V-MODA Crossfade M-80

I wrote this review in a forum post but I will copy paste it for you guys.
 
I'm still a pretty new "audiophile" but I've been a musician for all my life so I will try and do an "ok" review. I'm actually studying electrical engineering and economics in college to hopefully go into the musician/audiophile gear business for myself. Anyways here is some newbie reviewage for you guys


I've had my M-80's for about 3 weeks now, they're so amazing. They still get a little uncomfortable after a few hours but Im tweaking the headband to become more and more comfortable. I am really sensitive to this though because I have migraine issues that stem from muscles in my face(head)/shoulders/neck, I usually can't stand glasses for too long because of this. I also want to add if you wear glasses with these you may need to readjust to get some pressure off the glasses arms and to get a better seal. This happens to me with my sunglasses ever so slightly, but if I wear my normal  glasses instead of my sunglasses I don't seem to notice any extra pressure or lessining of the seal.


They have the best build quality I've ever seen, come with some great accessories, I got these when he was giving away free faders, shields and audio only cable. (not sure if he's still doing this). The faders are great, except they're pink so I may not wear them to an animals as leaders concert or something =P.  Right now I have 1 red shield and 1 original black brushed shield on my m-80, both look great but I sort of wish I could get a brushed red shield.

 
I use the audio only cable the most but on the go I use the iphone cable since I have an iphone. The iphone cable is a little stiff however, the audio only cable is more plyable but longer so it may not be as good for travel. Overall great cables, of course better than the custom 3's that I have...and that broke... haha. In the future I may buy a red audio only cable or some other custom cable just to give some more options and looks.


SQ is very good, to my ears it seems pretty flat (which I love). My basshead friend wanted a little more bass out of them but I found they had more than enough bass for me, bass extension is very good too. The bass is also punchy and not bloated in the slightest.


Mids are smooth, flat and crisp. Not much to say other than I love the mids and I don't think I'd change them at all.


Highs are present, not recessed like I saw maybe 1 or 2 people say.

Treble is a little more warm than some other headphones I have but I don't have a problem with that at all. The only thing I could really ask is possibly a little more definition and sound stage but both are fairly good, I would say the soundstage is bigger than my custom 3's but some instruments aren't as defined sometimes.
 

Isolation isn't bose q3 level or in ear level but they work well. While walking around and listening to music I can still hear car noise and wind noise but it is very windy in orlando and I notice wind noise with iems in too. Voices are basically gone when listening. Sidenote: I don't listen to my headphones very loud, about halfway on my iphone. Some may hate the isolation not being dead quiet but I like to be aware of my surroundings especially since cars like to try and hit you around campus so I am giving isolation a 5/5 on the Joe scale of meaningless numbers ratings I only use once.


None of the cables have any microphonics and I haven't had time to test the mic on the iphone cable, some complained about the mic getting microphonics but they include a clip for the cable now.

 
I haven't had much time with headphones past this pricepoint so I can't tell you how they compare to anything more expensive but I can say I prefer these to beats, bose q3's and senn hd 555's, all of which friends own but they let me testdrive. Sidenote: I didn't notice much of a different from break in but I didn't take many notes around this time

 
For reference, I listened to a huge assortment of Dream Theater, Steve Vai, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Blues Bros, Paul Gilbert, Soundtracks (LOTR, Inception, hyrule symphony), Guthrie Govan, Animals as Leaders, Victor Smolski, Victor Wooten, Super Bass (the group not the song), Marcus Miller, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker and some hip hop and pop songs I had friends send me. (Can you tell I like raw guitar and bass? haha)


I mainly listen through my ipad or iphone with either high bitrate music or, if I can, apple lossless files. I have a biosciencegeek cmoy and I noticed the bass comes out a little more but seems to be slightly bloated with the cmoy; however, the amp is tailored to my custom 3's so don't think amping these are "bad." I don't think they need amping though. On my desktop I have tested with my audio card and also my m-audio recording interface as a DAC. I think the m-audio makes things a little clearer but nothing too noticeable. I can't really comment on how these sound with expensive DAC/Amps but I wanted to mention my small findings.
 

Lastly, the looks... if natalie portman was a headphone, the m-80's would be it (or her, whichever way you look at it). These things are classy and wild at the same time, very expressive too if you get some custom shields. The carrying case is a work of art in itself as well, it almost reminds me of a romanticised H.R. Giger piece. Also like I said before the build quality is very very good which only adds to the sexiness of the phone. I hate when headphones have that fingerprinty hard plastic nonsense. I'm more of a metalhead myself (pun intended)
 

Overall I am very very impressed and feel like a more complete person just owning a pair haha. The main drawback to these is if you are like me and just starting out in the audiophile world it will make you lust for more; however, every time you look or listen to these you will remind yourself you don't need anything better... well until you are out of school and a rich audio-whore.


I can't wait to check out the m-100 once they're released (and once I have some damn money, college makes me poor haha). Who knows maybe V-moda will give a few test pairs out to some lucky folks here on head-fi and maybe I'll be one!


I hope you guys enjoyed my quaint review, I may have some mistakes or poor grammar here or there but I have a slight migraine and just realized it is 3am so I should probably be asleep. I seemed to have lost track of time listening to my headphones!
 
