[dweaver]

I suppose I'd be out of line asking if you received anything else, but my suspicions remain. My experience with every V-Moda product to date has been dismal, even with my love of bass.

So your dislike for VModa makes you feel justified in questioning the ethics of all the reviewers because we received a free pair of the headphones??

I don't see any of the reviews aside from one or two (where the reviewers really liked the M80) that hype these headphones. Most of us even suggested other options depending on what a persons sonic preferences are.

 

[swbf2cheater]

I'm with dweaver on that point.  I love the M-80s well rounded nature and spacious sound but there are definitely other portables out there that are more well tailored to any one specific genre. I am not sure I would call any of them well rounded though. 

 

[DigitalFreak]

Quote:

I'm with dweaver on that point.  I love the M-80s well rounded nature and spacious sound but there are definitely other portables out there that are more well tailored to any one specific genre. I am not sure I would call any of them well rounded though. 

As an example I'm what's known as a treble head. You only have to ask people who know me and they'll tell you right now my absolute favorite portables are the Beyer DT1350 and my Sony MDR EX 600 IEM's. Both these products are known for having extremely bright aggressive sound signatures. The only gear I have that can be considered bass head gear would be my Sony XB 500 and 700's. As much as I like my XB's I have no trouble saying the M-80 owns them outright and is a far better sounding headphone for basscentric genres and makes a far better all arounder then my XB's. If you want more details on what I'm talking about see my review. The M-80 I think is going to make a splash in the market because it's a product that will appeal to people who are looking for a good middle ground when it comes to being a bass head or a treble head.
 
Quote: From my review

It's a headphone that has been very shrewdly engineered and will appeal to the bass head who wants to hear a mid range and has grown tired of overpowering muddy lows. The M-80 will also appeal to the treble head whose gotten tired of the analytical and wants a slightly warmer fuller bass with nice authoritative slam but still wants a decent amount of detail in his music.

 
This is where the strength of the M-80 truly lies. It's the kind of product that will appeal to people who are seeking a safe middle ground to their sound signatures of choice. It's also the kind of headphone that will appeal to many of the younger crowd who don't want Beats but don't want to give up funky styling. I also quickly touch on that in my review. I also have to add that overall I think it's an extremely fun can. It's the kind of headphone you throw some of your more favorite music on and just rock out.

 

[swbf2cheater]

I have similar views but my ears seem to focus on and care more about spaciousness.  Sound stage is the most important factor to me, all the clarity in the world means nothing to me if the set has any poor stage qualities.  I enjoyed the DT1350 for its all its stage qualities but had a ton of trouble enjoying it for music.  I found myself putting them down and replacing it with my M2C. All of my portables were replaced by the M-80. 
 
The M-80 isn't a perfect set of headphones, but I felt it to be one of the best portables I have ever used, a real work horse that did almost anything I asked of it.  

 

[Gilly87]

I don't dislike VModa, they are a corporation, I am generally neutral about their existence. I do, however, dislike all of their products I have heard; I used to work for RadioShack and we sold three different lines of their IEMs and the Crossfades while I was there. I found all of their products to be overly bassy and muddy. So yes, I am surprised to see audiophiles praising their products. Is that so hard to understand?

 

[Gilly87]

One more question for any of the reviewers who don't hate me now Have any of you heard the Shure SE215 and if so, would you say the M80s have a similar or complimentary sound to the SE215s?

 

[arnaud]

 
Quote:

I don't dislike VModa, they are a corporation, I am generally neutral about their existence. I do, however, dislike all of their products I have heard; I used to work for RadioShack and we sold three different lines of their IEMs and the Crossfades while I was there. I found all of their products to be overly bassy and muddy. So yes, I am surprised to see audiophiles praising their products. Is that so hard to understand?

I think you should just give it a listen when you can. I did not listen (nor care) for v-moda stuff before and just happened to try the m-80 because Val came to the headphone show in Tokyo. Before I put them on, I really did not expect anything good and I was just very positively shocked. You can dismiss all the reviews where people got a freebie if you want, but for me, as I said, I have no reason to praise the product, nothing to gain, and am not feeling sorry for Val's wallet (you should see the cards he's carrying around and his house ). But simply, I liked what I saw and especially what I heard. Living in Japan, you get to care for small details and the M-80 transpires minute attention to detail / perfectionism. I never listen to on-ear headphones and just briefly checked the senns (250 or some similar number?) and beyer (1350?) the same week end but liked the m-80 much better (as they seem much less colored or at least not in an obtrusive way).
 
 

 

[Gilly87]

Very interesting. My skepticism was taken care of from the first reviewer's reply I received, so no hate Thanks for the comparison vs the HD25, that is the other set I am primarily considering at the moment, but I am beginning to lean towards the M80s the more I hear about them.

 

[cooperpwc]

I haven't heard these but I am glad to see V-Moda stepping up. The Vibes were my first canal phones and while they had their limitations, they were also a lot of fun. It looks like V-Moda are taking things to a much higher level. That's good for all of us in this hobby.

 

[dweaver]

I own the SE215 and there is definitely some similarity between them and the M80. The M80 has a bigger sound stage though and more detail and I would say it is less mid-bass heavy. The M80 also has a similar treble in regards to being non-fatiguing but I do think the M80 has a bit more extension and detail than the SE215.

 

[stuckonsound]

I know the HFI-780 is a small around ear phone, but I'm curious how they compare. 

 

[Armaegis]

Quote:

One more question for any of the reviewers who don't hate me now Have any of you heard the Shure SE215 and if so, would you say the M80s have a similar or complimentary sound to the SE215s?

 
Quote:

I own the SE215 and there is definitely some similarity between them and the M80. The M80 has a bigger sound stage though and more detail and I would say it is less mid-bass heavy. The M80 also has a similar treble in regards to being non-fatiguing but I do think the M80 has a bit more extension and detail than the SE215.

I mostly agree with this. The Shure is more bass sloped and a bit muddy sounding compared to the M80.
 

 

[Gilly87]

Quote:

I own the SE215 and there is definitely some similarity between them and the M80. The M80 has a bigger sound stage though and more detail and I would say it is less mid-bass heavy. The M80 also has a similar treble in regards to being non-fatiguing but I do think the M80 has a bit more extension and detail than the SE215.

 


Quote:

 

I mostly agree with this. The Shure is more bass sloped and a bit muddy sounding compared to the M80.
 

O_O Wow. These very well be my next...I had my heart set on the HD25, and I still want to audition them along with SRH750DJs, but if what you say is true then I give the M80s a good shot at being my next keeper.

 

[Gilly87]

Quote:

So your dislike for VModa makes you feel justified in questioning the ethics of all the reviewers because we received a free pair of the headphones??
I don't see any of the reviews aside from one or two (where the reviewers really liked the M80) that hype these headphones. Most of us even suggested other options depending on what a persons sonic preferences are.

Please stop splitting moral hairs and using semantics to make my suspicion seem unfounded. I explained myself; if you'd like to crucify me go right ahead, but you'll look quite the fool. Most of your fellow reviewers seem to take no such offense to my questioning. In this day and age I don't think my suspicion is at all unwarranted.
 
And again, please don't twist my words; it's not my dislike for VModa, but rather my consistently negative experience with their products, combined with the unanimously positive reviews; sure, some have a few minor negative remarks, but on the whole they are generally positive.. Yes, having consistently negative experiences with their products causes a question mark when I hear that one of them is good, especially when I know that the reviewers received the products for free. Is that really unreasonable?

 

[Armaegis]

I feel a strong factor too is Val's presence on the board. He's PR and hype and R&D and ocd all rolled into one.