[DrSheep]

   
My concern right now is being able to hook up the iPhone 5s to it as a DAC. I know the Verza works but I'm not sure what else does.

What's your price range?  The cheapest one with MFI is still the Sony PHA-1.  You might get some of the PC only DAC to work with CCK, but that's like a case by case bases.  For under $200, I think the FiiO E18 w/ CCK might work.

 

[plakat]

No CCK for iPhone... that's iPad only. Which is a pity.
 
AK10 (or the Beyerdynamic A200p variant) might be a nice option, given their ~300,- price tag. Fostex HP-P1 does work as well, but costs ~600,-. There are other options I did not try out myself...

 

[SomeGuyDude]

  What's your price range?  The cheapest one with MFI is still the Sony PHA-1.  You might get some of the PC only DAC to work with CCK, but that's like a case by case bases.  For under $200, I think the FiiO E18 w/ CCK might work.

 
If the Verza's the top product I'm willing to spring for it, but only if it makes a noticeable difference.
 
I'm also using it with a Macbook Pro late 2013 model and I'm pretty sure this thing has a burly sound card in it, so I'm not sure how big of a difference it'll make on that front.

 

[DrSheep]

   
If the Verza's the top product I'm willing to spring for it, but only if it makes a noticeable difference.
 
I'm also using it with a Macbook Pro late 2013 model and I'm pretty sure this thing has a burly sound card in it, so I'm not sure how big of a difference it'll make on that front.

It's decently big, as Val tune the VERZA's sound with the M-100 in mind.  I have a review of it from the DAC trend a while back.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/users/348246/reviews
 
p.s. ignore the bad comments from my about the PHA-1 in my review.

 

[NiteWalker]

  I'm sure this has been said before in this thread (only got about 30 pages in...) 
 
Do these benefit from any burn-in? Also, if I was so inclined to bump the sub-bass freq's up a bit, whats the best way to go about it?

I bought two pairs of matte black M100's a week apart. I listened to the first pair heavily until the second pair arrived.
When the second pair arrived, I listened to them and could not tell the difference between the new and week old M100's.
Any "burn-in", IMHO, for the M100's is just your ears/brain adjusting to them.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

 
I bought two pairs of matte black M100's a week apart. I listened to the first pair heavily until the second pair arrived.
When the second pair arrived, I listened to them and could not tell the difference between the new and week old M100's.
Any "burn-in", IMHO, for the M100's is just your ears/brain adjusting to them.

 
I had earlier said I believed they had some burn in. This post definitely left me re-thinking that. I wonder if that's how people get to thinking headphones are imbalanced one way or another: they adjust to a given headphone's sound signature. Like if I spent a few weeks on a pair of Grados would I think the M100s are a bloated bassy mess? 

 

[kyuuketsuki]

 
I bought two pairs of matte black M100's a week apart. I listened to the first pair heavily until the second pair arrived.
When the second pair arrived, I listened to them and could not tell the difference between the new and week old M100's.
Any "burn-in", IMHO, for the M100's is just your ears/brain adjusting to them.

I firmly believe that "burn in," in general, is 90% psychological. The small 10% is the driver breaking in, but it is really negligible. Most headphones don't experience "burn in" at all.

 

[elvergun]

  I firmly believe that "burn in," in general, is 90% psychological. The small 10% is the driver breaking in, but it is really negligible. Most headphones don't experience "burn in" at all.

 
I would have agreed with you a couple of months ago...but...
 
 
I bought 2 PX100s recently, and I own another pair that I have owned for 8 years.  I first purchased a PX100-II - the new headphone had no sub-bass and everything sounded constrained and just plain bad.  I thought that the newer version sucked.  But I kept listening and after about a week the PX100-II started to open up and the sub-bass magically appeared out of nowhere.   A month or so later I found an original PX100 new on ebay.   When I compared the new arrival to the old PX100 and the PX100-II I found that the sub-bass was nonexistent; they did not sound as nice as my first PX100.   After a week of use the new PX100 was just as good as the other two.   I paid special attention when I compared the brand new PX100 (the last one I purchased) to my original model.  They almost sounded like completely different models...and now they sound identical.
 
There was nothing psychological going on...the old and new PX100 simply did not sound like the same headphone before burn in.

 

[howdy]

What is a good replacement cable for this headphone? I just want a cable with no features like mic or volume,just a plain cable.

 

[kyuuketsuki]

   
I would have agreed with you a couple of months ago...but...
 
 
I bought 2 PX100s recently, and I own another pair that I have owned for 8 years.  I first purchased a PX100-II - the new headphone had no sub-bass and everything sounded constrained and just plain bad.  I thought that the newer version sucked.  But I kept listening and after about a week the PX100-II started to open up and the sub-bass magically appeared out of nowhere.   A month or so later I found an original PX100 new on ebay.   When I compared the new arrival to the old PX100 and the PX100-II I found that the sub-bass was nonexistent; they did not sound as nice as my first PX100.   After a week of use the new PX100 was just as good as the other two.   I paid special attention when I compared the brand new PX100 (the last one I purchased) to my original model.  They almost sounded like completely different models...and now they sound identical.
 
There was nothing psychological going on...the old and new PX100 simply did not sound like the same headphone before burn in.

