[ravis217]

Got my M100s in just over an hour ago.
 
I'm not an audiophile so I won't go into details that I don't know.
 
The packaging and accessories are great, build quality is very nice.
 
I own Ultrasone DJ1s so that will be my comparison. So far it seems the M100s mids and highs are a little recessed

 

[Evshrug]

Yeah I'm really cautious about buying DACs/amps/cables as there is a ton of marketing jargon that gets thrown around by the manufacturers. After reading some of the articles written by the designer of the Objective 2, I'm opting for more real-world testing before purchasing a product. Even with the E11 amp, the specs listed on the box aren't real-world tests.

As for the synergy stuff, I'm not a fan of it but evidently many people seek it. The O2 happens to have very good synergy with the M-100's for the most part.

I am cautious, including of that guy's claims. He probably means well, but he was banned for a reason.
The O2 is a great amp, but probably overkill.
The E12 is cheaper and also a great amp... but probably also overkill.
Something like an E11 or cmoy is probably more cost-effective and thus "better suited" for the M-100.

That's what I meant by synergy & cost effective... The E12 is neutral and probably will pair well with almost any headphone, but it's higher powered and higher cost than "good enough." My idea of the use-case-scenarios is a good budget, high quality amp that will scale between portable headphone use (amp is sized like a large smartphone) and with high-impedance headphones at home that need more volume. Similar to how people have reviewed the E9 as an effective (cost & performance-wise) amp to use with hard-to-drive headphones, the E12 is somewhere between that and the portable, low-output-impedance E11.

Based on my experience, research, & taste, if the M-100 was my only headphone, I'd probably stick with an E11 - I like the sub-bass boost option and the rechargeable/replaceable battery. If I only used high-impedance or low-sensitivity headphones, I'd consider the O2 or better yet a wall powered desktop option. The O2 and E12 both fight for kinda the same space, if I had a bunch of headphones (short of a Stax) and wanted to transport my rig sometimes, but I like that the E12 is slimmer and can easily slip into my pocket (by itself, it's about the thickness of my wallet and the height of an iPhone5). I don't have a 250 ohm plus headphone yet, but I may in the near future. That's my input, not everyone will agree with me, but hopefully there is enough info for someone else to choose what they like.

I'd just like to add, I've avoided external-DAC jitter problems and stuff by sticking with my iPod as a music player with line-out, and my main cable criteria is that it's not corroded and, if it's passing analogue, that it is made of copper. I'm a big supporter of not chasing marketing magic.

 

[miceblue]

Quote:

Quote:

Yeah I'm really cautious about buying DACs/amps/cables as there is a ton of marketing jargon that gets thrown around by the manufacturers. After reading some of the articles written by the designer of the Objective 2, I'm opting for more real-world testing before purchasing a product. Even with the E11 amp, the specs listed on the box aren't real-world tests.

As for the synergy stuff, I'm not a fan of it but evidently many people seek it. The O2 happens to have very good synergy with the M-100's for the most part.

I am cautious, including of that guy's claims. He probably means well, but he was banned for a reason.
The O2 is a great amp, but probably overkill.
The E12 is cheaper and also a great amp... but probably also overkill.
Something like an E11 or cmoy is probably more cost-effective and thus "better suited" for the M-100.

That's what I meant by synergy & cost effective... The E12 is neutral and probably will pair well with almost any headphone, but it's higher powered and higher cost than "good enough." My idea of the use-case-scenarios is a good budget, high quality amp that will scale between portable headphone use (amp is sized like a large smartphone) and with high-impedance headphones at home that need more volume. Similar to how people have reviewed the E9 as an effective (cost & performance-wise) amp to use with hard-to-drive headphones, the E12 is somewhere between that and the portable, low-output-impedance E11.

Based on my experience, research, & taste, if the M-100 was my only headphone, I'd probably stick with an E11 - I like the sub-bass boost option and the rechargeable/replaceable battery. If I only used high-impedance or low-sensitivity headphones, I'd consider the O2 or better yet a wall powered desktop option. The O2 and E12 both fight for kinda the same space, if I had a bunch of headphones (short of a Stax) and wanted to transport my rig sometimes, but I like that the E12 is slimmer and can easily slip into my pocket (by itself, it's about the thickness of my wallet and the height of an iPhone5). I don't have a 250 ohm plus headphone yet, but I may in the near future. That's my input, not everyone will agree with me, but hopefully there is enough info for someone else to choose what they like.

I'd just like to add, I've avoided external-DAC jitter problems and stuff by sticking with my iPod as a music player with line-out, and my main cable criteria is that it's not corroded and, if it's passing analogue, that it is made of copper. I'm a big supporter of not chasing marketing magic.

