Audeze MM-100
Sep 21, 2023 at 2:52 PM Post #1,141 of 1,466
(1) Some cans made it through QC with a wiring problem on the left side connector that causes L and R audio channels to be reversed. Audeze have not been willing to admit to this in their posts here, claiming it's caused by user error. Are you able to look into this and give us the real story on the reversed channels?
We have seen 2 units so far with this issue of the units shipped. We have added additional QC steps to prevent this in future since the issue was caused by a misunderstanding of the assembly procedure.
(2) Chris B. told us at the NAMM show earlier this year that the MM-100 would be fitted with leather earpads. We've since learned that the actual pads are fake leather imported from the Far East. Am I wrong in thinking that ordering real leather pads from the Far East wouldn't be that much more costly and shouldn't have influenced the listed price much? So why not go with leather as first announced?
The issue is not between real leather vs fake leather here. When we did measurements and tests, the gel-filled Earpads provided more consistent response and better comfort. The gel-filled pads are actually more expensive than leather Earpads. So we made a decision to go with these newer pads because they actually perform better. Cost was not a consideration here.

(3) The missing Audeze 3.5mm adapter. The MM-100 has low impedance and should work fine with laptops, smartphones etc. Music production folks, gamers, video editors and others need that from time to time. I'm sure users would gladly pay a bit more for an Audeze quality adapter, so why decide against including it? The marketing department apparently also thought it would be included.
We had an issue with the adapter supplier. The choice was to stop MM100 shipments or remove this part and continue these. We spoke to several customers and they were willing to forgo the adapter and having us not delay these. So we decided to remove them. But for people who bought them before the announcement, we honored it. We plan to revisit this once we get the supply issue resolved. Again, this has nothing to do with cost cutting etc.
 
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Sep 21, 2023 at 3:20 PM Post #1,142 of 1,466
We have seen 2 units so far with this issue of the units shipped. We have added additional QC steps to prevent this in future since the issue was caused by a misunderstanding of the assembly procedure.

The issue is not between real leather vs fake leather here. When we did measurements and tests, the gel-filled Earpads provided more consistent response and better comfort. The gel-filled pads are actually more expensive than leather Earpads. So we made a decision to go with these newer pads because they actually perform better. Cost was not a consideration here.


We had an issue with the adapter supplier. The choice was to stop MM100 shipments or remove this part and continue these. We spoke to several customers and they were willing to forgo the adapter and having us not delay these. So we decided to remove them. But for people who bought them before the announcement, we honored it. We plan to revisit this once we get the supply issue resolved. Again, this has nothing to do with cost cutting etc.
Thank you Sankar for clarifying! I can confirm last point, as I emailed audeze customer support and they are sending out the adapter since i preorder these before announcement!
 
Sep 21, 2023 at 8:26 PM Post #1,143 of 1,466
TLDR;
Cons: The tuning is so damn weird, they're the antithesis of neutral audio engineering gear. Picky with the kind of music played through them.
Pros: Dynamics when you feed them power, that planar magnetic resolution.


If there was one sentence I would use to describe the MM-100 it's that they have their own reality distortion field. The best example I've found of this that is quickly reproducable are the rim hits in the opening seconds of Love Came Here. With an LCD 3, this is a sound that is somewhat in the background to my right, and with the MM-100 they are almost up against centre but what really throws me off is that it gives me the impression that the pitch is actually lower - or at least that this rim shot sound has more emphasised lower frequencies than it should have. The MM-100 is so strange that even my HD 6XX has more in common with the LCD 3 than the LCD 3 has with the MM-100. This is definitely a tuning speciific to Mr Manny M, as the LCD 2, Mobius and Sine are also more in alignment with the LCD 3 and the classic Audeze house sound. I haven't heard the MM-500 or the LCD 5, so can't comment on them.

@squibble's measurements seem to corroborate my experience. The MM-100s will tell you in no uncertain terms that they are mids HEAVY and that chunk dug out of the presence region makes the soundstage sound both closed in and contradictorily also spread out more due to parts of treble getting psychoacoustic emphasis. I'd say this was to counter the classic closed in Audeze sound.k It's done in such a way that it still suits modern synth saturated music but play enough music that you know well with real life instruments playing (or not) and the deviation is stark. Bhaskara's Wheel is a well recorded modern jazz track that I've used forever as a reference for natural cymbal hits and tambourines - the MM-100s make them sound artificial. Bubbles sounded so wrong compared to the other headphones and my stereo rig. Epic trance/future rave tracks like Satisfaction lose their epic scale.

