[dbdynsty25]

Yeah I'm liking my M80s more and more every day.  At first I thought they were a little bass light, but I just needed the ear pads to conform to my ears.  After a few hours they were golden.
 
The great thing about them is that they sound A LOT like the Vsonig Gr07 with better imaging (a more 3d feel)...which is an outstanding trait to have.  I've found my favorite portable and favorite IEM...and both were less than 200 bucks!  Can't beat that at all.

 

[Dsnuts]

Oh absolutely these are the best portables I have..I was wondering why every single review was raving about these on amazon. .I ended up throwing yet another 5 star on there myself. They eQ really well too. You can throw on even more bass you try that?  Or a small amp? unreal. They twist to any sound you want really..These are gonna be stupid popular. .For good reason.

 

[Audio WannaBe]

Ahh. Okay. Thanks for the definition of pleather. At first, I thought it was some fancy talk. I thought the immortal warranty only applies when (if) your V-80's ever break?

 

[Dsnuts]

Quote:

Ahh. Okay. Thanks for the definition of pleather. At first, I thought it was some fancy talk. I thought the immortal warranty only applies when (if) your V-80's ever break?

Well if your headphone ends up smelling funky I am sure there is a way accidents happen if you know what I mean. How ever I honestly think you don't even have to go there. These guys are very cool in my book. They will probably just exchange for a new one at half price no matter what the reason is. Smelling funky and all. 
 
This is new to me the idea of a funky smelling headphone.. I suppose this happens more so than we like to discuss here at headfi.. Lol.

 

[Spinlight]

Man, all of this love is making me want to buy the M-80's, haha. Money for prestigious MUN conference or prestigious set of cans that may possibly dethrone the HD25 as most-widely recommended portable?
I wonder how hard it was for them to keep these under wraps for so long. Apparently they have $300+ portables in the works too. 

 

[EveTan]

I just got mine today. I know I have to wait for the burn in and the cushion to mold to my ears (they'll probably still hurt, as do all headphones with me ears--a dull pain). I was wondering if the sound isolation would get better over time. As of now. It isn't too pleasing. I got this hearing its "better" than the Lps. Also, these are my first on ears so I'm not sure what to expect.

 

[EveTan]

Yea...I don't know what to say. Maybe its just where I'm placing them on my ears, but they give me immense pain. 

 

[Dsnuts]

1. MinceyFresh
2. 
3.  
4. offline

1. 4 Posts. Joined 8/2011
2. Location: Monterey, CA

Hi, guys... I'm new to posting here (though I've been coming here for years to read what people have to say about one headphone or another)... Although I entered this contest, I couldn't take it anymore and decided to buy a pair of the M-80s from my local Radio Shack a couple days ago. I gotta say that these sound pretty friggin nice. With regards to sound quality, I agree more or less with Dsnuts, so I won't repeat what he wrote in his review. If you imagine the sound of unamped HD 25-1 IIs (my current favorite closed portables), but give them juuuust a slightly more v-shaped flavor, you'll have a good idea of what these sound like (at least to my ears). The isolation isn't the best at low volumes, but I have been able to drown out my coworkers without having to crank the volume on my unamped 5th gen iPod.
 
The M-80s actually sound (and look) so good that I really don't want to say anything negative about them, but oh man, these start to hurt after a while! It's really strange--when I put these on, they seem to pleasantly hug my ears and actually feel quite nice. After about 15-20 minutes, however, they seem to slowly get a bit tighter... and tighter... and tighter... until, well, I can't take it anymore. I've read that the earpads are supposed to soften after being exposed to the oils of the users' skin for roughly 24 hours, so I'm hoping that that's all that I need to do to get the comfort match the sound quality. I know that the normal solution to most supra-aurals being too tight is just to give the headband a good bending (as long as the headband is metal), but due to the nature of the headband in the M-80s, they will just snap back into their original shape (which is actually kinda cool, lol).
 
To be fair, I remember my HD 25-1 IIs being similarly painful until I eventually swapped the leatherette earpads with the included velour pads (transforming them from instantly headache-inducing to mildly uncomfortable after a couple hours). It does make me wonder how the M-80s would feel with velour pads. Seeing that the earpads are supposedly replaceable, I would like to hope that either V-Moda or a third party brand (say, Pearstone) can eventually release velour earpads for these cans.
 
Well, if you are already accustomed to the nature of tight supra-aurals, then disregard my 2nd and 3rd paragraphs and enjoy the hell out of these things.

I have 30 days to return these, so I'm hoping that these loosen up a bit (a lot) by day 29, because I really don't want to part ways with something that sounds this good.
 
Update, Sep. 10: A copule posts below, Val Kolton replied to this post, suggesting flattening the headband (as demonstrated in this video), and it helped a lot with the comfort (they're now nice and snug rather than downright painful). Now about those velour earpads... 

Edited by MinceyFresh - 9/10/11 at 1:48pm

 

[dbdynsty25]

That's so weird that you guys are having issues with the on-ear pressure.  I actually thought it wasn't tight enough (and I've got a fairly big head).  The pads do take hours and hours to soften up and form to your ears a little more so maybe they'll loosen up and conform to your ears more as you go along.
 
I still cannot believe how good these things are.  Even out of my brand new MacBook Air...I can't stop listening to them.  Stick em in my J3 and it's almost heavenly (pardon the cliches).  So good...I have a hard time deciding what to listen to...these or my GR07s.  As far as I'm concerned, they are both fantastic and I'm glad I've got both of them.  So good.

