[sagep]

So are these basically an over ear version of the m80's? I like the m80's but the leakage was just too bad!!

 

[miceblue]

Quote:

So are these basically an over ear version of the m80's? I like the m80's but the leakage was just too bad!!

The type of sound is similar to the M-80 (M-100 has more bass and a much more defined treble response). It is an over-ear headphone and it has very minimal leakage if you use them at normal listening levels.

 

[sagep]

How are the mids, Where to buy? The headphone i'm looking for is easy to drive, is warm and fun yet very well rounded, and doesn't leak much.

 

[Curly21029]

Quote:

Actually...for me it makes a pretty substantial difference.
 
 

Spoiler: Warning%3A%20Spoiler!

 
The bass is reduced, making it sound more balanced with the rest of the audio spectrum and the midrange is more forward.
Surprisingly the soundstage seems to have gotten wider too. It sounds much more spacious with the mod.
 
As for fit, yes the pads are stiffer, but my ears no longer touch the driver enclosure so it's more comfortable as a whole.
 
Test tracks:
Joanna Wang - Lost In Paradise (the vocals are brought more forward and sound a little clearer)
Battles - Futura (the bass pedal isn't emphasised as much, but the punch is still there, so the cymbals are easier to hear; drummer-mode is activated! ) )
Cloudkicker - Amy I Love You (same result as ^)
Ottmar Liebert - Snakecharmer (the guitar seems more up-front)
 
I've been switching from modded to unmodded and the sound difference is very clear to me.
 

Spoiler: Photos

 

 

 

 
 

 
 
...I am actually really liking this earpad mod. The best thing about it is that it's completely reversible and is easy to do.
With this mod, I am actually liking the M-100 a LOT more than the SRH940 for overall sound. My how the tides have turned for me.
 
 
How I did the mod
 
Paper towel info:
Brand: Up & Up (I think this is Target's house brand)
Size: 11 in (27.94 cm) X 10.4 in (26.416 cm)
Layering 2-ply
 

• I took the paper towel and folded it into fourths
• Using one of the fourths, cut it in half
• Fold each of these so that you are left with 2 long strips (see second photo)
• I used one of these pieces in each earcup
• Repeat steps 2-3
• Cut one of these pieces in half so you have 2 shorter pieces
• Use one of those pieces in each earcup (so each earcup has 1.5 of the long strips). In the top photo, that smaller piece is the other half of a fourth.

 

 

Great post!  Thank you for providing a counterpoint.

 
Judging from your pictures, you used more "stuffing" than I did.  For me, I had first applied tissues around the entire circumference of the pads.  I found the pressure that it applied to the areas around my ears undesirable and the interior was still resting on my antihelixes, so I pulled the excess from the front and bottoms in hopes of achieving a more comfortable/parallel fit.  Discomfort was temporarily alleviated, but then manifested on the areas behind my ears.  I repeated the same process with cotton rounds to no avail.  Due to the preceding, I can only assume that adding more material would only be of detriment, but I'm confident that your method will work for others.
 
...I'm thinking that my melon may be wider than the majority and am rather round-faced.

 

[miceblue]

Quote:

Great post!  Thank you for providing a counterpoint.

 
Judging from your pictures, you used more "stuffing" than I did.  For me, I had first applied tissues around the entire circumference of the pads.  I found the pressure that it applied to the areas around my ears undesirable and the interior was still resting on my antihelixes, so I pulled the excess from the front and bottoms in hopes of achieving a more comfortable/parallel fit.  Discomfort was temporarily alleviated, but then manifested on the areas behind my ears.  I repeated the same process with cotton rounds to no avail.  Due to the preceding, I can only assume that adding more material would only be of detriment, but I'm confident that your method will work for others.
 
...I'm thinking that my melon may be wider than the majority and am rather round-faced.

I am actually surprised how much this mod changes the sound. The M-100 went from a great portable headphone to an absolute BEAST of a headphone that definitely holds its ground against the headphone I had a hard time putting down.
 
I will definitely need to note this in my long impressions post.

 

[DigitalFreak]

Quote:

I am actually surprised how much this mod changes the sound. The M-100 went from a great portable headphone to an absolute BEAST of a headphone that definitely holds its ground against the headphone I had a hard time putting down.
 
I will definitely need to note this in my long impressions post.

You got my curiosity up, I'm going to stuff some paper towel under my pads tonight. Did you use a lot of stuffing all around or just a little bit in key areas?
 
Edit: Never mind I went back and read your tutorial

 

[miceblue]

Quote:

You got my curiosity up, I'm going to stuff some paper towel under my pads tonight. Did you use a lot of stuffing all around or just a little bit in key areas?
 
Edit: Never mind I went back and read your tutorial

Actually you bring up a point, I didn't say where to put the paper towel pieces. I put the longer piece along the right, bottom, and left sides of the earpad and the shorter piece along the top/top corners.
And keep in mind that to my ears the M-100 sounds significantly better with the mod. Your mileage may vary since a lot of people seem to be very satisfied with the M-100's sound as is.

 

[Curly21029]

Quote:

I am actually surprised how much this mod changes the sound. The M-100 went from a great portable headphone to an absolute BEAST of a headphone that definitely holds its ground against the headphone I had a hard time putting down.
 
I will definitely need to note this in my long impressions post.

 
This statement further increases my want for alternative pads.
 
