V-Moda Remix Review: The Sexiest Bluetooth Speaker Out There

Our Verdict

The Five-Moda Remix offers booming bass, warm highs and mids, plus a born headphone amplifier and a slew of customization options.

For

Loud, balanced audio with booming bass
Stunning design
Lots of customization option
Daisy-concatenation multiple speakers
Integrated headphone amp

Against

A bit expensive
No multiroom solution

Tom's Guide Verdict

The 5-Moda Remix offers booming bass, warm highs and mids, plus a built-in headphone amplifier and a slew of customization options.

Pros

+
Loud, balanced audio with booming bass
+
Stunning design
+
Lots of customization option
+
Daisy-chain multiple speakers
+
Integrated headphone amp

Cons

-
A flake expensive
-
No multiroom solution

The Five-Moda Remix might be the prettiest speaker I've seen in my career equally a tech reviewer. Clad in lovely anodized aluminum in a removable, C-shaped unibody example called a C-Shell, the Remix is at once a conversation starter and a showpiece. And if glistening metal isn't your thing, you can get the base model of the speaker in lovely black vegan leather. It'south the best bluetooth speaker for the blueprint-minded.

Simply how does it sound, and is this speaker more than merely a pretty face? Keep reading our V-Moda Remix review to find out.

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V-Moda Remix review: Toll and availability

Y'all could go the V-Moda Remix from Musician's Friend for $200, simply why do that when you can get this speaker from Amazon for a discounted $120?

Amazon also stocks both the Silvery model, which we've tested here, and an all-black model.

V-Moda Remix review: Design

The sides of the device are made of black plastic, while the front is made of black 3D-printed fiber. The aluminum case has a slight groove forth both sides, which house the two rectangular "Remix Rings" that help the optional sides fix properly on the speaker.

In that location's a large rectangular hole cutting out in the top for the row of buttons (Power, Volume Down, Multifunction, Book Up and Pair) fabricated out of luxurious soft-bear on material. My favorite accent is the stylized V emblem located below the buttons. The rear of the C-Shell reveals some other rectangular pigsty, this one exposing the black metallic grille. At that place's a glistening V-Moda logo in the lower left corner with a USB Type-C port and jacks for the VAMP/Aux Out and Aux In.

Weighing i.9 pounds and measuring 8.i x 2.v 10 ii.five inches, the Remix is bigger and heavier than the Fugoo Style (1.one pounds, 7.4 x 2.ix x ii.three inches). The Fugoo has a IPX67 rating, meaning it'due south waterproof and dustproof, something the Remix tin can't boast.

V-Moda Remix review: Customization

It just wouldn't be a 5-Moda if in that location wasn't some sort of customization. But the company has really pulled out the stops for Remix -- starting with the C-Shell. If you lot're not into vegan leather or aluminum, you can go a C-Trounce made from 3D-printed fiber in blackness or white with two blueprint choices for $150 each. In addition, the front grille can be customized with three designs and two textile options: fiber ($40) and steel ($140).

You can likewise purchase a pair of custom sides bachelor in three different patterns in several mediums, including cobweb. Still, similar to the 5-Moda Crossfade Wireless and Crossfade 2 headphones, you tin can customize the speaker with premium materials such equally steel, brass, sterling argent, rhodium,14k yellow, rose and white gold every bit well as platinum.

Proceed in mind that all that finery doesn't come up cheap -- the steel jacks the price up from $300 to a whopping $1,300, while the platinum pick brings the price tag to a Robin-Leach-worthy $370,300. The sky (and your bank account) are the limit.

While non as extravagant as the Remix, the Fugoo Style offers a measure of customization in the course of three different jackets: Sport, Tough and Manner. For $39 each, you can give the Fugoo a new look whenever yous see fit. Fugoo also offers bike mounts ($19.99) in case you desire to brand the speaker fifty-fifty more portable.

5-Moda Remix review: Special Features

Non content to merely brand a pretty speaker, Five-Moda added plenty of bells and whistles to the Remix portfolio. It'due south the first Bluetooth speaker to feature an integrated headphone amplifier using the visitor'south VAMP technology. For the uninitiated, headphone amps are used with audiophile-grade loftier-impedance headphones (25 ohms or college) to attain meliorate detail, clarity and dynamic range past providing more power with which to drive audio.

