[danny93]

Can someone post a picture of how much paper towel people are putting in (hopefully getting them tomorrow!) 
 
Also does putting in cotton wool instead of paper towel change the sound at all?

 

[Craigster75]

Quote:

Can someone post a picture of how much paper towel people are putting in (hopefully getting them tomorrow!) 
 
Also does putting in cotton wool instead of paper towel change the sound at all?

I applaud the creativity of modders, but walking around with rolled up paper towels in a
$300 headphone just doesn't feel right.  If your budget allows, a good amp should bring out the mids. 
Also, many reviewers don't consider the mids of the M-100 recessed; they are considered neutral or laid back which is to be expected in any bass-heavy headphone (if bass is boosted, some part of the frequency range must lower in comparison).

 

[DigitalFreak]

Quote:

Can someone post a picture of how much paper towel people are putting in (hopefully getting them tomorrow!) 
 
Also does putting in cotton wool instead of paper towel change the sound at all?

A quick update on the towel mod, I've been meaning to post this but I keep forgetting. Sorry about that.  Over the last few weeks I've messed around with different material and a friend of mine suggested I use wound dressing instead of paper towels. End result, music sounds just as good and the fit feels slightly plusher against the ears and face. I suggest everyone drop by a pharmacy and grab a role of dressing. The width of roll I used was actually perfect and I only had to concentrate on the length to try and get it the same thickness as the paper towel mod. If any of you guys try this be careful you get the same thickness on the top and bottom otherwise the cups will feel a little lopsided. Something else I'd like to mention, for the people who are having problems with the cups touching the top of the ear if you make the top padding slightly thicker as in 1/3 thicker the cup fit on the head is at an angle thereby giving the top of the ear more breathing room. I tried it out for a short while but it didn't work out for me because the fit felt really weird but if you're having problems with the top of your ears feeling numb it could be a viable option for you.
 
@danny93
cotton balls or a wool dressing would work as long as you be careful to keep the drivers unobstructed. If you lay the wool flat so that it covers part of the drivers the sound will sound veiled. If you use wool stretch out the wool and roll it together between your hands until you get a thick tight strand that you can snake around under the cuffs.

 

[miceblue]

Quote:

Quote:

Can someone post a picture of how much paper towel people are putting in (hopefully getting them tomorrow!) 
 
Also does putting in cotton wool instead of paper towel change the sound at all?

I applaud the creativity of modders, but walking around with rolled up paper towels in a
$300 headphone just doesn't feel right.  If your budget allows, a good amp should bring out the mids. 
Also, many reviewers don't consider the mids of the M-100 recessed; they are considered neutral or laid back which is to be expected in any bass-heavy headphone (if bass is boosted, some part of the frequency range must lower in comparison).

 
1. take a full-size 2-ply paper towel

2. cut it into fourths

3. using one of the fourths, cut it in half the long way

4. fold/roll tightly each of these eighths so that you get 2 long pieces of paper towel

5. cut each of these in half (or into thirds)

6. put one piece in the top and bottom of the earpad lip for each earpad
 
The top paper towel pieces are the size I'm talking about.
 

 
 
I'll have to try out the wound dressings when I get the chance.

 

[Apo0th3karY]

Wound dressing!?!!?!?!?
Why didn't I think of that before? I work in a hospital. I'm gonna go... borrow... some supplies and do some experimenting.

 

[danny93]

Is that the same as kitchen roll...looks more like felt

And I will be sure to experiment with it and the bandages as DigitakFreak said!

I'm not sure I'll send up keeping the mod as i am a basshead!

 

[Craigster75]

Quote:

I applaud the creativity of modders, but walking around with rolled up paper towels in a
$300 headphone just doesn't feel right.  If your budget allows, a good amp should bring out the mids. 
Also, many reviewers don't consider the mids of the M-100 recessed; they are considered neutral or laid back which is to be expected in any bass-heavy headphone (if bass is boosted, some part of the frequency range must lower in comparison).

I suppose wound dressing is more durable than paper towels

  I tried a similar mod in the past with Q40s and it contributed more to improved comfort than any noticeable sonic change, but maybe that's not the case with the M-100 mod as the pads seem to contribute more to their overall sound which may be why Val is taking his time releasing velour pads.

 

[miceblue]

Quote:

Quote:

Can someone post a picture of how much paper towel people are putting in (hopefully getting them tomorrow!) 
 
Also does putting in cotton wool instead of paper towel change the sound at all?

I applaud the creativity of modders, but walking around with rolled up paper towels in a
$300 headphone just doesn't feel right.  If your budget allows, a good amp should bring out the mids. 
Also, many reviewers don't consider the mids of the M-100 recessed; they are considered neutral or laid back which is to be expected in any bass-heavy headphone (if bass is boosted, some part of the frequency range must lower in comparison).

