Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Audio / Video
  3. News

V-Moda’s pricey new S-80 puts a Bluetooth speaker into your headphones

By

As a brand, V-Moda has not shied away from big swings — particularly in the design department — and now with the S-80 two-way headphones, they’re taking a rather unique swing. Available soon via the V-Moda site, the S-80 is a brand-new pair of wireless-only Bluetooth headphones that looks similar to much of V-Moda line but behaves quite differently.

V-MODA S-80 headphones are floating on a white background from the side.
V-Moda

Sporting the V-Moda signature hexagonal enclosure shape, the S-80 passes pretty convincingly as any other member of the line … if you squint. On closer inspection, a soft, contoured approach to the edges — alongside angled control buttons and an asymmetrical metallic headband connector on each earcup — makes the S-80 headphones visually unique. V-Moda is also selling magnetic plates (with pretty zany design options) that are interchangeable so you can customize the outer look to your taste.

Recommended Videos

More so than the design, V-Moda’s approach to this product is perhaps most surprising in that they are “two-way” headphones. That means that you can listen to them just as you would any other set of on-ear Bluetooth headphones, or you can drape them around your neck or toss them on a table with the drivers facing outward to act as a portable Bluetooth speaker. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a headphone-and-speaker combo, but it’s rare to see a brand like V-Moda take this approach that could, to some, seem like a gimmick.

A pair of V-MOD S-80 is floating on a white background with different designer plates next to it.
V-Moda

The key to this combo is the V-Moda software. Available with customizable EQ using a custom mobile app, you can adjust the EQ curve to your taste. Thanks to some internal sensors, when you flip the headphone’s earpieces outward, the app should boost the volume and trigger some DSP to shape the sound to better suit a Bluetooth speaker experience.

A man is wearing designer, silver-and-blue V-MODA S-80 headphone and interacting with them.
V-Moda

As Bluetooth headphones, they should also be serviceable. There’s the aforementioned EQ customization, which is always nice to see. V-Moda is also layering in aptX HD codec support to provide a 24-bit Bluetooth experience, which is important because there’s no wired option on these headphones for plugging into a digital-to-analog converter (DAC). You can, however, expect very little noise isolation because the earcups sit on your ear, not over your ear, and there’s no active noise cancellation on board. Overall, the S-80 should lend itself to a very specific type of listener but will likely not be ideal for those who want the best possible Bluetooth headphone experience — especially when you consider the high price.

Related

The S-80 is available to pre-order for an expensive MSRP of $400 (with the OV3 interchangeable magnet plates going for $25) at the V-Moda store now. Orders are expected to ship in July.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Jason Schneider
Jason Schneider
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Jason Schneider is a northeast US-based writer, editor, and horror movie enthusiast with more than 10 years of experience. He…
Marshall’s latest headphones get 100 hours of battery life and wireless charging
Marshall Major V headphones.

Marshall has updated its popular Major on-ear wireless headphones and Minor wireless earbuds with new features, while keeping the same authentic Marshall amplifier styling that has earned the brand a lot of customers. The Marshall Major V ($149) and Marshall Minor IV ($129) are available for pre-order starting April 16 at marshall.com and will begin shipping on April 23.

The Marshall Major V (pictured above) are the company's latest generation of on-ear wireless headphones. On the outside, there's almost no way to distinguish them from their predecessors, except perhaps for a slightly deeper black color.

Read more
Spatial audio via headphones: how science crams 9 speakers and a subwoofer inside your head
A diagram of headphone-based spatial audio.

Spatial audio is having a moment. While the goal of offering a more immersive, 3D-like listening experience may have been born in movie theaters, much of the conversation around spatial audio has switched to music -- specifically, the relatively new availability of Dolby Atmos Music tracks via music streaming services.

Spatial audio’s appeal is no mystery. When you combine one of the first novel ways of listening to music since stereo — coupled with Apple’s prodigious marketing might — you get a lot of people wanting to try it.

Read more
Sennheiser’s new budget-friendly headphones get a very high-end feature
Sennheiser Accentum wireless headphones in black and white colors.

Sennheiser's new Accentum wireless noise-canceling headphones look a lot like its top-of-the-line $380 Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless headphones. And while they have similar features, the Accentum are priced at $180 and can do something the Momentum 4 can't: they accept lossless digital audio via their USB-C port. The black version is up for preorder on September 25 and is expected to ship starting on October 4, while the white version begins shipping in late November. Both models will be available at select retailers and at sennheiser-hearing.com.

The Accentum are the successors to Sennheiser's 2020 HD 450 BT, and the company's approach to this more affordable product line remains the same -- preserve as many features from the Momentum line as possible while keeping the price under $200. Needless to say, you can't do this without some trade-offs. The Accentum don't come with a carry case or any kind of analog input. They use only physical controls, not touch controls, and they don't have wear sensors for auto-pausing your tunes when you remove them.

Read more