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Well if the e7 is only okay for the 80 ohm, maybe ill just stick with the e11.
I know the bass is pretty heavy on them, although thats more of the sound i am going for anyways. Thanks!
Anyone else recommend a good portable amp for around the same price? Or the the general consensus for this price range is the e11?
Well if the e7 is only okay for the 80 ohm, maybe ill just stick with the e11.
I know the bass is pretty heavy on them, although thats more of the sound i am going for anyways. Thanks!
Anyone else recommend a good portable amp for around the same price? Or the the general consensus for this price range is the e11?
I recommended the E11 to you initially because it sounds good and also because it's very 'portable' - one of your original requirements.
It's durable, well made (of metal), and very slim - slips easily into a pocket
But tp my ears, the best sounding amp in the price range is the CMoy 2.03 from JDS Labs.
(I'm not alone in that opinion BTW...)
I recommended the E11 to you initially because it sounds good and also because it's very 'portable' - one of your original requirements.
It's durable, well made (of metal), and very slim - slips easily into a pocket
But tp my ears, the best sounding amp in the price range is the CMoy 2.03 from JDS Labs.
(I'm not alone in that opinion BTW...)
I'd have to agree here. For some reason I never took to any FiiO products (with the notable exception of the E7/E9 combo, but that's $140 more than the CMoyBB).
So i was looking at the v-moda m-80 and they seem decent, anyone have opinions there?
So i was looking at the v-moda m-80 and they seem decent, anyone have opinions there?
I was recently thinking of getting a pair, but read too many reviews criticizing the high end.
There's too little praise for them, it seems, other than for the build quality.
Okay pretty sure i going with v-moda crossfade m-80. Just want to make sure that these are worth their price and if they are a good buy.
Okay pretty sure i going with v-moda crossfade m-80. Just want to make sure that these are worth their price and if they are a good buy.
Great choice. I'm probably going to be getting them soon for portable use too. I assume you are aware that they are supra-aural and not around ear, right? I've been looking forever for portable circumaurals and have come to the conclusion that there is no such thing. Today I saw somebody with Crossfade LPs walking around campus (V-Moda's circumaural headphone), and I love the look of them but I thought that they were a little bit too large to be discreet in public. In fact, I've never seen someone walking around with circumaurals without feeling like they were too large. That's why I've given up the search for circumaurals and have settled on supra-aurals.
The M-80s are highly praised (I have no idea where the post above you is coming from). They are built like tanks, which of course as a college student is very important to me. Most people say they are comfortable, although a note: a lot of people say that initially they may be slightly uncomfortable. You just have to give the M-80s some time to conform to your head and play around with the shape of the headband to get them to be as comfortable as possible (watch Inner Fidelity's review; the headband has an interesting design that allows you to tweak the hell out of it to get it to fit as you want). In terms of sound quality, they are supposed to be very good. Relatively balanced signature with tight bass, much better midrange than the Crossfade LPs, and good highs to round it all out. That's the gist of what I've read about them.
The biggest negative thing about the M-80s seems to be their isolation. It's not that they have poor isolation, it's just that you can do better in the price range. It has to do with the design, which I would consider to be semi-semi-open just because the openings are very slight. To call them fully semi-open I think would be to compare them to headphones which have much greater open elements than they do. Still, the isolation is nothing special on the M-80s. In terms of sound leakage, I actually haven't seen much feedback on that. I personally care about leakage more than isolation, because I don't mind hearing the outside world a bit more for safety reasons.
Overall, the M-80s are considered a top portable choice. Look fantastic, build quality is fantastic, sound quality is very good, comfort is good, no need for amp whatsoever (in fact they are known for actually scaling quite poorly with amps), lightweight and have a much smaller footprint than any circumaurals, and only have a few negatives such as average sound isolation.
Great choice. I'm probably going to be getting them soon for portable use too. I assume you are aware that they are supra-aural and not around ear, right? I've been looking forever for portable circumaurals and have come to the conclusion that there is no such thing. Today I saw somebody with Crossfade LPs walking around campus (V-Moda's circumaural headphone), and I love the look of them but I thought that they were a little bit too large to be discreet in public. In fact, I've never seen someone walking around with circumaurals without feeling like they were too large. That's why I've given up the search for circumaurals and have settled on supra-aurals.
The M-80s are highly praised (I have no idea where the post above you is coming from). They are built like tanks, which of course as a college student is very important to me. Most people say they are comfortable, although a note: a lot of people say that initially they may be slightly uncomfortable. You just have to give the M-80s some time to conform to your head and play around with the shape of the headband to get them to be as comfortable as possible (watch Inner Fidelity's review; the headband has an interesting design that allows you to tweak the hell out of it to get it to fit as you want). In terms of sound quality, they are supposed to be very good. Relatively balanced signature with tight bass, much better midrange than the Crossfade LPs, and good highs to round it all out. That's the gist of what I've read about them.
