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V-Moda Bass Freq earphones (black)

Manufacturer: V-Moda Part number: BFBLACK

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$19.99 - $34.83 at 5 online stores

CNET Editor rating:
4.0 stars Excellent
Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 39 reviews

Oct 2006

More product information:: Editors' review; User reviews; Specifications; Product series; Manufacturer info

Bottom Line:: V-Moda's Bass Freq earphones are the perfect accessory for bass-loving Creative Zen Micro owners who are on a budget. If you prefer less low end, look elsewhere.
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*Total price for the V-Moda Bass Freq earphones (black) are estimated and may vary slightly based on exact tax, shipping, manufacturer rebate or any sale/promotion on the merchant site.

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CNET editors' review

V-Moda Bass Freq earphones (black)

price range: $19.99 - $34.83

Reviewed by: Jasmine France
Edited by: James Kim
Reviewed on: 10/03/2006

The good: The V-Moda Bass Freq earphones are available in several stylish colors and are competitively priced at $50; they're louder than other earbuds and offer great sound quality.

The bad: Music coming from the V-Moda Bass Freq earphones may be too bass-heavy for audio purists; thin cable tangles easily and may not hold up in the long run.

The bottom line: V-Moda's Bass Freq earphones are the perfect accessory for bass-loving Creative Zen Micro owners who are on a budget. If you prefer less low end, look elsewhere.

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These ears get to hear a lot of great- (and horrible-) sounding headphones, but the style of these musical monitors rarely changes: black and white synthetics are the norm, with an occasional chrome accent. V-Moda aims to change look of our ear wear with two lines of fashion-forward earphones, the Bass Freq and the Remix M-class, both competitively priced at $50 a pair. The Bass Freq, a brightly colored bass-enhancing model, is the subject of this review.

The Bass Freq earphones' main style point is the brightly colored earbuds and cable. You can choose from eight colors: black, blue, camo, green, orange, pink, red, and white. The camo version features an olive cable and orange earbuds with olive accents, but the rest of the styles are uniform in color but for a bit of chrome accenting. The result is a fashion-forward design that can blend with your favorite outfit. And though I didn't expect the stylishness to make much of a difference in practice, it did: the colorful cord is much more jewelrylike--and thus looked significantly more stylish running down the front of me--than the thick white cord of my Shure E4cs. Also, though the 46.5-inch cable is insufficient for most at-home use (with your computer or stereo, for example), I found it to be the perfect length for on-the-go use.

The Bass Freq matches the Creative Zen Micro series of MP3 players quite nicely.

As is standard for sub-$100 headphones, the Bass Freq earphones come with few extras, but I was surprised and pleased to find V-Moda's Modawrap in the box. It's a simple-but-handy tool for stowing your cord--and you'll want to use it, because the Bass Freq's ultrathin wire tangles easily. There are also three sizes of silicone ear fittings to help ensure a comfortable fit and provide the necessary seal to provide the deep bass that's implied by the product's name.

As for that implication, the Bass Freqs truly live up to their name. These 'phones really thump on the low end--just make sure you get a good seal in your ear. And I was pleasantly surprised by the overall sound quality of the 'buds, especially considering their low price point. The bass was heavy, but it didn't overshadow the mids and lows in most cases (a handful of rock songs had a slightly muffled quality to them). In general, music sounded rich, warm, and detailed. Hip-hop, jazz, and electronica tracks really shined; even certain rock songs were great--during the Clash's "London Calling," I felt like I was in the studio, and Depeche Mode's "Strangelove" sounded fantastically deep and dark.

Like their sibling, the Remix M-class, the Bass Freqs are also a surprisingly loud set of earbuds--they amplify the music from the sound source by a significant amount compared to other small earphones (so use caution when switching to these 'buds). This factor combined with the many color options make this a perfect set of earphones for the Creative Zen Micro Photo series of MP3 players.

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User reviews

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Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 39 reviews
My rating: 0 stars

Showing opinion 1 to 10 out of 39

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9 stars

Amazing performance from a small package

by nosotros213 on October 25, 2006

Pros: Bass that can be HEARD, clarity even at higher volumes, crisp mids

Cons: thin cables can tangle if left in a pocket, the "modawrap" is ok but twists the cable and does not protect

Summary: Before I read the reviews and decided to buy these earphones, I had bought (and later returned) the Sennheiser mxc 90 and Shure E2C. The Sennheisers had great design but ...

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Summary: Before I read the reviews and decided to buy these earphones, I had bought (and later returned) the Sennheiser mxc 90 and Shure E2C. The Sennheisers had great design but the sound was lacking. The Shures were awesome and I loved the noise isolation for my bus commutes, but the deep in-ear got uncomfortable after an hour of listening and not on par with the higher quality products they offer. I mainly listen to R&B, hip-hop, and rock. For my first impression, I was blown away. It sounded like I was in my car with the 12" sub in my trunk backing up my music. The bass from an 808 is rich and deep, finger licks from Flea are sound crisp and defined, but most importantly it sounds great across the entire sound spectrum. I found that the "treble boost" setting on my iPod gives a nice balance to the bass. These earphones are for those who prefer the portability of earphones but demand bass and top sound quality from their music without having to shell out three digits to get it. It took me about 2 years but I think I found earphones that cater to my needs.

