[miceblue]

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

My M-100 Review

Design/build quality: Feels very study, yet much lighter than i anticipated. Changing shields takes some patience and finesse, but is definitely worth it for that extra customization. Looking at yourself straight in the mirror with M-100 on you will notice that they are very form fitting & surprisingly low-key(with my matte black color) which i personally really like. Folded up they are pretty darn compact and the case is very nice as well. Very nice looking headphone. Isolate very well, minimal leakage

Comfort: for myself M-100 is very comfortable and I feel no discomfort over long periods of listening except for some mild heat build up which is to be expected from pretty much any closed headphone. However comfort is very subjective and it should be noted that in exchange for that super sleek design i mentioned previously the downside is that the ear cups don't have much depth. the inside area of the cup is also not overly large. For me the cups fit very very nicely, but if you have larger than average ears or your ears stick out sideways a lot you may want to try these on first to make sure they are comfortable to you.

Sound quality: M-100 sounded great right off the bat, but after about 12 hours burn-in time, WOW! so clean and crisp!
                          
                           Sound stage: pretty good for a closed headphone. very nice separation and more "open" sounding than I expected
                          
                           Bass: To my ears, near perfect. great impact, Deep, controlled, does not bleed into mids and highs (very important to me)
                           I should  note that my friend(owner of Beats Pro) thought they were light on bass, so if you are a serious basshead they may not
                           be enough for you, but to my ears they provide what I would describe as perfectly controlled yet powerful bass
                           
                           Mids: Very nice, smooth. Listening to songs I have heard many many times before I hear things I never noticed before! Specifically "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac, a song I always thought was great but very simple, I hear so many different voices and ambient noises that i couldnt hear before! sweet!
                          
                            Highs: I would also describe the Highs as smooth. definitely present, but compared to other high end headphones they are not as 
                           "in your face", which i personally like ,although I feel this is an area of much debate? . non fatiguing, but still detailed enough to be 
                            quite pleasant

In Conclusion I am very satisfied with M-100, they are exactly what I wanted from them. A fantastic portable audiophile headphone. My only small complaint, more like nitpick hahah, No audio only cable included?

Nice review. I'm glad the treble seems to be good, as a lot of Head-Fiers were talking about that the most in terms of room for improvement.
How forward are the mids?

 

[autoteleology]

Wow, so I have a funny story to tell.
 
So, you know that I've been complaining that while all of you are getting your headphones, mine hadn't even shipped yet.
 
So, I check my email, and it says (thankfully) that the status of the shipment had changed to Shipped. This made me very happy, and I was excited. I then noticed a tracking number and I clicked on it. I immediately shat bricks when I saw that they had been DELIVERED, and had been sitting out on my front porch for the last six hours.

 

[autoteleology]

Formatting failure

 
It's unreadable, fix that stuff

 

[SashimiWu]

Hey all,

I just got my pair today and had the chance to try them on the subway. I would rate the isolation at 3.5/5 with a 5 being Etymotic IEM level of isolation. The isolation was definitely better than the M80's but I could hear the train announcers and conversations of those close to me though I couldn't always make out what they were saying. Keep in mind I also listen at fairly high volumes as well.

Overall, they are very easy to drive on portable sources (my Sony Walkman and iPad) and I can get reasonable volume levels similar to my GR07's. To me, sound leakage is less than ideal for super quiet situations such as studying in the library since even when clamping the cups together you can still hear the music and lyrics somewhat clearly. I will try them at the office tomorrow to get more impressions though.

The comfort is very high. I wore them straight for 3 hours nd no discomfort except for my ears getting a bit too hot. Clamping feels sturdy and I can maneuver very easily without the headphones moving. I was running late for class so while jogging up the stairs, I felt no shifting at all.

I don't want to get too into the sonic qualities and sound quality just yet since I want some time to collect my thoughts. However, I will say that they are very impressive so far.

If you guys have anymore questions about outside use let me know!

 

[Arion]

Wow, so I have a funny story to tell.

So, you know that I've been complaining that while all of you are getting your headphones, mine hadn't even shipped yet.

So, I check my email, and it says (thankfully) that the status of the shipment had changed to Shipped. This made me very happy, and I was excited. I then noticed a tracking number and I clicked on it. I immediately shat bricks when I saw that they had been DELIVERED, and had been sitting out on my front porch for the last six hours.

Haha nice!

I actually received mine today as well, I was in the first batch but it took a bit longer due to being in Canada and that they don't ship on thanksgiving.

But I must say you are in for a treat with these headphones, I am really loving them so far and am considering doing a full review once they are burned in.

 

[IBeN8]

quick comparison to m-80
 
-much better isolation (obviously)
-roughly the same amount of leakage i believe, it's hard to say
-mids and highs are slightly more detailed and the highs definitely feel more extended to my ears
-OVERALL very similar sound signature as the M-80, but IMO they provide better clarity, separation, and i can feel the bass more

 

[EveTan]

I wonder if I still need to brush my long hair out of the M100 cups. I had to do that with the M80s...I don't think that'd work too well with my M100s. 
 
Ah and the pads are too thin..my ears are touching the metal driver parts..yay....

 

[autoteleology]

Um, does anyone know how to swap pads on the M-100? I somehow got the defaults and the whites, so I need to pull out the old pads.

 

[valkolton]

Quote:

Um, does anyone know how to swap pads on the M-100? I somehow got the defaults and the whites, so I need to pull out the old pads.

