[Ishcabible]

In my experience, the complete opposite is true! At my local Hi-Fi shop last April, I listened to a pair of HD 650s with my brand-new Cayin C5 portable amp and my first version of Rockbox EQ presets.

Without any amp clipping, I could make the drivers on the HD650s bottom out with the beat and go "SNAP! CRACKLE! POP!" like Rice Crispies. (I talk about this in this post.) When that started happening, I quickly turned down the volume within one second of hearing that loud noise, otherwise those flimsy HD 650s would've been destroyed. Funny how those drivers are 300 ohms and my little Cayin C5 amp can only push them with 1/5th as much power as my 32-ohm M-100s, and this has never happened with my M-100s -- not even with the latest version of my EQ presets that can play deeper and can more easily max out the amp if I'm not careful.


With Version 3.1 (i.e., the latest version) of my Rockbox EQ presets, the M-100 is the best all-rounder I've heard. I can make any music genre sound good with it.

Uhh, could you try that again with a different pair? I've used HD650s as speakers a couple times and have never encountered that problem. Your distortion kind of sounds like it's clipping, possibly due to EQ.

 

[DiscoProJoe]

Uhh, could you try that again with a different pair? I've used HD650s as speakers a couple times and have never encountered that problem. Your distortion kind of sounds like it's clipping, possibly due to EQ.

 
At that time I was trying out a display model of the HD 650 that they had, so there's always the possibility it could've been a defective model, but I'd really have to try out a different pair of HD 650s to know for sure.
 
But I am sure of one thing: there was absolutely no significant clipping from my amp or EQ at all when those HD 650 drivers bottomed out with the beat.
 
When you've used yours as speakers, have you ever tried cranking up the sub-bass on them with it amped?

 

[MICHAELSD]

  You don't pull on the earcups, you push in on the headband.  The headband basically controls the clamping force.

 
Wow, not sure how I didn't know this. Although there are people with the M-100 that fold the earcups into it unaware of the CliqFold 

.

 

[gr34td3str0y3r]

   
In my experience, the complete opposite is true! At my local Hi-Fi shop last April, I listened to a pair of HD 650s with my brand-new Cayin C5 portable amp and my first version of Rockbox EQ presets.
 
Without any amp clipping, I could make the drivers on the HD650s bottom out with the beat and go "SNAP! CRACKLE! POP!" like Rice Crispies. (I talk about this in this post.) When that started happening, I quickly turned down the volume within one second of hearing that loud noise, otherwise those flimsy HD 650s would've been destroyed. Funny how those drivers are 300 ohms and my little Cayin C5 amp can only push them with 1/5th as much power as my 32-ohm M-100s, and this has never happened with my M-100s -- not even with the latest version of my EQ presets that can play deeper and can more easily max out the amp if I'm not careful.
 
 
With Version 3.1 (i.e., the latest version) of my Rockbox EQ presets, the M-100 is the best all-rounder I've heard. I can make any music genre sound good with it.

huh? I am confused. What are you even basing quality on? Bass? ability to be amped? The amount of power they can take? 
When I mean "destroy" I mean SQ wise. Period. I understand we are skyrocketing into level of stupidly arguing over subjectivity, but.... I your talking about amping and ohms and power. Not to mention you are missing some fundementals when it comes to amping and power and ohms. Like senesitivity, and inductive responsive curves, and etc. etc. So much more goes into the response curve of a sound than simply power and ohms. Hell.... I would argue the Beyers 600 ohn drivers are easier to drive than AKGs 60ohm drivers. That means nothing. The only thing that has anything to do with is if you want to get SUPER crazy techincial about amp pairing speaking of which, the 650 may make a horrible pairing with C5. I have no idea. but its it 100% possible. Some of the worlds best headphones can sound like crap paired with some of the worlds best amps simply becuase they don't pair well. 
I am talking about sweet sonic bliss. 
Sorry, there is ZERO way any EQ on EARTH or amp or dac or whatever is ganna make Miles Davis or Bela Fleck sound better on M100 than the q701 or HD650. 
You kinda lost all creditably in my book with this " can make any music genre sound good with it." That is unless I can only assume you have never heard "great" "amazing" or "bliss"? Since the M100 only sound "good" to you. 