But headphone amps can amend the audio on near headphones whether they're loftier-end or bargain bin. All you have to do is plug your cans into the VAMP/Aux Out jack, and y'all're set to stone. Considering that buying a headphone amp separately would cost at to the lowest degree $99, it's a nice value add together.

V-Moda didn't cease the high-fidelity party with the VAMP. The Remix can also play high-resolution audio formats (FLAC, ALAC, AIFF, WAV and DSD), so feel free to whip out the Pink Floyd, Kendrick Lamar or Anita Baker the manner they were meant to exist heard. Information technology definitely allow me get the most out of my Howdy-Fi Tidal subscription.

One Remix is nice, merely I'thousand a firm believer in the more than, the merrier -- and obviously, then does V-Moda. Similar to other competitors in the space, you can daisy-concatenation multiple Remix speakers to get even better sound. Unfortunately, daisy-chaining means the speakers will be tethered via an audio cable, which kills any hopes for a multiroom setup.

V-Moda Remix review: Sound quality

More bounce to the ounce, the low-end theory -- however you describe your bass, the Remix has it. Cheers to its rear-mounted bass reflex port, the speaker delivered deep lows without drowning out Lamar'southward spirited exhortations on "DNA."

The bass was so deep that I could feel the vibrations through the mattress when I placed the Remix on my bed. The Fugoo Style has a respectable amount of knock to it, simply nowhere about the Remix. Withal, the Mode did have a more spacious soundscape, which gave the private parts of the rail room to exhale.

Although I could hear the distinct strumming of the bass guitar on both speakers when playing Chris Stapleton's "Tennessee Whiskey", the Remix had the warmer audio. The two-part harmony sounded sugariness as the strawberry wine Stapleton sings about. The same measure out on the Style was a petty distorted on the high end.

Something else to keep in mind when you're listening to the Remix: it gets loud -- louder than a speaker this size has whatever correct to. But what actually caught me off guard is how balanced the audio is at maximum volume. Where the highs tend to get screechy and distorted on other speakers, the Remix keeps everything well in hand.

V-Moda Remix review: Call quality

When it wasn't filling my kitchen with surprisingly powerful bass, the Remix did a proficient job filling in every bit my speakerphone. If a call came in, the music immediately paused and was replaced by a pleasant band. A quick press of the multifunction button, and I was chatting with my caller. Most calls delivered crystal-clear audio on both ends, but there was ane instance where my mom complained of a slight echo.

V-Moda Remix review: Bombardment life and Bluetooth

5-Moda claims the Remix's 3,400-mAH battery will final upward to x hours on a charge. I put the speaker to the test while I spent the mean solar day deep-cleaning my apartment from elevation to lesser, with some laundry thrown in for good measure. Even though I tapped out subsequently 6 hours and 48 minutes, the Remix was nevertheless pumping out the jams.

Similar to other Bluetooth devices, the Remix has a range of 33 anxiety. Nevertheless, I was able to walk 50 feet downwardly a hallway before the sound cut out. The audio cut back in as soon as I stepped back in range.

V-Moda Remix review: Verdict

V-Moda never fails to impress. The Remix delivers loud, balanced audio worthy of a speaker twice its size. You go the added bonus of the headphone amp, which can greatly meliorate your individual listening feel, or you can share the audiophile dearest and stream some high-res audio with your friends. And if you're really fancy, you can augment your speaker with some precious metal accents that look great.

For $89, you tin become the Fugoo Manner speaker, which delivers solid sound. It'due south likewise dust-, drop- and waterproof and has some customization, thanks to its $xiv.99 sleeves. Hell, you tin can fifty-fifty mount it on your wheel if you desire to take the show on the road. But if you lot're looking for a high-end audio feel, at a relatively affordable toll, you'd be hard-pressed to trounce the V-Moda Remix.

Photo credit: Jeremy Lips/Tom'southward Guide

Sherri L. Smith has been cranking out product reviews for Laptopmag.com since 2011. In that time, she'south reviewed more her share of laptops, tablets, smartphones and everything in betwixt. The resident gamer and audio junkie, Sherri was previously a managing editor for Black Web 2.0 and contributed to BET.Com and Popgadget.