[dilinator]

Quote:

So by that conclusion, the M100 would surely be better for home listening than the M80's, as apart from the bass, the soundstage and details are better? Haha...?

I'm getting used to it. The details and nuance are all there but it's hard to pick it out. However, once you get used to 'feeling' (ugh) the bass as opposed to hearing it the midrange really jumps out at you. So what I'm saying is, you won't like it immediately if you're looking for an audiophile signature but it WILL grow on you.
 
The soundstage disparities are very interesting: I've noticed that instruments when PLACED in certain positions on the stereoscape really do expand your world (In the Air tonight - Phil Collins; Pink Matter - Frank Ocean (ft. Andre 3000)), however reverb -which creates the 'room' in which the instruments reside- is slightly constricted. I don't know why this is (and I don't want to speculate), but I notice it on a number of songs, especially Interlude 1 by Alt-J. So what happens is some instruments almost seem like they're outside of the room, I don't notice this effect unless I'm REALLY concentrating, and to be honest, the good instrument separation on the M-100s is why I notice it in the first place. This slightly alien effect doesn't really seem to hinder electronic music at all, which is not really surprising if you've heard electronic music on the M-100s .

 

[jonnio]

Quote:

So by that conclusion, the M100 would surely be better for home listening than the M80's, as apart from the bass, the soundstage and details are better? Haha...?

LOL, that's exactly what I was thinking reading the review ---  In that regard though, you're comment is exactly what a group of us at my work came up with.  We all did A/B comparison between my M100 and a co-workers M80.  The soundstage and detail was enough to trump the mids for in-office listening with a variety of music.

 

[miceblue]

Quote:

So by that conclusion, the M100 would surely be better for home listening than the M80's, as apart from the bass, the soundstage and details are better? Haha...?

Yes in the sense that the M-100 does most things better than the M-80, but I would prefer a more balanced sound for home listening for I listen to more genres of music at home than while mobile listening (I mostly listen to pop, rock, and electronic for mobile use). From the hype of this thread, I was hoping for a M-100 with less bass and more upper-treble.
 
 
Quote:

LOL, that's exactly what I was thinking reading the review ---  In that regard though, you're comment is exactly what a group of us at my work came up with.  We all did A/B comparison between my M100 and a co-workers M80.  The soundstage and detail was enough to trump the mids for in-office listening with a variety of music.

OK cool, I'm glad my "quick" comparisons match up with someone else's.

 

[musical-kage]

Quote:

LOL, that's exactly what I was thinking reading the review ---  In that regard though, you're comment is exactly what a group of us at my work came up with.  We all did A/B comparison between my M100 and a co-workers M80.  The soundstage and detail was enough to trump the mids for in-office listening with a variety of music.

 
Quote:

Yes in the sense that the M-100 does most things better than the M-80, but I would prefer a more balanced sound for home listening for I listen to more genres of music at home than while mobile listening (I mostly listen to pop, rock, and electronic for mobile use). From the hype of this thread, I was hoping for a M-100 with less bass and more upper-treble.
 
 
OK cool, I'm glad my "quick" comparisons match up with someone else's.

 
Hmm... so the M80 for home listening is a better overall sound?
 
I'm not even sure what I'm looking for. My Sennheiser PX-100's aren't exactly neutral. They do have some kick to them, and also dark mids, and slightly recessed highs, and I do notice this.
I do enjoy the sound, but want something better than them, offering more detail overall, whilst still having a signature to them.
So I don't think I would mind the 'Fun' sound.
 
So its for that reason I may just have to give them a try.
The soundstage part is confusing me though. They are deep but not wide, so positioning can be out on instruments... That in itself doesn't sound too great.
 
I tend to listen to a lot more electronic (mostly trance)/rock than other genres, but then I delve into Classical, celtic, pop, etc.
Then like you Miceblue, I have a range selection of module files.
 
If the M100's offer detailed sound, then I think I would be happy. i.e they show more than my headphones do at the minute.
 
Other headphones that may better the sound I feel may need an amp, and I don't feel like walking around with any.
Unless of course, since I like the Sennheiser overall sound (except for the darker mids to be honest), then maybe the HD-25 1-ii's may suit me better.
 
