Buy V-MODA VAMP Verza Universal Headphone Amplifier with DAC and Battery Pack for Android, Apple and Computers, Matte BlackV-MODA VAMP Verza Universal Headphone Amplifier with DAC and Battery Pack for Android, Apple and Computers, Matte Black Product Description:
- World's first docking headphone amplifier (150mW x 2) for Android, Apple and Windows devices
- Two dedicated Digital to Analog Convertor (DAC) chips uses mobile device's digital output for pure analog performance
- VERZADOCK docking mechanism to transform your smartphone into a mobile hi-fi system
- 2200 mAh battery for charging of USB/iOS devices or 7 hours of audio play time
- Made in Japan - Designed in Italy
Product Description
World's first docking headphone amplifier, digital-to-analog convertor and battery pack transforms your smartphone into a mobile hi-fi system for the purest audiophile sound. Universally compatible with Apple, Android and Windows products including tablets, notebooks and desktops, VERZADOCK system and METALLO case (sold separately) seamlessly docks to your Samsung, iPhone and future devices. VAMP VERZA is made in Japan with precision-engineering, the finest components and lightweight metals for top-of-the-line quality that makes you stand out from the crowd. VAMP VERZA features a 150mW x 2 amplifier that delivers optimal power to drive even the most power-hungry headphones as well as the ultimate audio clarity, even at low volume levels. It features two dedicated DAC chips and uses your device's digital output via USB, micro-USB, 30-pin or lightning to bypass the stock analog output. This enables high-end headphones to sound their best as the amplifiers and DACs built into most smartphones and computers were designed to power small ear buds and the critical digital to analog conversion process often distorts faithful sound reproduction. The aircraft-grade metal exterior features the patent-pending VERZADOCK that allows you to attach your mobile device to METALLO case with a solid-feeling sliding mechanism. Tuned by V-MODA's award winning acoustic team, legendary musicians and Grammy-Award winning producers, the VAMP VERZA offers a bass boost as well as 3D mode specially tuned for home and car stereos. The optical SPDIF/Toslink digital audio output enables your mobile device to double as an audiophile-level source. Powered by a 2200 mAh battery, you can use it as a USB battery pack to charge any device or double your smartphone's battery life. VAMP VERZA is groundbreaking metal solid gear for the modern, mobile audio connoisseur.
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful.
The ultimate compact premium portable headphone amp and DAC
By Craigster
Some background on me first- I never thought I needed a headphone amp at all until I purchased one. I own the Z02, FiiO E11, V-Moda Vamp and now Verza. My primary headphones are Ultrasone Signature DJs and V-Moda M-100s. I enjoy my bass and also consider myself an audiophile, so it's not just about the bass, but the entire range. I am especially particular about vocals. I use an Iphone 4 as my player. My files are 256K Apple Plus.As a Vamp owner which, for anyone not familiar, is basically a first generation Verza married to the Iphone 4, I enjoyed Vamp. The sound quality in terms of detail retrieval, soundstage and frequency response was noticeably improved over my Iphone and other portable amps. Vamp was more than an amp as it included its own DAC and battery backup/Iphone charging. Perhaps the best selling point for me was the custom fit of my Iphone with Vamp to form one convenient, compact unit vs. an amp connected to my phone with a cable and sloppy bands or velcro holding them together. Unfortunately, the best selling point was also Vamp's biggest weakness since it is only designed to work with Iphone 4. What happens to my Vamp when I upgrade to Iphone 5 (or 6,7,8, etc.)?Enter Verza. V-Moda prides itself on unconventional thinking and their process leads to the development of some truly unique and amazing products. Verza is futureproofed thanks to their Metallo cases made for the most popular phones so that you can attached your phone, housed in the Metallo case, directly to Verza with some of the most popular smartphones and, more importantly, phones that haven't even been released yet because you can purchase the matching Metallo, assuming it is made for that phone.Aside from that, Verza addresses nearly all of the shortcomings I discovered using Vamp and is a well designed, well thought-out product. I find that Verza drives my headphones much louder