[Kojaku]

HER MASTER'S NEW FAVORITE HEADPHONE AND AMP, THE M-100 AND VAMP!!! (yes I know I was shouting...that's how excited I am.)

DAC/Amp, bro

Kojaku

 

[djsquared]

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DAC/Amp, bro

Kojaku

picky, picky...

 

[nonsupremous]

Listened to Eric Johnson's Ah Via Musicom on my M80's tonight.  So enjoyable!

 

[roma101]

LOVE IT. How adorable and badass at the same time. 
 
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Her Master's _____  Comment here!
 
http://on.fb.me/LgAIEm

 

[SpiderNhan]

Slightly off-topic, but I'm slightly nervous about my V-80s now. I recently talked to someone on this forum who, while demonstrating the flexibility of their Crossfade LPs headband, snapped his headphones in half. I, too, have bent my V-80s into ridiculous contortions to demonstrate their ruggedness to friends and such, but have since stopped doing this due to the case with the Crossfade LPs. Just wondering... have any of you proud V-MODA owners personally experienced such a horrible accident? And what about the eject feature the causes the cup to pop-off when dropped? How many of you have done that?

 

[DigitalFreak]

Quote:

Slightly off-topic, but I'm slightly nervous about my V-80s now. I recently talked to someone on this forum who, while demonstrating the flexibility of their Crossfade LPs headband, snapped his headphones in half. I, too, have bent my V-80s into ridiculous contortions to demonstrate their ruggedness to friends and such, but have since stopped doing this due to the case with the Crossfade LPs. Just wondering... have any of you proud V-MODA owners personally experienced such a horrible accident? And what about the eject feature the causes the cup to pop-off when dropped? How many of you have done that?

I have twisted the headband a few times when I first got it but haven't done that since the novelty wore off. As for the eject feature I'm not curious enough to take a needless chance with my headphone

 

[valkolton]

Quote:

Slightly off-topic, but I'm slightly nervous about my V-80s now. I recently talked to someone on this forum who, while demonstrating the flexibility of their Crossfade LPs headband, snapped his headphones in half. I, too, have bent my V-80s into ridiculous contortions to demonstrate their ruggedness to friends and such, but have since stopped doing this due to the case with the Crossfade LPs. Just wondering... have any of you proud V-MODA owners personally experienced such a horrible accident? And what about the eject feature the causes the cup to pop-off when dropped? How many of you have done that?

Really, how can that happen unless they were Fugazi. I've never seen our headband or headphone "snap" and T___ and I even kicked field goals with them during development and filmed it.
 
Personally, if I were a consumer I'd only do it once in a while and while DJing.  The more you bend it unnaturally it will slightly un-adjust from the optimal fit for your head and therefore not sound/fit as perfect as they could.     
 
I should make a video of the eject mechanism and why it was designed that way, I'll cue it up for the "V-MODA TRUE HERTZ" channel.
 
-v

 

[Gclef]

I'm really not here to rain on anyone's parade, but I truly think an objective view will be helpful to those who are considering purchasing these headphones.  After reading so many great reviews, I convinced myself that it would be nearly impossible for these headphones to disappoint me.  Well, unless someone can pinpoint with absolute certainty that I have a defective pair, I must confess that I am utterly disappointed.  I'm not a headphone guru by any means, I don't have a vast amount of experience with numerous headsets, and I am certainly not an audiophile.  However, I "am" a musician, and I have a very critical ear towards music - not sound - music.  I don't look at frequency curves, I don't diagnose and analyze the "mechanism" and all its parts, I simply listen to the music and let my emotions tell the story.  And here's my perception of the M-80's...
 
 
The headphones I own or have owned within the past 6 months that I'm (fairly and unfairly) comparing the M-80's to are:
 
Denon D7000 -   very clear and detailed, deep-punchy-controlled bass, recessed mids - most important feature:  enveloping - best headphones I have personally experienced
Denon D2000 -   obviously similar sound signature to D7000 - about 75% of the performance
Beyer  DT770 -   my only lasting impression is dark and boomy - where's the sparkle?
Ultra   HFI-580 -  clear and detailed with extended and controlled bass - but they go too far up high and become too shrill
Sony  Z1000 -     very clear and detailed, but far too analytical, lower end tight and punchy but lacking "presence"
Senn  PX100 -    open headphones - not comparing apples to oranges here, but for reference purposes, sound much better than M-80, they just have less bass quantity
M80 -                 not clear, nice bass presence but boomy - bleeds throughout the band, rolled off up top, takes away sharpness of guitar and piano notes
 
 
I can agree that the M-80's have great style and are built like a tank, which is why I'm keeping them.  I need a solid pair of portable closed headphones that sound "decent", and these fit the bill.  I got burned out buying and returning numerous headphones and finally decided to call it quits.  Although the DT1350's keep haunting me. 

