When I reviewed the V-Moda Vibe Duo headphones — a.k.a. "The fancy iPhone-compatible headphones that Apple sort of promotes, or did until they decided to sell their own premium headphones" — I gave them a big thumbs up, despite the $100ish price. Then my pair fell apart. Then the replacement set that V-Moda happily sent fell apart, too, after perhaps a couple of months of use. I'll shell out a hundo for something that I use as much as a pair of headphones — I use mine for 2 or 3 hours a day — but not every couple of months.
At a recent press event the V-Moda rep was handing out new sets of Vibe Duo headphones and exhorted me to give them another shot after I drunkenly slurred to some other tech writers that mine had given up the ghost too soon.
I think these are going to hold. Granted, I've just been using them for a couple of weeks, but two fundamental changes seem promising: They've changed the material that covers the wires from fabric to a fabric coated in plastic, which isn't as nice looking or flexible, but seems a lot more sturdy; they've also completely changed the minijack plug so that the cord tips out at a forty-five degree angle, taking pressure off the wire connection when it's in the pocket of your pants or coat. It just so happens that the new jack tickles my sense of tactility and ineffable visual rightness. It's neato looking.
Prices of the upgraded model remain the same as always, but I'm happy to say that I think the new ones have a fighting chance of remaining in good shape for months to come. I hope.