Though probably unintentional, [anti] pun intended?
 
 
 
Quote:

Is that the same as kitchen roll...looks more like felt

And I will be sure to experiment with it and the bandages as DigitakFreak said!

I'm not sure I'll send up keeping the mod as i am a basshead!

Yeah it's regular kitchen paper towel. Up & Up brand (Target's house brand).

 

[musical-kage]

I'm kind of worried now...
 
I went to my dads hi-fi system and put a few CD's in to test what a proper amp would do to the sound.
I didn't personally notice a difference. Perhaps the amp isn't all that great.
 
Anyhow, the problem. I listened to some Procal Harum. More so, the track Salty Dog.
 
I listened using my headphones and heard the placement and thought, this doesn't sound too bad.
 
I then however went to my dads cheap Sony £20 set... Now this is where things got worrying. The fit isn't great on his, and I had to press the ear pads down on my head to replicate what a headphone should really be like.
Well... erm... I prefered the sound coming from his overall. Especially in the overall tone of the sound coming from them.
 
The placement was better on the M-100's by a long way, but the warmness of the mids on his beat the M-100's...
I noticed echo in his voice before the drums kicked in, that I had to listen for on the M-100's after. I didn't initally hear it, but did on his straight away and very noticably.
 
Bass, though not as loud as his (I think his is more mid orientated) didn't overcrowd anything, and you know what? I actually prefered it. I guess I'm not a bass head.
 
Call me mad... I don't know.
 
I'm still going to let these run in more, but it does seem I prefer a headphone with a warmer sounding sound, and a balanced sound at that. His are also open. I'm not sure how much that has affected my thoughts.
 
What other headphones that are portable offer a balanced warm open sound?
 
If all else fails, I may have to get a set for the house, but that takes away the point of why I wanted a one for all situations really.
I know headphones like the Sennheiser HD650's etc are useless for portability but I think maybe I would have prefered the sound of them over these.

 

[Craigster75]

Quote:

I'm kind of worried now...
 
I went to my dads hi-fi system and put a few CD's in to test what a proper amp would do to the sound.
I didn't personally notice a difference. Perhaps the amp isn't all that great.
 
Anyhow, the problem. I listened to some Procal Harum. More so, the track Salty Dog.
 
I listened using my headphones and heard the placement and thought, this doesn't sound too bad.
 
I then however went to my dads cheap Sony £20 set... Now this is where things got worrying. The fit isn't great on his, and I had to press the ear pads down on my head to replicate what a headphone should really be like.
Well... erm... I prefered the sound coming from his overall. Especially in the overall tone of the sound coming from them.
 
The placement was better on the M-100's by a long way, but the warmness of the mids on his beat the M-100's...
I noticed echo in his voice before the drums kicked in, that I had to listen for on the M-100's after. I didn't initally hear it, but did on his straight away and very noticably.
 
Bass, though not as loud as his (I think his is more mid orientated) didn't overcrowd anything, and you know what? I actually prefered it. I guess I'm not a bass head.
 
Call me mad... I don't know.
 
I'm still going to let these run in more, but it does seem I prefer a headphone with a warmer sounding sound, and a balanced sound at that. His are also open. I'm not sure how much that has affected my thoughts.
 
What other headphones that are portable offer a balanced warm open sound?
 
If all else fails, I may have to get a set for the house, but that takes away the point of why I wanted a one for all situations really.
I know headphones like the Sennheiser HD650's etc are useless for portability but I think maybe I would have prefered the sound of them over these.

I would imagine the M-100 is voiced for something more current than Procol Harum, but I am surprised the detail in the M-100 didn't stand out for you as I find a great deal of enjoyment from my 70's collection.

 

[Apo0th3karY]

Quote:

I'm kind of worried now...
 
I went to my dads hi-fi system and put a few CD's in to test what a proper amp would do to the sound.
I didn't personally notice a difference. Perhaps the amp isn't all that great.
 
Anyhow, the problem. I listened to some Procal Harum. More so, the track Salty Dog.
 
I listened using my headphones and heard the placement and thought, this doesn't sound too bad.
 
I then however went to my dads cheap Sony £20 set... Now this is where things got worrying. The fit isn't great on his, and I had to press the ear pads down on my head to replicate what a headphone should really be like.
Well... erm... I prefered the sound coming from his overall. Especially in the overall tone of the sound coming from them.
 
The placement was better on the M-100's by a long way, but the warmness of the mids on his beat the M-100's...
I noticed echo in his voice before the drums kicked in, that I had to listen for on the M-100's after. I didn't initally hear it, but did on his straight away and very noticably.
 
Bass, though not as loud as his (I think his is more mid orientated) didn't overcrowd anything, and you know what? I actually prefered it. I guess I'm not a bass head.
 
