[GREQ]

JVC HA-SW01 + leather/pleather angled Brainwavz pads is basically like adding 25dB sub-bass shelf.
It's pretty nuts.
I've never seen such a direct and massive change before without destroying some other part of the frequency response.

Obviously, it doesn't sound like the same headphone any more, but this is an extremely rare case where just one pad change makes such a clean, direct and impactful change to the sound, while leaving the rest almost unchanged.
This tuning however does make the treble sound quite weak.

This might be one of the best non-EQ basshead headphones around.

(Red/Blue = HA-SW01 + Brainwavz angled pleather pads)
(orange/yellow = stock SW01)

 

[davixx500]

Today as anticipated i received the V-Moda m100 masters, Crossfade 3 and Meze 99 Classics.

First i tested the 99 classics against the 99 Neos. The 99 neos won that for me. The classics are tuned more Neutral and i didnt like the presentation also Neo hit harder in the bass department while not losing quality the 99 classics seemed to have less of that just a brighter version of the neos. I liked the 99 Neo better.

Next i tested the M100 Masters against the Crossfade 3 and i choose the M100 Masters from these. The crossfade 3 seem to lack bass in comparision. slam and overall also details the m100 masters sounded way better in every part of the spectrum for me while also being around 100€ cheaper. obviously you lose the wireless but im not looking for a wireless headphone.

Finally i tested the 99 neos against the m100 masters and for me the Masters won that and also not by a little margin. The Bass in general sounds way more clean on the M100 compared to the 99 Neos the Neos in comparision sound Muddy in the bass region, Bloated. And the slam is also on another level. the M100 Masters also dont have this sibilance on some songs which the Neos have.

Will be keeping the M100 Masters for now. and will compare them against the denon 5200 tommorow when i get them and the dt1770 pro when i get those sometime next week.

Say what you will about V-Moda but the 50mm driver in those can hit hard and also with quality. Maybe the only thing it lacks is great sub bass extension. They are more mid bass focused youll feel every kickdruck every thump. will be interesting to compare these to the more expensive beyer and denon which are about 200€ more expensive then the vmodas.

Okay i got the Ah 5200 from denon today and compared them to the M100 Masters. Definetly the most difficult choice until now. You definetly can notice that the Denon just has better mids and highs, you can hear details that you just cant on the M100 Masters. But! the Bass on the M100 Masters still slams more its more mid bass focused. Id say the 5200 is definetly the cleaner of the two. it has good bass extension but the Bass sounds more Airy. This decision is so hard becasue i love the bass impact of the M100 masters but i also love how clean and detailed the 5200 sounds in the mids and the highs. Struggle to decide between the two. In fact this comparision just made me bite the bullet and also order the 7200 as last headphone ill try in this. with the dt1770 Pro. Keep in mind though the 5200 was 170€ more expensive.

Edit: after some more listening i decided the 5200 will go back. For the music i listen to (mostly EDM or Hip hop) i would be more happy with the thumpy mid bass of the m100 masters. Also what really pushed me was that i found myself playing with the volume a lot more with the 5200 on some songs the right sight started lightly crackling on the bass notes and had to put the volume down a little while i never needed to with the m100. Will be just the DT1770 Pro and the more bass heavy 7200 left

 

[crewcut]

Okay i got the Ah 5200 from denon today and compared them to the M100 Masters. Definetly the most difficult choice until now. You definetly can notice that the Denon just has better mids and highs, you can hear details that you just cant on the M100 Masters. But! the Bass on the M100 Masters still slams more its more mid bass focused. Id say the 5200 is definetly the cleaner of the two. it has good bass extension but the Bass sounds more Airy. This decision is so hard becasue i love the bass impact of the M100 masters but i also love how clean and detailed the 5200 sounds in the mids and the highs. Struggle to decide between the two. In fact this comparision just made me bite the bullet and also order the 7200 as last headphone ill try in this. with the dt1770 Pro. Keep in mind though the 5200 was 170€ more expensive.