The biggest negative thing about the M-80s seems to be their isolation. It's not that they have poor isolation, it's just that you can do better in the price range. It has to do with the design, which I would consider to be semi-semi-open just because the openings are very slight. To call them fully semi-open I think would be to compare them to headphones which have much greater open elements than they do. Still, the isolation is nothing special on the M-80s. In terms of sound leakage, I actually haven't seen much feedback on that. I personally care about leakage more than isolation, because I don't mind hearing the outside world a bit more for safety reasons.
Overall, the M-80s are considered a top portable choice. Look fantastic, build quality is fantastic, sound quality is very good, comfort is good, no need for amp whatsoever (in fact they are known for actually scaling quite poorly with amps), lightweight and have a much smaller footprint than any circumaurals, and only have a few negatives such as average sound isolation.
Any reviews in particular?
(Not counting Amazon user reviews....)
The reason I ask is because the reviews I've read indicated that they're a clear second (at least) to the Sennheiser HD25 1 II,
except perhaps aesthetically.
I have a pair of the Senn's , but I'm looking for another quality portable phone of that size and would like to see a strongly
positive review on the V Moda's.
Any reviews in particular?
(Not counting Amazon user reviews....)
The reason I ask is because the reviews I've read indicated that they're a clear second (at least) to the Sennheiser HD25 1 II,
except perhaps aesthetically.
I have a pair of the Senn's , but I'm looking for another quality portable phone of that size and would like to see a strongly
positive review on the V Moda's.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/578207/v-moda-crossfade-m-80-reviews
There are a whole list of reviews from respected members of the head-fi community, pretty much what set me onto my ultimate decision to get them. They are not strongly positive for the m80 like they are not claiming they are the best in show. But that they all pretty much agree on the fact that the m80 can compete with the likes of the beyer dt1350 and senn Hd25 1 II which are the top choices in the portable category , it just depends on your preference in sound sig.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/578207/v-moda-crossfade-m-80-reviews
There are a whole list of reviews from respected members of the head-fi community, pretty much what set me onto my ultimate decision to get them. They are not strongly positive for the m80 like they are not claiming they are the best in show. But that they all pretty much agree on the fact that the m80 can compete with the likes of the beyer dt1350 and senn Hd25 1 II which are the top choices in the portable category , it just depends on your preference in sound sig.
I appreciate you citing the link, and recall reading through that thread a while back.
The thread does create a positive feeling about the headphones.
Still, though, it was a 'presentation' thread which included the active participation
of V Moda's head guy. IME, people tend to be more careful in their use of words
under such circumstances than they would otherwise.
And while there are several PR pieces online that look like reviews, the only actual
review I read was at Inner Fidelity.
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/v-moda-crossfade-m-80-and-v-80-true-blood-headphones-page-2
While in-depth, with much positive language, cutting to the chase at the end one sees:
The bass is very well extended for a headphone of this size, but slightly bloomy...
The midrange has good balance with the bass and treble, and over-all there is a slightly warm tilt.
...Though a tad uneven, they provide a very natural and organically correct sound.
The treble is well proportioned to the whole and delivers good snap without being harsh.
The top octave is slightly reduced, and coupled with the warmish tilt give the headphones a very slightly muffled sound.
While the overall balance of the headphones is quite good, they --- like most headphones of this type --- are slightly confused or congested sounding...
(emphasis added)
So, look - I've got no bone to pick with these phones. I just would like something as good or better than my HD 25 1 II's, and
this review - plus the one another I could find- indicate to me that these aren't it.
But, as always, YMMV
I appreciate you citing the link, and recall reading through that thread a while back.
The thread does create a positive feeling about the headphones.
Still, though, it was a 'presentation' thread which included the active participation
of V Moda's head guy. IME, people tend to be more careful in their use of words
under such circumstances than they would otherwise.
On principal in this day and age i would generally agree with you. But these were not your average members giving reviews , these were some of the most respected people on head-fi doing the reviews one of them being Jude. I think its safe to say that these reviews can be taken with great accuracy. I personally believe that if they started lying to appease one industry holder, it would hurt the site more than if they just told the truth. This site is run based off the idea that community members can trust the reviews of the people on this site, especially those who have as much experience in the audiophile world as some of them do. Once you start lying and losing this trust is when you lose traffic and which really is against the whole goal of what Head-fi is. So i think that the reviews can be taken into account with great accuracy. That being said i can see why you are skeptical. But i have yet to see one poor review of the m80s, they may not glow, but almost everyone can agree that this was a surprise in the headphone world but these phones compete well with those in its class.
This includes the hd25s.
They both have their strong and weak points but it all comes down to, like i said before, preference and what you prefer in sound. While you stated some poor attributes of the m80s, some people say the hd25s have too bright of highs, for you they may be just right, but for others too much, same goes with the m80 and their slightly warmer and laid back style. Plus the m80s are so multi dimensional and good for all different kinds of music.