Little update: I used the mic and with my iphone and it works great, my friend could hear me fine and there wasn't too much excess noise she said. I wasn't even wearing the shirt clip!

When I received my M-80, the first thing I noticed was the premium packaging. Build quality is really great, these headphones have really a premium feel. Also the case is unique. 2 cables are included, one with only mic (compatible with most phones and players) and one for apple products. The cables are a bit stiff, I don't know if they will become more flexible with usage.
After 24 hours of burnin, here are my considerations about sound. Currently I own also sennheiser IE8 so I will do a little comparison.
Differences between IE8 and M-80 sound signature are not too big. Both have a warm sound signature. M-80 has deeper, more controlled and more detailed bass. M-80 bass is more real and doesn't sound as "close" (like being in a cavity) as IE8. M-80 mids are wonderful and really smooth and don't have that veiled sound caused by mid bass peak as the IE8.  M-80 mids detail > IE8 mids detail.
Highs are normal, not harsh, not sibilant at all. They are similar to IE8 ones with a bit less detail.
Sound stage is obviously bigger than IE8 as it's a headphone.
In conclusion, it's a great headphone for the price. I think it sounds better than IE8 over all, so I'll use it as my main headphone and IE8 when I need ultra-portability. What I like most is that it sounds really lifelike, not artificial and I can't stop listening to it.

[size=small]After much research, I decided to purchase new headphones. I had been looking for good headphones for about 6 months, until I finally decided to purchase the V-Moda Crossfade M-80s. At first I was more inclined to in-ear headphones, particularly Klipsch S4s or Bose IE2. Then, I started law school and saw several classmates wearing Beats Solo and Beats Studios, apart from all the kids on the street. I started researching on which headphones I should get since I mostly listen to Rock and Jazz music. I was amazed about all the info I found. I started freaking out when I saw headphones on the 500$ area and I started to determine a budget. On or around $150.00 was the sweet spot. I was going to wait until Black Friday to see if I could get the Beats Solo, but after reading several reviews I started realizing what everyone was saying. Beats Solos are for bass enthusiasts, which is not bad, but I particularly wanted a rounder more sophisticated sound that didn't overwhelm the guitars on my rock tracks. I also wanted something that would make the mids sound good on my jazz tracks. I wanted something to help me study, not give me a headache.[/size][size=small][/size]
[size=small][/size]
[size=small]I'm kind of new to the whole audiophile experience, so don't be quick to judge. I first came across V-Modas while window shopping at the mall. They were displayed at the Microsoft Store right next to the Beats. The price, of course, was the MSRP. So I went home and researched more to see what they were about. I logged into review sites like CNET, Engadget, etc. It wasn't until I reached Head-Fi.org that I was convinced.[/size][size=small][/size]
[size=small][/size]
[size=small]The reviews there were very helpful, describing the aspects that I was particularly interested in. I also liked the comments posted by the CEO of V-Moda, Van Kolton. Finally, I decided to read the reviews here. I must say, I was debating between buying the Crossfade LPs, LP2 or the M-80. Black Friday weekend came around and the LPs dropped to an unbelievable 80$. However, I wasn't sure if I wanted so much bass in my headphones. After much debating and looking at my wallet and my needs, I decided to get the M-80s.[/size][size=small][/size]
[size=small][/size]
[size=small]When I got them in the mail, first thing I did was open them and plug 'em to my phone (Samsung Galaxy S2). I have a couple of songs in there, especially a couple of albums on FLAC. I am amazed. My 30$ Skullcandy headphones are worth nothing to me right now. I am hearing things I've never heard before with these headphones. The sound is more sophisticated. A rounder bass that doesn't overpowers the rest of the instruments. But sound isn't everything. These things are very well made. They look much stronger than my dad's Bose QC3, and I paid half of that here in Amazon. The headphones are also a visual wonder. They loko very stylish. The case is very sturdy too. You can toss it around and put stuff on top of it (books), without having to worry that the heaphones could get squished. One thing that particularly called my attention was the warranty that V-Moda is offering on these babies.[/size][size=small][/size]
[size=small][/size]
[size=small]I also recommend that you buy them directly from Amazon or V-Moda and not a reseller/ebay. Apparently there are a lot of fakes out there and V-Moda won't honor the warranty. You should check out V-Moda's website for more details about this. If you have any questions, drop me a reply so I can elaborate on the matter. I must confess I still haven't burnt them in. Hopefully I'll get more out of them in a couple of days.[/size][size=small][/size]
[size=small][/size]
[size=small]Edit: Can anyone point me in the direction of a decent portable AMP? Something in the $50-$100 area?[/size]

These sound really great for the price. What I liked most is the bass: deep and controlled, not bloated. Mids are fantastic, Highs are ok, not sibilant at all.

