I'm on my second pair of V-modas, and the jack is starting to die on the second pair. They were a warranty replacement for my first pair, which ended up with a dead jack too. I can't really understand why they didn't just use an angled jack from day one. I noticed that angled jacks died a lot slower than straight ones when I was about ten years old (so a good 20 years ago).

theoldwolf

I have the old V-Moda phones and while I've generally been pleased, I've been really annoyed by the design of the jack. Mine still work, but the rubber came away from the base and I've had to be very gentle with them to make sure they survive. It never occurred to me that I could return them (in part because I didn't realize so many others had this problem) but I might just try now that they've improved the design.

weatherman

Huh. nice, I kinda wish they'd done this sooner. I was looking for some iphone headset/phones a couple weeks ago, and specifically avoided the V-Modas cuz of the crappy-jack issue. I think it's good that they finally got around to fixing this issue, but crap that it took them like a year to do it. Also, I can't help but feel bad for the countless consumers who purchased a pair without realizing what they were getting themselves into. But hey, caveat emptor and all that, right?

Oh well. I'm pretty happy with my Super.Fi 4vi headphones, but I have to admit i was very intrigued by the apparently massive bass of the Vibe Duo and their sweet color schemes.

Aristeia

Mine still work ok, but this is good to know.

OGHowie

@Xavoc: It will work perfectly for the iphone... My friend (as mentioned above) uses his for his iphone.

VoidingWarranties

So, what you're saying is that the new jack won't work for the iPhone?

Xavoc

My friend sent back his old pair about 2 weeks ago because they broke and he got back the new kind.

VoidingWarranties

Good idea. I had a pair of V-Moda headphones and loved them except for the fact that the jack ended up getting messed up rendering them useless. I bought my recent set of Sony earbuds based upon the fact that the jack is angled. I might have to pick up another pair of these if the fix works well.

nitromic

I got a pair for Christmas, they died about a month or two ago. Thanks to this article I don't have to buy new ones, I'm already in touch with the company.

Marcelo

Looks like it's a good time to send in my pair that i just bought less than a month ago that already broke.

Twaites

I have the old ones aswell (thanks Steve for that $100 iPhone rebate) and they haven't died once. This is the first I've ever heard of such a thing.
Now I hope mine don't die :(

Kymeira

Actually, there is a small difference between the packaging - the old phones don't have any spacing between the vibe and duo while the new ones do.

While it's true they could have put some sort of "ones that work" sticker on the new packaging, it's better than nothing.

Mischif

Ha. I just sent mine in today because they died on me. Let's hope they send me the new version.

YamIinLawSchool

I already got the new ones when I ordered them from apple.com. I actually ordered one pair, but they were delivered to my asshole neighbor, so I thought I wouldn't get them back and called apple to have them ship me another pair. The second pair had the new design, and the one at my neighbors house (which I got back and gave to my brother) have the old design.

Sam_Zebian

I think you mean fewer dead headphones. Unless there are degrees of death for those headphones.

Eric1285

i bought some about two weeks ago from the apple store in town, and got the new jack. i didn't know about any issues, so i'm glad they were carrying the new ones.

konstantConsumer

Got my replacements a couple of weeks ago and they came with the new jack. So far so good. Much easier to insert and remove. The only thing I am worried about is pinching the cord down now due to the angle it comes off the main body. But I'm not complaining, and have to say that V-Moda was very responsive when I returned my original headphones with the old jack.

koror

Great my replacements came with the old jack... Though I didt get the old, old jack on the cheap so it was an upgrade. Anyway, these headphones rock.

Sticky230

I sent in my pair of V-Modas about two weeks ago and got back a brand-new box with the new jack. Works great. Hopefully, these won't die on me like the first pair did. Barely lasted a month.

djkibblesnbits

But did they fix the microphone?

I have a broken pair to be sent back, but its the microphone piece that fell apart.

Atticka

What about the cheaper versions? The Bass-freq? Are they getting new plugs too?

AT203

God damn it. I sent mine in last month - and I got the old model, back. Talk about bad timing!

ProfessionalGun

the new jack looks nice... my vibes ripped where the actual ear bud connects to the wire though... they should also improve that spot too

OtterKing

I took my 5th pair back to the Apple store in Regent Street, London and it turns out Apple aren't stocking them anymore. The extremely hot girl (Kate) told me they had tons of returns due to poor quality.

I ended up with the Sennheisers that work with the iPhone - they're pretty good although you get a slight whistling noise as you walk along.

