V-MODA M-100: Discussion/Feedback, Reviews, Pics, etc.
May 5, 2013 at 3:17 PM Post #14,326 of 23,366
Quote:
I don't get your point.

I've never heard the M-80, but how would that change my opinion of the M-100? Headphone manifacturers don't make new, more expensive models to "improve" upon the "lesser" models. They make new models to offer a different sound, to offer a product that suits different uses and purposes. And each one of us has different tastes, and of course, a different perception of sound and music.

If the M-100 really "give you the bass the track fully intended", then why so many other headphones don't even attempt to give that amount of bass? Why are so many other headphones "muddy" and "bass heavy", but the M-100 sound should be considered accurate and true to the source? Why can't I get even a fraction of the M-100's bass quantity with my ATH-AD2000, not even with bass boost on my iPod (BTW, the AD2000 are excellent with classical)? Why don't the "92% accurate" Ety ER-4s offer that amount of bass?

Treble-heavy sound gets trashed a lot. Those who trash treble-heavy sound are the people who call treble-light headphones "mellow" and "non-fatiguing". You see a lot of them.

I've tried the M-100 amped. The sound didn't change that much. The amp boosted frequencies other than bass, but didn't make the M-100 more interesting or exciting. Rather, it made the M-100 flatter. Less thumping, but less... unique. It took away some of its "personality". The opposite happens with other cans I own, like the AD2000, the HD558, the K518DJ.

I think that saying that people mostly judge sound based on looks and what the headphones are supposed to be suited for, is quite rash and offensive. Many people here have listened to a lot of music through so many different headphones and sources. And not all of them have settled for the best-looking, best-reviewed, most expensive gear available. They have settled for what they liked the best. And many of them still haven't stopped trying out new gear.

I know what music I like, and I know how I like it to sound. The M-100 don't make the majority of the music I listen to, sound the way I like it. I don't judge the M-100 based on what it's supposed to be suited too; I listened to it, and I know that it isn't suited to MY PERSONAL TASTE. And heaven knows just anyone would want it to sound wonderful based on looks, because it's a beautifully designed product.

So, again, I don't get your point. I don't think someone suggested that the M-80 is OBJECTIVELY better than the M-100. Rather, someone simply prefers the sound of the M-80, and I don't see anything wrong with that. As for my previus post, I responded to someone asking if the M-100 sounds similar to the IE80, and based on my experience with the IE8, I said that it really doesn't. Very different timbre, very different signature.

 
That's fine. We all have different tastes and opinions on products.
 
I can't change your opinion and taste neither can you change mine. I simply wanted to give my perspective.
 
May 5, 2013 at 3:25 PM Post #14,327 of 23,366
Quote:
 
M-100 Flatter? Interesting take...
"the track fully intended" -- Wrong.

 
At least to my ears.
 
I've tried my many other flat headphones like the 600hms DT 880 (of my friends) with proper sources, amp/dac and good quality audio files of well-recorded classical music.
 
The m-100 to me are quiet flat. Sound quality however is not as high as the DT 880's but the M-100's in my humble opinion produce very high-quality sound.
 
May 5, 2013 at 3:30 PM Post #14,328 of 23,366
You can't possibly suggest that the M100s are remotely 'flat' or that they offer the bass that was 'intended'.
 

I like them a lot, in some ways, but these are headphones that significantly exaggerate the low end.
 
May 5, 2013 at 3:38 PM Post #14,329 of 23,366
I do like the M-100 (more than I expected actually) but they are quite far from flat. "high-quality" is of course to some extend a matter of taste -- high-fidelity they are not. That was not the intention of their maker I guess... and they fit the target of EDM quite good, even reaching beyond that (many seem to enjoy styles I'd rather not listen to with M-100s).
 
