Style and Power: Vmoda M-100

SOUND: BASS

The M100’s sonic signature is one of deep and powerful bass, more so than the M-80 and perhaps a little too powerful in the wrong places to be considered a true hifi headphone. The mid-tones feel quite recessed at times due to this upper bass emphasis so I see this appealing more to the ‘DJ’ / ‘bass-head’ crowd. If it’s not the strongest bass it can’t be that far off. Considering where it’s being pushed, combined with the isolation gives an enveloping effect that is either deeply impressive or just too boomy and fatiguing for musical enjoyment – depending on what you like. For me this is going in the wrong direction from the smaller M-80, despite the soundstage opening up. In fact for a closed back headphone, that improves on isolation, the three-dimensionality of the imaging is really rather impressive.

If you care about nothing but Bass quantity and are looking for the largest sound stage in a full size closed back portable headphone, you do not need to read further. Just go order an M-100 right now.  I am not aware of any over the ear Portables that have a sound stage this large with this type of Earcup design.  I am also not aware of anything that has Bass potency that can rival it.  However, that is where the line in the sand is drawn.  Beyond those features, you should stop and take a few minutes to read ahead and get the low down on this headphone before purchasing.  

The Bass on the M-100 is extremely powerful and plentiful,  I feel safe in saying it responds better to EQ more efficiently and more absurdly than any Portable Headphone I have ever used.  The Bass Quantity is sick!  The quality is just okay.  I wouldn’t even venture as far into saying it was good.  Side by side with my equally priced Philips L1, the M-100 Bass qualities are much airier, punchy, less focused and absolutely out of control with heavy Bass music tracks.  It feels splattered to me, broad and stretched.  Where as the Philips L1 is tight, controlled, more solid feeling and significantly less powerful and easier on the ears.  Two completely different low end experiences.  I feel strange about this because I really enjoyed the VModa M-80. 

 

SOUND: MIDS & HIGHS

The mid-range being rather in the background will disappoint some as it takes sparkle away from areas like detail and vocals. It feels a little dull here and is less resolving of the finer details as a result, even feeling muddled at times. It feels like this sound is trying to be several things at once and not really finding a focus, there is speed here but restrained under a ton of power. There is warmth here, but I can’t describe it as smooth exactly. I did find enjoyment with more dynamic and bold Electronic music (EDM?), but switching to Rock, Metal or Pop and it’s like listening through mud by comparison.

The Mid-Range is somewhere closer to Forward, but not quite.  Closer to Forward sounding than something more relaxed, something like most Sennheiser Headphones for example.   The vocal experience is bright and lively.  Too bright for my tastes as it is really back to A/Bing this headphone with my Philips L1.  The background noise on the L1 is almost non existent and it really makes everything pop more.  Where as the M-100 is noticeably more bright in the background.  I admit, the M-100 Vocals sound more spacious over pretty much every $100-300 pair of Headphones I’ve ever listened to.  Very spacious and airy Mids.  Again, I am not happy about the overall brightness of the set, mixed with that colder than warm sound signature I just cannot enjoy anything I listen to.  I find tracks from Seth MacFarlane or Michael Buble’ to be neigh impossible to listen to, due to an overwhelming noticeable lack of clarity in the background.  I do not think this is the fault of V-Moda, but rather the crazy presentation qualities of the Philips L1.  That Black Background on the L1 is really hard to get over, its so yummy and fun to listen to that I just cannot happily pick up the V-Moda M-100 immediately after.  Mids simply do not pop much compared to the Fidelio series and are closer to the AKG K550 signature than anything I can think of off the top of my head.  Kind of flat sounding and lacking depth.  
My ears are extremely sensitive to bright and harsh Upper Regions.  The last thing I would call the M-100 would be Smooth in the Upper Areas.  I find them too harsh and bright.  Some may disagree.  I enjoy Fusion Guitar via incredible artists like Guthrie Govan, Andy James, Malmsteen, Steve Vai, Bireli Lagrene, and a number of other Genius Level musicians out there.  I cannot enjoy these Genre with the M-100.  In your face screaming guitars get a little painful over a short period of time for me.  I simply find the set too bright for my enjoyment in this area.  Once again, side by side with my favorite Mid-Tier, the M-100 is severely outclassed if you wanted to relax and enjoy tracks with heavy emphasis on the Upper Regions.  Seems like Night and Day to me, switching up between the two.  I am severely disappointed.  I expected much more from the V-Moda M-100 in this area due to my M-80 plowing through some of those tracks like a true Champion.  I cannot use the M-100 with my Guitar Amplifier or through a Live Band setup where every other musician in my group can be heard.  Those Upper Regions are not relaxing and have too much bite for my ears.  Switching up quickly between the Philips models and the M-100 reveals the latter to have some sibilance issues.  The Philips Fidelio series, as well as my AKG550 both have noticeably less ice atop their mountains, noticeably less slurring in vocals and less prevalent Sibilance all around.  Yikes.  