Let me start off by saying these are the first "audiophile" cans I've ever purchased. Before then, it's always been Philips or Sony store bought for under $100. I did my research and decided on the M-80s. I listen to electronic music such as Ephixa, classic rock from Ozzy to ELO, metal such as Slipknot/Volbeat/SOAD, and progressive rock like Karnivool/Tool/Dropshard/APC.
I've owned this pair for about 4 years now, and have been impressed since day one. The sound quality was great out of the box, but after leaving them on overnight...they just sounded amazing. The bass is tight. Not overpowering, but definitely there. Mids are an absolute enjoyment, especially with some "expert" EQ tuning . Highs...while they don't blow you away with presence, they don't disappoint either. Crisp is the only word I can think of. No hissing or sharpness, it's really quite nice. The separation of the different ranges is nice as well. I LOVE bass. I run Poweramp on a Galaxy S5 Active, with the Creative Sound Blaster E1 as a USB DAC/AMP. I can crank the bass to its limit and it feels like I have two 12" subs strapped to my head, yet the high and midrange stay crystal clear.
Great soundstage as well, tho not as wide as I would like...not bad enough to really complain tho.
 
As for build quality, V-Moda has truly outdone themselves. The headband is very durable, withstanding years of abuse without weakening. I can still to this day bend it into a corkscrew, make it flat, all while popping right back to its original position and holding comfortably onto my head lol. The ear pads are nice and cozy, but the band cushion could have used more attention. At first, it feels great. After a few hours however, it starts to get achy and I have to reposition it. That being said, I tend to be fairly tender headed, so...please, give them a try for yourself! I truly believe they are worth every penny.
 
Hope this isn't bad for my first revue, I'm sure I'll be able to provide more insightful revues after I experience more

These headphones are good! They are exactly what I was searching for.
Only one thing: the cables are a bit stiff and uncomfortable. I'd pay for sennheiser IE8 like cables!

Got M-80 and becomes my every day headphone since early this year.
 
I don't like the stock cable with phone control buttons so I make a custom OFC cable, sound is a little bit improved and become smooth.
 
Most of the time I am playing 40% pop, 30% jazz and 30% classical, not so many dance music.
 
Today I brought an album "Random Access Memories" by Daft Punk, this is the number one album recently on many charts.  I know why, the sound is so rich and dynamics with M-80 , make me rock with music, and I never think M-80 can deliver this level of sound at its compact size.
 
Highly recommend M-80, it is all rounder everyone knows, it even works on electronics dance music!

Great headphones! Of course everybody can have own comfort/audio/sound preferences (and expectations) - but with its quality, sound, design and included hard case - one of the best deals on market. But the most important thing: can be "upgradable". Maybe factory cable is "military" but it sounds like (old military) telephone. I'm using Oyaide HPC headphones cable and Acoustic Revive QR-8 Quartz Resonators inside. Effect? Deep and fast bass but with much better control, more "air", sweeter treble, more realistic mid-range.  Sound kicked on the another level - still with almost perfectly build headphones.

Nothing more to say. I am not an audiophile, but I wanted to be a part of the community. So, I started with getting the M-80, and boy am I happy I did. It looks extremely good, the packaging was perfect, the sound is outstanding, the build quality is fantastic, and it is comfortable at the same time. I was surprised at how compact it is due to it's excellent case design. The #1 reason I got these is because of it being the first in on-ear headphones on head-fi. I found this website almost 3-4 weeks ago, and I am happy that there is such a community. Anyways back to the headphones, these are exactly what you would expect to get from paying $160. All in all, if you have the money go buy it right now you will be amazed.

What Can I say anymore about this amazing headphones? Purely wonderful.
Everyone know it is as good as Beyerdynamic DT1350... Need not to say anymore thing.

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11
THESE CANS ROCK.
THEY CAN OUT POWER ANY HEADPHONES.MADE.
EXEPT THERE BIG BROTHER M100.BECAUSE OF THE BASS. THEY CAN REPRODUCE.(M100).
M80 ARE SMALL OVER THE EAR HEADPHONES.TAT SOUND WAY BETTER THAN OTHER OVERTHE EAR HEADPHONES.
CLEAR MIDRANGE. BETTER BASS.

Considering that I am a 14 year old with a taste for quality sound and music, I was overjoyed to see the V-MODA M-80 on eBay for $96 AUD... There was one person bidding and I won the last bid so adding to my collection, yet another headphone (I also have the Sennheiser IE8, Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro, ATH-M50, Grado RS1i).
 
Loving the design, I also love the look and feel (Light yet Solid)
The sound signature to my untrained ears is beautiful 
Highs are somewhat recessed for me (Now, you look at the RS1i and compare it to THAT)
 
But great headphones overall... Can't wait to walk around in these as soon as the new term starts
 
 
 

I love the sound. I love the sound. I love the sound.
I can listen to anything on these headphones and they sound clear, never fatiguing, and never anoying. The bass is there and it is just enough. I'm very happy when I hook it up to spotify with high quality. I'm waiting on the E17 to see how I can adjust the make the bass a little heavier and the treble a touch more extended. I'm very happy though-and I still have to burn them in. Can't wait for the E17 to come in the mail. 
 
 
 

V-MODA has never disappointed me now that I finally had the chance to try these.
 
Value: You can't go wrong with them being $156 on amazon I'd be willing to pay more for these.
 
Audio Quality: Very detailed sound. Clear mids along with a deep bass is what got my attention, these headphones are everything V-Moda described them to be they also offer a fun sound signature.
 