Nevertheless a bass bost of ca. 9dB is not a simple matter of taste thats almost linear and just considered a bit too much by some... its quite a lot:
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/VModaM100.pdf
 
I'd consider the FR of the M-80 flatter:
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/VModaM80.pdf
 
Whether you like their respective sound signatures better is of course a matter of taste. And one can always like a more fun signature better -- no problem with that. The M-100 has a fun signature done with taste and musical sense. And I also like them more than the M-80 I once had.
 
May 5, 2013 at 4:01 PM Post #14,330 of 23,366
I guess maybe it is just me than.
 
Also technical details and FR graphs along with other technical measurements do usually tell a lot about a headphone but not always.
 
May 5, 2013 at 5:45 PM Post #14,331 of 23,366
Quote:
 
At least to my ears.
 
I've tried my many other flat headphones like the 600hms DT 880 (of my friends) with proper sources, amp/dac and good quality audio files of well-recorded classical music.
 
The m-100 to me are quiet flat. Sound quality however is not as high as the DT 880's but the M-100's in my humble opinion produce very high-quality sound.


If opinions didn't vary, there wouldn't be so many options available, so it's all good.  I auditioned no less than 50 headphones in the past year and owned at least a dozen of those for a period of time, anywhere from a week to a month. 
 
The only headphones I enjoyed enough to keep (and will keep forever) are the M-100 and the slightly more expensive Ultrasone Signature DJ.  So I would say, IMHO, the M-100 is the best sounding headphone in its price range for my taste in both sound signature and music.
 
May 5, 2013 at 7:01 PM Post #14,333 of 23,366
M-100's flat? What? I'm...not even going to go there.
 

On the other hand, after going to a local Head-Fi meet, to my astonishment, silver cables do make a difference in sound. If you're looking to get the last squeeze of audio quality out of the M-100's I would look into silver cables. The Head-Fier who made this interconnect said it was about $25. A very reasonable price for the cable considering the FiiO L2 interconnect cable I use had a retail price of $20, which I thought was ridiculous for a simple copper cable.
 

 
With the M-100 specifically:

 
 

C&C BH sounds great with the M-100 too! If you can't afford the JDS Labs C5 for $190 USD, I would actually really recommend the BH for a portable headphone amplifier.

 
May 5, 2013 at 7:11 PM Post #14,334 of 23,366
M-100's flat? What? I'm...not even going to go there.

[rule]On the other hand, after going to a local Head-Fi meet, to my astonishment, silver cables do make a difference in sound. If you're looking to get the last squeeze of audio quality out of the M-100's I would look into silver cables. The Head-Fier who made this interconnect said it was about $25. A very reasonable price for the cable considering the FiiO L2 interconnect cable I use had a retail price of $20, which I thought was ridiculous for a simple copper cable.




With the M-100 specifically:




[rule]C&C BH sounds great with the M-100 too! If you can't afford the JDS Labs C5 for $190 USD, I would actually really recommend the BH for a portable headphone amplifier.


I'm running the C&C BK with my new (to me) V-Moda Crossfades for my work in the yard portable rig and am loving the combo.

****Anyone know when/if the XL pads are going to be available? The only engineering failure on an otherwise seemingly bulletproof design.
 
May 5, 2013 at 7:33 PM Post #14,335 of 23,366
Quote:
Quote:
M-100's flat? What? I'm...not even going to go there.

On the other hand, after going to a local Head-Fi meet, to my astonishment, silver cables do make a difference in sound. If you're looking to get the last squeeze of audio quality out of the M-100's I would look into silver cables. The Head-Fier who made this interconnect said it was about $25. A very reasonable price for the cable considering the FiiO L2 interconnect cable I use had a retail price of $20, which I thought was ridiculous for a simple copper cable.




With the M-100 specifically:




C&C BH sounds great with the M-100 too! If you can't afford the JDS Labs C5 for $190 USD, I would actually really recommend the BH for a portable headphone amplifier.


I'm running the C&C BK with my new (to me) V-Moda Crossfades for my work in the yard portable rig and am loving the combo.