 

SOUND: SOUNDSTAGE

The Soundstage is a real win for me.  I do not know of any other closed back set in this price tier that has such an aired out and spacious presentation.  Shocking really, I was very impressed to also see how efficient the set was.  None of my amplifiers did a thing for it, neither did any of my portable sources.  This is a great thing, you don’t need much amplification to get a great staging experience.  My Cowon J3 provides a great experience that is not all that different in width, height and separation over using a Monster Amplifier like the Hifiman EF-6 or my Bottlehead Crack.  The only differences I detect are obviously overall clarity and kick factor.  The M-100 became a little more relaxed with the more expensive Amplifiers I subjected it to.  But, who is going to pay $1600 for an EF-6 when the M-100 itself only costs around $300? I think this Headphone bested the AKG K550 by a small degree, both sets have great staging experiences for a closed back headphone so if this is your thing, you should be pretty happy.  I am a sound stage nut, myself.  I really love that open and vast experience and in the case of the M-100 I really get what I was looking for.  Portable Sound Stage King, no doubt about it. 

 

OVERALL SOUND IMPRESSION

The M-100 is lightyears from being warm and relaxed.  My JVC DX-1000 is warm and relaxed.  My Philips L1, as well as the M1 portable version are more relaxed and closer to neutral than monitor-like Bass.   Side by side with these Headphones, the V-Moda M-100 places somewhere closer to that colder end of the spectrum.  I do not find this type of tone to be Musical and I am dumbfounded as to why it exists in Portable Headphone  One really strange thing I encountered was in a track called Awkward by Craig David.   The result is a really true to the track title experience.  I hear splashy and uncontrolled omnipresent Bass   ( That rumble factor that hits really hard and deep) but at the same time the electric bass behind it sounds excellent.  It sounds entirely different on every other headphone I own and I am starting to believe the M-100 might have some funky dB booster on the low end that is really working against the potential quality this headphone could have had. This is pure speculation, of course.  It is just not at all for me, but this is just my opinion and purely based on my preferences.  Yours might be totally opposite of mine.  

About a year ago, V-Moda hand selected some people to be part of a private discussion group who will review the M-80 for the public.  I was one of those people.  The M-80 has less punch and kick than the M-100, thus making it an easier headphone to listen to for extended periods of time.  I find the M-100 Low End to be harsh and too punchy at times, especially when EQ’ed a little into the lower frequencies.  This is not the type of Bass I enjoy.  Although, I am sure there are a ton of listeners who love a really powerful low end that can become punchy and hard hitting with minor EQ adjustments.  Another thing that bugs me is the low ends  overall cold, Monitor tonality.  It sounds a lot like the low that Beyerdynamic or Shure might have.  That slightly brighter and more cold than warm and velvety experience. 

 

More on sound: EQ, Music, TV, Media, Gaming applications on the next page…

 

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80 Comments

  • Reply November 16, 2012

    Mike

    It’s a long read I know!

    • Reply November 16, 2012

      Jack Harvey

      Terrific piece of writing! Great job!

      • Reply November 16, 2012

        Edd_N

        Thanks Jack 🙂

  • Reply November 16, 2012

    Bryan Hiroshi Thng

    HD25/D2000/M50 vs M100?

    • Reply November 16, 2012

      Mike

      I’ve asked Edd and Julius to help answer that, Bryan.

