PRICE: $128

COMPARE TO: Shure SCL4, Sony MDR-EX500LP, Klipsch Image S4

FUN FACT: The Vibe II’s were awarded Design & Engineering Showcase Honors at 2009 Consumer Electronic Show (CES).

WHY COMPLEX IS CO-SIGNING IT: We understand non-audiophiles don’t put too much thought into their headphones. Not only do most of them sound the same, headphones are just one of those accessories you expect to misplace, so why bother? Plus who would bother paying over a c-note for some plastic and rubber? All good points. But what if a pair of headphones were priced a tick over $100, sounded as good as headphones double its price and forwent plastic and rubber for cloth and steel? Well, that’s where the new V-MODA Vibe II’s come in…

ANALYSIS

TOP SHELF FIT AND FINISH:
If you put your headphones through the same wear-and-tear that we put ours through on the regular (jogging, biking, subway), you know how easily a pair of ear buds can physically break down after a couple months. V-Moda, in stylistic effort as much as a quality reassurance, decides to do away with the traditional headphone materials and go with braided Kevlar fabric for the cables, stainless steel for the earbuds, microphone and controls, and 24K gold covering for the plug. To ensure even more durability, the plug features a 45-degree flexible design so you can’t break the cord leading to it or break the plug itself. We’ve all fell victim to the unraveling of headphone cords, with the Vibe II’s you don’t have to worry about that.

GREAT SOUND QUALITY:
Fit and finish are important, yeah, but if your superbly built headphones sound worse than the free iPod headphones, what’d you accomplish? The Vibe II’s deliver with sound that matches its aesthetic. You may notice the little subwoofer-looking box at the end of each ear bud, that’s not just there for effect. Behind each stainless steel enclosure are 8mm V-Masque dynamic technology speaker drivers—which, in layman talk, is the technology that will make your lows sound full and bottomless, and your highs soar with a clarity and range only found on full ear headphones. The great sound can also be attributed to the BLISS (Bass Level Isolating Soft Silicone) system that isolates outside noise and provides a deeper, richer bass response. It’s like you’re at your own private concert.

WORKS WELL WITH PHONES:
V-MODA knows most people listen to music on their phones. For those of you multitasking with iPhones and Blackberry’s, the Vibe II’s come with a built in microphone and phone controls so you can take calls while listening to music and easily resume your song without having to pull our your phone. Also, there’s no need to purchase another headset for your VOIP or Skype applications, the Vibe II’s work seamlessly with those as well as iChat, and other third party audio recording applications in Mac OS X. Handsfree is the way to be.

ClicK Here to Buy It Now!

COMPARE TO: Shure SE110, Sony MDR-EX300

PRICE: $80

FUN FACT: Company founder Paul Klipsch (1904-2002) started the company in 1946 out of a tin shed in Hope, Arkansas.

WHY COMPLEX IS CO-SIGNING IT: We’re accustomed to seeing demand outpace supply when it comes to limited-edition toys, or Air Yeezys, or even Palm Pres—but mass-produced headphones? That’s a first. But ever since we tested the Klipsch Image S4 Headphones a couple of months ago, we’ve been waiting to tout these excellent earbuds to the masses—waiting, that is, for the product to go back in stock at online retailers. Well, the S4s are still completely sold out at most stores, but our friends at Klipsch assure us that they will become available in the next week or two. In the meantime, here are four reasons why you need to get your back-order on…

#1) THE SOUND QUALITY IS SUPERB.
Meaning the highs are high, the lows are low, and all that other stuff you audiophiles care about. Look, none of us are trying to be Young Guru here, but anybody who owns an iPod should be a veritable expert on headphone sound quality. The S4 headphones deliver the crispest, sharpest, bassiest, and overall best sound of any earbuds we’ve ever tried—and as NYC commuters (and habitual earbud misplacers), we’ve tried a helluva lot. When compared to other headphones in its price range (and even some more expensive competitors), the S4 is at the top of the line. You’ll never listen to Soulja Boy’s Gangsta Grillz tape the same way again.