Design: Great looking.
 
Comfort: Kind of uncomfortable for me it might just be because I have a big head.
 
Noise Isolation: Block out a good amount of noise with passive isolation.
 
Durability: Built like a tank.

I'm not an audiophile at all, but I've poked around here some for purchasing decisions. I upgraded to these from a pair of SOL-Republics, that I thought were awesome. But comparing the two I found the M-80 to be "Brighter"? if that means anything. The SOL Republics sounded a little weak in the mid-range, to me.
 
It took me awhile to appreciate the sound of the M-80's. After comparing these to my SOLS listening primarily to old school R&B, (Bobby Womack, Al Green, etc) I came to favor the M-80's over my SOL's and put them on eBay. They are more comfortable, and I like the single cord. It's a wash on compact storage. I would love if they swiveled for storage like the B&W P5's.
 
Overall I'm very pleased

 consider these headphones in the same class and price range as the HD 25 ii. The packaging, hard case, high quality 1/4" adaptor, 2x Kevlar covered Cables, and headphones are all top-notch and appear very durable befitting their mil-spec rating. I have ~50 hours on them and they are still sounding better with use. I'm guessing that they will pretty much peak within the next 25-50 hours. I'm really liking these so far as an office/portable set to have in my work backpack. 

Not unexpectedly they have a forward sound signature that is smooth, lush, and full bodied while still maintaining its composure across increasing volume settings. They are very balanced across the frequency range with a slight emphasis on the mid-range and great bass extension. I would recommend the m-80 for those looking for solid bass. The bass is really, really good. The m-80 has a moderately-wide sound stage with good air between instruments. Resolution has improved a lot during burn-in. 

The m-80 is very easy to drive. I was surprised at how much volume was coming un-amped through my iphone. I have an Audinst HUD-MX1 portable amp/DAC for my home office and the m-80 are easily driven with the volume set between 9-12. Of course they sound great through my Schiit Lyr. The m-80 doesn't seem to be very picky about what is driving them. 

This is my first on-ear headphone and I'm adjusting to the fit. They need a little more time on my head for final fitting adjustments to find the optimum fit. I am hoping that with additional wear time the ear cups will mold to my ear. I can easily wear them for 2+ hours at this point. I have a small-medium sized head so YMMV. 

In the very beginning they didn't sound very special (no big surprise) so I just left them running unattended on Media Monkey for 25, now 50+ hours. Now that they are nearing more optimum SQ I will spend more time enjoying them. They are definitely keepers for me.

I have just started writing reviews for headphones, this is my third. Originally posted on my blog:
http://noblehifi.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/vmoda-m-80-review.html
 
 
[size=medium]    INTRODUCTION[/size]
[size=medium] VModa started making headphones a couple of years ago and their M-80 model was launched in August 2011. The company strategy has been to fuse fashionable design with high quality audio. There certainly are other companies out there pushing the fashion angle, it's just that none of them sound any good so I forgive your initial scepticism. VModa's aim is to raise the bar for design sure but unlike other companies their primary goal and passion remains with audio quality. Durability is also high up on their list though - they pass military grade testing. 

​

Their first headphone (the 'LP') was a larger over-ear design and it was fairly successful, especially with DJ's (thankfully their names are not plastered all over the headphones, although there are some quotes from them on the box). The M-80 is a smaller, more portable, on-ear design and this time they are targeting the considerably more demanding audiophile (neutral response) crowd where sound comes first. So who should be more nervous here, VModa or the competition? Before I answer that lets go over some basics...
 
   PRESENTATION
The box is neat, well thought out and simple with some clear, good looking images and text. It's one of those boxes that's so small it makes you wonder how the contents actually fit inside. Even though it's small and light it has a carry handle, with an interesting scaly texture and is bolted on with metal studs. It's probably overkill but it's a nice touch. 

​

   INSIDE THE BOX
Open the box and you are met with an impressively moulded carry case that has a similar texture to the box's carry handle. Unzip the case and you'll find the headphones squeezed in there with two cables bungee'd to the sides. Two cables means they're removable - great! Even better news is the connection is a standard 3.5mm headphone jack at both ends which means you can easily find another one if you so wish - superb! Both supplied cables are kevlar-reinforced with buttons and mic for use with a phone - sounds super brilliant but more on that in a second. 

​

NOTE: Given the minimalist case size the cable must be removed and the headband completely contracted before the case can be closed. 
 
Now for some bad news about the cables... Because both have buttons (the red cable has one button and the black cable has three) the 3.5mm jack that plugs in to your source needs three connections as opposed to the "standard" two. This had the effect of horribly distorting the music, like it was being played in the next room - vocals were almost non-existent. Although I later discovered that the issues seem to go away when holding the main button on the cable it's not really a solution. It seems that these cables are not meant to be used on anything other than an Apple device, the single button cable is supposed to be compatible with "other" phones it too produced the same distortion on my main computer, laptop and phone (Samsung Galaxy S). VModa do sell a normal cable (without buttons) on their website but it's a pain to order it outside of america and annoying that you should have to.

