I've just gotten my hands on a pair of M-100s and having roadtested a few of my favourite albums, I thought I'd better come on here and post my thoughts.
First things first: I'm not an audiophile. The most expensive headphones I've ever owned were a pair of Beyerdynamic IEMs that cost me £60 about a year ago (which I subsequently broke). I've been making do with some cheap supra-aural cans that I got from HMV for £20 a few years back and was relatively happy with them.
But I got a big windfall from the Revenue and I'd had my eye on some proper, serious headphones for some time. I listen to a lot of music - I go through two, sometimes three albums a day - and it seemed to be a very sensible investment. I knew I wanted something with a closed back and something relatively portable since I spend a couple of hours commuting every day; I also wanted something that looked quite smart, and something that packed a proper wallop. I just didn't know what sort of wallop I was looking for.
Anyway, in typical non-audiophile fashion, I was initially attracted to the M-100s by their looks. Very striking indeed, and the collapsible hinges meant I focussed my research on them.
Which brings me back to why I felt I needed to write about them - there are little to no reviews of headphones for people that like heavy metal. You get recommendations - Grados, Senns, etc. - but nothing like, "I own a pair of these and they're crap," or "Yes, well worth the cash, they'll crush your fukken skull."
And I'm pleased to say that so far - after about 4 hours with these cans on my head - they're crushing my fukken skull in the best way possible. I don't feel I know enough to talk authoritatively about soundstage and such, but what I can say is that bands like Darkthrone, Mgla, Sargeist, In Solitude and Mitochondrion have been represented exactly how I'd like to hear them. Thunderous bass, razor-sharp guitars and "rapish" drums.
I've just gotten back from a festival and these headphones to a fantastic job of recreating a "live" sound - there's a lot of power, but also the sort of airiness one associates with live performances.
I can't honestly say whether they're value for money for everyone but I'm thrilled with them. Certainly not too bassy in my opinion, but that might be because of a lot of metal tends to treat the bass fairly miserably in the recording process and the M-100s are predisposed to giving it a gentle nudge. Leads and rhythm guitars are still very much at the forefront of the sound for me, and the bass kicks don't overcrowd the tom or snares. Of course, it all depends on the quality of the recording I guess; again, not something metal tends to rate too highly.
But that's the point, for me. Whether I've been listening to something cavernous and filthy or more clean and powerful, the M-100s have performed excellently.
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