Edit: after some more listening i decided the 5200 will go back. For the music i listen to (mostly EDM or Hip hop) i would be more happy with the thumpy mid bass of the m100 masters. Also what really pushed me was that i found myself playing with the volume a lot more with the 5200 on some songs the right sight started lightly crackling on the bass notes and had to put the volume down a little while i never needed to with the m100. Will be just the DT1770 Pro and the more bass heavy 7200 left

I think you will settle for the m100 masters to be honest.If you like the sound for the price you wont better them.
By all means try the 7200s,but if you had issues with the 5200s cant see you going for the 7200s over the v modas.
The crackling on the 5200s is a bit weird.I am listening to them now and don't have this problem.I agree with your observations comparing the 5200s and m l00s.I was fortunate to get the 5200s for a good price so can keep them together with the v modas.That covers all bases for me.Main reason for the v modas is their robust build and portability(and the boosted bass).Really the Denons are only for home use,but they are more detailed.
The only other headphone that came close for me were the beyer dt700 pro x's.Probably for detail even better than the Denons,but after a while I found them a bit tyring,although the treble isn't sibilant like the 770s.
Forgive me if I missed it in past posts,but are you using a dap/amp with your headphones.

 

[davixx500]

I think you will settle for the m100 masters to be honest.If you like the sound for the price you wont better them.
By all means try the 7200s,but if you had issues with the 5200s cant see you going for the 7200s over the v modas.
The crackling on the 5200s is a bit weird.I am listening to them now and don't have this problem.I agree with your observations comparing the 5200s and m l00s.I was fortunate to get the 5200s for a good price so can keep them together with the v modas.That covers all bases for me.Main reason for the v modas is their robust build and portability(and the boosted bass).Really the Denons are only for home use,but they are more detailed.
The only other headphone that came close for me were the beyer dt700 pro x's.Probably for detail even better than the Denons,but after a while I found them a bit tyring,although the treble isn't sibilant like the 770s.
Forgive me if I missed it in past posts,but are you using a dap/amp with your headphones.

yes i am using the Zen Dac v2 with a Topping A30 Pro Amp. The crackling could just be the Bass overdriving since i have "Truebass" on which is a hardware bass boost from ifi

 

[davixx500]

I think you will settle for the m100 masters to be honest.If you like the sound for the price you wont better them.
By all means try the 7200s,but if you had issues with the 5200s cant see you going for the 7200s over the v modas.
The crackling on the 5200s is a bit weird.I am listening to them now and don't have this problem.I agree with your observations comparing the 5200s and m l00s.I was fortunate to get the 5200s for a good price so can keep them together with the v modas.That covers all bases for me.Main reason for the v modas is their robust build and portability(and the boosted bass).Really the Denons are only for home use,but they are more detailed.
The only other headphone that came close for me were the beyer dt700 pro x's.Probably for detail even better than the Denons,but after a while I found them a bit tyring,although the treble isn't sibilant like the 770s.
Forgive me if I missed it in past posts,but are you using a dap/amp with your headphones.

So today i got the 7200 and it was Honestly exactly as you predicted i just love the m100 sound way more. the thumpiness and impact its just so much fun to listen to edm or hip hop with these. Now im just waiting for the dt 1770 pro but i dont think they can top it becasue they are advertised as more studio monitors

 

[davixx500]

then my question to all the other guys here is anyone that had the M100 and tested a lot of other Headphones and found any real upgrade with this sound signature and impact in this price range under 500? maybe 600 ? is the TH 610 offering a sound signature like that when it comes to mid bass thump or is it more sub bass ? also they should be readily available ofcourse so im not looking to buy used. Thanks all for your suggestions

 

[Brown909]

then my question to all the other guys here is anyone that had the M100 and tested a lot of other Headphones and found any real upgrade with this sound signature and impact in this price range under 500? maybe 600 ? is the TH 610 offering a sound signature like that when it comes to mid bass thump or is it more sub bass ? also they should be readily available ofcourse so im not looking to buy used. Thanks all for your suggestions

Why not use EQ? Then the fostex will win for sure

 

[crewcut]

then my question to all the other guys here is anyone that had the M100 and tested a lot of other Headphones and found any real upgrade with this sound signature and impact in this price range under 500? maybe 600 ? is the TH 610 offering a sound signature like that when it comes to mid bass thump or is it more sub bass ? also they should be readily available ofcourse so im not looking to buy used. Thanks all for your suggestions

The TH 610 have great bass,but the treble is a killer.You could look at getting some original m100s(not master).You can still track down some new ones.I only say this as the bass is supposed the more"thump" than the masters.I was going to buy a pair,but decided to go for the masters that have the larger pads and more balanced overall sound(some might disagree).
As an addition to my point,one of the strong points of the m100s is the lack of distortion at any volume.Just listening to the foo fighters,the pretender' on one of my playlists and has to be one of the most enjoyable sounds.