​

Thankfully the common nature of the cable connection meant it was not hard to source another "normal" one so I found a 5n (99.999% pure) copper cable by QED on eBay. Coincidentally it matched the colour and style of the M-80 really well. It may not be kevlar but at least it works.

 ​

   DESIGN & BUILD
The M-80's shape is similar to the larger LP model, they are not reinventing the wheel and I can see why. The shape, use of materials and colour is sure appealing to me although I am sure someone exists out there that could call them ugly. The styling and simplicity of the metal arms holding the cups is great. I like the way they has incorporated the screws in to the styling and they're 100% functional. The fabric headband feels like it's covering some more decent metal construction, it doesn't show dirt easily and has a nice logo in red at the top. The construction in general uses a lot of metal and feels suitably strong and well engineered. The fact that it passes military testing for durability is a nice addition too because I can imagine people wanting to take these outside given their portability, isolation and prettiness. The metal plates on the side of the ear-cups are also customisable. Spares are sold separately but can be chosen in multiple colours with a choice of patterns/text or you can even send your own image for them to be laser engraved to the surface. A nice touch for an already unique looking product. Clearly a lot of thought has gone in to the design. I can't think of a similarly priced headphone that has this desirability of styling.
 

 ​

   COMFORT
[/size]
[size=medium]

 ​

The M-80s fit nicely around the neck when not in use but being so small and heavy while clamping quite hard (unavoidable for the isolation and bass) I found them to be difficult to position. They also felt like they need to be twisted to get a flat fit to the ears. After a bit of playing around they felt good enough (I have heard of people twisting the frame to fix this but I'm not too keen to try that). Like most small headphones that put pressure on your ears they caused considerable discomfort after about an hour. For short listening periods they are fine but if you like to listen to music for longer periods without a break you will probably want to look elsewhere. VModa do make a larger headphone that sits around the ear (The original 'LP' model and now the 'LP2') but they are a different sonic style to the M-80 (more bass heavy), there is talk of an M-100 model in the works that would combine the size of the LP model with the sonic signature of the M-80, fingers crossed!
 

 ​

 ​

 ​

 ​

   SONIC SIGNATURE / QUALITY
A neutral response is usually expected from a company with a bit more pedigree than this but they have done a great job balancing it for any possible target audience. The bass is not boosted but still has some decent kick and reasonable depth (although this is one area it could be limited for some), the slightly forward upper midrange puts them on the more pleasant side of neutral but it's slight, I think that's a good thing for this price level (£160). Treble control is fantastic without sounding restrained. Detail reproduction was very impressive when connected to high-end equipment but they don't require it to sound pretty decent there too. Instrument separation keeps up with the strong competition but doesn't massively impress (like many other aspects). The subtle porting in the metal cups give a nice airy sense and impressive sound-stage - considering the closed back design, some isolation is lost in the process compared to the best but this is a good trade off for most. I really struggle to think of what genre they lend themselves to best, I haven't noticed any obvious failings here. Classical, Rock, Jazz, Electronic, Dubstep, Latin, Metal, Industrial all sound equally great!
[/size]
[size=medium]  
   DRIVING (AMPLIFIED)

To see what these headphones were really capable of I used my benchmark machine. The Yulong D100 mkII - a great asynchronous USB DAC (digital to analogue converter) with a very respectable headphone amplifier. This was fed lossless, CD quality files using J River's WASAPI event Driver from my desktop computer.

​

While making this review I also got the iBasso D7 - a portable asynchronous USB DAC and class A headphone amplifier for use with my laptop and work computer. It's the most fiddly to set-up of any such unit I have tried but it gives a nice boost over the standard computer output. It's no match for the Yulong but I didn't expect it to be. 
 
If you do want great quality music on the go then perhaps one of the new high-end portable DAPs (digital audio player) would be interesting. Units like the iBasso X100, Colorfly C4 or HifiMan HM-801 could make a fantastic combination to the M-80. Although for the price of one of those you could buy three or four pairs of these headphones... ouch!
 
​

[/size]
[size=medium]    DRIVING DIRECT (UN-AMPLIFIED)
In both DACs the M-80s performed really well but I have to say this just feels wrong. Plugging such a sexy little pair of headphones into a system that's tied to your desk I mean, it's like caging a wild animal. These things were made to be out in the wild, running from a portable. They wouldn't be worth much if they failed to perform like this so it's great that they excel here too. They do get even better with high quality equipment but they don't make a fool of themselves without it.

 ​

 ​

​

   BENCHMARK MUSIC
[/size]
[size=medium] A chance to show off some of my favourite tracks and help me pick up subtle differences in equipment due to me being familiar with their sounds. I have also tried to pick tracks that emphasize different types of sound, thus covering the widest possible range of these headphones abilities.
 