In fairness, the clarity and resolving ability is befitting of what you expect from planar magnetic drivers. And when the song isn't messed up by the weird tuning, this is clearly demonstrated in vocals. What Was I Made For? has an apt focus on Billie Eilish's breathy voice, bringing out the subtle details and clearly separating each part of the mix. And if you continue to listen to the MM-100s it is possible to adjust to the sound and forget about everything that you know about how things should sound. It is possible to be immersed in this sound with the right songs and a bit of a lucky streak.

I think of this as a headphone editorial, tuned to subjective preferences, which is perfectly fine in its own right. What rubs me the wrong way about this is that they are marketed as a professional studio/mixing headphone. I shudder to think of the resulting tracks produced on them.

Will I keep them? I don't seem to be able to get rid of any of my Audeze gear, being the constrained fanboy that I am, so they'll stay. But I really doubt that I will listen to them all that much, being an audiophile first audiophile.

Would I recommend them to my friends? Nope.

edit: PS. Probably a huge deal breaker for people who haven't pre-ordered and are looking to get these. There are only 3 adjustments for the head-band. I'm lucky to have my big head fit the loosest setting.
Honestly IMO, if you spent $400 plus tax(or more if you're overseas) but aren't going to use them much; it's better to return them. Sounds like they really aren't your cup of tea.
 
Sep 21, 2023 at 9:41 PM Post #1,144 of 1,466
We have seen 2 units so far with this issue of the units shipped. We have added additional QC steps to prevent this in future since the issue was caused by a misunderstanding of the assembly procedure.

The issue is not between real leather vs fake leather here. When we did measurements and tests, the gel-filled Earpads provided more consistent response and better comfort. The gel-filled pads are actually more expensive than leather Earpads. So we made a decision to go with these newer pads because they actually perform better. Cost was not a consideration here.


We had an issue with the adapter supplier. The choice was to stop MM100 shipments or remove this part and continue these. We spoke to several customers and they were willing to forgo the adapter and having us not delay these. So we decided to remove them. But for people who bought them before the announcement, we honored it. We plan to revisit this once we get the supply issue resolved. Again, this has nothing to do with cost cutting etc.

Wait, before what announcement? I pre-ordered. I also expected to get that adapter, will I? 🙏🏼☺️

Was it included in the replacement sent to me? Mine was one of the two units with the weird channel swap.

It’s a pretty adapter. 🤠
 
Sep 22, 2023 at 1:20 AM Post #1,145 of 1,466
Wait, before what announcement? I pre-ordered. I also expected to get that adapter, will I? 🙏🏼☺️

Was it included in the replacement sent to me? Mine was one of the two units with the weird channel swap.

It’s a pretty adapter. 🤠
email support and they will be able to help sort it out..
 
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Sep 22, 2023 at 4:07 AM Post #1,146 of 1,466
@xsankar

Hi Sankar, and thank you for coming on here with new information on issues with some MM-100 delivered so far. Much appreciated!

(1) On the reverse wiring: Only two faulty cans have come back to you from the first run, you say. A US dealer posted here on Monday that no dealer had received the MM-100 yet. Does this mean that more faulty cans from the August run could still turn up? The assembly error has now been corrected and QC improved, you say, I hope all phones from your announced October run will now work correctly? Our local distributor here in Norway expect to receive their first shipment around Oct. 6 - will these be from the first run?

(2) On the earcups: Manny M. has talked about heat and sweat problems when using headphones in long mixing and editing sessions, and music production folks have struggled with this. This is one of the reasons many of us avoid synthetic 'leather' pads and prefer real leather - like the MM-500 and LCD 5 pads. Another reason is that leather will last longer under heavy professional use. When you say there's better comfort with the new synthetic pads, does this include less of a heat problem?
New owners have spoken about a heat problem with the synthetic pads still - despite the gel filled top layer? If real leather pads are cheaper than the new MM-100 pads I'm sure many would prefer that. Would you consider offering leather replacement pads for the MM-100 as an accessory at a later point?