    • Reply November 16, 2012

      Julius

      The Original and first incarnation of the HD25? Or the HD25-1 II?
      D2000 > M100 > HD25-1 II > M50 for clarity
      M100 > D2000 > M50 > HD25’s for Bass Quantity
      D2000 > M100 > M50 > HD25’s for Sound Staging Qualities. I think the Denon D2K is still more dynamic and cavernous sounding. More Depth, in my opinion and a better overall Dynamic Experience.

      • Reply November 16, 2012

        Edd_N

        I can chime in on that one as I’ve heard all of those (25-1 II also). I agree with Julius’ positioning accept I might put the M-100 lower on clarity.

        • Reply November 17, 2012

          Edd_N

          I’d also like to add:
          D2000 > HD25 > M50 > M-100 for Bass Quality

  • Reply November 17, 2012

    Ken Stuart

    Commenting here solely on the phenomenon of Head-Fi Hype, which certainly is not limited to any particular headphone:

    For hundreds of thousands of years, there was a very strong selection for
    the gene to associate in groups – “tribes”. Those with a weak social
    grouping gene ended up as dinner for the local predators.

    For most of the last 12,000 years of civilization, this was expressed in ways
    very similar to the original tribal grouping – people stayed where they
    were born, in close association with their relatives.

    Very recently, this association with place and kin has begun to degrade
    significantly, and so people have begun to express their social grouping
    gene over and over again, in a largely ineffectual way, in what people
    have described as the “Fanboy” phenomenon. The Internet fans the
    flames, by accelerating the degrading of place and kin groupings, while
    facilitating the Fanboy phenomenon.

    Hype
    is an expression of this phenomenon. Once you are a fan of a team, then
    you want it to be the Best Team Ever. In sports, the team can lose
    every game, but as a Fanboy of products, you can self-generate winning
    or losing by simply emphasizing every positive aspect and de-emphasizing
    the negative aspects, in other words “Hype”.

    Did Steve Jobs understand this phenomenon? Apple has certainly been one of the biggest beneficiaries of it – standing in line is an obvious waste of anyone’s time, unless the social experience is more important than the product.

    For me, the clearest statement of the importance of Hype, and the lack of
    importance of Content is “Unboxing”. I was amazed when I first saw
    that as part of a review. WHO CARES ?! If the best headphone in the
    world comes in a brown paper bag, big deal !

    Head-Fi = Hype, because like Apple, it is a social experience first and foremost.

    • Reply November 17, 2012

      Julius

      My Mind = Blown. Great post, loved every word. Ed and I are already being bashed for the way we formatted our review. I can’t speak for Ed, but I can say that I am proud of being one of very few Audio Journalists who cares a lot of the emotional experience rather than ONLY the technical side. Post 9522 in that giant M100 thread is very cute and pretty offensive to me. It perfectly describes the craziness surrounding the Hyped crowd and is a great example of how “out there” some users really are. I do not take a single word in that entire thread seriously. Not one word.

      • Reply November 18, 2012

        dalethorn

        Trying to find post 9522 – there are only 52 pages and less than 1000 posts on the m100/v100 thread.

        • Reply November 18, 2012

          Julius

          I think you are looking at the wrong M100 thread on Head Fi. The Vmoda M100 Discussion is up to 637 pages. Should be on the front page of the portables forum area. He even took a shot at what Tyll said and implied that Tyll was wrong for speaking about his subjective preference of around 5dB boost on the low end instead of whatever the M100 has. Personally, I think he is just sour over not winning the contest and getting a free M-100 hehe!

          • Reply November 18, 2012

            dalethorn

            OK, I found it. That Rpg guy is just splitting hairs, which is what I would expect of someone so embedded in a 600 page thread. There is an old saying about getting a life, and some of those need to broaden their activities. 600 pages!

            • Reply November 24, 2012

              Timothy Jonathan

              RPGWiZaRD has a point, though. Those who have no experience with basshead cans in general might find something like the M-80 a little too bassy.

              • Reply November 24, 2012

                dalethorn

                Wow – maybe I’ve gone too far down the bassy road. I never thought of the M80 as bassy. Did you maybe mean the M100?

