Comparing the Audio Technica M50x to the V-Moda M-100

[earry]

I have been in the market for a good closed back headphone recently and the M50x and M-100s were recently both on sale.  I picked up both and figured I would return one.
 
I went into the situation assuming I would like th V-Moda's better as that seems to be the general consensus on the internet.  This was a double bonus as these phones seemed to have the advantage regarding build quality and portability which are both very important to me.  However I found the bass was muddy and seemed blur into itself on the V-Modas while it was much tighter and cleaner sounding on the M50x.  I want to like the sound V-Modas better as they seem to have everything else going for them, so I guess my question is if there is anything that can be done to fix this?  I heard the XL ear pads help the sound a bit but will they help with the muddiness I am hearing?
 
Thanks!

 

[PurpleAngel]

What sources are you plugging the headphones into?
 
I'm going to make a guess the ATH-M50x are designed to work decently plugged into a low quality power source.
Where as the V-Moda M-100 might be expected to be plugged into a more quality power source and need that extra something to sound their best?
 
Like if the ATH-M50X is a pack mule and the M-100 is a race horse.
So the race horse would likely stumble and fall on a rocky trail and the pack mule would still not go any faster being on a race track.

 

[earry]

Can anyone confirm this?  when researching these headphones it seemed I would not need an amp for either of them.

 

[PurpleAngel]

  Can anyone confirm this?  when researching these headphones it seemed I would not need an amp for either of them.

 
What sources are you plugging the headphones into?
It maybe not really be about how much power is be delivered to the headphones, more like how the power is being delivered to the headphones.

 

[Dulalala]

  However I found the bass was muddy and seemed blur into itself on the V-Modas while it was much tighter and cleaner sounding on the M50x.

That's odd I see it the other way round. M50X sound much more muddier to me than the M-100 even when driven on my phone.

 

[earry]

Purple Angel - I have tried driving it with my phone and my computer (no special sound card).  It sounds better on the computer but overall effect is the same
 
Dulalala - Thats why I was wondering if the XL ear cups will make a difference.  I had some credit over at Crutchfield so I picked them up.  They should arrive tomorrow and I'll update the thread when they do.

 

[earry]

FYI, I figured out the problem with the M-100.  The music I was listening to was streaming at 160 kbit/s on spotify, I upped it to 320 kbit/s and there was a world of a difference.  I guess the M50x is just a bit more forgiving but in the end i'm definitely going with the M-100.