Earbuds have never been my favorite way to listen to anything. They’re usually uncomfortable, and often don’t fit well in my ears, making the sound uneven and making it hard to use them for long periods of time. So I generally lean toward the over-the-ear headphones, though even the portable ones don’t fit very well in your pocket. But with the way I work, I need good sound from strong, durable hardware that will survive cat theft and getting caught on things.
The Zn earbuds from V-Moda are the perfect solution. The cords are soft rubber, yet extremely strong. This was the biggest priority for me, at this point in life. The cords are a custom-designed DiamondBack cable, which are Kevlar-reinforced, and are up to 20 times the industry standard for strength and durability.
Past their strength, I was looking for quality of sound. In my house, which has four people who work and school at home, being able to focus is key. And the Zn earbuds help put you right in your music, or audiobook, or German lesson.
When you buy the Zn, you get more accessories than I’ve ever seen with earbuds. It comes with patented BLISS 3.0 ear fittings in four sizes, XS, S, M, and L. It actually comes with two full sets of each size, one set in black, the other in translucent. Both sets are color coordinated, with each size sporting a different color inside. The earbuds arrive with the medium-sized ear fittings installed, which was the size that worked well for me. The set also includes a removable clip to fasten the earbuds to your clothing, and sport earhooks that you can fasten to the cords to hook over your ears while you work out, if you like. These are light and flexible. And it all comes with its own portable pouch with magnetic closure. The pouch isn’t large enough to hold all of the accessories, but it can either hold your accessories, or your earbuds.
Here are the basics, but you can learn more on the V-Moda site.
- Comes with a 2 year warranty
- Made for iPod/iPhone/iPad but works with other devices
- Soft 3-button Remote on the cord is a mic and controls play, pause, skip forward and back, fast forward, rewind, and volume control
- Liquid Zinc Metal earbud casings
- Frequency response: 2Hz – 25kHZ
- 8mm driver, neodymium rare earth magnet
- Cables are reinforced, measure 32″ plug to Y-connector with 12.8″ even-length earphone cables
- 24k gold-plated, 3.5mm stereo plug
- Weight: 20.8g
So, what did I think?
Oh, baby.
These are the most comfortable earbuds I have ever worn. They sit in my ears very, very comfortably and don’t move around. I barely feel them. Just make sure you don’t have the volume turned all the way up when you press Play. Trust me. I say this from experience.
It feels like the sound is emanating from the geographic center of my skull. I tried using the earbuds with podcasts (you feel like you’re in the middle of the conversation) and with music (wait, where did the world go?), and they are equally fantastic with each. I kept finding excuses to keep listening. Even music that was definitely not recorded in stereo (I’m looking at you, The Velvet Underground) didn’t have that mono feel to it.
There is a small amount of contact noise if you run your fingers along the cords, but much less so than my Lamborghini earbuds.
Though the price point for V-Moda’s Zn earbuds is fairly high for the average consumer, those who feel comfortable investing in their audio experience won’t regret their purchase. V-Moda is known for high quality headphones (you can take my V-Moda Crossfade M-100 headphones from my cold, dead hands), and they continue to deliver with the Zn earbuds.
Thank you, V-Moda, for reminding me how much nicer it is to listen to music with earbuds than over my car speakers. You’ve spoiled me for life.
Note: I received a sample for review purposes.