                • Reply November 24, 2012

                  Mike

                  I thought the M80 is just well balanced definitely not bassy, just need more mid body.

              • Reply November 24, 2012

                Julius

                Not really, he has no basis what so ever for his statement. Look through his profile for threads and reviews he has started. I see barely a few reviews on real bassy headphones. Here is a good quote of his “I’ve tried XB700, Denon D1100, ATH-M50, Beyer DT770 Pro/80” taken from this link where he was asking for guidance on what to buy because he just didn’t have the experience to decide for himself. That pretty much summed up his experience with bassy headphones.

                Here is my list of headphones I have actually owned and spoke of many times. Check out the date and this list is pretty old and doesn’t include any iems, denons, JVCs, Audezes, Hifiman, Stax or Kosses that I’ve actually owned in the past 2 years.

                http://www.head-fi.org/t/433318/shootout-105-portable-headphones-reviewed-bowers-wilkins-p3-added-11-11-12/1335

    • Reply November 17, 2012

      Mike

      Great Post, Ken. I wouldn’t say absolutely that Head-Fi = Hype though. The forums do have a lot of useful info.

      • Reply November 18, 2012

        Ken Stuart

        Unquestionably. If one has a question like “what mods work for the HE-400” then there is no better place than Head-Fi to get a very good answer.
        Of course, the phenomenon we are calling “Hype” actually helps this, because if you are asking about the HE-400 or the iPad Mini or the Tesla Model 2, then you are helping someone to participate in the Tribal social activity.

  • Reply November 17, 2012

    dalethorn

    Yikes!!!

    • Reply November 17, 2012

      Mike

      Yikes on the length? Yikes on the headphone?

      • Reply November 17, 2012

        dalethorn

        The headphone perhaps, but such a major feature, a respected manufacturer, and a failure to make it above “good for portable use”. I want one of these, but it would be good to know how the sound would be if the bass were reduced a bit – if the mids were still not so good with some of the bass trimmed down.

        • Reply November 17, 2012

          Mike

          Perhaps they were aiming for a different crowd. To me Vmoda doesn’t look like the type of a brand that’s designed to cater to the enthusiasts’ crowd. We have AKG/ATH/Beyer/Senns for that.

          From what I’ve heard their distribution chain mimics Beats heavily. So perhaps their link with enthusiasts is limited to the fact that Val are close with Jude.

          These are just speculations of course.

          • Reply November 17, 2012

            Julius

            Neither Val nor V-moda ever claimed the headphone was going to be a game changer. V-Moda never lied to anyone or provided misinformation about their products. They have remained always truthful about the sound qualities, Val really steps it up and gets active with the Head Fi community forums and answers questions when he gets the chance to. Anyone know any other CEOs of major companies willing to be an active part of the audio community in general? Nah, Kolton stands alone and has gained my respect a very long time ago for not punching anyone who provides misinformation or false positives about his gear. No doubt about it that some people over in that M100 thread made it out to be something it was never intended to be. This was made for a specific group of listeners, Tyll might have landed it on the nose by saying it was made for modern music enthusiasts, heavy Dubsteppers and Electronic genres. In that respect, the M-100 is awesome. But, in my opinion a $300 should be much more well rounded and not specialized. Don’t blame V-Moda for the poor word choices used by users on Head Fi who were actually giving their opinion on it before any samples of the finalized product were even released. Its their fault for the hype, not Val or V-Moda’s. I’ll defend Val and his company to the death if need by on this subject, they remained always truthful in a pit of flagrant liars swarming around him. Massive respect to him for keeping a level head about it all.

            • Reply November 18, 2012

              dalethorn

              I can’t claim that I’ve read everything, but I follow these things pretty closely, especially since (at this time) I’m still a v-moda Centurion. And I don’t recall Val saying he was aiming the M100 for a non-hi-fi demographic. I assumed his aim was similar to the M80, but with better bass, and even Tyll’s reaction seemed to me to be one of surprise. Do we have a statement by Val that explains this?

