V-MODA Vibe II

I admit - I'm an iPhone snob. I bought the most expensive 16GB iPhone 3G in the limited edition white. I bought the Contour Showcase to somewhat obscure its whiteness, yet there's a window to tell you, "Hey! I got a white iPhone!" Hell, I even went through a lot of time, money and trouble to get LIVE television on my iPhone!

But there's no status symbol more telling of a person's wealth or ego than his or her headphones. If you've been on a bus or train these days, EVERYONE has their earbuds on and listening to their iPod, iPhone, Zune, etc.

I also have to admit that I actually LIKED the stock headphones that came with my iPhone 3G. The only thing I could really compare them with was my old second-generation iPod Nano headphones, and the iPhone ones were better. Plus, I LOVED using the headphones to take calls.

But, as soon as I found out that there were better headphones with call-taking capabilities, I was THERE! Since I could afford them, I went out and bought a pair of chrome V-MODA Vibe Duos for $99. I heard they were good, and they were right. I love the lows and mids on these babies. I still use them today. Did I mention I was an audio snob as well?

But now, V-MODA has come out with the Vibe II - a more upscale headphone for the Beverly Hills-type. If the Vibe Duos were supposed to be sleek and elegant, then the Vibe II is definitely raucous and shameless. Personally, I like the this particular Vibe II with its "Nero" color (pictured, left).

The silicone earbuds comes in two colors and four different sizes.

It also comes with "earhooks" that add stability to the headphones when running or exercising. I would love to see how that works.

And one of the best parts of the whole package is the nice leather case to keep your Vibes protected.

And these new Vibes can also take calls like the old ones.

However, the price is quite a bit more expensive at $128. That's about $60 away from the cheapest iPhone! V-MODA says the price is a nod to the 128-BPM of most dance tracks. Pfft. How tacky. But, if my current headphones suddenly went dead, don't be surprised if you see these in my ears the next time I go street-hiking.

UPDATE: Saw the Vibe II at the Apple Store. They only had the red ones. Sold them for $120 but not on sale for Black Friday. The earhooks are REALLY cool! They wrap around your ear and keeps the headphones in place. I wish I could sell my current Vibe Duo and pick these up!