 

[MinceyFresh]

Quote:

Yea...I don't know what to say. Maybe its just where I'm placing them on my ears, but they give me immense pain. 

 
Quote:

That's so weird that you guys are having issues with the on-ear pressure.  I actually thought it wasn't tight enough (and I've got a fairly big head).  The pads do take hours and hours to soften up and form to your ears a little more so maybe they'll loosen up and conform to your ears more as you go along.

After trying the headband flattening that was demonstrated in that V/M-80 promo video, they actually feel great! I love these things now! 

 

[Extra]

Picked up a pair of M-80's today. Currently letting them burn-in and having them get used to my ears. Out of the box performance is alright, though after hearing that they get much better as time goes on, I'm not going to judge them. The packaging is amazing, and if these sound good, then I've found the ultimate portable headphone for me. Plus they look outstanding.
 
Can't wait to show my Beats loving friends my new headphones.

 

[dbdynsty25]

Quote:

Can't wait to show my Beats loving friends my new headphones.

These aren't about showing them (although they do look good) it's about hearing them.  The beats kids will look down on them because they don't say "beats" on the side, but once they hear them...that's when the jealousy will kick in.  
 

 

[Extra]

Quote:

These aren't about showing them (although they do look good) it's about hearing them.  The beats kids will look down on them because they don't say "beats" on the side, but once they hear them...that's when the jealousy will kick in.  
 

Haha, that's what I meant. I also think these look so much better than the Beats, but you're right, they won't care until they hear them.
 
I can't wait to do a full review of these, and if V-Moda keeps making products like this, I'll have to keep them on my radar.
 

 

[Extra]

Note; I am not an audiophile. I do know what good sound is, though, I just don't try to pick out every note in the song I listen too, and I like a bit of style in my headphones.
 
 My best headphones before this are the XB-500’s. However, I love music, and as a teenager, I was really hoping I’ve found the pair of headphones that I’ve been looking for:  a pair that sounds good, is durable, and looks really good. Here are my thoughts.
 
 
V-Moda M-80 Initial impressions-
 
My M-80's were purchased at the local Radioshack for 200$.
 
Packaging- What you would expect from a lifestyle headphone companies’ flagship- awesome. Take a look at SemperMalum’s thread for pictures and for impressions as well. The box feels very nice, and the snakeskin-like carrying handle is very nice. After cutting a small bit of red material from the top of the box and popping the metal button, you open it up to a small piece of cardboard and foam, which hides the carrying case the headphones are included in, and some literature for V-Moda and warranty information.
 
Opening the case shows the headphones and it’s accessories, which are all nicely placed.
 
Overall, very impressive.
 
The Headphones: This is the first headphone I’ve owned that I find safe to call “sexy”.  The cups themselves are small and are hexagonal in shape, along with the metal plates attached to them. Like the Crossfade LP, these plates are removable and V-moda offers a service where you can customize and buy plates from their website.
 
The headband is a bit hard at first, but after a couple hours, it, along with the pads, soften up. Others have had comfort issues with these, but I found no problems in comfort, and this is my first on-ear for about a year and a half.
 
Overall, the headphones, greatly due to the metal construction, look rock solid and ready to handle some abuse.
 
Cable: The cord on these are detachable, which is great. Both cords are 36" long, with one having a remote and one having just a mic. Also, both cords are 3.5mm to 3.5 (mini to mini) jacks, so cables such as the ones the beats use are compatible. The side that plugs into the headphones is a straight plug, and the other end is a 45 degree angle plug. Both are Kevlar reinforced and just add to the build quality of the headphones.
 
Accessories: The package includes a very nice, hard, zippered exoskeleton carrying case. When you open it for the first time, along with the headphones, there are the two nicely stored cables, a 1/8-1/4 adapter, and a carabiner. All of this is attached to two Velcro-attached pads, and looks very nice.
 
The Sound: I’m going to be honest about this, when I first listened to these, I preferred the sound to my un-EQ’d Sony XB500’s. I remembered, however, that another user thought these weren’t all that special until after a couple days of letting these burn-in and having the pads soften up. After listening to these often, I can tell that is correct. The sound is now becoming much more full, and I hope to see an even better change in quality after a couple of days.
 
Bass hits nice and hard, but is controlled. It’s certainly there, but it’s not overpowering. I also love how cymbals sound with the M-80’s especially the high-hats. They just seem just right, if a bit too obvious. At the moment, I can say that the vocals are just alright. I really hope this improves over time, and it seems to be doing so.
 
The M-80’s use a new feature called the Beatport, which is basically a vent in the back of the headphones that creates a 3D image without a ton of sound leakage.  So far this is working quite well, as isolation is pretty good and sound leakage is low. This is helped a bit by the pads, which are tight-clamping for some and fine for others, I’ve seen. They are fine with me, and I have a medium sized head.
 
I’ll have a full review up hopefully by the beginning of next week, but at the moment, these are shaping up to be very good lifestyle ‘phones, and excellent ‘phones in general.

 

[Turbine Guy]

So any Singaporeans or anywhere not the US that has bought the M-80's? I read that the US$35 expedited shipping, is strictly for the shipping only and that i would have to incur any extra tax or whatnot that the Singapore side charges. Does anyone know how much extra besides the shipping they will be charging? Also, how long would the shipping take? Thank you so so so much for answering!