Ah I see. I thought you were talking about pairing coloured audio gear with coloured headphones to give the impression of a "better" sound system for that particular headphone. That makes sense then. ZO2 does a good job with the sub-bass boost for the M-100 as well.
 
And the designer of the O2 got banned for reasons other than posting factual real-world tests. It's on his blog but it's illegal to link it here on Head-Fi. He claims a lot, yes, but he backs them up with sources, examples, and measurements. Other people in the Sound Science threads do similar things and approach buying gear with a similar fact vs claims approach.

 

[Asr]

Forgot if I posted it earlier in the thread, but I got my M-100 in the other day, and have a question about the 2 included cables - what's the difference between them? I've been using the black one (with an in-line button) on my CD player setup but when I plugged it into my computer instead, it's like the sound cut in half or something. I get full sound only when I press & hold the in-line button; otherwise the sound level practically dies out. Makes it really annoying to use them on my computer, as I have to hold down the button to get full sound. Doesn't happen on my dedicated headphone amps though, and I have no idea why.
 
I thought the red cable was for Apple iDevices which is why I haven't used it.

 

[Evshrug]

Quote:

Ah I see. I thought you were talking about pairing coloured audio gear with coloured headphones to give the impression of a "better" sound system for that particular headphone. That makes sense then. ZO2 does a good job with the sub-bass boost for the M-100 as well.
 
And the designer of the O2 got banned for reasons other than posting factual real-world tests. It's on his blog but it's illegal to link it here on Head-Fi. He claims a lot, yes, but he backs them up with sources, examples, and measurements. Other people in the Sound Science threads do similar things and approach buying gear with a similar fact vs claims approach.

I read some of his blog, but not that part. I kinda assumed he bluntly pointed out flaws in sponsor's products in their release threads or something, but I'm not too concerned with looking it up.
 
Anyway, after a long time coming (and probably over 4 hours reading my notes and writing today), I posted my E12 review. In general, I think it best to avoid color in an amp (which was also the design goal of the O2) and just choose a headphone with a signature you like, but I'm not everyone, and I know some people like significantly more bass with some songs. I think I was pretty fair in my review, so people can judge if it sounds great or not the right fit for them, of course I'd like to know what people are thinking outside of my head, lol! Pictures will be taken and added tomorrow.
 
 
http://www.head-fi.org/products/fiio-e12-mont-blanc/reviews/8449
 
Wish I could hear the Mont Blanc with the M-100.

 

[miceblue]

Quote:

Quote:

Ah I see. I thought you were talking about pairing coloured audio gear with coloured headphones to give the impression of a "better" sound system for that particular headphone. That makes sense then. ZO2 does a good job with the sub-bass boost for the M-100 as well.
 
And the designer of the O2 got banned for reasons other than posting factual real-world tests. It's on his blog but it's illegal to link it here on Head-Fi. He claims a lot, yes, but he backs them up with sources, examples, and measurements. Other people in the Sound Science threads do similar things and approach buying gear with a similar fact vs claims approach.

I read some of his blog, but not that part. I kinda assumed he bluntly pointed out flaws in sponsor's products in their release threads or something, but I'm not too concerned with looking it up.
 
Anyway, after a long time coming (and probably over 4 hours reading my notes and writing today), I posted my E12 review. In general, I think it best to avoid color in an amp (which was also the design goal of the O2) and just choose a headphone with a signature you like, but I'm not everyone, and I know some people like significantly more bass with some songs. I think I was pretty fair in my review, so people can judge if it sounds great or not the right fit for them, of course I'd like to know what people are thinking outside of my head, lol! Pictures will be taken and added tomorrow.
 
 
http://www.head-fi.org/products/fiio-e12-mont-blanc/reviews/8449
 
Wish I could hear the Mont Blanc with the M-100.

Nice review! What font are you using in it? It doesn't look like the "default" one.
 
Quote:

Forgot if I posted it earlier in the thread, but I got my M-100 in the other day, and have a question about the 2 included cables - what's the difference between them? I've been using the black one (with an in-line button) on my CD player setup but when I plugged it into my computer instead, it's like the sound cut in half or something. I get full sound only when I press & hold the in-line button; otherwise the sound level practically dies out. Makes it really annoying to use them on my computer, as I have to hold down the button to get full sound. Doesn't happen on my dedicated headphone amps though, and I have no idea why.
 
I thought the red cable was for Apple iDevices which is why I haven't used it.