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7 out of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.
10 stars

Absolutely Incredible!

by RandyWill on November 30, 2006

Pros: Good sensitivity, clean sound.

Cons: None, nada, zilch

Summary: These earphones are incredible! I use them with a Zen Nano Plus MP3 player. The sensitivity of these earphones allow me to turn my volume setting down because they play ...

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Summary: These earphones are incredible! I use them with a Zen Nano Plus MP3 player. The sensitivity of these earphones allow me to turn my volume setting down because they play louder and the sound is crisp and clean. I also reset my EQ, lowering the bass to balance the sound spectrum. This is the best set of earphones I have ever heard for this price. If you are looking for a good set of earphones at a reasonable price, this is it.

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6 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.
5 stars

If you are just into bass heavy music this is it, if not look somewhere else...

by jefjojo1013 on June 3, 2007

Pros: Awsome well defined bass, a plus for rap, hip-hop.

Cons: The mids and highs are not very detailed.

Summary: When my Sony Fontopia's broke I was left out cold with the mediocre apple earbuds. I decided to buy another set of earbuds, and was thinking to going back ...

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Summary: When my Sony Fontopia's broke I was left out cold with the mediocre apple earbuds. I decided to buy another set of earbuds, and was thinking to going back to the Sonys beacause of the good soud quality they provide. But then I saw the cnet review of these and thought well I should get them since they are cheaper than the sonys and cnet gave them an editors choice award. Big mistake...

The review that the Cnet editors give is very good and informative but I shouldve paid more attention to the part "audio purist". They really lack good highs. They are unbeatable on the lower end and I really like this about them, but the just leave you hanging for more detail and I like the details on music.

If you are looking for balanced sound then this is not it!! Look away and never look back ! They are not crisp. But if you are just looking for bass heavy then welcome these to your home.

Note: These earplugs might do a better job if you have an mp3 player that has manual EQ that way you can get more clear highs out of it.

Oh and one last thing, the construction is very cheap Look elsewhere for a more sturdy construction.

Im going to try out the CX300 from Sennheiser, I've read good reviews from them.

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3 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
7 stars

great sound quality but bad durability

by ddrbenny on May 27, 2007

Pros: great sound quality and great for bass heavy music

Cons: not durable and a little bass heavy

Summary: while they lasted the quality was awsome. music was just... better with them. they were great at canceling noise also. after 3 months they stopped working for no reason though. ...

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Summary: while they lasted the quality was awsome. music was just... better with them. they were great at canceling noise also. after 3 months they stopped working for no reason though. i think it had something to to with the base of the cable because when i put it in my pocket a lot. i don't regret buying them considering they were only 50 dollars but i was mad that they didn't last very long

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2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
7 stars

Awesome Bass,Good sound,A little muffled but good.Very Comfortable.

by Dingus890 on November 4, 2006

Pros: BASS,Comfort,Style,Small size

Cons: Cheap feel to them,Sound quality isn't the best...but it's really good ro the price

Summary: I have owned SHURE E2c's(Which I hated and sold)The quality of the Shures was an * and the V moda's I would say a 7.The bass ...

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Summary: I have owned SHURE E2c's(Which I hated and sold)The quality of the Shures was an * and the V moda's I would say a 7.The bass makes these headphones!It truly is awesome!You can feel the bass like being at a club or concert!

I don't like how CHEAP these things feel.

I like the BLISS sleeves but not for me,I had some left over SHURE Foam sleeves that made the sound way better in my opinion.

Bottom line:The headphones are GREAT and I got them for $34.99.If your on a budget or realy love bass,these headphones are for you!

They look way better than the SHURES also

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2 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
6 stars

good sound, poor durability.

by cjmbmd on April 21, 2007

Pros: i liked the sound. they fit well when not running.

Cons: not great for running. broke in 2-4 months, despite being well cared-for.

Summary: this is my first pair of decent headphones, so i guess that diminishes my credibility somewhat. however, i did enjoy the sound of these headphones. i used them primarily for ...

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Summary: this is my first pair of decent headphones, so i guess that diminishes my credibility somewhat. however, i did enjoy the sound of these headphones. i used them primarily for running and at the gym. i listened to a variety of music and thought the headphones sounded pretty good, not great, a bit muddy at times.
my primary criticism is the durability. my girlfriend and i take great care of our stuff. despite that, wearing the phones only 30-60 minutes per day for running or the gym, her headphones broke within two months, mine in four (the warranty is 30 days). i consider this unacceptable. one of the earpieces cut out intermittently due to a problem with the connection at the plug/wire interface.
the second complaint is that the earphones don't stay too secure while running. they don't fall completely out, but do require frequent adjustment to keep the sound-isolating quality and the good sound (yes, i tried the different earpieces).
incidentally, my girlfriend uses an ipod nano, i use the iaudio u3.
hope that helps.