 
    1. Nero: Must Be The Feeling (Welcome To Reality)
This music sounds nicely energetic without feeling boosted or constrained. The bass impact is quite impressive without feeling too muddy. I'm really curious to try this music with the VModa's bigger bassier brother (LP2) because I find it hard to believe it could sound any better than it does here. 
    2. Tool: Parabola (Lateralus)
The heavy guitar sounds satisfyingly aggressive and nicely detailed for such a densely musical rock track. It can be difficult for this kind of music to sound engaging on headphones but the M-80's do as commendable a job as any I have heard.
    3. Eagles: Life In The Fast Lane (Hotel California)
This is extremely enjoyable! Lively, crisp and slightly forward sounding. It's one of the nicest presentations I have ever heard for this song! These headphone may not be 100% neutral but what is for this price? I think the only deviation from neutral with the M-80s response is an intentional shift to make them that little bit more fun. Quite possibly the most enjoyable headphones I have ever tried (for the money).
    4. Rodrigo Y Gabriela: Gabriela Solo (Live In Japan)
This solo, live performance really shines. Full of detail, nice sound stage and when the bassy guitar / thumping kicks in at 1:30 it's deeply impressive! There is also quite a bit of treble in this track earlier on which is controlled nicely without dulling the whole experience down. 
    5. Natalie Imbruglia: City (Left Of The Middle)
A good mix of guitar and vocals - fun and brightly presented. The nicely balanced sonics of the M-80's present the two elements well - nicely separated, clear and lively - highly enjoyable. Forget all the others, Natalie was the queen of Aussie soap stars turned pop singers. I haven't heard this one in a little while but listening to this now memories of the huge crush I had on Natalie comes flooding back, wow that's a sexy voice!
    6. Velcra: For My Loneliness I Pay (Between Force and Fate)
This has some of the heaviest guitars and most aggressive female vocals of my collection. I love this one for burning off some stress so it needs to be reproduced with a healthy dose of power and speed and I was not let down. The bass and energy these tiny headphones are capable of is mind blowing!
    7. John Williams: Snowy's Theme (Tin Tin)
This soundtrack was a real return to form in my opinion and these headphones do a great job of presenting the drama with a fun energy. Much of the album displays Williams skill of conveying a great sense of adventure with a dynamic and lively score. The M-80s are vastly pleasurable and only lose a half point from a slight feeling of congestion in the lower frequencies.
    8. Michael Giacchino: Operation Neptune (Medal of Honor: Limited Edition - Disc 6
This one is just a little too good to be a video game score. Don't get me wrong I'm not being derogatory about games (game developing is my main trade), it's just that this is better than most big budget movie scores I've heard and I have a few. So I am passionate about this stuff but do the M-80s do it justice? most certainly yes! They are as good for classical orchestra as they are rock or Industrial Metal. I have described headphones as versatile before but these take the cake, a superb all-rounder. 
[/size]
[size=medium]  
[/size]
[size=medium]    SUMMING UP

There are a couple of annoying issues with the M-80. The Ear comfort for prolonged use is the most annoying but is understandably unavoidable. The cable issues are the most unforgivable because they could have been so easily avoided but still this is more of a nuisance than a deal killer given the convenience of the connection and this really is the limit of the down sides. The list of things they do well is so big I don't know where to start... They perform really very well stuffed straight in to a phone or computer but both of the amplified systems propelled the M-80's audio to a level of quality I really didn't expect them to reach. For a headphone at this price point they just blew me away, the fact that it does this with great looks and build quality as well just seems too good to be true.
[/size]
[size=medium]

 ​

​

 
[/size]
[size=medium] Pros:
[/size]
[size=medium]

1. Stunning sound quality for the price / size
2. Neutral sound with decent bass
3. good sound Isolation
4. Surprisingly good sound-stage
5. Very genre versatile
6. Stunning build quality / material use
7. Styling and customisability
8. Removable single sided cable with standard connection

[/size]
[size=medium] Cons:
[/size]
[size=medium]

1. Comfort falls away fast with the small size and high pressure
2. Both supplied cables not compatible with most devices

[/size]
[size=medium]

 ​

[/size]
[size=medium]

​

 
If great looks, stunning sound and tank-like build quality are highest on your list then the M-80s should be on the top of yours, it's that simple. Unfortunately they are difficult to find in the UK, especially to play with in shops, hopefully this will change if they get a bit more popular - I for one very much hope this happens and soon, I think HMV would sell a ton of these!
[/size]
 

 
 
Introduction
 
V-MODA is a Hollywood based headphones company, which was founded back in 2004 by Val Kolton, a DJ & a music producer, with some help from the designer Joseph Bucknall. The company put them self as a target to make good sounding headphones that are well designed too, a thing which was quite rare back at that time. About a year ago, the company has released the M80s, their first on-ear headphones, and also the first headphones from their "Modiophile" line, a line which is designated for the modern-audiophile. Since then, the M80s have been raved everywhere, and they were called by some "the best portable headphones". I wanted to review these headphones for a long time, and now I finally have the chance to do so.
 
