In the Box:
1 Pair of VMODA Revamp Ear buds
1 True Blood Carrying Pouch
1 User Guide
1 Product Card
3 Sizes of Ear bud covers, S, M, L
1 Pair of Sport Ear hooks
Last week, two lucky winners received a pair of VMODA ReVamp ear buds designed exclusively for True Blood and HBO. I was given the opportunity to review them for myself hands on recently. So for those of you who are wondering if it is worth it to indulge your True Blood obsession with these ear buds, read my detailed review below for all of the details as well as pictures of VMODA’s ReVamp ear buds!
I first found VMODA when I walked into the Apple store in September of last year. I remember the day clearly because one of my ear buds broke while I was walking to the bus stop and I only had sound coming out of the one remaining ear bud and nothing to replace it with (again). I live in San Francisco and since MUNI is my mode of transportation, listening to music or an audiobook is how I am able to deal with all of the delays, breakdowns, and crowds without getting excited over it. It’s also my way of being able to block out the world. But headphones have been the bane of my existence.
I will be the first to admit that I’m not an easy consumer when it comes to headphones. I like listen to my music very loudly and since I’m hopping on and off Muni a lot and walking, my headphones get dragged, stepped on, and wrapped around my iPhone a lot. So I’ve gone through quite a few pairs of cheap and moderately priced ear buds. But the day I walked into the Apple Store, I was fed up. I wanted something that had lasted more than 2 months with a microphone and that’s what I told the sales person. She handed me a pair of VMODA ear buds saying that she swore by them and they weren’t going to break. So I took them and it was the best money I have ever spent hands down!
When the opportunity to review VMODA’s True Blood themed ReVamp headphones came, I couldn’t refuse because I loved the company’s products already. Plus being a Truebie, I also appreciated the design. But are they worth it?
Design
The first thing I noticed upon unboxing the ReVamp ear buds was the look and texture of the cords coming from each ear bud and down all the way to the 3.5mm standard jack. From my research I knew that VMODA had chosen to manufacture this part using Kevlar, the same material that is used in bullet-proof vests. The feel of it is similar to rope but it’s very smooth making it comfortable to wear. Kevlar is also very strong which means that these ear buds won’t suffer any type of breakage easily. I had suffered a small tear with another pair of VMODAs that I owned near where the ear bud meets the cord and while it didn’t impact the performance of the product over all, I was worried that it would eventually. So this design choice was much welcomed to me as an improvement on a really good product.
In terms of the ear buds themselves, the housing for them is metal known as Silver Bullet making them very tough to damage. This is great because if you’re like me and accidently step on them or something, the performance won’t be impacted. The black color with the Chinese symbols on either side with “revamp” in True Blood font and ”VMODA” on the other gives them a sleek and fashionable look. The red metal on the back of each ear bud is also a nice touch.
A microphone is located in the center of the headphones encased in metal with only a small hole to indicate its use. The True Blood logo is written on the side to the left from the microphone and a play/pause button is located on the front. The design is functional and shows your Truebie pride at the same time. The red color detail from the ear buds is carried down with a dark red band underneath the metal enclosure. It finishes with another red metal detail on the back on the standard 3.5mm jack which is compatible with iPhone, iPad, Android, and any other phone, tablet or MP3 player that uses that size jack.
Sound
In order to test the sound quality of ReVamp, I decided to listen to 4 different types of music and audio. Each piece was tested with and without the use of a base reducer. I personally prefer to keep the reducer on to preserve the life of the headphones and in this case, I found the sound quality to be clearer and crisper with it on as opposed to off. Please note that sound quality is also dependent on the quality of the recording as well.
Pop/Dance – “You Make Me Feel” Cobra Starship Feat. Sabi
Sound quality was clear, bass was clear even with bass reducer on. With it off the bass sounded slightly distorted but with it on the experience was much more enjoyable. Easy to rock out with.
Instrumental- “Vampire Love” Nathan Barr, True Blood Season 2 Soundtrack
This was a case where the recording quality was very apparent. The sound on this track was rich and every instrument was identifiable as it came in. It felt as if I was actually listening to it live as opposed to the recording.
Softer Sound/Acoustic- “9 Crimes” (Demo Version) Damien Rice, 9
Featured in season three’s fourth episode of the same name, 9 Crimes was yet another case of nice sound quality with all of the words identifiable and the sound of the guitar was smooth. Enjoyable to listen to.
Audio- “Dead to the World” (Unabridged) Charlaine Harris
The book which inspired True Blood’s 4th season was a joy to listen to using the ReVamp headphones as I walked around doing errands. The sound was crystal clear, required no volume increase, and I was able to enjoy Ms. Harris’ words come to life in this audiobook without an issue.
Microphone
When wearing the headphones, the microphone speaker faces towards you. I didn’t find this to be an issue however and was able to place calls easily with clear sound quality being heard by the people I called. Sound quality was also clear and crisp as it came through the ear buds.
Conclusion
I found VMODA’s Ear buds to be completely worth the price of purchase. They were not only functional in terms of passing every test I put it through. But they were also appealing to any consumer both True Blood Fans and not. In addition, I found them to be extremely durable and long lasting under my normal usage.
However, in the event that the headphones do break or malfunction, VMODA does offer a 2 year warranty that covers repair or product replacement up to 2 years after the date of purchase. After 2 years, VMODA offers a lifetime immortality program which will give consumers a 50% off coupon for a replacement product. There are limitations to the warranty such as Acts of God not being covered but overall it is a sweet deal. All the details are covered in the user manual.
Retails for $119.95 and is available at HBO’s Shop, Amazon.com, and VMODA.com. But they are selling out quickly so get yours now!
Thanks to Matt Shumate at Max Borges Agency and VMODA for making this review possible.
Image Credits: Shanea O’Connor, True Blood Fan Source.com