Page 2 - Physical Look - Hardware
Like other products we have reviewed from V-MODA like the Crossfade II Wireless, the Remix is an excellent combination of subtle elegance and modern touches without looking bland. Even though it is only a rectangular prism, the design is in the details. Our particular unit is the black vegan leather version, but you can also buy one with an aluminum finish. Two rubber REMIXRings wrap both ends, which not only acts as dampening material between the speaker and the surface it resides on, but can also be easily swapped out for personalization. A second pair of REMIXRings in orange rather than black are included out of the box as well. For further customization, the C-shell, sides, and speaker grille can all be custom ordered from the factory. Depending on the part you want to order, these custom-made parts can be made in fiber, stainless steel, raw/plated metals, or precious metals. Lay off the options though -- a V-MODA Remix with platinum sides and a polished gold steel grille will run you an eye-watering $370,350. Thankfully, shipping is free if you live in the United States.
As aforementioned, our review unit is the peasant vegan leather model. This means the C-shell is wrapped in some hipster black vegan leather, while the sides are matte black plastic. Enclosing the front is a plastic honeycomb grille, as shown in our photo above. Coming in at 205mm in width, 65mm in depth, and 68mm in height, the V-MODA Remix is very comparable to the LG Music Flow P5 and Adesso Xtream S2. Tipping the scales at 710g also makes it quite lightweight, making the V-MODA Remix a great traveling companion. Unfortunately, it is not waterproof or dustproof, so keep it away from the beach when you are surfing.
Behind the front speaker grille are two glass fiber drivers and a 2.5" passive radiator, which promises "accurate sound, with sweet, clearly defined midrange, vivacious highs and impossibly low distortion at every volume" for a power output of 9Wx2 according to the company. The rated frequency response of the Remix is 20 to 20,000 Hz, rated sensitivity is 79dB ± 3dB @ 1kHz with an impedance of 4 ohms. We will evaluate its performance in detail on the next page.
A quick glance at the top shows five buttons in an island, logically laid out each with its own icon reflecting its function. From the left, we have power, volume down, multifunction (Labeled by V-MODA's logo), volume up, and pair. They do exactly what the icons suggest other than the multifunction button, which will require a quick glance at the instruction manual to figure out all the functions it has. To turn on the device, simply press the power button. The V-MODA Remix, with a tone familiar to other products from the company, will indicate it has been powered on. A second tone will be played to indicate an active connection. To power it off, hit the power button twice, and another tone will indicate it is turning off. If you want to enable Bluetooth pairing, hold the button labeled "Pair" down for three seconds. The multi-function button is used to play or pause music, skip or repeat tracks, or answer or end a phone call with a paired device depending on usage scenario. The same button can summon a voice assistant such as Siri if held down for three seconds as well. An integrated omni-directional microphone rated at -42dB ± 3dB @ 1kHz, located on the right of the pair button, allows you to make hands free phone calls and/or speak to your voice assistant.
A small multi-color LED can be found to the left of the power button. It blinks orange when battery is low, breathes orange when charging, and glows solid white when it is charged. It also glows steady white when during regular operation. The multi-color LED is also used to indicate battery level. To start, hold down the power button for two seconds. The orange LED will flash four times for battery level between 81 and 100%, three for 61 and 80%, two for 41 and 60%, and one time if below 40%. The orange LED will also flash twice every three minutes to warn you if the battery level is below 20%. If you have an Apple iOS device, battery level information is available via the widget too.
Here is a shot at the back of the V-MODA Remix. The grille protects a bass reflex port. A USB-C connector can be seen at the bottom left corner, which charges its non-removable 3400mAh internal battery. The rated battery life is 10 hours, which is pretty decent. From my experience, at moderate volumes, this estimate is pretty much bang on.
A couple of 3.5mm jacks located adjacent to the USB-C port enables two key features of the V-MODA Remix. The first speaker is the VAMP headphone amplifier. The built-in headphone amplifier provides 83mWx2 to drive your high impedance headphones, and is rated at 12.8 ohm internal resistance. This provides an interesting value proposition, as dedicated headphone amplifiers can be worth a couple hundred bucks or more alone. The Remix may not be as compact, but unless you amplify your headphones while commuting on the train, then you are sure getting your money's worth of audio equipment. Do keep in mind the VAMP headphone amplifier only works in line-in mode and not over wireless. Enabling the VAMP will also disable the speaker's output for private listening.
The second feature is daisy chaining. As its description suggests, you can daisy chain as many Remix speakers as you want for "phenomenal sound at exponential levels". To start, simply connect your source to the input jack or Bluetooth on the first speaker. Next, plug in a cable from the first speaker's 3.5mm jack labeled "VAMP" to the second speaker's input jack, and so forth. As aforementioned, VAMP is disabled when daisy chaining, since enabling VAMP will turn off the speaker output.
On the wireless side of things, the V-MODA Remix communicates wirelessly over Bluetooth with a rated range of 10m, but advertises no aptX support. You can pair two devices with it concurrently, but it will only accept one audio stream at a time.
With all this in mind, it is now time to put the V-MODA Remix through APH Networks' infamous subjective audio tests.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Hardware
3. Subjective Audio Analysis
4. Conclusion