And you are bringing EQ into this. That is an ENTIRE other can of worms. To EQ or NOT-TO-EQ is one of the biggest and oldest arguents on Head-fi. I am realtivity new here and even I know that. Almost as famous as the veiled 600/650 argument 

 

[Danpyre]

EQ can bring some negative artifacts into the sound, even if done in light amounts.  With the amount DPJ is EQing, I'm not even sure what he could be hearing that we can't.  He's mentioned that the HD650s are great with Classical, and the M100s become almost as good by... adding more bass.  He lost his credibility with all of this a long time ago when he started finding ways to shoehorn a link to his EQs in at least half of his posts.  He also claims the M100 is the best all-rounder, which is about as solid as called a Grado a good allrounder.  The M100's have their market niche.  It's not very big, but it's there.  They just get way more praise than they deserve.  Just like the M50Xs, except there is pretty much no reason to buy those at this point.
One other thing, it's basic 123's of headphones that louder =/= better.  The Beats Mixrs can get pretty loud, but the HM-5's still have better sound.

 

[Thesonofkrypton]

Just thinking if the new iPhone 7 does indeed drop the standard headphone connection and relies on lightning, is there a lightning cable that would work with the m100 or does it have to be lighting to micro usb or whatever it is on the headphone side? Clueless about it. Although if they do go the wireless route I'm hoping they adopt aptx or create their own version which is better.

 

[Joakim Agren]

  EQ can bring some negative artifacts into the sound, even if done in light amounts.  With the amount DPJ is EQing, I'm not even sure what he could be hearing that we can't.  He's mentioned that the HD650s are great with Classical, and the M100s become almost as good by... adding more bass.  He lost his credibility with all of this a long time ago when he started finding ways to shoehorn a link to his EQs in at least half of his posts.  He also claims the M100 is the best all-rounder, which is about as solid as called a Grado a good allrounder.  The M100's have their market niche.  It's not very big, but it's there.  They just get way more praise than they deserve.  Just like the M50Xs, except there is pretty much no reason to buy those at this point.
One other thing, it's basic 123's of headphones that louder =/= better.  The Beats Mixrs can get pretty loud, but the HM-5's still have better sound.

 
Why is there no reason to buy the ATH-M50 at this point? Which ones do you consider better choices at similar price point?
 
For me the M50 have been very enjoyable for the past 4.5 years and I find them very good for the money. But now I am hoping to upgrade and my max budget is $250 so V-Moda M-100 is therefore an option. Are the M100 better then ATH-M50?
 
How is the sound leakage on the M100's? Do they leak more then the ATH-M50? (I do not want to disturb my family when listening at night and those openings at the back of the M100 concerns me).
 
One thing I do not want is a bass that is more boring then the M50's. I do not like neutral headphones but I also do not want muddy bass that create veiled mids and treble. I still want to hear for instance female vocals to be engaging and intimate and not distant sounding, also I want violins to sound clear and emotional! I think that the M50 have been very good in those regards when used on my computer connected to my Asus Xonar DG sound card that has a built in headphone amp. I intend to use any new headphone in the same way, the sources I use are mostly mp3's in Spotify, iTunes and YouTube.
 
But now I am looking for an upgrade and I am currently looking into the V-Moda M100, Sennheiser Momentum M2 Around ears, Philips A5Pro DJ headphones and also Sony MDR-100AAP. I will mostly use them at home, the only use outside of my home is going to be during flights.

 

[DiscoProJoe]

  huh? I am confused. What are you even basing quality on?

 
See this post of mine (on the M-100 thread) from a couple of weeks ago.
 

I understand we are skyrocketing into level of stupidly arguing over subjectivity, but....

 
...but subjectivity is what these forums are often all about. You're an audiophile, and I'm a hardcore basshead and an anti-audiophile. I really could give a flying flip about most of the crap that audiophiles care about. Heck, I can't even tell a difference in sound quality between 192 kbps MP3 versus WAV/FLAC that was ripped from the original CD, and my hearing is fine.
 

Sorry, there is ZERO way any EQ on EARTH or amp or dac or whatever is ganna make Miles Davis or Bela Fleck sound better on M100 than the q701 or HD650.
You kinda lost all creditably in my book with this " can make any music genre sound good with it." That is unless I can only assume you have never heard "great" "amazing" or "bliss"? Since the M100 only sound "good" to you.

 
Ahhhhhh,...am I supposed to, like, cry, or something? 

 
When I say "good sound quality," or when saying I can make all music genres sound good with extreme EQ'ing through my Rockboxed iPod Classic, Cayin C5 portable amp, and M-100s, maybe I should put a disclaimer in front of it that says, "Crazy audiophiles will hate it, but most other people will love it."
 
