V-Moda Remix Remote review

The Remix Remotes are a set of noise isolation earphones from American manufacturer V-Moda. The company emphasises their stylish and robust build, and they certainly do feel well-made and look appealing to thanks to their distinctive curvy, chrome and shiny black design.

Noise isolation was very effective, allowing us to listen to music in a crowded and noisy Tube carriage without having to raise the volume to ear-damaging levels. We were able to hear details in podcasts, audiobooks and quiet acoustic folk tracks that would otherwise have been inaudible. Effective noise isolation depends on achieving a snug fit – a set of three differently sized rubber earplug sleeves are included to ensure this.

Audio quality was more of a mixed bag. Music of all genres sounded very warm and detailed, especially in jazz and electronic music. The bass was a touch too boomy and unfocussed for our tastes though, so bass-heavy rock and R&B tracks could be a little tiring to listen to. Vocals in some pop songs sounded a little muddy and were almost drowned out by the instruments in some cases.

A handy extra is in the in-line remote with playback, volume controls and mic so you can not only control playback but pause music to answer a call on your smartphone. Although designed for use with iPhones, the Remix Remote also works with other smartphones (although some, such as older Blackberries, don't work with the volume controls). Other handy extras include a travel pouch and a small clip built into the lengthy 120cm cable for keeping it fastened to your clothing.

We very impressed with the effective noise isolation of the V-Moda Remix Remote earphones, but their audio quality was a little too unbalanced for our tastes. If you have a little more money to spend, Creative's EP-3NC cost £25 more but have more balanced audio quality and are even better at blocking out background noise due to their combination of noise isolation and noise cancelling technologies.