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what would be a good amp to power them?
One of the issues I had with the M-100s was the soundstage. Rather than a wide soundstage, it was more deep, like the layers were standing in a line. I paired it up with the O2 amp from JDS Labs and these two pair very nicely. It seemed to fix the soundstage issue, and the vocals came out of my head and little more in front and a tad lower.
The O2 amp doesn't bring out the bass if that is your thing, but it seemed to improve SQ all around.
I've read people say the mids are recessed, but when it comes to female vocals, the M-100s are really good, especially with the O2 amp. I now own the HE-500, which was raved for its mids and both male and female vocal presentations, and honestly, I found vocals such as Sarah McLaughlin better with the M-100s. They sounded clearer, and more open, airier. The M-100s with the O2 amp made my unamped HE-500 seem a little recessed in the mids, at least with female vocals! I'll be getting the RSA SR71B amp to pair with the HE-500 soon and we'll see if that changes any.
I did end up sending the M-100s back and kept the HE-500s. I found the M-100 bass impact to be on par with the HE-500, but the HE-500 goes deeper, with a velvety sounding bass that I love.
However, no doubt the features of the M-100 were awesome! I will dearly miss all the extra touches and the build quality. A job well done there.