than Vamp despite similar power specs and has authoritative power, particularly the low end. The full range is represented extremely well and it pairs perfectly with both of my headphones. Midrange detail and soundstage are also presented extremely well. In fact, as I listen on the go, I am almost in disbelief at the level of sound quality I can experience portably. It is portable audio nirvana with EVERY genre. Not only does Verza sound amazing, it is the ONLY portable headphone amp I have ever used where I hear ZERO interference, even with incoming calls and wifi.Some other nice enhancements of Verza over Vamp include bass boost which I feel is just right for a single-button boost. It is definitely there without being overpowering or bleeding into the mids. My best guess would be about +5dB boost. There is a nice low-end bump that sounds great with EDM and hip hop. In addition to the onboard DAC for portable use, you can also connect to your PC through USB now in addition to optical. As I am not set up for an optical connection, the USB hookup is a welcome addition. I also love the sleek design of Verza. One big design improvement is the volume knob also turns on the power and it is more recessed yet larger in circumference and ridged compared to Vamp, so it is easier to turn, yet is less prone to bumping or damage. There is also a 3D button which I didn't like for audio, but I believe is intented for movies. Verza is solidly built and survived a cringe-worthy 5-foot drop without a scratch....whew!While battery life always gets me through the day, longer battery life would always be welcome, particularly on days when I am not just using Verza but using it to charge my Iphone.The elephant in the room is that Verza is $600. Determining if it is worth $600 is a personal decision. I am not factoring price into my rating because, for me, I have been using Verza every day since I received it. Verza is simply indispensable for me now if I plan to enjoy music. I have a desktop quality listening experience anywhere with a portable audio system that fits in my pocket. To me that is priceless.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful.V-MODA VAMP VERZA DAC and Headphone Amp Review by Dale (update 25 Apr 2013)
By Dale Thorn
Update: My favorite amp by a mile. Desktop DAC, Apple DACs, excellent amp...Gear used: Desktop and laptop PCs and Macbook Air running Foobar2000 and iTunes; Audioengine D1, Dragonfly, and Microstreamer DACs; PA2V2 and FiiO E17 headphone amps; v-moda M100, ATH ESW11, Beyer DT770LE, and Sennheiser IE800 headphones; various .FLAC and .WAV format music tracks.Review note: I configured my computer settings to play 96 khz music tracks, and made certain that any of the Verza's settings for bass, 3D, etc. were set to default (off). I connected the Verza to the computer as an ordinary USB DAC, so the Verza would process the USB digital output and feed that to its own internal headphone amp. I then connected my headphone to the Verza's headphone out. Since the short USB cable I use with the Verza carries only the unprocessed digital signal, and the output to the headphone uses the cable that comes attached (usually) to the headphone, there are no cable issues per se that could potentially degrade the sound. I set the computer's volume to maximum and then used the Verza's volume control to set the headphone listening volume.Besides using the Verza as a computer USB DAC and headphone amp, it also serves as a USB DAC and headphone amp for late-model Apple i-devices, both 30-pin and Lightning dock types. Since the Verza has its own internal battery, it's not only small and portable, but does not require more than the USB cable that comes with the i-device (iPhone/iPod/iPad) to operate. I found short (6 inch) 30-pin and Lightning USB cables at the Apple store recently, so I use those with the Verza instead of the ~36 inch cables that Apple provides with their i-devices. The Verza is larger than an iPhone 5 - about the same as the larger cell phones from Samsung etc., and about 1/2 inch thick. Using v-moda's 'Metallo' case for Apple and Samsung phones, the Verza can be locked to the Metallo case to effect a single case that can be carried in one hand, yet provide audio quality that's comparable to desktop computers with decent DACs and headphone amps.I don't have access to other i-device DACs such as the Fostex HP-P1 to compare to the Verza, but given that the Verza's sound quality as a computer DAC is at least on a par with the Dragonfly, Audioengine D1, Microstreamer etc., and that its i-device DAC is just about as good** as its computer DAC, I'm betting that the Verza's overall sound quality is at least as good as those other i-device DACs. Adding to that the versatility of use as both computer and i-device DAC, the Verza was my top choice as a universal headphone DAC and amp.