Velodyne vFree Review

Introduction:

In our last experience with something from audio-centric company Velodyne, we were undeniably impressed by their vPulse in-ear headphones, as we deemed it as one of the best in its class. Relatively new in the headphones market, they’re branching out yet again, but this time, it’s in the wireless Bluetooth space. Intent on becoming a formidable figure, the Velodyne vFree On-Ear Bluetooth Headphones is the first step in their quest. As with all things, let’s cross our fingers and hope they can pull it off.



Design:

Taking it out of the box for the first time, we’re amazed in awe with its peculiar design, which has a tepid fashionable style to it, but upon grasping it with our hands, our once eager thoughts quickly subside into oblivion. Sure, the ear cups have a neat diamond shaped to them, however, the entire thing comes off as being cheap in build quality and construction – toyish in a way! For starters, the glossy black plastic body of our unit is simply a gold mine filled with nasty fingerprints and smudges, which makes it look like a greasy mess after a few minutes of using it. Indeed, we appreciate its lightweight and comfortable feel, which are attributed to its extra soft padding material around the headband and ear cups, but we can’t steer clear from the fact that it’s lacking the sturdiness of other comparable headphones – even more when we look at its exorbitant price point.


In keeping it portable for traveling, the Velodyne vFree can be collapsed along its sides, but the hinges seem so brittle to the point that we’re scared about accidentally breaking them. Of course, seeing that it’s plastic, the headband has enough flexibility to minimize any strain when worm over our ears for an extended amount of time. However, the ear cups themselves are narrow in size, which doesn’t seem ample enough to accommodate those with larger sized ears.


Taking a look at the left ear cup, it features an LED notification light, microUSB port to charge its internal battery, and a 3.5mm headset jack for the convenience of using a wired connection. Meanwhile, the right ear cup is packing along separated volume controls that are slightly raised and have a springy response to them, and dual-microphones. On the outer surface of the ear cup, it’s sporting a few physical buttons that are discretely hidden by its less than ornate pattern – these include a multi-function button that performs pause/play/accept/reject functions, a dedicated power button, and another that allows us to forward and reverse tracks.

Now, the biggest annoyance we have with them is simply trying to feel out all the buttons as we’re wearing the Velodyne vFree, since they lack any distinction from one another. In fact, we find ourselves accidentally hitting the wrong ones, mainly because it’s a little disorienting as we’re trying to press the corresponding buttons while wearing the headphone. However, after a few days of using them, we’re better able to guess their locations – though, it still would’ve been nice if each one had some kind of defining characteristic to separate them.

Performance:

Hardly an issue, we’re able to quickly and effortlessly pair the Velodyne vFree with a handful of devices. Using a Samsung Galaxy S III and iPhone 5 primarily with our testing, we’ll vouch that this is packing some serious bass tones. Powered by 34mm speaker drivers, there’s no arguing about the punch it’s packing with it bass levels, since it’s prominent at all volume levels – it never distorts or fades. However, with mids and highs, its output is fairly pleasant at the middle volume setting, but it becomes more drowned out the higher we crank the volume. Overall, we really can’t complain about the music audio quality of the Velodyne vFree, especially when it features apt-X coding to replicate the most accurate sound reproduction.

Using the headphones for phone conversations, it’s a challenging time every way we look at it. Certainly, the volume output is strong enough to give enough emphasis to voices, but it tends to cast a subtle mute tone. Unfortunately, it doesn’t get any better on the other end of the line, as our callers mention being greeted to some muffled voices, which becomes more prevalent when its noise-cancellation feature kicks in – so either way, voices become distorted. Although we’re able to comprehend words sufficiently enough to get through conversations, it’s still a trivial experience to persistently listen to each and every spoken word with a great deal of intensity.

Battery:

Continuously using it for music playback while connected via Bluetooth to a Samsung Galaxy S III, the Velodyne vFree is able to pull in a little over 8 hours from a full battery charge, which is less than the 10 hours it’s rated for, but nevertheless adequate in our book. Thankfully, it only requires approximate 1.5 hours of charging to get it back to full capacity.

Conclusion:

Let’s not argue the point that the Velodyne vFree is a great pair of headphones when it comes to listening to music, mainly because it delivers enough of the boom and clarity to make the experience a soulful one. However, at a staggering $300, it’s an expensive offering that isn’t justified enough to make it a compelling offering. Not only do you need to unload a hefty amount, but its construction, build, and phone call quality just doesn’t give it enough validation to pick it up over other offerings. Honestly, we’d be just a little bit more forgiving if it didn’t feel so, you know, cheapo. We expect more for something that’s priced at $300!

Velodyne vFree Video Review: