Hands-On Review: V-Moda Remix Remote in-ear headphones

V-Moda debuted a pair of sleek in-ear headphones in February, the Remix Remote, which boasts a three-button remote system controlling volume and track jumping. Here's a closer look at how the new V-Moda earbuds really operate.

At first glance, the Remix Remote headphones draw just the right amount of attention when it comes to looks. They're small and simple, yet the silver and black motif gives the headset a modern vibe. The rubber remote buttons are also easy to press, and the Kevlar-reinforced cables aren't prone to getting tangled up in my bag like most other earbud sets.

Sound-wise, V-Moda employed three technologies in the make-up of the Remix Remote. Those are a 9mm V-Masque neodymium dynamic driver for, a Beat-Port airflow system for high-definition sounds, and V-Moda's signature BLISS (Bass Level Isolating Soft Silicone) noise-isolating system.

I sampled the Remix Remote in a variety of situations over the course of two weeks, including in a silent hotel room, a noisy youth hostel, a high-speed train, two airplanes and the London Tube. The Remix does produce some clear and crisp sounds, and it is difficult to hear any sounds outside the earphones - but doesn't cancel out all of the noise 100 percent. Furthermore, the bass sounds are partially missing, disrupting the sound experience entirely.

The downsides on these headphones are two-fold. First off, the earbuds kept falling out of my ear. During a pair of two-hour train rides, I constantly had to readjust them in my ears. The Remix Remote does come with several sizes of earbud cushions, but none of them seemed to fit well except the smallest size, and even then I had trouble.

But the second problem was more detrimental: the remote didn't work with my iPhone nor with my Macbook running on Mac OS 10.5.8. As for the iPhone, this is understandable as it is only advertised to work with the 3GS, whereas I use a first-gen model. As for whether or not that would make a difference with the sound (being if I used a 3GS rather than a "classic" iPhone), I doubt it would change anything.

In case you're wondering, the remote functions are compatible with the iPhone 3GS, second-gen iPod touch, fourth and fifth-gen iPod nanos, third-gen iPod shuffle, the 120GB and 160GB iPod classics, MacBook (unibody) and MacBook Pro (unibody).

The Remix Remote headphones set is available now for $99.95 at Apple's online store, and it will be released to additional retailers later this year.

Although I didn't enjoy the full experience of these headphones given that I didn't have the right equipment to appreciate the remote control, I still wouldn't recommend them at a $100 price point.The remote aspect justly bumps the price up from a normal set of earbuds, but the sound quality isn't perfection. I'd say you could get equally or better sound from the standard pair of in-ear headphones produced by Apple for $40, but then you don't have all of the fancy controls.