Concerning my own in-depth impressions/formal review, I'll concede that I need more time before I'm confident in posting.  As I cycle through content, I'm finding my assessment to be ever-evolving.  That isn't to say that I find a particular performance trait to be better or worse, but rather meaningfully different.  I've long determined that I would only cite records from this year since I'm currently in the fourth-quarter boil down to a top 100, but I'm making an effort to only (or at least mostly) reference music that can be legitimately obtained digitally for free or under a "pay what you want" model.  In this, I believe the reader will be able to listen to specific examples unrepressed on their current equipment and be better prepared to gauge the worthwhileness of a possible investment.  In addition, the revelation of multiple pad options has also necessitated a need for an addendum.  Depending on the particulars, I may hold off on constructing a formal composition in favor of cannily-scribed notes.

 

[Thankful1]

Are the LP2 replacement shields the same as the M-100?  I ordered plain complementary replacements but I want to get some w/ the Yao face on them

 

[jonnio]

Quote:

From personal impressions of posters on this forum with M-100's, I honestly believe that the following should get the proto-pads:
 

• Craigster75
• Curly21029
• Leon Dota
• Anakchan
•  . . . Me? 
  

 
I would LOVE to be in the group to get new pads, but I understand if you deem that I am not the best to test them. I know for a fact I would not be able to test them to the extent of the posters listed above, but I would absolutely love to include them in my review. I'd be honored to be included in the pad testing, if possible.

I am not lobbying for myself here, but you need to consider why the new pads are coming out...More than one of the people in your 5 have no issue with comfort, so they would be completely unable to determine if the new pads remedied that complaint.  Val has already said the existing pads are perfect for him, so while he can easily determine if the sound signature is changing, he is also unable to determine if those of us (yes you included) who have comfort issues will have them resolved by the new design.

 

[BRSxIgnition]

Quote:

I am not lobbying for myself here, but you need to consider why the new pads are coming out...More than one of the people in your 5 have no issue with comfort, so they would be completely unable to determine if the new pads remedied that complaint.  Val has already said the existing pads are perfect for him, so while he can easily determine if the sound signature is changing, he is also unable to determine if those of us (yes you included) who have comfort issues will have them resolved by the new design.

 
I agree with that you mean there, but the people I listed are the ones who write the better, more detailed impressions. If you want people who deserve them or people who need them due to comfort issues, the list would be:
 

• Curly21029
• BRSxIgnition (Me)
• miceblue
• (One more user who has complained of pad depth problems)

 
Reasons would be:

1. Curly21029 - he has been complaining about the fit/depth the longest, so he should be picked for sure. He will be able to tell us in detail the difference in comfort and such between the thin pads and the thick pads, both in SQ and comfort.
2. BRSxIgnition - I nominate myself because my ear touches the inside, and starts to bug me around the 1.5 hour mark + I would love thicker white pads to finish my design I have in mind, since I can't at the moment. I would do my best to give a detailed comparison between pads, both on the comfort and SQ front.
3. miceblue - he has been great with his details and modding advice. He also has the same problem with receiving LP2 pads as I do. He will be able to do measurements and a proper comparison between the pads, and I wholeheartedly trust his views on the M-100.

 
 
Then again - this is just how I see it. Val can pick whomever he wants to, and I trust his judgement. I have to say though, that the idea of getting thicker white pads has me almost salivating in anticipation.

 

[sagep]

So are these easy to drive, is warm and fun yet very well rounded, at least a pretty good bass impact when needed, and doesn't leak much??

 

[Enki]

So I did the paper-towel mod like miceblue posted and it seems a bit more comfortable than before, didn't really have that much of an issue before, just ached after a few hours that a quick break would fix.  Sound quality wise, I think the sound stage is a bit more spacious, bass is decreased a little but still quite acceptable, everything sounds nice and balanced.  Will have to do more testing, but it seems to be positive so far.
 

 

[DigitalFreak]

@miceblue
 
I gave your mod a shot. The only difference between your mod and mine is I decided to use a couple of paper napkins. I rolled up the paper napkins into long thin strips and then stuffed each strip into each cup. The strips weren't long enough and at the bottom of the cup there's a very small section that isn't stuffed. I decided not to worry about it thinking the stuffing should be enough to see if the mod made a difference. I'm not noticing a wider sound stage per say but the sound does seem to have balanced out a bit. The headphone is still bass dominant but I'm noticing the bass no longer rumbles (don't worry it still has some nice rumble) as much as it used to and the mids seem to have taken a half step forward. The highs also seem a small tad more crisper which surprised me.
 
I'm going to do some more listening. What I've observed thus far has only been from a quick 10 minutes of listening. I need more music to pass final judgement. Is there anyone else out there who has tried this mod and has anything to add?

 

[miceblue]

Yes they're pretty easy to drive. They can benefit from an amp though.
I'm listening to Carley Rae Jepen's Call Me Maybe on my iPod Touch 2G (ya it's on my iPod XD) and the volume at "1-3 clicks" is adequate for home use. On the bus, I think < 45% max volume limit (no cap) is plenty of volume.

The overall sound signature is warm, but there is some nice sparkle in the treble region too (hence the slight U-shape sound signature) so in that sense the M-100 is "fun". Bass impact is definitely good and it sounds quite good with modern pop music.

Again, leakage is minimal if you listen to your music at reasonable volume levels. I did a leakage test in my unboxing video near the end if you're curious.