              • Reply November 19, 2012

                Edd_N

                I know what you mean. It wasn’t just the model numbers that made me assume the M-100 should follow the M-80’s signature. I can’t see why this thing wasn’t called an LP3.

                • Reply November 19, 2012

                  dalethorn

                  I went to the V-MODA page for some quotes about the design. I think these are telling:
                  World’s Most Versatile Crowdsourced Headphone. M-100 is a master crafted
                  compilation by the people – over 200 artists, online audiophiles, editors, DJs
                  and Grammy-winning musicians collaborated for years on the tuning and features.
                  “BEST OF SHOW…cleanest-sounding headphones we’ve ever tested.” – CES, Beatweek
                  “Sounds so good – and so easy to carry around – I could imagine it covering most
                  headphone needs for most people, even serious personal audio aficionados…
                  There’s no reason not to buy the M-100″ – Sound & Vision
                  I heard all of these, and the M-100 (or M-80) is the one I would buy” – Headphone
                  Addict Larry, Rocky Mountain Audio Festival

                  “Very open and natural” – Engadget “Stands above other similarly priced
                  headphones

                  “UNIQUELY DEVELOPED alongside online audiophiles, musicians, editors.” – Head-Fi
                  Founder, Jude

                  • Reply November 19, 2012

                    dalethorn

                    I think the key words are “master crafted”, “audiophiles”, “musicians”, “best of show”, “serious personal audio aficionados”, “very open and natural”, “audiophiles, musicians, editors, … Jude, founder”. — Looks like something aimed squarely at audiophiles, no? (In other words, I don’t see anything on the product page that gives even the slightest hint that this was developed for limited use, as a portable or anything else.)

                    • November 20, 2012

                      Edd_N

                      Thanks Dale! I can’t bring myself to look at the V-Moda logo any more to be honest so I appreciate the collection of data, it certainly helps to illustrate my feeling of deception. There are some pretty horrific statements on there!! Even if we were talking about something truly amazing like Grado PS1000 or Fostex TH900 some of those statements would sound over the top.

                    • November 20, 2012

                      dalethorn

                      Thanks Edd – not to belabor this negative experience, but most often when something like this comes up, if someone who sees the bigger picture (i.e. the manufacturer) could offer some input, maybe offer to send me a sample, it might make a real difference. It’s been very quiet and that’s odd.

  • Reply November 17, 2012

    Gurtej Virdi

    Great reviews, was an informative read. Have any of you heard the new sony mdr-1r? If so how does it compare to the M100. Thanks.

    • Reply November 17, 2012

      Edd_N

      Thanks Gurtej, I haven’t heard the mdr-1r, but am curious about it.

    • Reply November 17, 2012

      Mike

      Okay here is the problem, I have listened to the 1R and am planning to do a review of it, but I don’t have the M-100.

      Based on reading Edd and Julius’ impressions it seems that the 1R is very different than the M-100.

      The 1R is very smooth and well balanced from top to bottom. Tonality is a bit to the dark side but not so much. Warm. Smooth. Good soundstage, a bit loose on the bass and a bit weak on PRaT. The tuning is actually very good IMO better than the Momentum (1R has more bass and less forward mid/treble), the Fidelio L1 (not as dark as the L1, better soundstage performance). My only problem with the 1R is the weak PRaT almost similar to the Momentum. You have a good amount of bass but it doesn’t punch that hard.

      • Reply November 17, 2012

        Gurtej Virdi

        Thanks for the response, looking forward to your mdr-1r review.

      • Reply November 18, 2012

        Ken Stuart

        That’s interesting about PRaT and recent headphones. Back when CDs began to be “remastered”, I noticed that they had better clarity and detail at the expense of PRaT (the remasters of the Jimi Hendrix CDs by MCA, as compared to the older Reprise CDs are a good example). This is in addition to the often cited Dynamic Range deficiencies of recent CDs.
        The implication is that PRaT is a quality that is not even noticed by some audio engineers…

        • Reply November 18, 2012

          dalethorn

          I wonder, in all of the remastering that’s going on, if any of those engineers have a grasp of advanced DSP and how it affects the end result, i.e. if some of the tools they’re using are doing things they’re not aware of. It’s not just “pulling up the bass or treble” anymore – it’s really advanced software that changes other things while applying compression and stuff like that. I wonder how many of those remastering engineers have ever heard of Fourier Transforms?