**Apple i-devices don't play '.WAV' tracks with the full 96 khz and 24-bit resolution that's available on computers, so the shorter bandwidth when using i-devices with the Verza is a limitation of the i-device, not the Verza.Comparing the Verza as a computer DAC to the 3 mini-DACs noted above, the sound quality was comparable, but with some music tracks the Verza seemed to have a little bit more "air" and spaciousness, and with other tracks it seemed like the advantage shifted the other way. Since all of these amps have linear responses and similar low distortion numbers on a test bench, I can only guess that the small differences I heard were the various headphone outputs reacting to the headphones' input impedances, producing slight differences at different frequencies. As an i-device DAC, the only prior experience I had was with the HRT iStreamer, and the Verza is a big step above that one in sound quality.In spite of the similarities to other DACs I observed in the more-or-less direct comparisons I made, my first impressions of the Verza held up with longer-term listening compared to my long-term experience with the other DACs. Specifically, the Verza seemed to produce less boom in the upper bass, better impact and extension in the lower bass, and less irritation in the highs where sibilants etc. occur than the other amps I have. Some users may hear these as big differences - I hear them as more subtle most of the time, but either way my investment in the Verza seems safe insofar as I didn't find any flaws anywhere in its sound. Using the Verza on 'LO' gain with the headphones noted above, my lowest-volume tracks played fairly loud, and most of my tracks played to ear-blasting levels with no apparent clipping. Hitting pause when a modest-volume track is playing loudly, I don't hear any background noise. It's there when I turn the volume higher, but I'd say the signal-to-noise ratio is quite good.Looking at the Verza from the front, it has a volume control knob (absolutely the only way to go in my opinion!), the headphone jack which doubles as an optical out, a rocker switch to select computer or i-device DAC, and a rocker switch to select syncing, charging, or playback. On the side is a bass boost button and a '3D' button that provides digital signal processing, so that some music tracks which may sound dull or stifled will sound much more spacious and lively with the DSP turned ON. The difference is not subtle, it's dramatic. I could even see a justification for using this to do a crude re-mix of certain tracks if I could re-route the signal to an ADC/recorder. On the back end is the micro-USB port for charging the Verza and connecting it as a computer DAC, a USB-A port for connecting the i-device cables, and the HI/LO gain switch.The Verza's case is anodized aluminum in black or white, and seems very solid and strong. The brushed-metal finish should be good for not showing scratches as long as it isn't seriously abused. There is no standard carry case since there is no common profile for how most users will carry it. I haven't decided on a Metallo case for the iPhone 5 as yet, but I have a leather case I bought from Fossil for $12 that fits the Verza perfectly, so given the vast number of handheld devices in use today, there will be any number of cases available that can provide protection and functionality at the same time. The bottom line: Great sound from 2 DACs and headphone amp, high quality build, very nice aesthetics, small and portable, integration possibilities with Metallo case for single carry - the perfect headphone amp.The following music tracks were my primary test material for this review:Ben Goldberg - Root And Branch (Jazz): Clarinet, percussion, etc. - excellent sonics. The upright bass has great detail but stays mostly in the background. Great test for bass details.Chris Isaak - Wicked Game (pop/rock): Dynamic vocals and lush ambiance with excellent guitar harmonics. Good test for harshness or distortion.Clark Terry - Sugar Blues (jazz): Strong trumpet blasts, especially around 4:20 into the track. Great test for harshness or distortion.Donald Fagen - Morph The Cat (pop/rock): Very strong bass guitar notes with impressive detail. Excellent test for bass detail and impact.Emily Palen - The