[Allucid]

I've got a pair of DNAs too!


Now if only I can find a buyer around my area..

Oh and how is the burn in on the m-100's? I've heard it's not very significant but right now I'm pretty much leaving them on high volume even when I'm not around to listen to them.

I've also heard the XL earpads makes the sound more balancedl; I hope it's true because I've already ordered them xD

Burn in time is 24-48hrs.
XL pads make the soundstage larger and recede the mountain of bass slightly. They make the highs and mids balance out slightly as well. The comfort is the best bit.

 

[Allucid]

 
I think the biggest issue is really the amount of money I spent there; I initially had a 200-250 dollar budget and I went and spent 300 instead. The dealer decided to throw in a free Fiio E6 so that was pretty nice as well but still the buyer's remorse is kicking in.

Haha, I did something similar. Picked up Monster DNA's for $150, then slowly started transitioning upward to the M100's, and now with custom shields and the XL pads I've spent over $400 on these things.

Ahaha sounds like me.
M100 - 310
Shields 40 (professional illustrator)
Engraving 50 (w/ shipping)

Then we have the boompro cable.
Worth it though.
I recently got the remix remote from Val as a gift because my other earphones from them were faulty. I find I spend more time listening to the remix than the m100, which is good since you can come back to the m100 and experience the 'first listen' again.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

  I've got a pair of DNAs too!

Now if only I can find a buyer around my area..
 
Oh and how is the burn in on the m-100's? I've heard it's not very significant but right now I'm pretty much leaving them on high volume even when I'm not around to listen to them.
 
I've also heard the XL earpads makes the sound more balancedl; I hope it's true because I've already ordered them xD

 
A few days and they're pretty much good to go, IMO. Just enough to "open up".
 
The XL pads don't have a huge impact on sound that I heard. Maybe a bit of widening on the soundstage just by virtue of there being more open space, but nothing enormous. The main thing is they're more comfortable and have a better seal (which CAN make a difference). Just watch out, if your ears stick out line mine then the ridge of your ear WILL rub up against the driver. Not terrible, but it can be annoying after a while.
 
I'll say this: I haven't enjoyed my music this much in... I literally do not know how long. I've loved tons of headphones over the years, but this is the first time since the ATH-A700's about four or five years ago, and a big reason those had that impact was they were my first "big time" headphone. The M100s, after a few days of trepidation, continue to just gobsmack me. My post history shows when I first snagged them, I was on the fence. Not no more!

 

[Smugsie]

Burn in time is 24-48hrs.
XL pads make the soundstage larger and recede the mountain of bass slightly. They make the highs and mids balance out slightly as well. The comfort is the best bit.

Some say the sub-bass increases a bit. Could this be due to the seperation from driver to ear distance is increased, or also the addition of a better seal?
My XL pads don't come in for another two weeks... so I won't know until then

 

[Semont]

Thanks for the quick reply!
 
So the burn in time is quite similar to what I've heard for other headphones.
 
The bit on the XL pads sounds pretty great too!
 
How would you compare the sound before and after the burn in? Is it similar to other headphones?
 
I actually couldn't tell the difference for my other headphones since I just naturally grew used to how they sounded. I guess the same will happen to me and my m-100s.
 
That mental burn in

 

[ratinox]

Oh and how is the burn in on the m-100's? I've heard it's not very significant but right now I'm pretty much leaving them on high volume even when I'm not around to listen to them.

I've also heard the XL earpads makes the sound more balancedl; I hope it's true because I've already ordered them xD

So. I've spent... $300 for the cans, $12 for a black/grey cable, $20 for grey XL pads and another $20 for black ones (because I was impatient and felt the twenty bucks for the greys was worth not waiting six weeks for the blacks), and $30 for a BoomPro mic. And I still don't have custom shields.

Burn-in: there is none to speak of. Yeah, I know Som(eone) thinks there is but... nah. If there's any break-in it's within the first 30 minutes or so. Anything else is your brain getting used to M-100's distinctive sound and clarity.

As for the XL pads' sound, well, that depends on your ears. Most of us agree that there are changes but what you hear really does depend on the shapes of your ears. I found them to be a bit boomy which is one of my reasons for embarking on the tape mod experiments.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

To me, the biggest effect after a few days was the bass opened up. Out of the box, the bass is certainly there, and it extends deep, but it doesn't get quite as meaty until the drivers get nice and loose. At least that's what I noticed, but I listened mostly to the lows because the M100s are often lauded as a basshead headphone, which is what attracted me to them.

 

[Tom22]

The XS is on ear. The M100 is over ear. Think of it like a Bose Quietcomfort on ear and a Quietcomfort over ear. They're the same thing - but the over ear is better for isolation and sound.