Unless of course the M100's offer more detail than those, but obviously with more bass. I will hopefully find some way to control the bass when I don't need it without affecting other frequencies.

 

[jonnio]

Quote:

 
 
Hmm... so the M80 for home listening is a better overall sound?
 
I'm not even sure what I'm looking for. My Sennheiser PX-100's aren't exactly neutral. They do have some kick to them, and also dark mids, and slightly recessed highs, and I do notice this.
I do enjoy the sound, but want something better than them, offering more detail overall, whilst still having a signature to them.
So I don't think I would mind the 'Fun' sound.
 
So its for that reason I may just have to give them a try.
The soundstage part is confusing me though. They are deep but not wide, so positioning can be out on instruments... That in itself doesn't sound too great.
 
I tend to listen to a lot more electronic (mostly trance)/rock than other genres, but then I delve into Classical, celtic, pop, etc.
Then like you Miceblue, I have a range selection of module files.
 
If the M100's offer detailed sound, then I think I would be happy. i.e they show more than my headphones do at the minute.

No, that's where me and Miceblue disagree -- In the side by side comparisons I have done the openess and clarity of the M-100 far outweighs the slightly recessed mids (by comparison).  For all of us that A/B'd them that was the consensus.  For me, it was really like walking from a concert hall to a tiny dorm room.  Not that the M-80s are bad, I actually really like them and I am sure that if I A/B'd them with some nice IEMs and other closed headphones they would fair really well, but they nearly made my claustrophobia kick in compared to the M-100s.

 

[musical-kage]

Quote:

No, that's where me and Miceblue disagree -- In the side by side comparisons I have done the openess and clarity of the M-100 far outweighs the slightly recessed mids (by comparison).  For all of us that A/B'd them that was the consensus.  For me, it was really like walking from a concert hall to a tiny dorm room.  Not that the M-80s are bad, I actually really like them and I am sure that if I A/B'd them with some nice IEMs and other closed headphones they would fair really well, but they nearly made my claustrophobia kick in compared to the M-100s.

By this concert hall style effect though. Does that basically mean that it feels like the sound is coming from another source at times?
I remember trying on my dads headphones a while back, and hating the feeling of spaciousness. They felt too distant.
So that makes me wonder if I would like the tiny dorm room sound more than a concert hall style sound.
 
Gah, I honestly don't know anymore lol

 

[jonnio]

Quote:

By this concert hall style effect though. Does that basically mean that it feels like the sound is coming from another source at times?
I remember trying on my dads headphones a while back, and hating the feeling of spaciousness. They felt too distant.
So that makes me wonder if I would like the tiny dorm room sound more than a concert hall style sound.
 
Gah, I honestly don't know anymore lol

It does separate the sources such that it doesn't sound like the singer is playing drums/guitar/etc...  For me, it's a very welcome change as I am used to well configured 2.1/7.1 home theater audio, but I wouldn't worry too much.  For one, it's not an open headphone amount of separation, so it's still not "wide open" and it's also not unnaturally distant if you have ever been to live performances.

 

[robble]

I think Jonnio here is saying more of that for contrast than how it actually is. I'd say the soundstage is great for a closed back set but isn't the widest around. The M80's also have a fairly wide soundstage for their category, but as they are supraaural they're fairly limited as to how far things are staged. But the key here is that one is a set of circumaural cans while the other is supraaural, which generally and easily gives an advantage towards the circumaural set.
 
Sometimes I wonder if we hear different things based on how our ears fit inside... 

 

[BRSxIgnition]

Well - my story comes to a close. I've now re-sold my M-100's, as they didn't quite match my head well, it seems. I'm now looking for my next headphones. (See my Sig)
 
Rather than a full on review - I would like to ask those who are interested in these to ask me questions. It's better than going on typing a full long report on the headphones, when people only need little points in the first place.
 
With that said - ask away.

 

[rishu]

I bought it ^^ Loving it so far! Thanks BRS for a smooth local deal!
 
I'm having some trouble setting up the boom mic on my computer (Win 7, Realtek HD, Audioengine D1 DAC). Computer wouldn't recognize anything. I'd like to use it for Ventrilo/Skype if I can, even though it's not a big deal. Can someone lend a helping hand to a newbie?

