It's been a while since Roland-owned V-Moda updated its stylish Crossfade Wireless headphones, but now the series has a new flagship – with the company promising that an improved sound and a longer battery life will add up to "the most immersive club experience ever."
Designed and built for gigging DJs and music lovers alike, the Crossfade 3 Wireless headphones feature Bluetooth 5.1 with support for Qualcomm's aptX HD audio codec, which means potentially higher resolution wireless listening via the 50-mm dual-diaphragm drivers than was available previously.
If users opt to connect the headphones to a music source using one of the supplied cables, they can look forward to Hi Res Audio-certified delivery over a wide frequency response of 5 to 40 kHz, with 107-dB sensitivity and 32-ohm impedance.
V-Moda says that the award-winning Crossfade sound signature has been retuned for more punch and impact to deliver "a full-immersion listening environment, offering club energy and excitement with deep, well-defined bass and ultra-smooth midrange and highs." Tweaking the EQ to personal taste is available via the iOS/Android companion app though.
The company has again turned its back on noise cancellation technology, previously saying that such things can add "extra sound pressure at the expense of sound quality." As such, the new Crossfade flagship use a combination of a flexible metal headband and large memory foam cushions to passively isolate the wearer from outside interference and keep "the bad noise out and the good noise in."
Those fond of long-haul sessions are treated to more than twice the battery life of the previous generation, at up to 30 hours per charge over USB-C.
The 3rd-gen Wireless over-ears weigh in at 11 oz (315 g) and, happily, the company has retained the CliqFold hinge mechanism that was lost on 2015's original, for collapse-down transport ease when used with the supplied hardshell travel case.
They also come in cheaper than the outgoing headphones, at US$299.99 – and if you want to add some custom styling to the standard bronze, gunmetal and black finish options, V-Moda produces optional color-printed and laser-engraved hexagonal earcup shields to allow wearers to promote their brand with unique artwork.
Product page: V-Moda Crossfade 3 Wireless