Most of my friends who've actually heard my portable headphone system in person have told me it's by far the best sound they've ever heard.
 
Also bear in mind that most people who frequent this M-100 topic thread are also not big audiophiles and have totally different standards than yours, too.
 
Anyway, I don't have Miles Davis or Bela Fleck in my music collection, but I was listening to Paul Hardcastle on the subway ride home this evening while using the "Lite" and "Ultra Lite" midbass categories in my EQ presets, and it sounded spectacular.
 

And you are bringing EQ into this. That is an ENTIRE other can of worms. To EQ or NOT-TO-EQ is one of the biggest and oldest arguents on Head-fi. Almost as famous as the veiled 600/650

 
How much time have you spent on personal EQ projects? I've spent months improving mine, and just last week, released Version 3.1 and a complete user guide to it. The first one I came out with in late March of last year didn't sound anywhere close to "ideal," compared to this latest one. But even last April at the local Hi-Fi shop when comparing the way classical music sounded through the HD 650 with my EQ turned off and set to flat (and the bass boost on the Cayin C5 turned off), versus through my M-100s while using the old, original "Optimized" and "Optimized Lite" categories, I could make classical music sound almost as good as the HD 650s through my M-100s. At least that's how it sounded to me at the time.
 
Now, with a much, much-improved Version 3.1, I'd be curious to hear how it compares, now. 

 
Anyway, as with other audiophiles on here, it looks like you and I will just have to agree to disagree on most stuff, as we obviously have totally different standards. Later.

 

[DiscoProJoe]

   
I still want to hear for instance female vocals to be engaging and intimate and not distant sounding, also I want violins to sound clear and emotional! I think that the M50 have been very good in those regards when used on my computer connected to my Asus Xonar DG sound card that has a built in headphone amp. I intend to use any new headphone in the same way, the sources I use are mostly mp3's in Spotify, iTunes and YouTube.

 
In my experience, music with a lot of violins and heavy vocals will need proper EQ'ing to sound good on the M-100. Otherwise, the upper midbass and lower midrange may sound bloated and "colored," which can wreak havoc on the soundstage. If you have a customizable EQ on your music player, you can probably fix that issue on those types of songs.
 
Oops! I almost forgot to preface that statement about EQ'ing and sounding good with, "Crazy audiophiles will hate it, but most other people will love it." 

 
Anyway, for music exploring, sampling, and downloading, check out the awesome sites Melodishop and MP3va. They rock!

 

[Danpyre]

 
EQ can bring some negative artifacts into the sound, even if done in light amounts.  With the amount DPJ is EQing, I'm not even sure what he could be hearing that we can't.  He's mentioned that the HD650s are great with Classical, and the M100s become almost as good by... adding more bass.  He lost his credibility with all of this a long time ago when he started finding ways to shoehorn a link to his EQs in at least half of his posts.  He also claims the M100 is the best all-rounder, which is about as solid as called a Grado a good allrounder.  The M100's have their market niche.  It's not very big, but it's there.  They just get way more praise than they deserve.  Just like the M50Xs, except there is pretty much no reason to buy those at this point.
One other thing, it's basic 123's of headphones that louder =/= better.  The Beats Mixrs can get pretty loud, but the HM-5's still have better sound.

Why is there no reason to buy the ATH-M50 at this point? Which ones do you consider better choices at similar price point?

For me the M50 have been very enjoyable for the past 4.5 years and I find them very good for the money. But now I am hoping to upgrade and my max budget is $250 so V-Moda M-100 is therefore an option. Are the M100 better then ATH-M50?

How is the sound leakage on the M100's? Do they leak more then the ATH-M50? (I do not want to disturb my family when listening at night and those openings at the back of the M100 concerns me).

One thing I do not want is a bass that is more boring then the M50's. I do not like neutral headphones but I also do not want muddy bass that create veiled mids and treble. I still want to hear for instance female vocals to be engaging and intimate and not distant sounding, also I want violins to sound clear and emotional! I think that the M50 have been very good in those regards when used on my computer connected to my Asus Xonar DG sound card that has a built in headphone amp. I intend to use any new headphone in the same way, the sources I use are mostly mp3's in Spotify, iTunes and YouTube.

But now I am looking for an upgrade and I am currently looking into the V-Moda M100, Sennheiser Momentum M2 Around ears, Philips A5Pro DJ headphones and also Sony MDR-100AAP. I will mostly use them at home, the only use outside of my home is going to be during flights.

