Now I forgot to do it while ago, but yesterday as I was leaving work I noticed one of my gauze rolls was slipping out, so I decided "heck, I'll just take out the mod now and see what happens."
Well the mids went back, and the bass came through more, almost boomier than with the mod, the highs didn't sparkle as much, soundstage decreased (noticeably), and everything sounded all around darker. This is with the memory cushions well sunk in, mind you, so it's not a question of 'burning in' the ear pads, they're already conformed to my head. I DO prefer the M-100's sound with the gauze in. I'm going ot leave it for a week though, then put the gauze back in, just to see if it's brain bias.
In terms of comfort, it seems like the tip and lobe (spacers) of my right ear is the only one that touches the driver, and I can still wear it for at least an hour (haven't field tested w/o mod since having the M-100 for more than an hour) but I can tell the difference in comfort right away.
I'm banking on the XL Cushions being more akin to the mod in, since the fit isn't right pre-mod, the fit should be right with the XL pads. THE FIT IS THE SOUND right? Or atleast that's the assumption I'm going on.