequencies were similar to the Apple In-ear Headphones, since both featured a few minor peaks and valleys before the decibel level gradually tapered off.

Headphones	Score	Frequency Response
V-MODA Vibe Duo	4.31
Denon AH-C351	2.8
Apple iPod In-ear Headphones	5.1
Grado Labs iGrado	3.72
Shure SE210	2.46

Distortion (1.99)

The Vibe Duo headphones showed a small amount of distortion throughout the lower and middle frequencies: distortion hovered at the 1% level consistently. Typically 3% is noticeable and annoying. If you listen to music on the Vibe Duo, then listen on a pair with close to 0% distortion, you could probably tell the difference between the two. While we’ve had worse distortion scores, the Vibe Duo really didn’t perform all that well. If you’re a non-audiophile who’s listening to MP3s on an iPod, however, don’t let this score scare you: they’ll play back your music just fine.

As you can see from the scores alone, the Vibe Duo had a problem with distortion: it’s on par with the $30 Apple In-ear Headphones. The higher scores all hover around zero, then maybe spike up slightly at a few parts to about 1%, while the Vibe Duo operates pretty consistently at the 1% mark.

Headphones	Score	Distortion
V-MODA Vibe Duo	1.99
Denon AH-C351	5.52
Apple iPod In-ear Headphones	1.9
Grado Labs iGrado	4.44
Shure SE210	4.12

Tracking (5.81)

For the most part, the Vibe Duo had mediocre tracking. It starts out a little right-heavy, then moves to slightly left-heavy. Towards the high end of the middle frequencies, however, it starts to become a bit erratic. Towards the high end, it’s typical to have tracking go a little haywire, but the Vibe Duo starts to oscillate at a lower frequency than we typically see.

The main area of concern is the first sharp, downward slope and the following peak. If you’re listening to an instrument that straddles this frequency range, it might sound as though the musician is pacing back and forth while playing. The total decibel difference, from the lowest point of that valley to the top of the subsequent peak, is about 11 decibels. While this won’t make for a stark shift, it will be perceptible.

Even though the Vibe Duo’s performance wasn’t bad, it performed the worst out of all the comparison headphones. Many of the other headphones have a relatively flat frequency response for quite a while, then get slightly erratic towards the high end. Though the Vibe Duo’s tracking graph contains less sharp lines, it also spends less time at an even keel than other headphones. Again, while this performance isn’t bad, isn’t nothing audiophile-worthy.

Headphones	Score	Tracking
V-MODA Vibe Duo	5.81
Denon AH-C351	8.26
Apple iPod In-ear Headphones	7.04
Grado Labs iGrado	6.76
Shure SE210	9.43

Maximum Usable Volume (8.85)

The Vibe Duo was capable of outputting 115.16 dBSPL (decibels of sound pressure level). This is a good level of output. Anything above 120 and you’re pushing hearing loss, so 115.16 is a good level if you want to stay away from hearing loss.

Out of all the comparison headphones, the Vibe Duo mustered the least decibel output. Again, while some users will definitely appreciate the louder outputs, once you get above 120 decibels you’re in the danger zone. If you’re looking for loud, however, the Denon AH-C351 and the Shure SE210 are on the stronger side — just don’t come crawling back with complaints of tinnitus.

Isolation (7.79)

The trend on the Vibe Duo headphones’ isolation test results is typical: the higher the frequency, the more sound is blocked out. The Vibe Duo doesn’t block out much bass, which means it might not be the best option for an airplane. In an office environment with buzzing fluorescence and high-pitched electrical whines, the Vibe Duo should shine.

The Vibe Duo was able to block out an above-average amount of noise for in-ear headphones. Typically in-ear headphones receive good isolation scores since they’re basically ear plugs. The only headphones below that didn’t receive a good isolation score were the iGrados, which were on-ear headphones with open backs.

Since the curves on all the in-ear headphones are similar, it’s easy to compare exactly why the Vibe Duo is better or worse than any of the comparison headphone. The Duo was able to block out more higher-pitched sounds than the AH-C351 and the Apple set, but blocked out slightly less bass. The SE210s and the 6isolators blocked out a bit more of everything.

Headphones	Score	Isolation
V-MODA Vibe Duo	7.79
Denon AH-C351	5.43
Apple iPod In-ear Headphones	6.42
Grado Labs iGrado	0.33
Shure SE210	9.57

Leakage (6.85)

The Vibe Duo headphones, relative to other in-ear headphones, are downright terrible. Though the Duo’s score is slightly above average, all our other in-ear headphones have received perfect 10s on this test. While no one on the bus would be able to hear your music, you should keep your Vibe Duo playback out of a library or other quiet location.