I sent you a link to a Discord chat a few days ago. It's filled with people much more knowledgable than nearly everyone in this thread, myself included. They'll recognize if your tastes aren't neutral, and will be better guides than a lot of misguided people on this forum.
And to answer your question, the M50 hype started when they were available at a decent price. They were pretty good for a slightly V-shaped headphone at that price. Now, I'm pretty sure the price is $50 more than what they were back then for a removable cable and new pads. Sound, at this price, isn't very good in comparison to other offerings.
The M100 leaks some, but you'd have to emphasize exactly what you want in order to get a good recommendation. Again, I strongly recommend you go to that Discord group.
EDIT: If there are any questions I haven't answered, it's probably because I'm not qualified to answer them.

 

[azimkajai]

I've had my M100s for a while now and I'm loving them. I'm thinking of getting the Fiio E11 but not too sure if it's worth it, so I'd really appreciate any of your views/recommendations. Also, I listen from my iPod Nano (7th Generation) and my MSI gaming laptop.

 

[dbdynsty25]

I've had my M100s for a while now and I'm loving them. I'm thinking of getting the Fiio E11 but not too sure if it's worth it, so I'd really appreciate any of your views/recommendations. Also, I listen from my iPod Nano (7th Generation) and my MSI gaming laptop.

 
Spend a touch more and get the Fiio Q1...much better all around and pairs up nicely w/ the M100s.

 

[Whataudiophile]

I've had my M100s for a while now and I'm loving them. I'm thinking of getting the Fiio E11 but not too sure if it's worth it, so I'd really appreciate any of your views/recommendations. Also, I listen from my iPod Nano (7th Generation) and my MSI gaming laptop.

If you are ready to shell out some more money,Fiio x3 2nd Gen is a solid choice.

 

[Danpyre]

 
EQ can bring some negative artifacts into the sound, even if done in light amounts.  With the amount DPJ is EQing, I'm not even sure what he could be hearing that we can't.  He's mentioned that the HD650s are great with Classical, and the M100s become almost as good by... adding more bass.  He lost his credibility with all of this a long time ago when he started finding ways to shoehorn a link to his EQs in at least half of his posts.  He also claims the M100 is the best all-rounder, which is about as solid as called a Grado a good allrounder.  The M100's have their market niche.  It's not very big, but it's there.  They just get way more praise than they deserve.  Just like the M50Xs, except there is pretty much no reason to buy those at this point.


One other thing, it's basic 123's of headphones that louder =/= better.  The Beats Mixrs can get pretty loud, but the HM-5's still have better sound.

 


Why is there no reason to buy the ATH-M50 at this point? Which ones do you consider better choices at similar price point?


 


For me the M50 have been very enjoyable for the past 4.5 years and I find them very good for the money. But now I am hoping to upgrade and my max budget is $250 so V-Moda M-100 is therefore an option. Are the M100 better then ATH-M50?


 


How is the sound leakage on the M100's? Do they leak more then the ATH-M50? (I do not want to disturb my family when listening at night and those openings at the back of the M100 concerns me).


 


One thing I do not want is a bass that is more boring then the M50's. I do not like neutral headphones but I also do not want muddy bass that create veiled mids and treble. I still want to hear for instance female vocals to be engaging and intimate and not distant sounding, also I want violins to sound clear and emotional! I think that the M50 have been very good in those regards when used on my computer connected to my Asus Xonar DG sound card that has a built in headphone amp. I intend to use any new headphone in the same way, the sources I use are mostly mp3's in Spotify, iTunes and YouTube.


 


But now I am looking for an upgrade and I am currently looking into the V-Moda M100, Sennheiser Momentum M2 Around ears, Philips A5Pro DJ headphones and also Sony MDR-100AAP. I will mostly use them at home, the only use outside of my home is going to be during flights.

 

If you won't get on the Discord chat, Sennheiser Momentum M2

 

[gikigill]

The A5Pro is a very different beast from all of the cans mentioned, it's more on the flatter side of things. Very high quality drivers and a pitch black background.

The Sony has nowhere near the bass you want.

The Sennheiser has boosted bass nut won't punch like the M100.

I own the Philips and the Sennheiser and spent a few hours with the Sony before returning it back. The Philips has a very clean and clear signature that has its own appeal though it might not be for you. The Sennheiser HD8/7 might be a better fit if you want plenty of bass similar to the M100 but they will need power to get there.