[Marat Sar]

 An amp just might get you all the way there.

 
A little Fiio e12 magic you say? I do have it in me to commit dostoyevskian murder in the name of sound quality, so I guess 130 + shipping can be organized...

 

[Marat Sar]

I am mostly wondering about the FiiO  x3 interplay and where exactly that hump is... 

 

[plakat]

Thats rather easy: take a look at Tylls measurements:
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/VModaM100.pdf
 
Yes, I'd prefer the bass boost to start a bit lower as it really is a bit prone to that kind of resonances in the upper bass. The XL pads might indeed help, but I much prefer the look of the standard pads and have no problems with comfort.

 

[Marat Sar]

From what I read from that it´s basically the whole low end and using Fiio x3´s bass and treble settings, not eq, should suffice if I just drop the bass -2 or -3... I´m a total amateur at this, by the way, and that arcane graph just totally bewildered me.

 

[Solrighal]

An amp won't make much of a difference at all (it doesn't for me) and I don't even think the XL pads make a great difference to the sound. I do think your X3 will help though and the M-100 is very receptive to EQ tweaks.

 

[Marat Sar]

An amp won't make much of a difference at all (it doesn't for me) and I don't even think the XL pads make a great difference to the sound. I do think your X3 will help though and the M-100 is very receptive to EQ tweaks.

 
That´s what I was hoping for, yes. The worse the DAC input (my Alienware < iPod < gf´s Asus) is, the worse the hum gets. It´s almost tolerable on the Asus, since Bang & Olufsson have done a good job with the sound on those, Klipsch on the Alienware - not so much. But "almost tolerable" is not what you want from your music.
 
I´m thinking the pads might work too, though. The isolation on the original pads kinda builds up preassure in the cups. When I lift them from my ears just a little, by a millimeter, breaking the way they hug my head for sound isolation, the hum gets much less. Also, the driver is way too close to the ear with the original pads, and just plain hurts, even at modest volumes. If the XL option didn´t exist for experimenting with, I´d probably modify them myself.

 

[Smugsie]

I might actually not recommend the FiiO X3 at the moment for the Vmoda's in my opinion.. It has a bright and warm sound signature that suits neutral headgear but not one that already has a bump in the lower treble region.

 

[Solrighal]

Before the XL pads were released many people did mod the pads with tissue etc. The XL pads should be standard though as comfort is a must in headphones, for me anyway. I don't have that Radiohead album to test here. What else do you hear the effect on?

 

[Marat Sar]

What else do you hear the effect on?

 
Radiohead - Where I End And You Begin, Interpol - Untitled (this one basically doesn´t have vocals any more)
 

  I might actually not recommend the FiiO X3 at the moment for the Vmoda's in my opinion.. It has a bright and warm sound signature that suits neutral headgear but not one that already has a bump in the lower treble region.
 

 
Lower TREBLE region? I though the bump was in the bass? What exactly do we mean by "bump" anyway?

 

[Solrighal]

I'll get on the Interpol track when I get home later & see how it goes. It's worth noting though that imo Interpol sound terrible. The music is great but the production leaves a lot to be desired.

 

[Marat Sar]

I'll get on the Interpol track when I get home later & see how it goes. It's worth noting though that imo Interpol sound terrible. The music is great but the production leaves a lot to be desired.

 
It´s a kind of terrible I know and have gotten used to, but the V-modas take it to another level entirely. And my god, now I´m listening to a Nigel Godrich mix (never terrible) of Warpaint - To Love Is To Die, and even that tight bass-track has a sheen of hum around it, reverberating. It MUST be a pads thing. I´d attack them with toilet paper right now if I didn´t know the XL ones were coming.

 

[Smugsie]

   
Radiohead - Where I End And You Begin, Interpol - Untitled (this one basically doesn´t have vocals any more)
 
 
Lower TREBLE region? I though the bump was in the bass? What exactly do we mean by "bump" anyway?

 
The FiiO X3 has a treble EQ and bass EQ. The treble EQ can lower or raise the treble in what seems like the 5-6khz area. However the 3-4khz area seems untouched, and can be quite troublesome when I want to increase the volume on the Vmoda's without fatigue. The X3 I believe sounds a bit brighter in this 3-4khz area that leaves the M100's in return; brighter as well. I can't fully confirm this until I borrow a measurement kit.

 

[Marat Sar]

   The X3 I believe sounds a bit brighter in this 3-4khz area that leaves the M100's in return; brighter as well.

 
I don´t think the brightness is a problem at all with the m-100s, if anything, I would like a bit more. I thought - and have myself experienced - the bump (an increase in db, unproportional to the rest of the output) is in the mid to low bass region. That I believe is what gets out of control and creates an annoying hum on more sustained notes, which in turn is why people say these are genre-sensitive phones. If I could get my fingers on exactly where this increase occurs, maybe I could eq it out without sacrificing the rest of the low range.

 

[Solrighal]

OK, I've listened to Untitled and it does sound bad. However, if it's any consolation it sounds pretty terrible via my HD650's and my Q701's as well. That's using either of my amps, O2 & E18.

 

[Marat Sar]

OK, I've listened to Untitled and it does sound bad. However, if it's any consolation it sounds pretty terrible via my HD650's and my Q701's as well. That's using either of my amps, O2 & E18.

 
Thank you, at least now I know I´m not crazy or something. When I get the pads and my fiio x3 I´ll do a mini review on how rock and especially indie rock sounds on the V-modas.