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Feb 23, 2024

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At $399.99, V-Moda's S-80 wireless headphones cost as much as some of our favorite noise-canceling models, but they don’t attempt to suppress noise at all and their aggressively sculpted sound

At $399.99, V-Moda's S-80 wireless headphones cost as much as some of our favorite noise-canceling models, but they don’t attempt to suppress noise at all and their aggressively sculpted sound signature likely won’t appeal to anyone but the most ardent bass fans. Furthermore, their major differentiating ability to work as a personal speaker when you turn the earpads upward didn’t impress us in testing. A somewhat uncomfortable fit, a lack of expected accessories, and an underwhelming companion app are all additional downsides. For about the same amount of money, the Sony WH-10000XM5 ($399.99) and the Bose QuietComfort 45 ($329) are much better values, with top-tier active noise cancellation (ANC) and far superior audio quality.

Available in black (with a silver or rose gold trim) or white (with a silver trim), the on-ear S-80 headphones look classy and sport generously cushioned earpads with polyurethane (PU) leather covers. The earpads have perforations that allow audio to pass through and attach magnetically. However, they are perhaps a little too easily removable because they fell off several times during testing. The various metallic parts of the headband adjuster use either an aluminum or a zinc alloy material, while the top of the headband (which uses a combination of PU leather and memory foam) features a reflective metallic paint V-Moda logo.

For all the generous cushioning, the fit is borderline uncomfortable. The headphones exert noticeable pressure on the top of the skull when you adjust them to fit securely. And, even at their loosest fit configuration, I still felt a bit of discomfort. Additionally, the leather can get warm pretty quickly, which makes your ears feel hot. These complaints are common for supra-aural audio products, but that's still no excuse in light of the excessive price.

The outer panels (or shields as V-Moda calls them) are removable, and for $34.99, you can buy colorful replacements to customize the look. One alternate pair ships in the package—it has a more polished surface than the default semi-matte shields.

As mentioned, these headphones also moonlight as a portable speaker. Flipping the earcups flat automatically puts them in speaker mode, which adjusts the EQ and boosts the volume appropriately. As we discuss later, however, this mode isn't very compelling.

Internally, 16mm dynamic drivers deliver a frequency range of 20Hz to 20KHz and an impedance of 16 ohms. The headphones are compatible with Bluetooth 5.1 and support the AAC, AptX HD, and SBC codecs. That range of support means it's possible to stream hi-res audio on Android and high-quality music on iOS devices.

A three-button control panel sits on the right ear’s side panel. The controls are easy to operate, and the layout is fairly typical. One press of the central multifunction button handles playback and call management, two presses take you one track forward, three presses move you one song backward, and a long press summons your mobile device’s voice assistant. The outer plus and minus buttons control the volume. The USB-C charging port is also on the right panel, along with a power/pairing button.

The box doesn't include any accessories other than a USB-C-to-USB-A charging cable and the aforementioned swappable outer panels for the earcups. For the price, we expect at least a pouch or case for the headphones. There's also no audio cable for wired listening (though, to be fair, there's not a 3.5mm jack on either earcup).

V-Moda estimates the battery can last 20 hours, but your results will vary based on your typical listening volume levels.

The V-Moda Headphone Editor app (available for Android and iOS) unlocks firmware upgrades and a basic set of features. Mainly, you can adjust the Auto-off function. Oddly, however, there are only three time options: 30 minutes, three hours (which seems absurdly long), and off.

Beyond these basics, there’s not much except for the EQ presets. You get several for the regular listening mode (Rock, Pop, Manual, Hip-Hop, Jazz, and Off) and just one for the speaker function. You can adjust each headphone EQ preset with five bands, but app glitches sometimes caused issues in testing. For instance, switching to the Manual setting occasionally produced an error message that prevented us from making additional changes.

We’re glad that the EQ is adjustable (even if it only works some of the time), but we’ve seen far better implementations of this feature in competing apps for models that cost far less. To put it more bluntly, this app is almost inexcusably light on features and frustratingly inconsistent, given the price of the headphones.

For regular listening purposes (as headphones), we can't deny that the drivers produce a big bass sound. On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” we note a palpable thump. They avoid distortion at top listening levels and still sound full at moderate volumes. You can even get slightly more bass depth out of the Manual EQ mode.

Bill Callahan’s “Drover,” a track with far less deep bass in the mix, gives us a better sense of the heavy-handed sound signature. We knew we were in for a huge drum sound before they even kicked in because Callahan’s opening baritone vocals exhibit a serious amount of bass boost. The drums lose all sense of definition—just thunderous blobs of bass that upset the balance. If you want anything resembling reality, you need to switch to the Manual EQ mode and dial back the bass significantly. Doing so ensures that the mids and highs aren't obliterated, though the bass remains the focus.

On hip-hop track “No Church in the Wild,” the kick drum loop receives enough high-mid presence for its attack to retain some of its punchiness, while there’s some additional thump to the loop’s sustain. The vinyl crackle and hiss that usually sit in the background get some boosting, while the sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the beat come across with serious power. These are definitely headphones for fans of booming bass, though you can tame them to something a little more balanced via the app’s EQ. The vocals on this track sound clear enough but can use more high-mid presence because they seem to contend with the bass for space.

Orchestral tracks, like the opening scene from John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary, sound comically boosted in the lows. The lower-register instrumentation is very forward and sounds as if it's coming through a subwoofer. The highs are bright enough, but any hope of enjoying orchestral or jazz tracks that value accuracy rests with the in-app EQ.

In speaker mode, the headphones deliver a sonic experience that is worse than most portable speakers we test. The main problem is that when the headband is around your neck, you are likely to boost the volume to the maximum level. At these higher volumes (which aren't very loud), the drivers begin to distort on tracks with rich or deep bass. As such, this listening mode feels more like a marketing point than a worthwhile function.

The mic array sounds fine. We didn't have any trouble understanding every word from a test recording on an iPhone. The mic signal is strong, emphasizes the human vocal range, and cuts back on distracting noise.

V-Moda's S-80 headphones sound like they should cost less than $200. They support a solid range of Bluetooth codecs, but they emphasize the lows to a fault and introduce heavy sculpting throughout the rest of the frequency range. Otherwise, the speaker mode is underwhelming, the fit isn’t very comfortable, and the app doesn’t offer much aside from a semi-reliable EQ. If you're prepared to spend $400, you can do much better. Sony's WH-1000XM5 headphones top our list of premium picks, though you can save a bit of money with the still-excellent Bose QuietComfort 45; both offer exceptional noise cancellation capabilities and produce more balanced audio. And for far less, Anker's Soundcore Space Q45 headphones offer good audio quality and competent noise cancellation for just $149.99.

V-Moda’s S-80 wireless headphones can transform into a personal speaker, but nothing about their performance is in line with their high price.

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