Ears-on with the V-Moda Vibe Duo earphones: iBling

The U of K hasn't seen massive love from V-Moda in the past, but that's about to change. New to the iPhone/iPod earphone scene are the V-Moda Vibe Duos -- a swanky version of the Vibes we saw a couple of years ago.

Fundamentally they're the same Vibes as before, but there are some notable differences. Firstly, these actually fit the Jesus phone. Secondly, they don't work with Creative MP3 players. We reported this problem back when we reviewed Etymotic's more costly hf2 'phones. So if you plan on using these with both iPhone and Creative Zen, think again.

Sound-isolation is still pretty good, with a comfortable range of tips to fit most ear canals. However, their bling-tastic enclosures are sure to get you mugged. We accidentally ended up in East Croyden the other night, and felt we were at least 40 per cent more nervous about being capped and robbed of our belongings than usual. Fortunately the cops were out in force, so we survived to blog the tale.

There's a little in-line microphone and call-answering button, too, and guess what? It works. We're grateful it works, because otherwise we'd have sacrificed compatibility with Creative's lovely Zen player for nothing.

If you want to sacrifice Zen compatibility, you can pick up a pair of Vibe Duos as from now. Be sure to check out our full review of the original Vibes to read about their sound quality and performance. They cost around £55. -Nate Lanxon