I've tried the momentum sand had my m100s for a year. The momentum shave crisp highs and sound clean, but nothing in that area of headphones compares.
Any headphone in a store is there to make you buy it. Momentums are an exception, but I'd rather buy the M100 over the momentum any day.

very interesting i'm still on the fence on whether to wait for the xs or just drop the money for the m100 now. cause i figured i would be listening on the go most of the time, on the transit (on the bud or on the subway. like 60%on the go to 40% at home
 
do i would need the extra bass to cancel out some ambient noise (so something with bass north of neutral) the question is how north of neutral? is the xl pads the answer for taming down that bass? im all for the comfort (no one disagreed saying they were uncomfortable)
 
but like i said the the bass on the monster turbine gets too much for home listening, i'm no bass head by any means even when pairing the vsonic gr07 bass edition with the fiio e6 amp i find the bass just right, and tbh i have not tried any decent basshead headphones before . this id when the mid arent recessed, i cant imagine what recessed mid would be like 
 
i listen to pop music most of the time (kpop jpop specifically) so some bass north of neutral is great, with emphasis in the subbass  more than the midbass but i need the mids to be able to breathe freely as well, it has to be natural mids as well, i need my female vocals to stay true with some warmth but i also like a sparkly treble with as good extension as my gr07 without the siblance
 
what do you guys think? i love to finally make my first vmoda purchase after about 2 years of lurking around these forums

 

[SomeGuyDude]

The M80s, from what VMODA says (and what others have echoed) are more neutral, probably owing to the smaller driver. The XS might be coming out, and I have no doubts they've improved on the design, but I don't believe it'll be an updated driver in there because doing so would make their flagship product (the M100) obsolete. Not to mention VMODA also said they took a year just to design the XL pads to avoid altering the soundstage, so I'm not convinced they're looking at changing the M80 in any fundamental fashion.
 
The XL pads won't tame the bass at all, and if you're worried about it being overly bottom heavy as well as preferring more portable? I think the XS/M80 would be right for you. IMO, getting a headphone and then modding it (with the exception of taking cheap headphones and retooling them a la MrSpeakers) defeats the purpose of buying THAT one over others. 

 

[Tom22]

  The M80s, from what VMODA says (and what others have echoed) are more neutral, probably owing to the smaller driver. The XS might be coming out, and I have no doubts they've improved on the design, but I don't believe it'll be an updated driver in there because doing so would make their flagship product (the M100) obsolete. Not to mention VMODA also said they took a year just to design the XL pads to avoid altering the soundstage, so I'm not convinced they're looking at changing the M80 in any fundamental fashion.
 
The XL pads won't tame the bass at all, and if you're worried about it being overly bottom heavy as well as preferring more portable? I think the XS/M80 would be right for you. IMO, getting a headphone and then modding it (with the exception of taking cheap headphones and retooling them a la MrSpeakers) defeats the purpose of buying THAT one over others. 

thankd for the quick reply, i think i will get the xs then, i hate dropping the cash on something i cant really try (i know there is the 60 day guarantee but i still have to pay for the shipping. and having them ship to canada is not cheap and a lengthy process. 
 
i like the small size cause their portable, andd dont have a problem with comofrt because i dont listen longer than 1 hour at a time

 

[ThePhoenix84md]

I been reading and comparing these with Beats. Is the general consensus that these are better?

 

[adamlr]

I been reading and comparing these with Beats. Is the general consensus that these are better?

asking that in the m-100 thread seems kinda superfluous, but yea, thats what most people in this thread would say.
 
then again, the general consensus on beats is negative throughout head-fi as a whole...

 

[SomeGuyDude]

I been reading and comparing these with Beats. Is the general consensus that these are better?

 
Okay, I'm going to say, conditionally, yes.
 
HOWEVER, this depends on a) which model Beats, and b) what music you listen to. There are some situations where I'd say the Beats (specifically the Mixrs) will outperform the M100's. 

 

[ThePhoenix84md]

Well, can you give a quick comparison between the two?

 

[SomeGuyDude]

Well, can you give a quick comparison between the two?

Sure.
 
The Mixrs have more aggressive bass (and IMO, it sounds good doing it), with clear highs and mids that are acceptable. That said, there's not great separation between instruments, and they are uncomfortable as heck until you stretch the headband out. The overall sound is VERY aggressive, and absolutely ideal for rap, electronica, pop, or any genre with a lot of low-end that wasn't made with actual instruments. They're skull-pounding and you don't lose the rest of the spectrum along the way like you do on Beats' other models.
 
The M100's don't have the same bass impact, but the detail and overall clarity is greater thanks to the dual-diaphragm drivers. The separation is better, instruments feel more organic, and they're a hell of a lot more comfortable. If you love bass, but lots of genres, this is your headphone. There's a much greater sense of separation and placement with instruments while still being plenty up-front and powerful. 
 
The Mixrs are a specific headphone, the M100's a swiss army knife. Both are great if you love bass, and to be frank I listened to a bunch of stuff with the Mixrs and thought it sounded fine (plus they look sweet), but unless your listening is going to be almost solely electronically-produced, bass-heavy music, the M100's are better.