Preference is everything in a headphone.
But im not doing this to show you up or anything in anyway, just saying that if you want to try a new portable you'll be hard pressed to find something tons better than the the m80s, many say they are a good compliment to the hd25s, and at their price its hard to beat.
But hey if you want other options i came across other cans on my search for a good portable as well that you may want to look into.
These include:
B&W P5
Beyer dt1350
phiaton ms400
And if you dont mind lugging around a bigger headphone- ath-m50
Incase i mention something you have yet to look into.
Best Luck in your search, hopefully mine is over.
I appreciate you citing the link, and recall reading through that thread a while back.
The thread does create a positive feeling about the headphones.
Still, though, it was a 'presentation' thread which included the active participation
of V Moda's head guy. IME, people tend to be more careful in their use of words
under such circumstances than they would otherwise.
And while there are several PR pieces online that look like reviews, the only actual
review I read was at Inner Fidelity.
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/v-moda-crossfade-m-80-and-v-80-true-blood-headphones-page-2
While in-depth, with much positive language, cutting to the chase at the end one sees:
The bass is very well extended for a headphone of this size, but slightly bloomy...
The midrange has good balance with the bass and treble, and over-all there is a slightly warm tilt.
...Though a tad uneven, they provide a very natural and organically correct sound.
The treble is well proportioned to the whole and delivers good snap without being harsh.
The top octave is slightly reduced, and coupled with the warmish tilt give the headphones a very slightly muffled sound.
While the overall balance of the headphones is quite good, they --- like most headphones of this type --- are slightly confused or congested sounding...
(emphasis added)
So, look - I've got no bone to pick with these phones. I just would like something as good or better than my HD 25 1 II's, and
this review - plus the one another I could find- indicate to me that these aren't it.
But, as always, YMMV
On principal in this day and age i would generally agree with you. But these were not your average members giving reviews , these were some of the most respected people on head-fi doing the reviews one of them being Jude. I think its safe to say that these reviews can be taken with great accuracy. I personally believe that if they started lying to appease one industry holder, it would hurt the site more than if they just told the truth. This site is run based off the idea that community members can trust the reviews of the people on this site, especially those who have as much experience in the audiophile world as some of them do. Once you start lying and losing this trust is when you lose traffic and which really is against the whole goal of what Head-fi is. So i think that the reviews can be taken into account with great accuracy. That being said i can see why you are skeptical. But i have yet to see one poor review of the m80s, they may not glow, but almost everyone can agree that this was a surprise in the headphone world but these phones compete well with those in its class.
This includes the hd25s.
They both have their strong and weak points but it all comes down to, like i said before, preference and what you prefer in sound. While you stated some poor attributes of the m80s, some people say the hd25s have too bright of highs, for you they may be just right, but for others too much, same goes with the m80 and their slightly warmer and laid back style. Plus the m80s are so multi dimensional and good for all different kinds of music.
Preference is everything in a headphone.
But im not doing this to show you up or anything in anyway, just saying that if you want to try a new portable you'll be hard pressed to find something tons better than the the m80s, many say they are a good compliment to the hd25s, and at their price its hard to beat.
But hey if you want other options i came across other cans on my search for a good portable as well that you may want to look into.
These include:
B&W P5
Beyer dt1350
phiaton ms400
And if you dont mind lugging around a bigger headphone- ath-m50
Incase i mention something you have yet to look into.
Best Luck in your search, hopefully mine is over.
Evidently I wasn't clear enough in my post, or you misunderstood me.
Or both.
When I wrote "IME, people tend to be more careful in their use of words
under such circumstances than they would otherwise.", I was speaking only of simple diplomacy
and manners - nothing more.
You guys have to remember that there is more to it than sound quality.
Sure, if your only concern is sound quality and you already have comparable staples of the portable world like the HD25s or DT1350s and you really like their sound signature, there probably isn't much reason to get the M80s. There isn't enough difference in sound quality among these phones to warrant having 2 of them.
But if you don't already have portables in that range, your decision will come down to so much more than just sound quality. V-Modas obviously hit a section of the market that HD25s and DT1350s simply don't: the more mainstream market. You can actually find a mainstream-tier number of reviews on Amazon for V-Modas, while you can't do that with HD25s or DT1350s. V-Modas definitely are not close to Beats in terms of how mainstream they are, but it's one of the closes up-and-coming brands to that level that is actually respected by the enthusiast community. Considering that, so many people will choose V-Modas for build quality, looks, and things like customization. Not that HD25s or DT1350s don't have good build quality or good looks (depending on the person), it's just that the V-Modas offer an overall package that is definitely unique. A person just jumping into this game will factor in things like the extra cables, the exoskeleton case, the comfort, and so much more when making a decision.
So sure, perhaps the M80s are "nothing to see here; moving on" headphones if you already have comparable portables and your only concern is sound quality, but to others they have a significant overall appeal.