 

[tinyman392]

Quote:

I'm really not here to rain on anyone's parade, but I truly think an objective view will be helpful to those who are considering purchasing these headphones.  After reading so many great reviews, I convinced myself that it would be nearly impossible for these headphones to disappoint me.  Well, unless someone can pinpoint with absolute certainty that I have a defective pair, I must confess that I am utterly disappointed.  I'm not a headphone guru by any means, I don't have a vast amount of experience with numerous headsets, and I am certainly not an audiophile.  However, I "am" a musician, and I have a very critical ear towards music - not sound - music.  I don't look at frequency curves, I don't diagnose and analyze the "mechanism" and all its parts, I simply listen to the music and let my emotions tell the story.  And here's my perception of the M-80's...
 
 
<snip> M80 -                 not clear, nice bass presence but boomy - bleeds throughout the band, rolled off up top, takes away sharpness of guitar and piano notes
 
 
I can agree that the M-80's have great style and are built like a tank, which is why I'm keeping them.  I need a solid pair of portable closed headphones that sound "decent", and these fit the bill.  I got burned out buying and returning numerous headphones and finally decided to call it quits.  Although the DT1350's keep haunting me. 

 
We do give objective reviews of the M80.  That is, we tell it like it is.  We talk about the good, as well as the bad, both with equal weight.  We will praise the good, and hate the bad.  That said, your description fits what we've talked about...  However, ours is more holistic than yours is.  Your description fills very little area compared to what we covered.  In essence, you start the objective process, but don't finish it.  You leave us hanging describing very little of the spectrum; focused specifically on the negatives (a lot of the negatives also hit into preference points as well). 
 
You talk about bass presence and boominess.  A little boominess is nothing bad, these aren't too boomy in my ears (something like the PFE232 is boomy to my ears, but among the best bass I've ever heard).  I did get some bleeding when I first got them, but with burn/break in, it went away.  It's not there anymore.  Concerning clarity, where is it not clear.  There are many spots where clarity plays a role.  Be specific towards area.  The high end has been talked about over and over again and rolls off a little too prematurely. 

 

[roma101]

It's all subjective but I believe we have given very honest impressions. I know I have.
 
I wouldn't call the highs rolled off - polite is the right word. They're soft - call it what you will, I've had headphones with rolled off highs before and these are not it. Overall, there is a lot of detail and nice separation with the M-80. It may be subtle, but it's certainly there. I don't feel the bass bleeding into the rest of the frequency. While it's prominent, full and punchy, I can still differentiate the low end from the mids/vocals (which are some of the most natural IMO) and highs.
 
Like you said, I am not sure those are the most fair comparisons. Definitely better to compare them with small, closed portables such as the HD25, DT1350, ES10 etc. Coming from the HD25 and as much as I like those, the M-80 provides a nice relief and complement to the HDs. While the HD25s can sound very compressed/congested and treble-centric, the M-80 actually has a soundstage (great for a headphone that small) and is less fatiguing. I also think it has a nice sense of decay with certain instruments.
 
Anyway, it could just be that the sound doesn't suit you. I would give them some time. I don't think it's right to discredit other reviews, however, just because the M-80 may not be living up to your standards.
 
My 0.02.
 

 

[Gclef]

I agree that most of what I said has already been discussed, which is exactly why I didn't feel the need to 'beat a dead horse'.  I actually missed one pair of headphones that I very recently tested and returned - the highly regarded Q40's.  Those (to my ears) are extremely boomy, the DT770 and M-80 to a lesser extent, but bloated nonetheless.  It's a bit harder for me to describe in detail the bass sensation I get from the M-80's, I guess the closest description I can give you is that the bass is like a cloud that blankets the overall sound - not horribly so - but enough to stifle the punch of the dynamics in the music. 
 
My first impression the moment I started listening to the M-80's was - wow, the vocals really sound muffled.  I switched to the D2000's, and everything was clear as a bell - the lyrics were sharp and precise.  I put the M-80's back on - and again, the vocals - 'not good'. 
 
I focused in on piano and guitar:  M-80 - all the  individual  notes are rolled into one big-rolling note.  D2000 - every note is crisp and distinct.  With the D2000's - the crack of snare drums are loud and crisp and arpeggio's on guitar are distinct - it's immediately evident where the notes begin and end.  Not so on the M-80's.  They just don't have the same 'definition'. 
 
Again, it sounds like I'm just talking negatives - but that's what you're asking me for.  In reality, the Denon's are an extra hundred bucks, it's truly not a fair comparison.  I didn't expect the M-80's to match the Denon's, and I should have kept those expectations in check. 
 
I wasn't attempting to discredit previous reviews, I truly think they're honest and highly valuable.  And I didn't intend to put a bad spin on these headphones either - I think they're a very good product at their price point.  What happened is that I had a thought and did a really poor job expressing it.  I just get a little spooked when something is getting 6 stars out of 5 with virtually no ('readily apparent') criticism.  Especially when I start drinking the cool aid myself.

