Amplification
The V-MODA XS simply does not need amplification with an impedance of 28.5Ohm and a sensitivity of 105dB @ 1kHz 1mW. It does improve in linearity, sound stage, detail and bass tightness when using an amplifier. I especially enjoyed the V-MODA XS out of the Cypherlabs Theorem 720.
Conclusion & Giveaway
The V-MODA XS is a wonderful headphone, comfort wise and sound wise. It’s maybe not the best on the market but for a price of only $189/199€ you get a small excellent sounding headphone that fits perfectly and that’s easy to take with you. And don’t forget, there’s also the free customization and shipping (US ).
Those who don’t like using in-ears and prefer on-ear headphones whilst commuting should really check out the V-MODA XS. You won’t regret listening to the XS or buying it. The Beyerdynamic T51P is still ahead sonically but it is more expensive as well ($299/€279)
Those of you who are feeling lucky can also enter our Giveaway below!
All you need to do is sign up for the giveaway with your name and email address. We appreciate if you would like our Facebook pages here and here. The giveaway closes on December 24. On December 25, Random.org will choose the lucky winner. For each new participant that enters via your personal link on Twitter, Google+ or Facebook, you get an extra chance to win! Make sure you share/use the referrer link! (You might have to copy your link to Facebook manually though, don’t forget!).
The contest is worldwide but you need to be at least 18 years or older to enter the contest. You will need to use a real email address or we won’t be able to contact the winner.
The winner will be contacted in the days after the contest closes on December 24. The prize will be sent directly by Headfonia and neither Headfonia or V-MODA are responsible for covering any additional costs related to sending the prize (such as customs costs or any other extra costs). The winner will have to cover these costs himself. In case a wrong or fake email address was given or the winner is under 18, Headfonia and V-MODA will select a new winner at random. Do check all the contest rules below the subscription form, by participating you agree to these rules.
EDIT 25/12/2014. Contest is closed. The Winner is Joost Peters!
Here are some words of the winner:
[contesthopper contest=”21253″]
If you didn’t win the giveaway or you just want to buy the XS immediately can have a look on the V-MODA website, Amazon or can go check it out at a local dealer.
Headfonia_L.
Just to be clear, the XS you can win does have the Headfonia logo on it.
MFerrosa
Thanks L!
Headfonia_L.
My pleasure. I appreciate you taking the time to post a thank you 🙂
Guest
umm
Philippe Gervaise
Thank you! Just when I’m hunting for portable headphones, and had narrowed it down to XS or T51p 🙂
Not sure I know for sure which one I should get yet. Would you recommend one over the other for someone who listen to a wide range of styles, from ambient to post-rock to industrial metal? You clearly say you like the T51p better, are they worth the price difference?
Headfonia_L.
You’re welcome. To me they absolutely are. The T51P is better in all fields. I have to admit the XS has more body/weight but quality wise the T51P is the best and is worth the exra $$
Philippe Gervaise
My only fear is the peak in the T51’s treble that could sound sibilant to my ears (I’m very sensitive to some high frequencies). I’m used to HD25s, but I think they sound very different.
dalethorn
You won’t be bothered by it out of the box – it’s when you raise the treble overall to a hi-fi standard (i.e. about 6 db lower than the T1 or T90) that the peak becomes very noticeable.
dalethorn
If the T51p cable were not so fragile I think it would be worth the extra $100 – but I’ll take the XS as a much better value.
Headfonia_L.
You’re right about the cable yet I’d take the sound quality of the T51P over the XS any time. I suppose it depends how you’re planning on treating your headphones 🙂
dalethorn
The granddaddy of hi-fi, J. Gordon Holt once famously said: “Who cares how long it lasts if it doesn’t sound good”, to which I replied: “Who cares how good it sounds if it doesn’t last”.
Headfonia_L.
I see his point but I don’t always agree
Edison
I recently was searching for on ears portable and tried all onears available on the market. Eventually i got the t51p. What drove me crazy about the XS is the very low clamping force. It does’t stay secure on my head even when i’m sitting still.
Headfonia_L.
And the T51P is just that tad more clamping, isn’t it. Sound wise you’re better off too, you made a good choice 😉
Headfonia_L.
Oh, vmoda (see what I just did there?) made me write V-MODA everywhere in case you’re wondering why I kept using caps 😀
dalethorn
Yeah, they told me “It’s either V-MODA or v-moda, as long as it’s all upper or lower”.
Headfonia_L.
We are now at 200 participants (17122014)
Headfonia_L.
The Contest is over. Congrats to the winner!
Joost Peters
Major thanks! I’ve never won something before 😉 Can’t wait to try the V-MODA out.
Anthony Kimball
congrats Joost!
Joost Peters
Thanks Anthony!
dalethorn
The XS clamping might feel less constricting if the earpads are aligned perfectly to your ears. I always have to do a permanent headband bend forward.
Justin Myers
I am a bit of a fan of the V-Modas. They do not sound that bad
at all as long as you don’t need a lot of bass in your ears. I first came
across them in my RSS app on my phone. Poc Network has a review and I killed
some time by looking up a few others. The results were pretty good as they
seemed to like them and everyone bragged about how tough they are built. I
stepped (don’t judge) on my Sonys and busted them so that was something that
stood out (haha). They are really bright on the ears making vocal and dialogue
very up front. Not the best for action flicks since they are like having a pair
of Kickers on your head, but they sound good. I am happy with mine. ( source: http://pocinc.net/blog/product-reviews/review-v-moda-xs-on-ear-headphones/
)
dalethorn
I’ve had 2 V80’s, 2 M80’s, 2 XS’s, 4 M100’s, one LP, one LP2, and 2 Verzas. There’s almost no difference in the sound of the V80, M80, or XS.
eleosphere
The V-Modas are the most practical of these headphones by a mile. The T51p’s case and cable are a giant step back from them, the folding design is very practical and to me the ability to feed sound into another headphone to share a listening experience is fantastic in many situations. The refinement in the T51p’s sound is astounding for sure, though.
dalethorn
I did a test-EQ on both – the XS was much easier to bring up close to neutral than the T51p. It’s when you get both signatures into a frame where you can compare the background qualities of each headphone that you’ll know which one has a better quality sound. The XS scores at least as well for me, and if you read where Val the maker talks about the dual membrane or radiator design that allegedly provides better bass with less distortion, then maybe that will provide some insight there …. but that’s just my finding, because they are very different types of headphone.