V-MODA is at the top when it comes to DJ headphones, and they’re continuing to bridge the gap between consumer and professional level audio. Cue the V-MODA Remix Speaker, a hi-fidelity bluetooth speaker that doubles as a headphone amplifier to elevate your listening experience no matter the environment.
Click here to read the Remix’s announcement, but these are the need-to-know features of the V-MODA Remix Speaker: bluetooth capable, built-in VAMP headphone amplifier, 10 hours of battery life, rechargeable via USB-C, and full-surface customization options. It’s dimensions are 8.1 x 2.5 x 2.5 (in), and the entire device feels just as solid as it looks. It can also connect easily with Amazon’s Alexa, Google Chromecast, and whatever else you might like to sync with.
Now, on to why you’re reading this in the first place: the sound.
It’s V-MODA. You already know it’s going to be good, but we promise you won’t understand just how good until you unpack the Remix for yourself. Other portable bluetooth speakers from company’s like Bose, Beats, or JBL will suffice, but we all know that’s not why you’re reading this. V-MODA’s Remix offers the best sound of the aforementioned brands (not to mention less plastic), effortlessly filling a room and making you second-guess if it’s all coming from such a diminutive box, though it’s more than just volume; the hi-fidelity experience that the Remix pumps out is sonically stunning.
Thanks to a newly designed glass fiber diaphragm, long coil drivers, and a rear-mounted bass reflex port, not only is the low-end fully present, but the highs are kept tight, and voluptuous midrange fills everything in between. The experience is definitely at its best indoors, excelling in nearly any sized room. We tried the speaker outside and at an indoor sportsplex, but once outside a reasonable “living room size” distance, some of those wonderful sound waves get a bit lost.
Still, It’s the little things V-MODA packs in that make the Remix a remarkable product, and it shows that they spent over three years designing it. Sturdy components, pleasing tactile button feedback, a simple interface, and wide device compatibility all fade into a seamless experience. Our favorite feature is the ability to connect the speaker simultaneously to two devices, which is awesome when you’re with friends and want to trade back and forth with song selections. It’s also rad when you’re by yourself and want to connect to both your computer and your phone at the same time, enabling you to take calls and listen to that YouTube video in quality audio without any fuss. Calls come through the Remix fabulously, and voice is crisp and clear, giving your speakerphone a welcome boost.
The addition of being able to fully customize the Remix’s entire surface is another incredible advancement. Especially with V-MODA’s preconceived designs, the 3D printing options are a clear evolution of their previous endeavors with the Forza Metallo and headphone shield options. The customization options cost extra, but the device comes stock in either a sleek aluminum shell or black vegan leather finish, and the Remix boasts a gorgeous minimalist look with or without mods, and the patented Remix Rings (which help attach 3D printed components) offer added, slightly raised grip on surfaces.
Regarding portability, the Remix’s boxy design looks positively stunning in any setting, but when it comes time to pack the speaker away in your bag, you might need to be a bit more conscious of its corners, especially if you have the aluminum shell and no 3D printed end caps. I personally haven’t found this to be a problem, actually quite the opposite since I like to organize my backpack, and the boxiness fits right in amongst books and my laptop. The Remix’s weight isn’t an issue, but it does have the heft a quality speaker should have (1.9 lbs on the aluminum version).
However, the added value of the Remix lies in the built-in amplifier.
I now realize I’ve never experienced a properly powered headphone before this, so my entire world has been flipped around. Imagine you’ve got yourself a Lamborghini, or Bugatti, or whatever brand you fancy; you know it’s a top quality supercar, but the dealer says you need a special key to shift past third gear. Still an incredible ride, it feels solid and luxurious, but you never fully realize what the machine can really do. Then one day, you finally get that special key, and you’ve got access to the full experience just as the car’s designers envisioned. For headphones, V-MODA’s VAMP is that key.
Using V-MODA’s M-100’s as a base for understanding the amplifier’s effect, the bass is absolutely luscious and the overall soundscape is nothing short of immense, even at half-volume, making the stereo imaging exquisite and perking up the entire sound profile.
For all the nifty features and unbelievable quality packed into V-MODA’s Remix, we have only one complaint, and that is using it with Siri. Whenever we try to use a voice assistant via the Remix Speaker, we’re met with a muddled voice that seriously betrays the quality of the music. The voice assistant works just fine and it’s still just as practical, but for some reason the quality of Siri’s voice sounds like it’s been dragged through a swamp. We can’t speak for “OK Google,” but one would assume it’s a similar case. Despite this small detail, that doesn’t discount the Remix Speaker from being a great personal splurge or spectacular gift for a music lover.
Though there still stands the aspect of price. At $300, the V-MODA Remix Speaker is not cheap. However, that price is derived from it being both a speaker and a headphone amplifier. V-MODA’s portable VAMP VERZA amplifier retails for $598 on their website, and the Remix couples that VAMP technology with the practicality of a bluetooth speaker that outperforms its class. You’ve got the option to sync up to the Remix and fill the room with luscious sound, and when you decide to put headphones on, the VAMP is right there on your desk waiting to feed you all that juicy high-impedance goodness.
Unlike the marketing beast that is Apple and Beats, V-MODA spends hardly anything on advertising, opting instead to pump their resources into the development of quality products and sourcing the best materials for the job; just pick up any of their devices and you’ll be hard pressed to find plastic components. You truly get what you pay for with V-MODA, and they understand what it means to part ways with your hard earned money.
The bottom line: if you’re in the market for a new bluetooth speaker, and you’re even slightly interested in what headphone amplifiers have to offer, this is what you’re looking for. Head to V-MODA for more details.