 

[davixx500]

Why not use EQ? Then the fostex will win for sure

Well I’m already using EQ

The TH 610 have great bass,but the treble is a killer.You could look at getting some original m100s(not master).You can still track down some new ones.I only say this as the bass is supposed the more"thump" than the masters.I was going to buy a pair,but decided to go for the masters that have the larger pads and more balanced overall sound(some might disagree).
As an addition to my point,one of the strong points of the m100s is the lack of distortion at any volume.Just listening to the foo fighters,the pretender' on one of my playlists and has to be one of the most enjoyable sounds.

yea that’s what I love about them too I can turn the volume up without any distortion. Guess I just might stick with them until something better comes along or I win the lottery

 

[Brown909]

Well I’m already using EQ

Then you will love the Fostex! Especially with Eikon pads it's wonderful!

 

[davixx500]

i got a chance to get Some used Campfire audio Cascades for around 500$ should i jump on it ? i think the Sound signature is exactly what im looking for and by reading reviews it should be a straight up upgrade to the M100s

 

[Teebs]

Hello guys I currently use the Vmoda Crossfade lp 2 with eq and amping they slam really nice and got my Basshead needs satisfied for the past couple years. But now I crave more! Looking to spend around 500$ but also can go up to 1k if it’s truly something special. Anyone have any suggestions for an upgrade ? I care about mid bass mostly having that visceral impact of a kick drum for example I love that.

I'd give the Drop x Ultrasone signature X a try. Seeing as you've tried the Pulse, these fix a lot of the "issues" that I've personally had with them. The treble is a little tamed and not fatiguing anymore, and there's just a lot more bass quantity in every regard, whether it be low end rumble or mid bass punch...without sacrificing the midrange. I have quite a few bass heavy headphones and these are the bassiest of the bunch.

 

[Alucard1]

I'd give the Drop x Ultrasone signature X a try. Seeing as you've tried the Pulse, these fix a lot of the "issues" that I've personally had with them. The treble is a little tamed and not fatiguing anymore, and there's just a lot more bass quantity in every regard, whether it be low end rumble or mid bass punch...without sacrificing the midrange. I have quite a few bass heavy headphones and these are the bassiest of the bunch.

You have PRO 900i? Jesus, man... I'm sorry for you. Seems youve been trough a lot.

 

[Teebs]

You have PRO 900i? Jesus, man... I'm sorry for you. Seems youve been trough a lot.

I enjoy them a lot, although I know Ultrasones in general can be very polarizing.

 

[AlwaysForward]

So I've been preaching the good word of the VZR Crosswave and its Bass as superior to traditional headphones, regardless of price.

This video review is from someone who is an audio professional with a formal background in both recording and live sound (like me). He describes them exactly the same way I have been. This is why I am confident in my opinion and description, even in the face of forum acolytes who may be less experienced:

(Time Stamped)

"I like it... I can wear these when I'm FOH at a concert and they're isolating enough where I can get my work done. Describing the sound is difficult because it's not as simple as saying, oh yea it's got great treble or oh yeah it's got a lot of bass or oh it's detailed. It is detailed, it's very revealing.. because they are really low distortion, very high resolution and great imaging, especially due to spatial audio. That acoustic aperture, which I don't know how it does it, I know what it does but I don't know how it affects the brain/psychoacoustically to achieve it's goal but it's got great detail, it's very balanced so you don't have one frequency screaming ahead of others. You have a rich, tight, controlled bass response that doesn't appear weak at any time. It's always there but only when it's supposed to be. You could consider it slightly boosted because it has a really good bass response, but I think it's just hitting lower than a lot of headphones typically can. Most headphones hit 20hz-20khz and this hits 10hz-30kzz, so that's what I'm thinking.

And this headphone has a very speaker like type of sound. They have these 40mm drivers but they have a big speaker sound when you're wearing them. I've been able to mix with them in the studio the way I'd normally use speakers. So all around, the sound is great. I've even used these for enjoyment listening to music. Especially when I like a lot of SLAM because they have good impact. It doesn't slam and hurt your ears, you can actually listen to them very loud and I do listen to them very loud because they don't hurt my ears and I like a lot of impact on things so Jazz music sounds fantastic, rock music, rap music, EDM a lot of kinds of music just really shine. I'll listen to a lot of music I haven't listened to for a long time with these because I want to hear how the VZR Model 1 produces them. "