For the shadow colour, black is the SpeakEasy cable (has the inline Android/iDevice remote), red is the SharePlay cable (has a headphone splitter at the end). The SharePlay cable is longer than the SpeakEasy cable and has no buttons. Perhaps reversing the remote cable in the earcup will make the audio normal (45˚ jack in the earcup, straight jack in the amp)? That has been the case in previous V-MODA cables with Android devices at least.
 
Or it could be due to the 4-ring TRRS connector. I have channel problems with the Objective 2 when I plug-in the TRRS jack all the way into the socket.

 

[NewSound86]

Ordered a ZO2 really looking forward to what it can do to the M-100's as i've only heard good things. 

 

[DrSheep]

Just spotted a pair of Matte Black here at Carnegie Mellon, so I am not the only one anymore.

 

[tinyman392]

Forgot if I posted it earlier in the thread, but I got my M-100 in the other day, and have a question about the 2 included cables - what's the difference between them? I've been using the black one (with an in-line button) on my CD player setup but when I plugged it into my computer instead, it's like the sound cut in half or something. I get full sound only when I press & hold the in-line button; otherwise the sound level practically dies out. Makes it really annoying to use them on my computer, as I have to hold down the button to get full sound. Doesn't happen on my dedicated headphone amps though, and I have no idea why.
 
I thought the red cable was for Apple iDevices which is why I haven't used it.
 

 
Problem is most likely due to the TRRS connector vs the TRS connector.  Val's suggestion would be to reverse the sides, plug the side that should go into the M100 into the computer and the side that should go into the computer into the M100.  The main problem is that your computer only has 3 ports: L, R, G (Ground).  The TRRS adapter has two setups: LRGG (balanced, single ground for left and right channels) and LRMG (M = remote/mic).  The M100s use the latter.  But swapping the sides, or just using the SharePlay cable should fix your problem.  
 
BTW, you have the cables reversed, the one you are using (with the remote and mic) is for Apple, Android, WinPho, BB, etc.  The Other cable (should have a female 3.5 mm connector splitting out of it) is straight audio (for all devices).

 

[DivergeUnify]

Really liking the M100s and they sound completely different than what I expected.  The mids are far from terrible, they're far from muddy fart cannons and they're definitely not super bright
 
I've been listening for a few hours now and I like them a lot.  Nice soundstage, thick atmosphere of bass that really isn't too in your face until a hip hop or electronic track.  Comfort is a little less than I expected, but not a problem, and they're overall smaller than I actually expected.  
 
So overall my expectations made for digging these a lot

 

[Craigster75]

Quote:

Really liking the M100s and they sound completely different than what I expected.  The mids are far from terrible, they're far from muddy fart cannons and they're definitely not super bright
 
I've been listening for a few hours now and I like them a lot.  Nice soundstage, thick atmosphere of bass that really isn't too in your face until a hip hop or electronic track.  Comfort is a little less than I expected, but not a problem, and they're overall smaller than I actually expected.  
 
So overall my expectations made for digging these a lot

Congrats!  It seems like so many headphones fall short of expectations that I think finding a headphone which meets or exceeds expectations is a big compliment.

 

[SIDWULF]

Quote:

Really liking the M100s and they sound completely different than what I expected.  The mids are far from terrible, they're far from muddy fart cannons and they're definitely not super bright
 
I've been listening for a few hours now and I like them a lot.  Nice soundstage, thick atmosphere of bass that really isn't too in your face until a hip hop or electronic track.  Comfort is a little less than I expected, but not a problem, and they're overall smaller than I actually expected.  
 
So overall my expectations made for digging these a lot

 
That's a good way to describe the bass. And the rest of it I agree, a colored headphone that seems to do a lot of things right.

 

[DivergeUnify]

My only real complaint thus far is comfort.  These are less comfortable than my Grados.  I assume the pads end up softening up?

 

[Craigster75]

Quote:

My only real complaint thus far is comfort.  These are less comfortable than my Grados.  I assume the pads end up softening up?

Yes, mine were uncomfortable at first.  After a few weeks, I forgot I was wearing them.

 

[musical-kage]

Quote:

My only real complaint thus far is comfort.  These are less comfortable than my Grados.  I assume the pads end up softening up?

Yeah, they certainly do soften up. I was having issues with the pads, but now I don't. I do get a bit of uncomfortable rubbing at the top of the head, but not enough to worry me.
 
As for the bass, a nice way of describing it. They are certainly not muddy, I agree.. If you want to hear muddy, listen to Beats.
 
The bass I would say is very expandable, with great detail and richness.
 
As for the mids, they are laid back yes, but not recessed. The trebles are brought down purposely to save hearing.
 
They are the best headphones I've listened to by far, and I'm so happy that I own them, and so far, I haven't seen anyone else wearing them in Manchester, but I've had many people looking at them