Last Year, V-Moda made a specially designed headphone amp/DAC case for the iPhone. It was awesome, but way too expensive for what it did. V-Moda's new Vamp Verza is an infinitely more flexible product you can use with iPhones and Android phones and even your computer—but it might fall flat for exactly the same reason…

New gadgets take the spotlight at CES. And though we're occasionally blinded by the bright, shiny things, we know where our loyalties lie. Behind the barrage of posts and sprinting between booths, the real stars of the show are the tried and true bits of gear we're using behind the scenes. Particularly that from

While all great headphones have personality, V-Moda's new Crossfade M-100s are a rare breed. You're either going to fall in love with their distinctive sound and roughneck build—or you'll think they're egregiously over the top.

The new V-Moda Vamp seems like an obvious combination iPhone accessory: An iPhone case with a built-in digital-to-analog converter (DAC) and amplifier that will improve the audio quality of your music. But nothing's ever too good to be true.

College. Ugh. Nonstop, privileged toil. Growing up is sooooo hard. Days without sleep, binge-drinking, experimenting with bodies—it's a miracle that anyone learns anything. These gifts won't print a diploma, but they will help your student earn one.

While I don't generally recommend wearing a set of DJ headphones while assaulting Nazi-held beachheads, knowing that these limited-edition over-ear cans could quite likely survive being run over by a tank is oddly reassuring.

V-Moda says they liked our cheap headphones expose so much, they'll give you up to $35 toward a set of V-Moda buds if you trade in your old, crappy pair. Pretty awesome, if done well. Details here: [V-Moda]

The Crossfade LP is V-Moda's first over-the-ear headphones, branching out from their traditional in-ear headsets they've been known for. V-Moda says, at $250, they're competing with headphones like Dre's Monster noise-cancellation set—so that's what we compared it to.

We may not all agree about V-Moda products' quality, but most of us will admit that there's something appealing about their funky designs. So for those who love the brand, there's good news: V-Moda has finally started making over-the-ear headphones.

V-MODA's made some rather nice in-ear headphones with a pretty reasonable $99 price tag. They're shiny, slender, durable, and capable of controlling your iPod, iPhone, or MacBook with those three little buttons.