Headphone Reviews

Sound Quality
I was a bit worried when I heard the tuning of the XS was changed from the M-80—I liked that headphone quite a bit. It deserved its place on the "Wall of Fame". Fortunately the folks at V-Moda seem to have a nuanced hand and, like with a lot of things about this new headphone, they've done a very good job of making some subtle but beneficial improvements without any other unintended negative consequences.

Overall tonal balance of the V-Moda XS is a treat. Matching fairly closely the Harman target response curve, the XS is slightly warm and quite smooth sounding. Mid-bass response is somewhat elevated elevated, moderately lacking in tight punch, but bass extension is good. Good bass is tricky in an on-ear, sealed can, and I reckon bass quality of the XS is on par with some of the better headphones in this category. As an example the XS has slightly less low frequency distortion than the Sennheiser Momentum On-ear, but the Beyerdynamic DT 1350 and Sennheiser HD 25 Aluminum are quite a bit better.

Midrange can sometimes seem a tad withdrawn given the somewhat excessive bass, but I think that's a bit of an illusion. Other than being a little uneven, the bass-mid-treble balance of these can is actually quite good.

One area where headphones often have a difficult time is the transition from mid-range to treble most commonly seen as a lack of energy between 1kHz and 5kHz. The XS doesn't suffer this problem at all, doing a great job of leveling out this region. I'd say it's probably class-leading in this regard, delivers a wonderful balance to voice and acoustic instruments.

Treble response on the XS is very well balanced and not harsh or bitting in the least, in fact, this is quite a smooth sounding headphone to me. Too smooth maybe. I heard some treble information a bit indistinct; "sh" sounds tended to be a bit too "th" sounding to my ears. This somewhat inarticulate treble seems to cause poor imaging, and to my ears the XS doesn't image particularly well. The good thing about the XS treble sounding a tad blurry is it tends to make harsh recordings less so. That's actually a great thing for the average consumer listening to low-rez, poorly mastered music. So, while the audiophile in me might yern for a bit more resolution, the realist in me is digging streaming my Spotify.

In comparing the XS to the V-Moda M-80 I hear the M-80 as a bit cooler sounding with slightly less bass and slightly more emphasis on mid-treble snap...though it does not extend as well into the top octave. When compared to the Sennheiser HD 25 Aluminum I find the XS better balanced and more satisfying overall, but the HD 25 does a better job with treble resolution, bass tightness, and imaging. Against the Beyer DT 1350 the XS balance shows through again with my particular DT 1350 (they seems to vary quite a bit) the treble is somewhat rolled-off relative to the XS, on the other hand bass was tighter and more impactful with the Beyer. Comparing to the Sennheiser Momentum On-Ear, I find them quit similar in bass response—a little thick and slow. The better balance of the XS in the low treble region does a substantially better job on vocal overtones than the Momentum On-Ears, which tend to make vocals sound a little withdrawn in comparison.

All told, the V-Moda XS is an excellent headphone in this category. It strong suit is a great sense of balance—best balance in this category of headphone, I think. On the down-side, its somewhat loose bass and fuzzy treble response may have some listeners looking elsewhere.

Summary
V-Moda has another hit on their hands, the XS is a sexy little headphone in a whole lot of ways. Build quality? Spectacular. Styling? Gorgeous. Comfort? Ahhh. Compact? It would fit jacket pocket. Sound quality? Impeccably balanced...umm...maybe I'm coming on a bit strong for the headphone enthusiasts out there. Yes, the bass is a bit too loose, and yes, the treble is a bit fuzzy, but for the most part the XS nails the overall balance. Which is a hell of a trick for a sealed on-ear can. For the rest of the world out there the XS will have a big enough bass and be wonderfully gentle on the ears with crappy masters at 64kbps streaming. Plus, it's stylish, well built, and I think very nicely priced at $212. No, even from an audiophile perspective, this is a headphone to buy—for you wife or child maybe, but still, this headphone the reeks of value any way you look at it.

Placing the V-Moda on the "Wall of Fame" as a reference headphone of its price and type is a no brainer. But after revisiting the page for the first time in a while, WoF sealed, on-ear page needs a good hard look. Suffice it to say the XS might shake things up a bit.

Video

Resources
V-Moda home page and XS product page.
Head-Fi reviews and threads here and here.
Previous InnerFidelity reviews of V-Moda M-80 and V-80 True Blood.