Great sports earbuds can be hard to come by, especially if you have a budget. Sure, there are plenty of great in-ears for over $200 that will serve you well, but under that you’re definitely in hit-and-miss territory. V-Moda, however, things it can change that — with the V-Moda Forza in-ears.
Turns out, the V-Moda Forza headphones are actually a pretty darn great pair of headphones. But are they worth the $100? We put them to the test to find out.
Design
The V-Moda Forza in-ears are pretty plain, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing — they’re classic-looking more than boring, and you won’t find yourself getting funny looks if you use these while you’re out and about. The in-ear units on these headphones is actually very small and sleek, which plays into the comfort section below.
One of the great things about these headphones is how well they work with their provided accessories. Often, earhooks slide onto in-ear units clumsily, and they tend to move around a lot. That’s not true of the V-Moda Forza’s. Instead, the wings slip onto the back of the unit and click into place easily — so you’ll know they’re on right and in the correct position.
The build quality on the headphones generally seems fine. The cable is coated with plastic, and you’ll find an in-line control module a little ways down the right in-ear unit. The remote seems to work well and is easy to get used to using, thanks to its easy three-button layout.
In the box, you get a nice slew of accessories, including three differently-sized pairs of sports wings, one pair of ear hooks, a hefty eight different ear tips, and a carry pouch. Perhaps the only thing that’s missing is a pair of Comply memory foam tips — which would have been a welcome addition, especially at this price point.
In general, the V-Moda Forza in-ears look great. They’re decently well built despite the high amount of plastic, and they offer a huge range of accompanying accessories.
Comfort
Thanks to the small unit size, the V-Moda Forza in-ears are quite a bit more comfortable than many other in-ear style headphones. In fact, after some time, you may not even remember that you’re wearing them.
The headphones come with a ton of different in-ear tips, and we recommend taking a few minutes to try out the different sizes and see what works best for you. It will be worth it — with the wrong size, you’re likely to experience issues with falling out and a lack of comfort, but with the right pair, you’ll minimize those issues. While you’ll never completely eliminate the falling out issue, the fact that the headphones come with three different wing sizes also helps minimize the risk.
In general, the V-Moda Forza in-ears are more comfortable than most pairs of in-ears, which is largely thanks to the many accessories that come with the headphones.
Sound
So the V-Moda Forza headphones look good and are decently comfortable — but how do they sound? Turns out, they sound pretty darn good.
Let’s start with the bass, which is deep and powerful. While mega-bass fans might find it a little lacking for some of their needs, the fact is that there’s a nice bass boost that will be more than enough across most genres of music. Sometimes it can be easy to forget how much bass in-ears can pump out, but the 5.3mm drivers on these headphones have plenty to offer.
The midrange is well-tuned but could use a little work. The low mids on these headphones are well-defined without sounding muddy, but in our opinion the high mids are a little overpowering at times. That’s not to say they’re terrible — they’re not. But there are plenty of high-mids there.
The high-end is very well tuned, and guitars and vocals easily shine through the mix, which is a good thing. The high-end is often overlooked in headphones, but V-Moda has clearly made an effort to not let that happen here.
It’s important to note that the V-Moda Forza’s are tuned to sound good rather than to sound necessarily natural. That’s to say, they may not be the best fit for audiophiles.
Conclusions
V-Moda has a great track record, and that only continues with the Forza in-ears. These headphones look great, are quite comfortable for in-ears, and have a nice sound. In fact, for the sports-person they’re some of the best in-ears we’ve ever tested, especially at this price.
If you’re looking for a great pair of in-ears for taking to the gym or going on runs, we highly recommend the V-Moda Forza in-ears.
| Store | Price |
|---|---|
 |
$99 |
| V-Moda | $100 |
| Frequency response | 20Hz – 40kHz | Active noise cancellation |
No |
| Driver size | 5.8mm | Noise attenuation | Unknown |
| Driver type |
Dyanamic | In-line controls | Yes |
| Design |
Closed-back | Microphone | Yes |
| Sensitivity | 99dB | Eartip material | Gel |
| Rated impedance |
14Ω | Magnet material | Neodymium |
| Total harmonic distortion |
Unknown | Water resistance | No |
| Rated input power |
Unknown | Battery life | N/A |
| Maximum input power |
Unknown | Wireless distance | N/A |
| Wireless connection |
No | Cable length | 1.2m (4ft) |
| Wired connection |
3.5mm/Lightning | Case type | Pouch |
| Detachable cable |
No | In-the-box |
|
| Weight | 13.5g (0.48oz) | Colors | Black, white, orange |