#2) THE EARBUDS ARE COMFORTABLE…AND THEY WON’T GET LOST.
The earbuds themselves come in three different oval-shaped sizes to contour to your ear; when you settle on the right fit, they are super-comfortable and minimally obtrusive in your ear canal. (No more of those uncomfortable post JFK-to-LAX earaches.) Another great aspect of the S4 is the actual construction of the earbud foam—unlike the foams on most Sony models, the S4 foams are firmly connected to each earbud piece, meaning they won’t come loose in your backpack or fall off during your commute. Losing those earbud foams renders your headphones useless, and Klipsch has helped ensure that you’ll avoid that frustrating-as-fuck experience. There has been some concerns over the thinness of the S4 cable, but we didn’t have any problems with splitting or breakage. Our advice is to stick with the generic iBuds when working out and doing anything that might cause cord-yanking.

#3) NOT ONLY DO YOU BLOCK OUT NOISE, BUT YOU WON’T CREATE AMBIENT NOISE EITHER.
Hey, not everybody wants to hear Soulja Boy’s Gangsta Grillz tape with you, right? The S4s are considered “passive” noise-cancellation headphones, but suffice to say that you will not hear shit when you are using them. Better yet, nobody else will, either; there’s nothing more annoying than the dude who terrorizes his fellow commuters with the ambient noise of his asinine iPod playlist. Don’t be that dude. With the S4s, you won’t.

#4) THE PRICE IS RIGHT.
There was a time when you could drop $20 on headphones and call it a year, but these days, the market is absolutely flooded with choices in different price ranges. At $80, the Klipsch Image S4s are priced in the middle of the pack, but take it from us: You won’t need another set of earbuds anytime soon. If you’ll use them as much as we do—i.e., everyday—they are well worth the investment. Plus they come with a special earwax cleaning tool! We’ve been waiting for one of those, really.

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE THE KLIPSCH IMAGE S4 HEADPHONES!

The Finnish company called on consumers to put a music-inspired spin on their line of Bluetooth earphones, using tools provided on the website like beaming lights, interchangable colors, and decorative characters. The five winners will actually be manufactured as one-of-ones and will be displayed in select retail locations. Check out designs inspired by Jay-Z, MGMT and Santogold below…

TITLE: Str8-Star
INSPIRED BY: Jay-Z
SONG INSPIRATION: “Jockin’ Jay-Z”

TITLE: Kolory rzadza
INSPIRED BY: Jamelia
SONG INSPIRATION: “Superstar”

TITLE: Wood Style
INSPIRED BY: nvitrox
SONG INSPIRATION: “Wood”

TITLE: Silver
INSPIRED BY: Joey Beltran
SONG INSPIRATION: “Energy Flash”

TITLE: Working For The Weekend
INSPIRED BY: MGMT
SONG INSPIRATION: “Electric Feel”

TITLE: Gold+
INSPIRED BY: Santogold
SONG INSPIRATION: “Santogold”

[Nokia Via Nokia Conversations]

Headphones will be a big push for the brand in the next year, when they will release special designs by We activists like Stretch, Ray Barbee, Amy Gunther, Jason Lee, Jussi Oksanen, Marok, and others. See closeups of the Bloomingdales ‘phones below…

About every six months we look to switch up our cell phones, and there are always a ton to choose from. Free is often an X factor, a few cool features to satisfy our ADD are essential, too. At the bottom of that list is Bluetooth. The innovative technology that allows you to use your phone remotely through the use of an earpiece is certainly convenient, but it's just another accessory we can do without. We get enough weird stares from the all-over print hoodies, so looking like we're talking to ourselves would be a little over the top.

Either way, Plantronics, the communications company that owns Altec/Lansing (arguably the best speakers on the market) gave us some samples of their new Bluetooth products'headsets that weigh as much as a nickel bag, and wireless headphones that stream songs from your mp3-capable cell phone. First off, we have iPods. Second, we just spent a grip on our latest phone, so we're gonna show it off like it's our girl. If these Plantronics pieces don't make the giveaway rounds in our office, our stockbroker uncle will get a few early Christmas gifts.

The lightest and most expensive of the batch. Probably the coolest and least annoying, that’s if you don’t mind looking like Captain Kirk.

Our earbuds break all the time. Hopefully we’ll have better luck with these wireless ones.