(3) On the adapter: When you say: "We plan to revisit this ...", does that mean an Audeze quality adapter will again be included with the MM-100 once you get the supply issue sorted?
 
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Sep 22, 2023 at 7:37 AM Post #1,147 of 1,466
We have added additional QC steps to prevent this in future since the issue was caused by a misunderstanding of the assembly procedure.

The issue is not between real leather vs fake leather here. When we did measurements and tests, the gel-filled Earpads provided more consistent response and better comfort.

We had an issue with the adapter supplier.

Seriously ?

Don't want to be banned (again), so I will refrain from commenting.

HiFiman, please take my money :L3000:
 
Sep 22, 2023 at 8:10 AM Post #1,148 of 1,466
Seriously ?

You're getting answers directly from the CEO of the company. The amount of transparency we've been afforded on this thread is already bananas. They've gone way beyond what most hardware manufacturers would say publicly about internal decisions and issues with an early production run of a brand new product.

You're allowed to not like those answers of course, but you're afraid of being BANNED due to these answers? Jeeze lol
 
Sep 22, 2023 at 8:18 AM Post #1,149 of 1,466
You're allowed to not like those answers of course,
Thank you.

The rest, I will ignore, cos you clearly did not understand what I wrote.
 
Sep 22, 2023 at 11:08 AM Post #1,150 of 1,466
I think you're saying you don't buy the excuses and will probably get banned if you get express that. I get the frustration. Looks like this may be common with headphones announced, but with hiccups in the initial release. Meze had this issue before everyone forgave them because the headphones(Empryean) turned out great in the end. I'm probably going to wait for the third run of these myself. Sometimes it's best to wait. If there are still hiccups after Jan. 2024, then...
 
Sep 22, 2023 at 2:09 PM Post #1,151 of 1,466
I paid $399 for the LCD-1, and these are built far better at the same price -- I'm not tripping on any of the issues personally, but of course I'm hoping they have sorted it out. It looks like my replacement MM-100 (mine were wired incorrectly) arrive tomorrow, although I may not get them before I drive off to Colorado, but I'm confident it's been addressed satisfactorily.
 
Sep 22, 2023 at 3:24 PM Post #1,152 of 1,466
I paid $399 for the LCD-1, and these are built far better at the same price -- I'm not tripping on any of the issues personally, but of course I'm hoping they have sorted it out. It looks like my replacement MM-100 (mine were wired incorrectly) arrive tomorrow, although I may not get them before I drive off to Colorado, but I'm confident it's been addressed satisfactorily.
YMMV on this - I had LCD-1's that developed a hairline crack and they had to be RMA'd. I don't believe a small amount of headphones being wired incorrectly from what we've seen is the biggest deal for build quality as that is a QC issue, and multiple people have gotten delivered headphones from the 1st shipment that did not have this issue. Build quality they seem very similar, and much better than anything from hifiman.
 
Sep 22, 2023 at 3:39 PM Post #1,153 of 1,466
YMMV on this - I had LCD-1's that developed a hairline crack and they had to be RMA'd. I don't believe a small amount of headphones being wired incorrectly from what we've seen is the biggest deal for build quality as that is a QC issue, and multiple people have gotten delivered headphones from the 1st shipment that did not have this issue. Build quality they seem very similar, and much better than anything from hifiman.
To clarify, “these are built far better,” the “these” are the MM-100, and it’s not even close. 😅

I have zero issues with the build quality of the MM-100, I am saying the wrong wiring is a minor issue (and not a build issue at all but a QC issue as you pointed out) and they took care of me, and while my LCD-1 are still intact, I’ve seen the horror stories online and just objectively I can tell the LCD-1 are more fragile.
 
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Sep 22, 2023 at 4:23 PM Post #1,154 of 1,466
Anybody else experienced problems accessing info on MM-100 ?

a1.jpg


Clicking "Learn More" results in:

a2.jpg


Perhaps, there is another link ?
 
Sep 22, 2023 at 4:49 PM Post #1,155 of 1,466
Anybody else experienced problems accessing info on MM-100 ?

a1.jpg

Clicking "Learn More" results in:

a2.jpg

Perhaps, there is another link ?

Seems to be working for me
 

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