 

[DaBomb77766]

Quote:

I agree that most of what I said has already been discussed, which is exactly why I didn't feel the need to 'beat a dead horse'.  I actually missed one pair of headphones that I very recently tested and returned - the highly regarded Q40's.  Those (to my ears) are extremely boomy, the DT770 and M-80 to a lesser extent, but bloated nonetheless.  It's a bit harder for me to describe in detail the bass sensation I get from the M-80's, I guess the closest description I can give you is that the bass is like a cloud that blankets the overall sound - not horribly so - but enough to stifle the punch of the dynamics in the music. 
 
My first impression the moment I started listening to the M-80's was - wow, the vocals really sound muffled.  I switched to the D2000's, and everything was clear as a bell - the lyrics were sharp and precise.  I put the M-80's back on - and again, the vocals - 'not good'. 
 
I focused in on piano and guitar:  M-80 - all the  individual  notes are rolled into one big-rolling note.  D2000 - every note is crisp and distinct.  With the D2000's - the crack of snare drums are loud and crisp and arpeggio's on guitar are distinct - it's immediately evident where the notes begin and end.  Not so on the M-80's.  They just don't have the same 'definition'. 
 
Again, it sounds like I'm just talking negatives - but that's what you're asking me for.  In reality, the Denon's are an extra hundred bucks, it's truly not a fair comparison.  I didn't expect the M-80's to match the Denon's, and I should have kept those expectations in check. 
 
I wasn't attempting to discredit previous reviews, I truly think they're honest and highly valuable.  And I didn't intend to put a bad spin on these headphones either - I think they're a very good product at their price point.  What happened is that I had a thought and did a really poor job expressing it.  I just get a little spooked when something is getting 6 stars out of 5 with virtually no ('readily apparent') criticism.  Especially when I start drinking the cool aid myself.

I think you should try listening to them exclusively for a day or two.  They might grow on you then - the Denons portray music in a completely different way from the M-80s.  I honestly think the D2000 sounds a bit "thin" in the midrange in comparison, whereas the M-80 sounds a bit more fleshed out and "full," if that makes any sense.  The muddiness just adds to the warmth of the vocals, in a way.  I really feel that the presentation of the treble is nicer than that of the D2000s though, they can be a bit sharp at times.

 

[tinyman392]

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I think you should try listening to them exclusively for a day or two.  They might grow on you then - the Denons portray music in a completely different way from the M-80s.  I honestly think the D2000 sounds a bit "thin" in the midrange in comparison, whereas the M-80 sounds a bit more fleshed out and "full," if that makes any sense.  The muddiness just adds to the warmth of the vocals, in a way.  I really feel that the presentation of the treble is nicer than that of the D2000s though, they can be a bit sharp at times.

 
The muddyness (I think I know what he's talking about) goes away as the pads/drivers/brain burns/breaks in, that's what I found anyways.  Took over 50-60 hours to do for me, but it did subside. 
 
But yes, keep listening to them, break them in, adjust to the sound.  Things sound a lot better as time goes

 

[Gclef]

I think you're right about 'break-in'.  I've read a lot of reviews that said they don't need it, yet even after just letting them burn overnight they do sound a little better to me this morning.  I'm sure that stepping away and clearing my head overnight had a lot to do with it too.  The most helpful thing that has come from all of this for me is that I now understand and can pinpoint my preferred sound signature.  I absolutely hate harsh and bright sound...especially to the point of being shrill, so I've always swayed toward warmer and relaxed headphones - which is exactly how I would describe the M-80's.  I realize now that I was wrong in my previous assessment.  It's not that the M-80's are muddy, or boomy or not clear...none of that is really true....they just lack the level of detail / definition and "sparkle" that "I" prefer.  Nonetheless, if you prefer a warmer and relaxed sound, I can honestly recommend the M-80's as a top choice for portable headphones in the $150 - $200 range.  My apologies if it sounded like I was thrashing these headphones in my previous posts...that was never my intention. 

 

[paul02]

Quote:

I think you're right about 'break-in'.  I've read a lot of reviews that said they don't need it, yet even after just letting them burn overnight they do sound a little better to me this morning.  I'm sure that stepping away and clearing my head overnight had a lot to do with it too.  The most helpful thing that has come from all of this for me is that I now understand and can pinpoint my preferred sound signature.  I absolutely hate harsh and bright sound...especially to the point of being shrill, so I've always swayed toward warmer and relaxed headphones - which is exactly how I would describe the M-80's.  I realize now that I was wrong in my previous assessment.  It's not that the M-80's are muddy, or boomy or not clear...none of that is really true....they just lack the level of detail / definition and "sparkle" that "I" prefer.  Nonetheless, if you prefer a warmer and relaxed sound, I can honestly recommend the M-80's as a top choice for portable headphones in the $150 - $200 range.  My apologies if it sounded like I was thrashing these headphones in my previous posts...that was never my intention. 

In the end. What matters is your ears. One must remember that even different people have different 'hearing'. No two ears are identical.
 
Let it burn in. I think it'll grow on you