Here are the technical specifications of the V-MODA M80s:
 

1. Type: Supra-aural (on-ear)

1. Speaker Drivers: 40mm patented Dual-Diaphragm High-Fidelity Driver
2. Impedance: 28.5 Ohms
3. Frequency Response: 5 – 30,000 Hz
4. Sound Pressure Level: 105 dB
5. Plug: 45 degree, 24k gold-plated 3.5 mm (1/8") stereo plug
6. Weight: 200g

 
 
 
 
 
Building Quality & Design: The M80s have a stunning design, they look amazing. They come in two color schemes, "Shadow" (black with red touches and features black brushed-aluminum plates, my set is a shadow one) & "White Pearl" (which is mainly white colored with some gray touches and features chrome plates), both are quite flashy and look great. The plates (aka shields) can be replaced with custom-designed shields, which can be purchased separately through V-MODA's website. I love the fact that the company lets you to customize your headphones easily. The M80's size surprised me when I first took them out of box; seeing their pictures on the internet, I thought that they were around the size of my AKG K518s or AiAiAi TMA-1s, but when comparing them, I realized that the M80s are a lot smaller than these two headphones. Moving on, I wasn't only impressed by their design, but by their building quality too. The M80s are probably one of the best built and toughest headphones, rivaling against the mentioned-before TMA-1s; honestly, these are built like a tank. They can stand every kind of abusing that they'll experience; from falling or strongly bending the headband to even sitting on them, it seems that nothing can overwhelm these. The hexagonal-shaped ear-cups are built from an integration of solid and sturdy plastic on their frame & tough metal, which the plates are made-of.
 
 
Each one of the semi-open plates is screwed to its place by 6 solid looking screws, while the ear-cups themselves are strongly-fixed to a metal-axis's with four screws per cup. The very flexible headband is a metal-made one, coated with microfiber-suede on its outer-side, while its inner side is coated with a softer material. It can easily bend to about every direction without showing any sign of breakage.
 
 
 
 
Comfort & Fit: The M80s offer a quite good comfort. Their clamping force is pretty low, a lot lower than the K518s' one, the headband is well padded with a layer of soft fabric and the small memory-foam pads sit nicely on the ears. The headband can be adjusted to be more or less clamping by bending the headband in or out, so even if you find the fit loose or uncomfortable at first, you can easily adjust it to your own preference. On the other hand, fitting the cups to your ears in order to get a good seal might be a bit tricky at first because of the small pads, but after getting used to it, you'll be able to easily achieve a good seal. The weight of the headphones, about 200 grams is nicely divided, so it isn't too felt. A thing you should note is that the headphones might be a bit uncomfortable straight out of the box, but after about 10 hours of use, the pads and the headbands "brake in", and the headphones become very comfortable.  The rating is 9/10.   
 
Isolation: The M80's isolation is mediocre for a set of portable on-ear headphones, and it cannot compete with the AiAiAi TMA-1 and the AKG K518 in this section, due to 2 main factors, which differ it from both of these headphones: The ear-cups are semi-open, each one of them has three small V-shaped vents and in addition to it, their clamping force is fairly lower than the one found in the two headphones that were mentioned above. Overall, the M80s don't isolate well enough in order to use them while riding the train & the bus, but they would be ok for walking in the street, for example. The rating is 7/10.
 
Sound Quality: Prior to the review, the M80s were given about 80 hours of burn-in, no noticeable changes were detected.
The 40mm sized dual-diaphragm which are utilized by the M80s produce a warm, smooth, fun and a quite spike-less sound-signature, which is both consumer-friendly and audiophile pleasing. None of the frequencies over-shadows each other, they're all quite in-line.Achieving a good fit is very important in order to get these headphones to produce their best sound, as a bad fit would usually cause a bad seal that makes the lows sound weak and the whole sound muddy and un-detailed.
 
 
The Bass: It is quite impactful, powerful, has a great rumble and is there in a nice quantity. The M80s' bass extends very low, a bit lower than the TMA-1s. It has a good clarity and resolution in most of its parts, apart from its lowest registers, which lack a bit resolution, clarity and cleanness. It's very punchy and tight; it never feels bloated or inflated at all but it does lack a bit of texture. Its speed is decent, a bit more of it would've not hurt. The mid-bass is a bit more emphasized than the sub-bass, but both sound great. There's no bass bleed to the mids at all, it's very well controlled.        
 
The Midrange: The quite forward mids of these headphones are just great, they do almost not lack in anything at all. The vocals are warm, smooth, airy, quite thick, very clean and clear. The midrange is pretty detailed, though, the instruments are better detailed than the vocals. Talking about the instruments, they sound great; the timbre is very good and they're quite dynamic and energetic. Vocals on poorly recorded tracks sound quite bad; the M80s' midrange isn't a "forgiving" one. 
 
The Treble: The highs are a bit more relaxed and laid-back than the other frequencies (treble-heads would probably not like the M80s), and they roll-off a bit too early, while their extension is good enough. As the midrange, also the treble is very smooth, but a bit less detailed.  
 
Sound-Stage & Imaging: The M80s have a quite large & airy sound-stage for such a small on-ear set of headphones. Imaging and positioning are pretty good. Instruments separation is decent; it's better than the TMA-1 in that section, but it cannot compete with the SoundMagic HP100.
 
The rating for the "Sound Quality" section is 8.5/10. It is given in ratio to the headphones' price-tag at the time of writing this review.
Final Conclusions
 
The M80s are a huge "W" for V-MODA.  Not only they look good and they're comfortable, but they're very well built and good-sounding too. The M80s are headphones that are easy to like, and both the average-consumer and the audiophile that spends thousands of dollars on audio-gear would probably find it enjoyable. The isolation is their only real-weakness, and it's not too bad either. Some might claim that the relaxed and laid-back treble is another weak point of these, but I find it good enough and not lacking. The M80s are a great better sounding (and in my opinion, better looking too) alternative to the notorious "Beats by Dre" headphones in the "designed-headphones market" and I hope to see more people doing the right move and choosing the M80s instead of them. The overall rating is 9/10.
 