****Anyone know when/if the XL pads are going to be available? The only engineering failure on an otherwise seemingly bulletproof design.

Yeah I'm wondering about this too, but no one knows about the release date. 1-hour Skype call conversations are pretty unbearable for me as my ears get pretty sore pretty quickly. At the meet, one person wanted to try the M-100's and didn't like it immediately because they were supra-aural for that person.
 
May 5, 2013 at 9:02 PM Post #14,336 of 23,366
I think I'm fortunate in that my ears fit inside - barely, and I spent about three hours outside again today with adequate comfort. I just would prefer more room as I'm sure plenty of owners.

Surprised these have been out so long without a wave of posts about the inside diameter issue......or maybe I just didn't pay attention till I considered a V-Moda product. Now I like the product and would consider the M-100 but not sure if its a huge step up from the Crossfades.
 
May 5, 2013 at 10:29 PM Post #14,337 of 23,366
Quote:
 
At least to my ears.
 
I've tried my many other flat headphones like the 600hms DT 880 (of my friends) with proper sources, amp/dac and good quality audio files of well-recorded classical music.
 
The m-100 to me are quiet flat. Sound quality however is not as high as the DT 880's but the M-100's in my humble opinion produce very high-quality sound.

I find most headphone impressions to be a subjective experience; it is insanely difficult to separate your feelings from facts..
Even if we do, there are discrepancies to the shape and size of our ears, and being subjected to mental acclimation(brain burn-in) with a particular signature, which all affect our perception from the moment we slip on headphones.
 
If I may share my opinion, I will have to disagree with your impression:
Last August, I paid two months in advance for the privilege to be one of the first to listen to the long-waited M-100's. I had very high expectations of the M-100's, as they were originally marking it an improvement over the M-80's. To my surprise, they changed so much of the sound, that there didn't appear to be any trace of the M-80 "DNA" in the M-100's. Bass impact definitely came across too strong(subjective), midrange lacked presence and crispness(subjective), and treble is energetic, but missing a certain air to it, which made the soundstage come across too synthetic(also subjective).
Conversely, the M-80's didn't strive to overachieve. Bass wasn't overpowered to teeth-rattling levels, or had overly-proficient decay; but sub-bass was perfectly coherent, had great layering, and sounded believable. They managed to pull off a crisp and coherent midrange(which to me, is the heart of the music), but at the expense of soundstage and high treble energy; which I was fine with since sound-stage is tricky to nail on closed(let alone portable) headphones. To me, the M-80's are very confident-sounding; where the M-100's are suffering somewhat of an identity crisis.
 
My $.02, at least
wink.gif

 
May 6, 2013 at 12:54 PM Post #14,338 of 23,366
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Does anyone else have experience with the burn in of these headphones? I am interested in them but am concerened about the mid range and vocals. I love my bass and find the M-80's to be lacking just a little.

I noticed that the headphones don't need as much burn in time as my head needed it. I really had to take the time to get used to the tone of these headphones. But once I did, these cans now sound really good, not lacking in the mids like I previously perceived and the bass seems not as overpowering as on the first listen.
 
May 6, 2013 at 1:28 PM Post #14,339 of 23,366
Quote:
I noticed that the headphones don't need as much burn in time as my head needed it. I really had to take the time to get used to the tone of these headphones. But once I did, these cans now sound really good, not lacking in the mids like I previously perceived and the bass seems not as overpowering as on the first listen.

 
I'm a bigger proponent of "head burn-in" (or ear if you prefer) rather than physical burn in. I'm starting to give physical burn in more thought due to HiFiMan HE-400 and my ASG-1s. 
 
May 6, 2013 at 2:31 PM Post #14,340 of 23,366
I stretched/flattened/bent the headband on mine and it made all the difference. Currently they have just the right amount of clamping force. This has worked very well for me, considering I wear them in the gym.
 

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