Moshi’s Vortex Pro [Review]

   

 

Headphones.  They’ve become the bane of my existence, given the love-hate relationship I’ve developed with the almost hundred (yes, that number is no lie) pairs that have come in and out of my life over the years.

I had settled on the reliable Bose MIE2 after years of uncomfortable pairings until the folks at Moshi presented me with the intriguing and mysterious Vortex Pro.

And after careful consideration, my Bose, I’m sorry to say, have taken up space in a box somewhere in my room.

Design

The included foam earphones are a welcome addition, but I found them uncomfortable for extended listeningLooking at the Vortex Pro it’s not hard to notice how visually distinctive they are.  The triangular-shaped earbuds – made of a steel alloy – and the braided rope stand out aesthetically.

Since they are made out of a steel alloy, they do actually feel quite heavy in your hands. The allow does feel very high-end in your hands, and as imagined, can feel a little heavy in your ears, but the tradeoff is better sound quality and less vibrations over other options made of plastic.

While the rope does make for a nice-looking and feeling cord, if you’re the type to shove earbuds in your pocket or bag, guaranteed they will come out very tangled.  The included carrying case is a necessity and taking the few seconds to use it, saves you the hassle of untangling the unsightly knots.

Left ear = white

The Vortex Pro comes with four different tips (Three silicone in S, M, L and a pair of foam tips) which I found to be comfortable for long periods of time.  They did take some time getting used to, and if you find them uncomfortable, wrapping the cord around your ear seems to do the trick.  The heaviness of the metal allow buds does take some time adjusting to, but after a while I couldn’t notice the additional weight.

Sound

The Vortex Pro are noise isolating earphones that do an exceptional job at blocking out ambient noise, giving an enriching and engulfing aural experience.

While the bass level is very reasonable, the Vortex Pro truly excels in delivering a more mature audio

Red = Right ear

experience.  For songs that are heavy on mid to high range vocals and also feature various instrumentals, I found myself rediscovering many favourites, and listening to them in a new light.

Other headphones where bass levels are emphasized (and using David Guetta and Sia’s Titanium as an example), bass levels deliver a more thumping experience, and in cases would drown out the strong vocals of the song.  But listening to the song again using the Vortex Pro, the guitar riffs and Sia’s soaring vocals really show through, giving a different dimension to a song I’ve listened to countless times.

Walking to work in downtown Toronto, it’s hard not to get distracted by the various noises on my daily walk.  But I’ve found myself so enraptured by the richness of the sound of the Vortex Pro, I feel like I’m in my own world.  They really work to block out ambient noise, not by noise-cancelling, but by noise-isolation.

And,if you have any music files encoded less than 192k or less, your songs with sound absolutely terrible via the Vortex Pro.

Phone Calls

The emphasis in the mid-to-high vocal range definitely allows for crystal-clear phone conversations.  Again, thanks to the design and sound quality, having an on-the-go conversation has been very pleasant with the Vortex Pro and I found very little ruffled phone calls.

Final Verdict

The Vortex Pro truly deliver an amazing and enjoyable sound experience that brings your music to life, and makes you feel like you’re a part of the song.  The sound quality is excellent, and despite the minor drawbacks is a worthy competitor to other earbuds in the same category.

I went back to try out my Bose MIE2 again recently, and I admit that my ears are so accustomed to the richness of the Vortex Pro, the difference in sound quality was painfully noticeable.

At $150, they are quite pricey, and surely if you’re in the market for earbuds, you would probably gravitate towards more well-known brands.  Moshi might not be the first name you think of when thinking high-end earbuds, but they definitely have a winner on their hands with the Vortex Pro.

 

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