New V Moda Crossfade M100 Master

[StarTreker]

Another quick update:
These sound marginally better with the XL pads. After a quick swap back-and-forward, the bass moves from midbass-focused to mostly sub-and-high bass. The top end opens up a bit with more air, soundstage is wider, and I feel that overall texture/speed increases. Imaging loses a little stability though so some instruments become more “ethereal”, which is an interesting and not necessarily negative effect. Everything sounds less veiled in general and the signature is brighter. I really dig this balance! It's fast, snappy, and highly musical.
XLs are also exponentially more comfortable than the default pads. It's pretty much a requirement at this point. I still get some discomfort - my ears stick out quite a bit and touch the driver housing so I get a hotspot there - but overall better.

On a side note, I feel like V-moda don't care too much for build consistency. The XL pads I received have slightly different widths (I can feel this difference in the way they seal over my ears), the default pads I received are slightly more squished on one side than the other, and the cushioning in my headband is uneven. Not a headphone for those who are fussed over that sort of thing.

Yep, as mentioned, the XL pads are not high quality. While they improve comfort a bit, and sound quality, they won't last and will deflate in time, because they are not constructed using quality materials. The only real option that I have found to work for me, is the Wicked Cushion pads. Once you upgrade to those and experience them, please give us another update on your thoughts regarding them.

 

[WickedInsignia]

Once you upgrade to those and experience them, please give us another update on your thoughts regarding them.

Will do! After seeing the construction of the first-party pads, I can wholeheartedly recommend buyers look into third-party ones instead

 

[moskwiz]

I'm thinking of using these in a gaming setup - with the boompro mic and either with Sennheiser GSX1000 or Creative SoundblasterX G6 as a source for digital surround. Do you think it's a good idea? Would they be good for reproducing digital surround sound?

 

[WickedInsignia]

Do you think it's a good idea? Would they be good for reproducing digital surround sound?

I use the M100 Masters for gaming, along with conference calls and music listening/making.
It has very good transient speed, good imaging and a fairly wide soundstage. For me that has translated to punchy, realistic and accurate sound in games. I can hear directional cues fairly clearly in Insurgency Sandstorm.

IMO you do not need surround sound as this will recreate that in a well-mixed game. In my experience surround sound emulators tend to flatten dynamics and reduce the realism of individual sounds.

The BoomPro mic is very highly regarded and to me comes off as clear and highly legible. Its quality competes with the Audio-Technica ATGM2 at half the cost.

I can highly recommend these as a gaming headset if you intend to also use them for music listening and portability. If you need solely a gaming headset, there are slightly better options at the price.
The V-Moda takes a hit for comfort but the XL pads resolved that for me and I can play comfortably for 2-3 hours. YMMV.

 

[moskwiz]

I use the M100 Masters for gaming, along with conference calls and music listening/making.
It has very good transient speed, good imaging and a fairly wide soundstage. For me that has translated to punchy, realistic and accurate sound in games. I can hear directional cues fairly clearly in Insurgency Sandstorm.

IMO you do not need surround sound as this will recreate that in a well-mixed game. In my experience surround sound emulators tend to flatten dynamics and reduce the realism of individual sounds.

The BoomPro mic is very highly regarded and to me comes off as clear and highly legible. Its quality competes with the Audio-Technica ATGM2 at twice the cost.

I can highly recommend these as a gaming headset if you intend to also use them for music listening and portability. If you need solely a gaming headset, there are slightly better options at the price.
The V-Moda takes a hit for comfort but the XL pads resolved that for me and I can play comfortably for 2-3 hours. YMMV.

Thanks a lot for your answer! Good to know they're good for "3D" imaging. I already got them along with some XL pads, mostly using them for music out and about. I have a Logitech G933 as PC headset right now, but I compared the musicality of the two with the V-Moda's connected via Hiby R6 2020 in DAC mode to PC and it's night and day. So it prompted me to think about getting some kind of a DAC for the PC.

I'm not sure that competitive level positional audio can be achieved with no emulation on 2 channels, at least not in the games I play. So if I'm getting a PC DAC anyway, might as well get one with surround capability.. but I guess that's a topic for another thread.

 

[StarTreker]

I use the M100 Masters for gaming, along with conference calls and music listening/making.
It has very good transient speed, good imaging and a fairly wide soundstage. For me that has translated to punchy, realistic and accurate sound in games. I can hear directional cues fairly clearly in Insurgency Sandstorm.

IMO you do not need surround sound as this will recreate that in a well-mixed game. In my experience surround sound emulators tend to flatten dynamics and reduce the realism of individual sounds.

The BoomPro mic is very highly regarded and to me comes off as clear and highly legible. Its quality competes with the Audio-Technica ATGM2 at half the cost.

I can highly recommend these as a gaming headset if you intend to also use them for music listening and portability. If you need solely a gaming headset, there are slightly better options at the price.
The V-Moda takes a hit for comfort but the XL pads resolved that for me and I can play comfortably for 2-3 hours. YMMV.

