[gelocks]

  Hey guys, 
 
I bought the V-Moda M-100's for Christmas and absolutely hated them.
After 15 hours burn in the sound drastically changed and have to say I'm decently happy with them.
Very vibrant sound.
 
Only problem is that I have a hard on for the Mad Dogs.
I know for a fact that the sound quality and musicality would absolutely blow away my M100's.
Would you guys suggest that I bite the bullet and return these and grab the Mad Dogs and a nice amp/dac?
What would be your ultimate choice for a setup using mainly music, tv, games.
Essentially a well rounded line up of all sorts of genres.
I'm looking for the whole package and I think the Mad Dogs are exactly what the doctor ordered.
 
Any thoughts, and thank you very much in advance!
 
-Gorefiend

 
You are asking this in the MD thread so definitely every one will tell you to get one! LOL
 
Why don't we start with a couple of questions though....
 
1) Are you planning to take them outside every time (i.e. will they be every day use/commuter/portable headphones)?
2) Which genres do you enjoy the most?
3) Since you got a V-Moda, are you a basshead?
4) Do you find the V-Moda's comfortable and do you actually like them?
 
 
Thanks.

 

[Primetime86]

Return the M100 and order the Mad Dogs. 

 They isolate extremely well and while they are generally considered to be comfortable, they are a bit heavy for some, which may or may not matter to you.

You would significantly benefit from using an amp with the Mad Dogs, and if you live in the US, I would suggest looking into getting one of the Schiit amps.  Without knowing the source(s) you have, whether or not you need a DAC or which one would be difficult to suggest. 

In any event, if the Mad Dogs are absolutely not for you, they can always be returned.

Hey guys, 

I bought the V-Moda M-100's for Christmas and absolutely hated them.
After 15 hours burn in the sound drastically changed and have to say I'm decently happy with them.
Very vibrant sound.

Only problem is that I have a hard on for the Mad Dogs.
I know for a fact that the sound quality and musicality would absolutely blow away my M100's.
Would you guys suggest that I bite the bullet and return these and grab the Mad Dogs and a nice amp/dac?
What would be your ultimate choice for a setup using mainly music, tv, games.
Essentially a well rounded line up of all sorts of genres.
I'm looking for the whole package and I think the Mad Dogs are exactly what the doctor ordered.

Any thoughts, and thank you very much in advance!

-Gorefiend

It's up to you really, they are a bit different in signature the Mid range is more pronounced on the MD while the M100 has more of a fuzzy mid range and lacks in detail quite a lot. I find the Mad dog very good but it's a very mellow slow sounding phone so it can sound quite boring if you listen to music with a lot of energy.

I would personally look into the Denon line, I find their two higher models to be better sounding and more fun too. But if you are after a mellow can then the Dogs are a top recommendation.

 

[SkyBleu]

Anyone have an ear pad suggestion for the Mad Dogs? I believe the Alpha pads are adding onto the warmth and veilybthat these headphones present. HM5 pads?

 

[ssrock64]

Anyone have an ear pad suggestion for the Mad Dogs? I believe the Alpha pads are adding onto the warmth and veilybthat these headphones present. HM5 pads?

I can't quite remember if I ever tried this when I owned my FA-003, but I don't think the HM5 pads are a physical good fit.

 

[SkyBleu]

I can't quite remember if I ever tried this when I owned my FA-003, but I don't think the HM5 pads are a physical good fit.

you'd be surprised about the HM5/FA-003 pad fitting in large things. Apparently those pads have been made to fit the HE-500, etc.

 

[kstuart]

 I find the Mad dog very good but it's a very mellow slow sounding phone so it can sound quite boring if you listen to music with a lot of energy.

The Mad Dog are a lot of things, but slow is not one of them.
 
It could be that you don't have a very good amp.
 
Relative to normal dynamics like Denons, the Mad Dogs have a lot less distortion, the kind that reinforces attacks.  That sort of distortion can be like turning up the sharpness and color controls on a TV - seems more "exciting", but it is not actually there in the original recording.

 

[Primetime86]

Nope I have many amps I really do find them slow. They are really great though but wished they had a more liquid mid range and speed but I appreciate them for what they are.

 

[kcdecker]

Finally got the Mad Dogs.  Actually, I take that back, I received them earlier this week but got called in for a few 12 hour night shifts and I'm just now getting a chance to give them a listen.  
 
Off my Fiio E10, they still sound wonderful, and the bass and low midrange are just about perfect, even at low volumes.  Off the Fiio though, I think I still prefer the midrange of the Alessandro MS-1.  This was judged from The Who - Eminence Front, Five Finger Death Punch - Bad Company, a handful of tracks from a flac collection of Bach that I found in 2009, and whatever the song is that plays during the end titles of World War Z.  
 
I've given it about 3 minutes of listening to various snippets of songs (I'm horribly ADD) powered by the Schiit Vali and it seems as if the midrange is slightly more crisp from the Vali.  I need to spend more time with it though to determine if this is true or just my imagination.  Considering my recent lack of sleep, I could be A/B testing commercials from the other room and think that I'm playing audiophile.
 
The headphone really surprises me.  This is the best investment I've made so far.  Thank you!!!

 

[Eric_C]

kcdecker: glad you enjoy the MD, and that you get to experience them with the Vali. I like the pairing too.
 
Btw is it common that the stock T50RP cable has channel imbalance?
I just swapped out the stock T50RP one (with 1/4" jack) for the 1/8" one. That seems to have fixed the problem. The 1/4" cable would emphasise more of the right or left channel based on how I turned the jack in place.

 

[SkyBleu]

Has anyone hard-wire modded their Mad Dogs with pure silver, and found it to brighten up the sound and uplift the veil?

 

[mrspeakers]

  kcdecker: glad you enjoy the MD, and that you get to experience them with the Vali. I like the pairing too.
 
Btw is it common that the stock T50RP cable has channel imbalance?
I just swapped out the stock T50RP one (with 1/4" jack) for the 1/8" one. That seems to have fixed the problem. The 1/4" cable would emphasise more of the right or left channel based on how I turned the jack in place.

 
Polish the 3.5mm tip of the stock Fostex cable with de-oxit or denatured alcohol on a rough cotton or microfiber cloth.  The stock 3.5mm is very prone to contamination, but once cleaned it's ok.  We polish at the factory, but once in a while a cable may need a bit more...

 

[Eric_C]

Thanks Dan! I'll give it a try

 

[kstuart]

Nope I have many amps I really do find them slow. They are really great though but wished they had a more liquid mid range and speed but I appreciate them for what they are.

Then I would say they are defective.   The Alpha Dogs are a hair faster,  but the Mad Dog midrange is much more like the actual master tape than the Denon D2000 (for example).  If something is more "liquid", then it would be an added distortion.

 

[kstuart]

  Has anyone hard-wire modded their Mad Dogs with pure silver, and found it to brighten up the sound and uplift the veil?

Probably not, because they could accomplish the same thing by either a) using EQ for free, or b) upgrading to Alpha Dogs which are brighter and have more micro-detail.

 

[Greed]

  Then I would say they are defective.   The Alpha Dogs are a hair faster,  but the Mad Dog midrange is much more like the actual master tape than the Denon D2000 (for example).  If something is more "liquid", then it would be an added distortion.

 
The Alpha Dog to me is a lot faster than the MD. I can definitely understand why someone would think the MD is sluggish and slow. It is a laid back sound that isn't going to be perceived as fast. I would agree in comparison to some other headphones, the MD is slow. Not to be taken as a bad thing at all, just a signature. I would relate the comparison to something like an HE-6 vs LCD-2