Inevitability of Water (violin improvisation): Amazing violin dynamics and upper harmonics, especially after 0:50 into the track. This is my number one test for ambiance and "air".Hans Zimmer - Aggressive Expansion/Dark Knight Theme (soundtrack): Very strong percussion followed by very deep "shuddery" bass notes at 0:44 into the track. Excellent test for deep bass response.Hugo Audiophile 15-16 (electronic): Superb guitar tones and deep bass notes at 0:33 into the track. Good test for guitar tone and bass impact.Scarlatti-Kipnis - Sonata in E Major K381 (classical): Bright harpsichord sound. Excellent test for treble accuracy and transient response.Trombone Shorty - Backatown (jazz/funk): Characteristic trombone sounds with very strong yet detailed deep bass. Perfect test for bass detail and impact.William Orbit - Optical Illusion (Billy Buttons Mix) (ethereal/vocal/ambient): Subtle string tones and ambiance. Good track for comparing various amps and headphones to competing models for overall differences.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful.Impressed
By James D. Holbrook
First let me qualify myself. I am an audiophile who has appreciated high quality sound since my 20's. However I'm now in my mid 50's and sad to say that the ears are not what they used to be. I am also a tech lover and gadget collector.I must say that this amp appealed to me on many levels. I appreciated quality and this amp did not disappoint. First thing you notice is the heft and quality feel. Not only from the wonderful finish on the outside but also the solid feel of the switches and knobs.I have not been a big fan of headphones during my life but recent work conditions have me using headphones much more than before. I work overseas and fly many hours each month. I started with a pair of Ultimate ears 5 and a Sansa Clip. I was very impressed with the noise isolation, sound quality and comfort of the Ultimate ears. The Sansa Clip served me well also. So well that when the first one made a trip through the wash, I bought another right away.Recently I purchased the Bose QC15 noise canceling headphones and I must say they have served me well for about the last 6 months. Sound quality leaves a little to be desired but the noise canceling works. Enough back ground.I bought the VAMP Verza when my nephew pointed it out to me. He is a big V-MODA fan with the LP2 headphones. we built a little vacuum tube amp to drive them and he loves them. I wanted something similar for myself and had looked at some headphone amps.When these came available I bought the black/red combo.Upon opening the packing box I could tell by the quality of the packing that this was going to be nice. I was right, quality oozes from this thing. Solid, well made and feels good in your hand. It came with a storage charge in the LiPo so I connected it to my Galaxy S3 and gave a listen. For me the sound was clean and open. The LP2's are heavy on bass to start so the bass enhance button was too much. For me the "3D" button is a little gimmicky and after testing it..never used it again.Again, not being a fan of headphones I didn't have any high end headphones to test it with. I did have a pair of Alienware gaming phones and the BOSE.It drove the Alienwares to perfection. I tried it with my Galaxy and then using it as USB DAC on my laptop. I played some very high quality FLAC and it performed superb.Then came the fly in the ointment.... There is no analog input. My Sansa Clip would not work with it. Sure my phone would but two problems. Battery life on the S3 is not that great. Second.. I am not a fan of touch screen music players. Too much hassle to change songs. That's what I loved about the clip. Small and all button operated. I could change songs, pause etc.. without opening my eyes. Perfect for the plane and the gym. My only choice was to get an iPod Classic. My nephew talked me into getting the M100 headphones to go with it.In summary it's a great unit. Solid, well made and feels like my grandchildren will be using it after I'm gone. Paired with the iPod Classic and the M100's it sounds very good. The M100's are not as bass heavy as the LP2 and the bass enhance mode worked great for when I wanted more bass. I really like the ability to be a USB DAC using my computer or laptop. The sound is very clean.Any drawbacks? No analog input, no V-MODA METALLO case for the iPod Classic, battery will not last through a 17 hour flight.Overall very happy with the VAMP Verza, high quality sound and high coolness factor.
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