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1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

Incredible Earbuds!!!!

by Specialhat on November 16, 2006

Pros: Small, light, includes 3 silicone ear inserts for any sized ear, and they look cool!!!

Cons: Muffled sound from the bass without a bass reducing EQ preset or Custom EQ

Summary: I listen to Rap, Trance, and all types of Rock, and no matter what I'm playing through my Creative Zen V Plus they sound great with these earbuds, I'...

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Summary: I listen to Rap, Trance, and all types of Rock, and no matter what I'm playing through my Creative Zen V Plus they sound great with these earbuds, I've had several different earbuds from the Sony Fontopia 81's and 71's to the new Sennheiser CX300's and I like these the best(I've also tested Shures line, which I think are better suited for acoustic play). What I will say about these buds is that if you can't reduce the bass on your player either with a preset EQ or a custom EQ(luckily the Zen's all have custom EQ's), they will sound a little muffled due to the amount of bass they are capable of producing, otherwise these things sound incredible and put the sound right in your head!

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1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
3 stars

Poor sound quality

by Jerry A on December 29, 2006

Pros: Loud, powerful bass (as advertised)

Cons: Lousy response in the mid to high range

Summary: I thought this would be the perfect mouse trap...comfortable reasonably priced earbuds that actually produce strong bass, and with c-net's endorsement, I put it on my X-Mas list. ...

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Summary: I thought this would be the perfect mouse trap...comfortable reasonably priced earbuds that actually produce strong bass, and with c-net's endorsement, I put it on my X-Mas list. I was routing for these guys. I enjoy listening to loud music, and I want to feel the bass. These earbuds acomplish that - but that's it. The rest of the frequency range (mid to hi) is crap. My stock ipod buds actually sound pretty good in the mid-hi range, but bass is weak. I was under the assumption that decent mid-hi response is a no-brainer for earbuds manufacturers, but strong bass was not so easy to achieve. Well, these guys got the bass right, but for some reason they ignored the rest of the frequency spectrum. The best way I can describe the sound is as if I pluged a cd player into a 12" speaker guitar amp (guitar amps intentionally have limited range)...meaning it could get really loud and bottom heavy, but the upper end of the range pretty much sucks. I tried listening to all kinds of music, including music that is light on bass to see if the bass was muffling the rest of the range, but it still sucked. I played with the eq settings, and nothing helped. I wonder if they got it right with the vibe buds, but they are twice the price. The only reason it got as much as a three is because it does deliver bass in a big way. I'm going back to my ipod buds until I find a better mousetrap.

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1 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
5 stars

good so far

by vik7vik78 on November 14, 2008

Pros: if you keep ur headphones well this hould be fine

Cons: if u dont keep them right these are not for u

Summary: ok just got it today and we ll see wat happens otherwise thier were some nice sony headphones for 49.99

Summary: ok just got it today and we ll see wat happens otherwise thier were some nice sony headphones for 49.99
3 stars

great for one time use

by AJWatUC on November 13, 2008

Pros: They sounded great out of the box for the price. How ever read the cons

Cons: I used these for a total of maybe 8 hours over the period of a week when they started fading out and then one heaadphone didn't work at all. So I took them back and exchanged for another pair this time I had them for 2 days when it happened again

Summary: Don't waste your money! These headphones don't last!

Summary: Don't waste your money! These headphones don't last!

Showing opinion 1 to 10 out of 39

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Specifications

Manufacturer: V-Moda
Part number: BFBLACK
Description: Ask yourself - am I ordinary? Refuse to be a slave to white and black earphones with drab designs - modaphones adapt to your music and fashion style rather than dictate it. PRODUCT FEATURES: A small wonder of the world - deep yet precise bass levels you can actually feel; Powerful bass designed to recreate the sensation and sounds of the world's finest clubs and concert venues; Bass level isolating soft silicon (BLISS) technology reduces noise and enables deep bass; Unlike bulky active noise cancellation, BLISS introduces no artificial sound into your music and requires no batteries; Warm mids and crisp highs that blend seamlessly with the vibrant bass; Natural and present sound in comparison to the ever-present distant and mechanical sound of other manufacturer's in-ear models; "Hearing is believing" hi-fi sound - try remix risk-free, 100% satisfaction guaranteed; Provides convenient cable length management while listening; Earphone storage while idle; No more complicated case winders, misplacing extra gear, or long-winded cable tangles.

General
Product Type Headphones
Color Bling bling black
Additional Features Gold plated connectors
Headphones
Headphones Type Headphones - Binaural
Headphones Form Factor Ear-bud
Headphones Technology Dynamic
Connectivity Technology Wired
Sound Output Mode Stereo
Response Bandwidth 8 - 22000 Hz
Diaphragm 0.4 in
Magnet Material Neodymium
Remote Control
Type None
Connections
Connector Type 1 x Headphones ( Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm )

Miscellaneous
Cables Included 1 x Headphones cable - Integrated
Included Accessories Modawrap cable manager, 3 small,medium,large silicon fittings
Power
Power Device None
Battery None
Manufacturer Warranty
Service & Support 1 year warranty

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V-Moda Bass Freq earphones (black)

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