The V-MODA M-100 is a special headphone to this community, because the people here helped design and give voice to it. The M-100 genuinely was a crowd-sourced product development effort, and it has also been V-MODA's flagship for a few years now. On top of that, the M-100 has been V-MODA's best selling headphone since its launch.
Something people have been asking for from V-MODA for years is a Bluetooth wireless headphone. I'm one of those people--like others, I've been nagging V-MODA founder and CEO Val Kolton for a wireless headphone since before the M-100's launch. Well, it's finally here.
Given the success of the M-100, it should't come as any surprise that V-MODA chose the M-100 platform as the starting point for its wireless headphone. The M-100's sound signature has appealed to both general consumers and audio enthusiasts alike. The M-100's brand of bass emphasis startslow, and and then tails off in a manner that smartly leaves the mids relatively unruffled. As I've said about the M-100 elsewhere in the Guide: "The M-100's mids are detailed, if not just somewhat subdued with its framing between the prominent bass on the one side, and the soaring treble on the other. Imaging is surprisingly spacious for a closed headphone whose drivers don't appear to me to be at all canted at an angle, like we see on so many headphones today."
Now imagine that with time under their belt--and knowing they'd have to charge more for a wireless version of it--that V-MODA might actually try to refine the headphone's sound while they were in there, further strengthening the new headphone's place as V-MODA's flagship. That's just what they did, to my ears toning down the treble side of the more U-shaped M-100 curve. Probably due in part to that and other tuning, the Crossfade Wireless' mids sound more present than the M-100's. Will every M-100 fan like the changes? Not necessarily. For me, on balance, the change is positive. If you think the M-100's treble perfect, as is, for your tastes, then perhaps you'll find the Crossfade Wireless a bit subdued up top.
As for its capabilities as a wireless headphone, the Crossfade Wireless can simultaneously pair with two sources, so you could, for example, pair it with your laptop and your smartwatch. Also, as an avid smartwatch user, Val insisted that the Crossfade Wireless' antenna work well with them, as they typically have much shorter signal ranges.
The Crossfade Wireless' battery life while wireless is rated at 12 hours of music listening. A 30-minute quick charge will buy 3+ hours of wireless life, which is nice for road warriors who might run it down fully on occasion. And what if you do run it down? Val was adamant that the headphones perform strongly--and as identically as possible--whether in wireless mode, or in passive mode, and I think they've met that mark. So even if you run that battery down completely, you've got the wired option that requires no battery.
The wired option is also great if you want to need zero latency (like when watching a movie, gaming, etc.), or if you want to plug the headphone into a high-end DAC/amp.
The Crossfade Wireless comes packaged with a 1-button SpeakEasy Mic Cable, a micro USB cable, and a carrying case. Unfortunately, the Crossfade wireless does not fold like an M-100, so the Crossfade Wireless' carrying case is larger than the M-100's.
The V-MODA Crossfade Wireless is available in four colors, and can be customized with V-MODA's laser-etched 2-D shields, or their new 3-D-printed shields (which is what I went with).
It's been a long time coming, but, in my opinion, the V-MODA Crossfade Wireless was worth the wait.