 
How to change the Memory Ear Cushions:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjhiMq9GPx4
 
PS - we don't recommend this unless you are swapping them, as the seal may not be quite as good if you do it several times with the same ear cushions.  Or you may miss one of the snaps.

PPS - the three color replacements and white on V-MODA.com are NOT the exact same as the ones that come installed stock on M-100, they are close but no cigar - so we do not have replacements/new colors in production yet so handle with care!

 

[M-13]

Quote:

 

1. IMO, the M-100 completely destroys Amperior and Momentum sonically.  Consider the bar raised for every manufacturer.

 

How are they compared to the Sig Pro? Going off of memory of course. Thanks.
 
Edit: Oh you just posted some impressions. Haha. Thanks.

 

[Craigster75]

Also posted in UE forum:
 
UE6000 vs. M-100
 
Since several have been asking and I am an impatient creature by nature, here is a comparison between the M-100 and UE6000 (passive mode) with the winner in each category listed.  If I felt any other headphone I have auditioned or owned in the past 6 months was in a league with either of these, they would have been included as well (I will give an honorable mention shout out to the PSB M4U2), so let me state up front that after an extensive headphone search, I am thrilled to find two fantastic, standout headphones and that, if your budget allows, I recommend owning both.  However, if you must choose one, here is my feedback, IMHO, to hopefully help assist with your decision:
 
Comfort- UE6000  Although heavier and larger, the UE6000 has less clamping force and, more importantly for me larger, deeper, plusher cups that fit around my ears better.  I could wear these for hours.  After an hour or so, I felt some discomfort with the M-100.
 
Build/appearance- M-100 The industrial design and innovative hinges of the M-100 are a thing of beauty.  I enjoy just looking at my white M-100s and will be adding my blue shields shortly.  The UE6000 is not an ugly headphone.  It looks to me like a copy of the Denon D600 design which I think is fine, but nothing special.  Regarding build quality, no comparison.  M-100 is a solid piece of electronic machinery complete with riveted stainless steel.  The UE6000 seems to have a sturdy headband, but I worry about the cheap plastic cups and battery compartment.
 
Bass- I have to call this a draw. UE6000 bass seems deeper and more authoritative.  M-100 bass is also deep and authoritative, yet also tighter and I feel the drivers pushing air at high volume with bass boost.
 
Mids- M-100 Both provide excellent mids.  Compared to other headphones I have heard (not top-tier summit-fi) Detail/resolution in the UE6000 is an 8 out of 10; M-100 is a 9 out of 10.
 
Highs- M-100 The UE6000 has highs I would consider very close to neutral.  This works extremely well with current popular music that seems to have a treble emphasis, smoothing out those highs and providing a highly pleasurable listening experience that is by no means dark and can even sparkle somewhat.  The M-100 fills in the small bit of rolloff that is missing from the UE6000 and smoothly extends the highs almost to brightness with absolutely no harshness- quite an accomplishment.
 
Overall sound- This is really a close call for me.  I initially purchased the UE6000 as something to hold me over until the M-100 came out and it turned out to be much more than I expected.  I expect to continue to listen to both headphones and have no intention of returning either, which is saying something because I have returned several headphones in the past few months while waiting for the release of the M-100 including: M-Audio Q40, Audio Technica ATH_PRO700MK2, Sennheiser Amperior, Denon D600, Denon D400 and Sennheiser Momentum.  I have also auditioned dozens more.  All of these returns were based on sonic flaws I felt were dealbreakers, so you could say I consider the M-100 and UE6000 as close to the perfect headphone for me that I have found.
 
Both present bass in a way that is exciting, enjoyable and adds to the rest of the frequency range.  Both have clean, accurate mids.  Both have enjoyable silky smooth highs.  In the end, I must give a slight edge to the M-100 based on the silky-smooth extended highs that are incredibly detailed.  If I can compare the M-100 to any other headphone on the market, it would be an Ultrasone Signature Pro and I would actually say the M-100 is superior.  While there is slightly less resolution than the Sig Pro, the M-100s highs are much smoother with zero sibilance and the M-100 has a superior bass presentation to the Sig Pro.  Somehow, V-Moda managed to engineer a headphone that I believe can truly sound amazing with every genre.
 
I congratulate both companies on developing amazing products and look forward to enjoying both for years to come.

 

[AnakChan]

Personal Impressions posted :-

http://www.head-fi.org/t/623154/v-moda-m-100-vtf-100-appreciation-thread-images-impressions-reviews/30#post_8731632
 
P.S. Nice jobs Craig!

 

[darkfireblade25]

Quote:

 
How to change the Memory Ear Cushions:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjhiMq9GPx4
 
PS - we don't recommend this unless you are swapping them, as the seal may not be quite as good if you do it several times with the same ear cushions.  Or you may miss one of the snaps.

Hey Val, so I seem to be missing my carabiner and allen wrench. I just message Support to sort that out right?

 

[Craigster75]

Quote:

Hey Val, so I seem to be missing my carabiner and allen wrench. I just message Support to sort that out right?

I emailed support this afternoon about the allen wrench and they already responded as well as shipped it- truly 6-star customer service.  I'm loving V-Moda right now.

 

[autoteleology]

Oh, my god. These are so good. It's been months since I've heard a closed / bassy can.
 
Accepi, audiui, veni. Everything I could have hoped for and more. Thank you so much, Val.