Moshi Vortex

April 26, 2013

Moshi has been making accessories for Macs for years, but the company recently expanded into the headphone/headset market with the Moshi Audio line. The first product in the line is the Vortex, a stylish $80 headset aimed at fans of rock and hip-hop. The Vortex is a canalbud-style headset. Canalbuds essentially split the difference-in design, and frequently in price-between traditional earbuds and in-ear-canal ("canalphone") models. (See our in-ear-canal headphone primer for more details.) Since they fit partially in the ear canal, they block some external noise and form an acoustic seal that improves bass performance. However, they don't block as much sound as true in-ear-canal models, and, as with canalphones, getting a proper fit can be tricky, the cord can produce unwanted microphonic noise in a listener's ear, and using the headset function can be weird due to the occlusion effect of having your ears plugged while talking. Moshi's tagline is "purveyor of electronics fashion," and the Vortex's design supports this claim. The earpieces are dark-gray pyramids, formed from a combination of glossy, matte, and brushed steel, with complementary smoke-gray eartips. The cables are wrapped in dark-gray fabric, an approach I prefer to the more-common rubber and plastic coverings. The effect is a luxurious, clean look-one of my favorites among the canalbuds I've tested. Included in Vortex package is a clever triangular spool for storing the headphones and wrapping the cord; one pair each of small, medium, and large silicone eartips; and a pair of foam eartips. Although Moshi's design choices might appear aesthetically driven, the company claims those choices have ergonomic and sonic benefits. The earpieces are surprisingly substantial-the heaviest I've tested, and notably heavier than those of other solidly constructed models such as the V-moda Remix Remote. The company says this heft prevents the weight of the cable from pulling on each earpiece and disrupting the seal of the eartip in the listener's ear canal. Moshi also claims the metal used increases bass response. Finally, the core of each silicone eartip is constructed from a stiffer material, which makes it easier to slide the tip onto the earpiece-an approach also used in Apple's In-Ear Headphones with Remote and Mic that more manufacturers should incorporate. These cores are also color-coded to make it easy to distinguish between the left and right earpieces. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Link: http://www.macworld.com/article/155159/2010/10/moshi_vortex.html#tk.rss_reviews