 
Where to Buy? The M80's MSRP is $230, but it can be found for around $150 when buying through various dealers such as Amazon, for example. It can also be purchased through V-MODA's official web-store and their verified resellers, which a list of can be found here.
 
This review was reposted from my website "It's A Headphones Thing". Check it out for some more IEM and Headphones reviews, here. http://iahpt.wordpress.com/

Note: I really am not much of an audiophile. My headphones before this were MDR XB500’s and the only reasons I chose these over the Senn HD-25-1-ii was the looks, and that I liked the M-80’s sound a bit better. I also have about 50 hours on this, and I think they have reached their expected performance. If anything changes, I’ll post it here.
 
Also, really sorry for the lack of pictures. I'm having an upload problem, and my webcam is bad, too.
 
Packaging:
 
This is the first part that really pulls you in. These are packaged very nicely. There are plenty of pictures on this, though, so I wont go into detail. The snake skin-like handle is held in by two metal studs, and looks great. After popping open the box, you’re greeted by a piece of cardboard that says “V-moda” with some foam on the bottom.
 
Taking this out reveals three things, the case where the headphones reside, and some literature for V-moda and user guide/warranty information. After taking out the strikingly awesome case and unzipping it, you’ll notice the headphones, two cables, a 1/8 -1/4 adapter, and a carabiner. The two pieces holding the accessories are Velcro attached, and can be removed.
 
The headphones: Like the package, these are very, very great looking. The stock black metal plates are very sleek, though I do plan on purchasing custom plates soon. The on-ear pads are hexagonal in shape and are quite uncomfortable for the first few hours. After using them and stretching the headband a bit, they are much more comfortable now. The housings and their contents are held in place by two metal “arms”, which are attached to the headband. The bottom of the headband is made out of a mesh-type material and is hard at first, but softens up after a while. The top has red stitching and V-moda in red lettering is visible.
 
The wires also come out of the housings, into the space between the headband and housings, and into the headband on each side. The cable is very tough, however, and I don’t have a problem with it.
 
Durability: These look and feel incredibly tough. The metal arms and plates inspire confidence, and the detachable cables and ear pads only increase the lifespan of the M-80’s.
 
As I said earlier, the cables are detachable and are Kevlar-reinforced. This means that unless you’re really trying to ruin the cable, you’re going to be fine. One cable has a mic and remote, and the other just has a mic. Any 3.5mm-3.5mm cord will do, and it is plugged in underneath the left driver housing.
 
Who cares about whatever I said above this if they sound terrible, right? Well I can certainly say V-moda got something right in the entire lifestyle headphone company. Seriously, this is the first fashion headphone I’ve tried where the sound matches the price.
 
The sound: Everything is played on an iPod touch with songs ripped in 320 Kbits/sec in MP3 format. I guess I am the lowest common denominator here (Though, I guess this is how V-moda thought how the headphones would be used, as I remember Val Kolton of V-moda saying that the M-80’s were made for devices like the iPod, and that an amp  just “amplifies” their sound).
 
Overall, I noticed that the bass was tight and hit hard. It didn’t feel too loose, and I didn’t have any problems with it interfering with the mids and highs. The mids, however, felt a bit recessed, though it’s not much of an issue, I just wish they were more present. The highs were really nice, and when the cymbals, (especially the high-hats) wanted to show, they did.
 
Songs used for testing:
Fast Lane-Bad Meets Evil: Slightly reccesed mids and tight, hard hitting bass are noticeable hear, though I feel as though Em’s voice sounded a bit “boring”, something I hadn’t noticed on different headphones. Royce sounded fine, though.
 
Deliver Us – In Flames: Friden’s growled vocals sound spectacular on this track, and I think the M-80’s handle growled/screamed vocals much better than clean vocals. Odd. Guitars also blended in very nicely, and I liked how they complemented Friden’s growled voice. Bass was also controlled, but hit hard.
 
Into the Nothing – Breaking Benjamin: Szeliga’s drum work excels here, and Ben’s voice didn’t sound as far back as in the other songs I listened to. Too bad it’ll be a while before any new material comes out.
 
Everlong – Foo Fighters – Another song that shows how great drums sound on these, and Grohl’s voice sounded nice, if not as pronounced as I would like. Maybe using an EQ to fix this may help.
 
Papercut – Linkin Park: This song actually made me feel a bit confused. Excellent guitars and drum work, but it took a awhile for me to appreciate Chester’s voice work with these headphones. His voice sounded like Eminem in Fast Lane, a bit boring. I think burn-in helped with this, though.
 
Conclusion: Are they worth 200$? In my opinion, yes. They sound like 200$, feel and look sturdy, and look fantastic. V-moda finally made a lifestyle headphone that sounds like its price should indicate.
 
And that's my non-audiophile review of the M-80's.