V-Moda REMIX Bluetooth speaker tries to tap into the future [video review]

V-Moda is historically known for making premium headphones, including some with 3D printed customizations. The REMIX is their first foray into the Bluetooth speaker market. The goal of the REMIX is to be as forward thinking as possible. While it is true in many regards, it does have a couple missteps along the way.

To get the full picture of the REMIX, check out our hands on review video.

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Overview

The REMIX is nothing like the other speakers I’ve been testing lately. V-Moda made a point to integrate a lot of cutting technologies into this premium speaker. Before we jump into all the fancy features, let’s take a look at all the standard features that’ve been included.

REMIX is a Bluetooth connected speaker, with a reliable range of 30 feet. This is a bit on the low end, but not bad. It has a myriad of controls on the top to power it on/off, adjust the volume, pair to devices, and a multifunction button in the center (control music, answer calls, invoke Siri). The built in battery lasted just over 10 hours for me, with the speaker at 3/4 volume. Again, this is begrudgingly average, with many new speakers hitting the 24 hour mark.

Forward-thinking features

Along the back of the speaker you have three ports. You have audio in, audio out, and the charging port. The audio in is very useful, because not only can you use it to provide an input to your speaker, you can use it to daisy chain multiple speakers together.

The audio out is actually labeled VAMP, which is their term for their headphone amplifier. If you have some quiet, or underpowered headphones, this will help give them the oomf they need. Headphone amps are great, though you won’t notice much of a difference without some decent headphones.

USB-C is the charing port on the speaker, and this is fantastic, but has a big downside. You pretty much need to use the USB-C to USB-A cable included in the box. As it turns out, you can’t use a full USB-C to USB-C cable to power the speaker. It only will work with a USB-A power adapter. When we inquired about this glaring oversight, they said that the USB-C Power Delivery protocol was not yet finalized when the speaker was in development. Even if you can’t utilize all the great features of USB-C, it is still an improvement over Micro USB. It is referable, sturdier, and more reliable than Micro USB.

When ordering the speaker, you also have the option to customize it using 3D printing. I’d say this is one of the most unique features of the speaker. You can add end caps, feet, and grills all 3D printed in a variety of colors to match your style.

I love the idea of this, but as of time of publication, there are only three styles of grills to choose from, which feels a little limited. I also wish you were able to 3D print your own. 3D printers are more ubiquitous now, with several office stores allowing you to print out your designs there. Instead, your only option is to order directly from them. This seems like a huge missed opportunity to me.

To replace the grill, you have to take off the V-Moda rings on each side (which come in several colors), remove the four screws holding the body together, pull the shell off the body, then remove the grill. The first time I walked through the steps, it seemed like a bit much, but on second attempt it was a breeze.

Audio quality

Audio quality is arguably the most important aspect of a speaker. I was actually quite impressed when I started listening to some music. I tried a variety of genres of music, and they all sounded great, though the music of today had a slight edge. Compared to the Marshall speaker which shined with classic rock, the REMIX was tuned for dance, pop, rap, and R&B. The bass was a bit on the heavy end, which tends to be the trend for most people these days.

The highs were also very crisp. They approached being too harsh, without ever crossing that line. Mids were solid as well, clearly bringing out the vocals in most songs. The volume was good, but definitely could be better. Luckily, the audio quality stays in control throughout the full range of volume.

Wrapping it up

I’m 100% a fan of the REMIX speaker. It outperforms my expectations in key areas like audio quality. I also appreciate the attempt to future-proof this speaker with USB-C, headphone amp, daisy chaining, and 3D printed accessories, but many of those fall just shy of getting it perfectly right.

You can’t print your own parts. USB-C doesn’t support Power Delivery. Bluetooth range, volume, and battery life are all just average, if not slightly above.

The good news is that REMIX shines at just being a speaker. It has true Hi-Fi sound with a full bass that will make any listener dance with joy. The build quality is exceptional with either vegan leather or Aluminum as your body choices.

If you’d like to try the V-Moda remix for yourself, you can find it on Amazon for $299. If you’d like to customize it yourself, you can check it out on V-Moda’s website.

Let us know what you think of the REMIX below, or share what your favorite Bluetooth speakers are.