V-Moda's new Remix Remote earbuds are a fender bender at the intersection of form and function. While the design is loud and eye catching the audio impact is fairly negligible.
The black and silver 'buds fit comfortably in ear and deliver mediocre sound: mids and highs are decent but lows are crappy and there's little separation. They're also supposed to invoke the sense of listening to live music. That isn't quite true; never once did the Remixes fool us into thinking we were in a concert hall. What is true? How well they deflect outside noise. During our testing we completely missed someone shouting at us on the street as we were rocking out to '90s pop tunes. (Janet Jackson what?!)
The earbuds also double as a hands-free set. There's a lightweight, built-in remote that lets you easily switch between music and calls with the touch of a button. However, the included plastic supports (for securing the buds to your ears while running) cause the remote to rise to just a few inches below the chin. This proved to be a bit awkward; the remote bangs against your chest if you're out for a jog.
Call clarity was good on our end, but callers consistently had a hard time hearing what we were saying.
At best the Remixes are a hundred-dollar headphone upgrade – certainly better than the standard issue crud buds Apple doles out with its products. At worst, they're fancy looking, yet curiously effective, earplugs.