Dang, I can't think of a better recommendation for V-Moda headphones, when someone reviews them as being great for not just listening to music, but gaming as well! I have the LP2 model, which I'm sure don't sound as good as the M100 Masters. However, they still sound pretty darn good, and I too think they are pretty good for gaming. Although, with the LP2's, they have to have the higher frequencies razed in EQ to compensate for high frequency reduction in the default tuning, this way you maintain clarity for footstep sounds and the like.

 

[OmniscientNihilist]

i used to have a pair of m100 and they were too bass heavy for me

what are these m200 ? are they new? and are they more neutral then the m100?

 

[StarTreker]

i used to have a pair of m100 and they were too bass heavy for me

what are these m200 ? are they new? and are they more neutral then the m100?

M200 is basically a modern studio reference can, thus the tuning is FLAT. Basically, nothing special for the home user, but perfect for a music mixer.

 

[OmniscientNihilist]

M200 is basically a modern studio reference can, thus the tuning is FLAT. Basically, nothing special for the home user, but perfect for a music mixer.

any headphone in existence that isnt neutral and flat is crap

morons at the headphone factory who think they know more about sound then mastering engineers.

and idiot home users who are too dumb to use the EQ to create their silly artificial effects

anyway i heard the new m200 still have bad cord rubbing sound problem. but its good to see vmoda finally admitted their m100 are not neutral. because they are just as bad as the dre beats for that extra bass crap

 

[tinyman392]

i used to have a pair of m100 and they were too bass heavy for me

what are these m200 ? are they new? and are they more neutral then the m100?

M100 or M100 Master? They’re two completely different tunings. M200 is more neutral than the M100 Master which is more neutral (but a huge degree) to the OG M100.

 

[OmniscientNihilist]

M100 or M100 Master? They’re two completely different tunings. M200 is more neutral than the M100 Master which is more neutral (but a huge degree) to the OG M100.

i had m100 regular. i sold them at a loss. for two main reasons, too much bass and because one side stopped working and i had to send them back to warranty. so when they were gone i bought a pair of sony h.ear on 1 wired which had a more neutral sound i prefered. so when the vmoda came back from warranty i just sold them

also the sony's are more plastic so they were lighter on the head. and i liked the adjustments on the sony's better

but i think the vmodas had a bit better noise isolation. also they looked a bit better

i havnt bought any of these new anc headphones because they all seem to distort the sound. i want a natural and neutral clean sound. with no effects. so i guess that means i need monitors.

 

[tinyman392]

i had m100 regular. i sold them at a loss. for two main reasons, too much bass and because one side stopped working and i had to send them back to warranty. so when they were gone i bought a pair of sony h.ear on 1 wired which had a more neutral sound i prefered. so when the vmoda came back from warranty i just sold them

also the sony's are more plastic so they were lighter on the head. and i liked the adjustments on the sony's better

but i think the vmodas had a bit better noise isolation. also they looked a bit better

i havnt bought any of these new anc headphones because they all seem to distort the sound. i want a natural and neutral clean sound. with no effects. so i guess that means i need monitors.

Not sure which Sony you have. Both the M100 Master and M200 would be more neutral to what you have. The OG M100 is more of a Vshape than anything. As for ANC, it really doesn’t have to destroy sound if it’s implemented properly. Though I don’t recommend the M200 ANC despite it also being more neutral, the ANC really isn’t great nor worth the price, but if you do want a BT headphone it’s not bad from that perspective (Plus there’s an app for EQ).

 

[OmniscientNihilist]

Not sure which Sony you have. Both the M100 Master and M200 would be more neutral to what you have. The OG M100 is more of a Vshape than anything. As for ANC, it really doesn’t have to destroy sound if it’s implemented properly. Though I don’t recommend the M200 ANC despite it also being more neutral, the ANC really isn’t great nor worth the price, but if you do want a BT headphone it’s not bad from that perspective (Plus there’s an app for EQ).

i have sony h.ear on 1 wired. with has no bluetooth, no anc, no battery, no processor, inside it.

it is a clean natural neutral sound. which i can listen to for 12 hours without fatigue

and which does not distort my music like all these other headphones out these days.

so i can hear my song as the artist and mastering engineer intended. which is how it is supposed to be heard

if i got a wireless anc headphone i would want it to work with the power off as well

if it didnt work with the power off and a wire then its stupid

also i would want the BT5 to transmit full flac quality. as BT5 has been claimed to be able to do. and if not then its crap

the ANC i would like to be automatically adaptive. it should shut itself off if its not needed. and raise itself up if more noise comes. and it should not take away from the sound or quality of the music

next i would want the speaker to be neutral not bass boosted

also i would want the headphone to be at least somewhat low profile. so it doesnt look like i have cans on my head

these simple demands have not been met yet. therefore i have no spent any money yet