 

[icefalkon]

Now I'm concerned that my $350 for these circumaural cans may have been better spent elsewhere? I listen to rock and classical more than anything else...

What other manufacturers in that price range would handle those genres better?

 

[miceblue]

Quote:

Originally Posted by miceblue /img/forum/go_quote.gif
...
For home listening, the M-80's overall sound would probably be more preferable to many and I think it would be more enjoyable to listen to with more music genres. The M-100's bass is pretty dominating when compared next to the M-80, and the laid back upper-treble is somewhat apparent. If you're listening to rock music at home, personally I think the M-80 would be a better choice. While mobile listening on the other hand, the M-80 probably wouldn't be as good as the M-100.
...

Quote:

Yes in the sense that the M-100 does most things better than the M-80, but I would prefer a more balanced sound for home listening for I listen to more genres of music at home than while mobile listening (I mostly listen to pop, rock, and electronic for mobile use).
...

Quote:

No, that's where me and Miceblue disagree -- In the side by side comparisons I have done the openess and clarity of the M-100 far outweighs the slightly recessed mids (by comparison).  For all of us that A/B'd them that was the consensus.  For me, it was really like walking from a concert hall to a tiny dorm room.  Not that the M-80s are bad, I actually really like them and I am sure that if I A/B'd them with some nice IEMs and other closed headphones they would fair really well, but they nearly made my claustrophobia kick in compared to the M-100s.

 
Quote:

 
Hmm... so the M80 for home listening is a better overall sound?
... The soundstage part is confusing me though. They are deep but not wide, so positioning can be out on instruments... That in itself doesn't sound too great.
...

 
What I'm trying to say is that a more balanced M-100 would be ideal for home listening. As it is, the M-100 does everything the M-80 does but more, more details, bigger soundstage.
The large bass output, somewhat veiled lower-mids, and laid back upper-treble of the M-100 are things I would not prefer for home listening, but given the choice between the M-100 and the M-80, I would choose the M-100 because of its ability to pick up details more, and the larger soundstage. Not to mention that the bass can easily be reduced with an EQ, or an earpad mod.
 
I was trying to say that the balanced sound of the M-80 is a more preferable type of sound for home listening, not the M-80 itself.
 
 
 
Regarding the soundstage, I don't think it will be a problem to most people. It's spacious enough for many to consider it a pretty "large" soundstage for a closed-back headphone.
The deep soundstage was one of the first things that jumped out to me upon listening to the M-100. Its width isn't the widest for a closed-back headphone but it's decent. Something like a SRH940 or even a Monster DNA has a wider soundstage from my experience. The depth perception of the M-100 is odd to me, but it's not un-listenable. For orchestra music in particular, this soundstage isn't very suitable as most headphones that are good for this genre have a very wide soundstage (K 701, HD800, SRH940, etc.).

 

[Prakhar]

Now I'm concerned that my $350 for these circumaural cans may have been better spent elsewhere? I listen to rock and classical more than anything else...
What other manufacturers in that price range would handle those genres better?

HD600? AKG Q701?

 

[miceblue]

Quote:

...
Instead, the M-100 ended up being a more of an audiophile LP/LP2 in my opinion (a basshead's "favourite" headphone)
....

So that idea isn't as far-fetched as it seems.
 
(the lighter charts are the M-100's responses)
 
Frequency Response Graphs

Spoiler: Graph%20Comparisons

M-100 vs LP

 
M-100 vs LP2

 
M-100 vs M-80

 

 
300 Hz Square Wave Graphs

Spoiler: Graph%20Comparisons

M-100 vs LP

 
M-100 vs LP2

 
M-100 vs M-80

 

 
Impulse Response Graphs

Spoiler: Graph%20Comparisons

M-100 vs LP

 
M-100 vs LP2

 
M-100 vs M-80

 

 
The 30 Hz square wave and impedance graphs were too different to compare with each other.
 
 
I dunno about you guys, but the graphs of the M-100 seem to match up better with the graphs of the LP than with the M-80. I'm guessing that if you like the LP, you'll love the M-100. I can't say the same about the M-80 though.

 

[Enki]

Really been enjoying turntablism/instrumental hip-hop with these headphones recently.  These headphones really make me nod my head.