Hedley_Lamarr

well crap. just like two hours ago i bought a new (old plug, i assume) pair from amazon. well i will just be sure to not be careful with the cord

krazydonutboy

Calluses on the left hand, hmmm interesting. Mine are on my right.

freddiefenster

I recently sent in a pair of mine that had busted (the plastic sheath that goes over the jack had come unglued causing the wires underneath to no longer connect and make the left earbud cease functioning). From the warranty return, I got a pair of the newly redesigned kind, and I have to say I'm loving them. The original plastic sheath really fel cheap and flimsy, and I wasn't surprised when that was the first thing to break on the headphones.

The new rubbberized enclosure with the steel stud gives an added bit of quality that makes me really enjoy my V-Moda's now. They feel way more sturdy, and I have very few qualms about keeping them in the leatherette case they come with.

Nice to see that they are recognizing the flaws of the original and replacing the faulty components. I was afraid they'd be like 95% of other hardware companies out there and send me back a pair of the same that would break in another 7 months, or *shudder* a refurbished pair.

Mad props, V-Moda. Thanks for looking out for the customer experience.

~JYH

JYHASH

i just got mine back after sending them in for replacement and was totally excited to see the jack was changed. With my return I told them what i felt of them and that and L jack would be that much better. I know Im not the only to have complained, but i was totally surprised to see that they had been redesigned. I love the sound from these and i told them so, and that the only beef was with the jack crapping out after a month.

With my iphone in my pocket they jack now sends the cord in a proper direction to not get bent and eventually ruined. Totally recommend them now.

coolfelix

What I'm about to say is the way of the global economy ... and even the brands we all know and trust purchase this way ...

On a recent tour of manufacturing plants in China (I am an importer), I visited the plant that makes the V-Moda headsets. Except they don't make V-Moda headsets. They make a cheap fancy-styled in-house designed headset that they sell to people like me to brand in our own way. Someone bought them, branded them as V-Moda, and managed to get them into a reputable retail stream (inc. Apple Stores). All that combined with a slick website, fancy terminology, and a price-point that screams 'quality' manage to convince us all that these are good products. They aren't ... necessarily. They may be -- they could have been well sourced, well designed, purchased in exclusivity -- but usually they're not.

And as I said above, even the brands we all trust purchase this way. The difference is that they -- wanting to maintain that trust -- often test products rigorously prior to banking their reputation on them.

I urge you all to be wary when spending good money on products without a track-record. A good quick way to check-up on something prior to buying is to go into the 'cheap import' stores and see if there are similar - but branded differently - products out there.

Since returning from China, I've seen the 'V-Moda' headsets in a half-dozen stores with a half-dozen different names at a half-dozen different prices. And the V-Moda's are by far the most expensive.

Buyer beware.

winstonsteele

I love my V-Moda Vibe phones, but I don't have the Duo (since I don't have, nor will I ever own an iPhone). Does this problem only affect the Duos or are the jacks crappy across the whole lineup?

smegz

pretty awesome that they release this just after my warranty ends, i went through 3 pair of these garbage headphones and now they fix it.

BroderickLavitz

Not sure what all the negativity in the article is about...!? I've gotten mine (the Duo with built-in mic) for my iPhone 2G and they have been great from day one and for a fair price, too...! They perfectly fit the recessed jack on the first iPhones, no trouble at all...

Only now that I have an iPhone 3G and Apple decided to part with something that was a stupid idea in the first place the jack of the headset really sticks out, which is kind of annoying and a potential source of damage as well...

But since they are not broken I doubt I'll get a replacement...!? Also I wouldn't know where to ask for one, since I've gotten mine during a trip to NYC but I actually live in Germany...so I'll just hope they'll survive a bit longer...

MILE

I picked up a pair of these 2 weeks ago from the louisville apple store and it had the new jack type. Been working great for me.

Zero_FactiX

What a coincidence, I just picked up a pair of the new ones today at the Apple store after my old pair died. It appears they haven't quite figured out the problem yet though as the new ones w/ new jack would cut in and out with the slightest wiggle of the cord/jack, same as my old pair. Too bad because they are some nice sounding buds when they work...

chronism

I already am on my 3rd pair, luckily they sent me the new version. I guess 3rd time is a charm... Too bad I am down $20 since I had to pay for shipping to send back the dead headphones both times.

blankman

I hope that I didn't just double post, but I am really glad that they acknowledged the problem and fixed it. I am on my 3rd pair now, down $20 bucks since I had to ship back dead headsets 2 times in the past 4 months...

blankman

I bought these back in October of 07 for my iPhone and they worked great until around April when they stopped working. I sent them back and got a new pair, which stopped working 3 weeks ago. I sent those back and got the new version in the mail yesterday and was pleasantly surprised. I had to pay $10 to ship each time which kind of sucks, but am happy that they acknowledged the problem and fixed it. Let's hope these will last a lot longer!

blankman