PROS
- Fantastic, deep bass
- Clean mid-range
- Durable metal housing
- Plenty of extra goodies in the box
CONS
- Small issues with sibilance
VERDICT
The V-MODA Zn headphones bring music to life—there’s simply no other way how to say it. Their sound may not be as accurate as what you get from Shure or high-end Sennheiser headphones, but it’s unbelievably fun. The versatile nature of the headphones coupled with their relatively affordable price make them an excellent daily-driver that you can take with you anywhere you go.
The V-MODA Zn in-ear headphones are another product from the award-winning headphone manufacturer known for its bold design language and fun sound signature. The Zn in-ear headphones pack powerful sound into a very small, portable package, and they do so without costing you an arm and a leg. Keep in mind that their availability is limited, so you had better hurry up if you want to get your hands on them.
Build and Design
As always, V-MODA excels when it comes to presentation. The box the headphones come in is clean, well-organized, and packed with many accessories. It even has a discreet compartment on the back for the included leather pouch and replaceable eartips.
As soon as you unbox the headphones and lay your eyes on their angular housing, you immediately recognize V-MODA’s unique approach to headphone design. This time, their materials of choice were zinc alloy and durable plastic. The company has put them together in such a way that looks as if the headphones were made on another planet. Zinc also helps the Zn headphones withstand all kinds of abuse and misuse.
Despite being made of metal, the headphones are relatively light and supremely comfortable to wear. V-MODE gives you plenty of replaceable eartips to choose from, and you also have the option to use foamtips from Comply. The packaging includes one pair of sports earhooks, which greatly reduce cable noise and the amount of friction caused by the cable rubbing against your face and neck.
Speaking of the cable, V-MODA states that it’s 20x stronger than industry standard thanks to its Kevlar reinforcement. What’s more, it features an in-line microphone and a volume controller. The controller is available either as a three-button controller for iOS devices or as a one-button controller for Android.
Sound Quality
The Zn in-ear headphones feature V-MODA’s newly developed dynamic 8mm driver, which boosts tonal accuracy with very low distortion. This driver is paired with Italian acoustic filters and the V-PORT airflow system. This combination of high-end technology delivers a nicely balanced sound with deep bass and a slight emphasis in the upper mid-range, making them fantastic for female vocals and soulful music, as well as hip-hop, pop, EDM, and other popular music genres.
We were pleased with the instrument separation and their spacious sound stage. Indeed, V-MODA has created an easily recommendable pair of headphones with almost universal appeal. If we had to name one flaw, it would be their slight inclination to sound sibilant on certain tracks, especially at higher volume levels.
What’s in the Box?
V-MODA certainly wasn’t trying to save any money when it comes to accessories. You get a premium leather pouch for the headphones, 8 pairs of BLISS 3.0 replaceable eartips, 1 pair of ActiveFlex sports earhooks, and a wire clip that you can use to secure the Kevlar cable to your clothes.