Call me mad... I don't know.
 
I'm still going to let these run in more, but it does seem I prefer a headphone with a warmer sounding sound, and a balanced sound at that. His are also open. I'm not sure how much that has affected my thoughts.
 
What other headphones that are portable offer a balanced warm open sound?
 
If all else fails, I may have to get a set for the house, but that takes away the point of why I wanted a one for all situations really.
I know headphones like the Sennheiser HD650's etc are useless for portability but I think maybe I would have prefered the sound of them over these.

 
MadDog moddified Fostex T50RP have been likened to the HD650 in almost every way, I've had my eyes on them for some time now. They're SUPER neutral, closed (but sound open) and I think the only problem is how power hungry they are. Although they're only 50ohms, they're better off with more power than less (reportedly).
 
Other than that, I'd say give more time. Perhaps your dad's Sonys just end up scaling VERY well with the amp, where I've come to notice from impressions on here that the M-100 is pretty efficient and amping doesn't have much noticable effect in comparison to other cans.
 
I've been comparing my M-100s to my CKM500 IEMs even thuogh I know I shouldn't, and I happen to like the sound from my $60 CKM500s better than my M-100s, so I know where you're coming from. I do love my M-100s though, they're sounding better after each night I burn them in.

 

[musical-kage]

Quote:

I would imagine the M-100 is voiced for something more current than Procol Harum, but I am surprised the detail in the M-100 didn't stand out for you as I find a great deal of enjoyment from my 70's collection.

 
Yeah, detail is there, but the warmness is missing in the mids for sure.
I guess that is the point too. As I stated when I first went to this thread, I do not just listen to electronic music. I listen to a whole wide range of styles, and a whole widerange of bands. Procol Harum being one of them.
 
Quote:

 
MadDog moddified Fostex T50RP have been likened to the HD650 in almost every way, I've had my eyes on them for some time now. They're SUPER neutral, closed (but sound open) and I think the only problem is how power hungry they are. Although they're only 50ohms, they're better off with more power than less (reportedly).
 
Other than that, I'd say give more time. Perhaps your dad's Sonys just end up scaling VERY well with the amp, where I've come to notice from impressions on here that the M-100 is pretty efficient and amping doesn't have much noticable effect in comparison to other cans.
 
I've been comparing my M-100s to my CKM500 IEMs even thuogh I know I shouldn't, and I happen to like the sound from my $60 CKM500s better than my M-100s, so I know where you're coming from. I do love my M-100s though, they're sounding better after each night I burn them in.

 
Hmm, his set is also very easy to power. They are a very cheap set. I was running them using the same X-Fi set for a couple months as I'm running on the M-100's right now. My dad's I believe is a Denon.
I dislike the look of the MadDogs's. I don't think they look good at all.
 
I just read a review on these, and they have dropped in HMV to under £170
http://reviews.cnet.com/headsets/sony-mdr1r-black/4505-13831_7-35481885.html
 
They have been compared with the M-100's as having more bass control in frequencies without hitting as hard, and retaining a more balanced/warmer sound
 
"so I also put the MDR-1Rs up against something closer in size, the new V-Moda M-100 over-the-ear headphones. The M-100s are known for their outstanding bass oomph, but the MDR-1Rs had superior low-frequency definition.
The M-100s make a bit more bass, but the MDR-1Rs let you hear bass pitches better, and deliver more midrange and treble detail. The MDR-1Rs also have more neutral tonal balance than the M-100s, so they should appeal to audiophiles who listen to a wide range of music genres. Well-recorded drums, like the ones on jazz guitarist Charlie Hunter's new "Not Getting Behind Is the New Getting Ahead" CD, sounded more realistic on the MDR-1Rs. Stereo imaging for both headphone models is open and spacious, no differences there."
 
I seriously hope these open up more. Two days so far of burning in.

 

[clairyvic]

I don't understand, I thought this was a very warm headphone? People are saying it isn't now?

 

[musical-kage]

Quote:

I don't understand, I thought this was a very warm headphone? People are saying it isn't now?

I think warmness comes mainly from the mids. The laid back mids, though they can be detailed, I don't feel they compliment the amazingly detailed upper mids and treble region.
The bass crowds the mids in a lot of songs I've listened to.
My dads more balanced Sony set (though like £270 cheaper) produces a much more natural sound.
 
They don't sound cold. Don't get me wrong. They do sound warm, and the treble doesn't get all shrilly which I would hate, but their are warmer sets out there.
 
Like I said though, I am letting them run in.

 

[Apo0th3karY]

Easy to power is one thing, scalability when powered is another. Low powered headphones can sound worlds better when amped vs unamped. Try those Sony's on a different set up, like from your iPod, unamped, see if its the amp that's making them sound so great.

I'd say these teeter on the fence of warm/cool, depending on the music.