 
You realize by comparing two completely different headphones, you already jeopardized your opinion on the matter. I've done double blind tests with about 15 different headphones (having worked in a headphone shop for about 2 years) and can tell you that the adaptation to sound has a far greater impact on how one perceives the sound than actual physical changes of the headphone.
 
Also, keep in mind I am not suggesting that it doesn't exist at all, just that most of the time, when people say they experience "burn in" it is just their mind getting used to a new headphone's sound. Even Tyll has studied it and his tests has shown the phenomenon to be inconclusive. There are changes in the driver, but the questions then become "are these changes within the threshold of human perception" and "can this be consistently obtained." Naturally all headphones will have some physical changes and even the smallest things can have impact on sound (also I'd put good money on the answer to the latter question being "no"). The XL pads change the sound inherently by measurement, however that does not mean that everyone can hear them, and even some that BELIEVE they can hear them can just be experiencing the placebo effect. 
 
Btw, I can't remember every headphone I did those DBX tests with, but one of the few I could consistently hear a difference in was the HE-400. Inconsistently was, coincidentally, the PX100-IIs. The M-100s, M-80s, the Momentums, 598s, TMA-1s all just didn't change. I hear more of a change from the XL pads than I heard between my personal pair and a brand new out of box pair of M-100s.

 

[elvergun]

  
You realize by comparing two completely different headphones, you already jeopardized your opinion on the matter. I've done double blind tests with about 15 different headphones (having worked in a headphone shop for about 2 years) and can tell you that the adaptation to sound has a far greater impact on how one perceives the sound than actual physical changes of the headphone.

 
What are you talking about?  They are the same headphone model (two original PX100s, one new and one old). 
 
The two PX100s sounded nothing alike at the beginning, now they sound identical.    I opened the new PX100, listened to it, and then I listened to the old PX100...switched headphones back and forth...not the same sound.   I performed the same exercise recently...identical sound.   I'm not going by memory here...no psychological hanky-panky that I can think of.    This is not about adapting to the sound either since the PX100 sound is one that I have been familiar with for almost a decade.    I bought the PX100-II as a replacement for the PX100, but they did not sound identical (I actually dislike the PX100-II).  I looked for an original PX100 and I got lucky - some guy in England was selling a batch of new old stock PX100s.    The replacement PX100 now sounds identical to my original model...and both the PX100s do not sound identical to the PX100-II.
 
 
I performed the same comparison with the PX100-II.  Sure, they are different models, but the PX100 and the PX100-II are more similar than they are different.   The PX100-II had absolutely no sub-bass out of the box.  Now they have about the same amount as the two PX100s.

 

[Nintendam]

 
I had earlier said I believed they had some burn in. This post definitely left me re-thinking that. I wonder if that's how people get to thinking headphones are imbalanced one way or another: they adjust to a given headphone's sound signature. Like if I spent a few weeks on a pair of Grados would I think the M100s are a bloated bassy mess? 

 


Nah... I mean, I started on sr60s, got a pair of sr225s (couple years after) I just compared to. The m100s are in no way a bloated mess, but open can bass always sounds cleaner... I only believe in burn-in for certain headphones but I do believe it exists. (Maybe iems more-so for sure)

For burn in on the m100s, maybe it's possible maybe not. But just A/B'ing a few different over ear/iems it certainly changes your perception of each after a few hours of use. It's all relative.

More real direct comparisons this weekend...

 

[SomeGuyDude]

Nah... I mean, I started on sr60s, got a pair of sr225s (couple years after) I just compared to. The m100s are in no way a bloated mess, but open can bass always sounds cleaner... I only believe in burn-in for certain headphones but I do believe it exists. (Maybe iems more-so for sure)

For burn in on the m100s, maybe it's possible maybe not. But just A/B'ing a few different over ear/iems it certainly changes your perception of each after a few hours of use. It's all relative.

More real direct comparisons this weekend...

 
I mentioned that because when I was trying a bunch of open cans, they all sounded like they had no real bottom end. But that's probably because I'm not adjusted to that sound. However, if I traded my M100s for an HE-500 and got used to them, would I put on the M100s and think they sounded like a bass blaster? I dunno. 

 

[Nirvana1000]

It all depends on the headphone. Especially IEMs. More than a few sounded absolutely crappy out of package.Then an hour later and they sound much better balanced and much less distortion.wasn't the JVC low priced gummies marshmellows notorious for the most evident initial audible changes?

 

[Nintendam]

Qujote:

Originally Posted by certainly Dude /img/forum/go_quote.gif
   
I mentionecompared ecause when I was trying a bunch of open cans, they all sounded like they had no real bottom end. But that's probably because I'm not adjusted to that sound. However, if I traded my M100s for an HE-500 and got used to them, would I putwhere's oM10bnd think they soundediemslike a bass blaster? I dunno. 

Never tried any HifiMan but certainly planning to go back to b&h near future and have a field day. The one comparison I can make at work on my desk are the new 2013 beats. And compared to those these m100s sound anemic and tinny. Its funny, next to me at work i gave both options. My coworker went crazy over the m100s, loved them. Some other friends said "smooth, but where's the bass??" compared to the studios. (New ones... actually decent).
 
my only Iems i haven't lost are the sony ex1000s (open) and the m100s sound almost as open compared to them... i dunno, all relative
 
 
 
(your quote got a bit scrambled, mobile head-fis a bit shakey)