  • Reply November 17, 2012

    Edd_N

    I would like to add a little something about other bassy headphones. I don’t hate them, far from it. I still love the sound from a bunch of other headphones that some consider quite bassy, things like the Denon D2000, Sennheiser HD-25-1 II, Audio Technica ATH-M50, hell even the M-80 is still one of my favourites.

    My wife (who hates sibilance and loves bass) loves the Denon D1100 and I have to agree it does sound more interesting than the M-100 so I gave her the M-100 and she really quite disliked it as well. Here in the UK the Denon D1100 can be picked up for 1/10th the cost of the M-100! Admittedly the build of the Denon doesn’t come close to approaching the M-100, but can anyone justify a 900% extra cost for build?

    I am also a big fan of the Denon D7000. It’s more on the smooth side and doesn’t have the impact of the M-100, but it’s so more enjoyable than the M-100 and that’s just the bass. The mid-range is light-years ahead. I have had a play recently with the Philips Fidelio L1, Sennheiser Amperior / Momentum and Logitech UE6000 and they too sound very impressive to me despite being quite pronounced in the bass region (some more so than others of course).

    • Reply November 17, 2012

      Mike

      I think bass is a necessity in headphones.

      • Reply November 17, 2012

        Julius

        I think the experience would have been nicer all around without the 8bD or so Bass Booster that was designed into the headphone itself, or the massive pitfall at 11k in the measurements, or the relatively flat midrange….or the hyper modernized street design of the earcups. I got called a Hoodlum by some old lady a few days ago when I was walking around the Mall. I yelled back to her “But…but! I am listening to classical music!” She walked away, slowly, but still walked away shaking her head and continuing to talk to herself. Eh….I’ll stick with my Fidelio M1 and ClearTunes CT200 as my main portables for the time being. The M1 is just too sexy to not want to wear outside. I get a lot of people asking about them. Nobody asked me about the V-moda headphones yet…

        • Reply November 18, 2012

          dalethorn

          I added a one-star review of the M1 to the Apple store, and so far nobody else has touched it. I would guess they’re not selling any.

          • Reply November 18, 2012

            Guest

            I still enjoy the M1 more than the V-Moda M-100.

        • Reply November 18, 2012

          Edd_N

          Ha! What a wonderful story. I too haven’t gotten any comments about the M-100, but then I think I walk around with such a scowl that I don’t exactly look approachable :P. Commuting in London tends to make me want to kill people in the most horrible ways, but I’d welcome someone asking me about the M-100. Maybe something like this – “Excuse me, those headphones look pretty, do they sound better than Beats”, *rolls eyes* and replies “I wish, but they do look pretty right”.

          • Reply November 18, 2012

            Julius

            Heh! I enjoy the M-100 for Dubstep and even some Classical music, but beyond that I own a few other portables that do a better job at any given Genre. I know that sounds like an odd mix, but the large soundstage and boosted low end makes classical music very enjoyable to me on the go. I wish the earpads were a little bigger so my ears didn’t get so soar so quickly, and also that they were actually easily replaceable. The Box has a quote on it that implies it was a collaboration with “online audiophiles and musicians.” If I were Val, I’d take a big step back and avoid listening to those people for any future design ideas. I’ve been a Jazz Guitarist for about the past 12 years or so and I can safely say DJs will use it on stage, but few actual Musicians would choose the M-100 to wear during a live gig, especially with that youthful design. It is nowhere near forgiving enough to be used for Live performances. The low end is too punchy and screaming guitars are like Ice Picks stabbing my ears when plugged directly into my guitar amplifier or mixing board that is fed into by all of my band mates. It is also not true to the recording enough to seriously be used as a Monitor. So…well rounded the M-100 is not, as Yoda would say. But fun? You Betcha! Give me a call, Mr. Kolton! I’ll help design a game changer for you. You need someone real helping you who will give it to you straight. 🙂

            • Reply November 19, 2012

              Edd_N

              Yeah ok that’s pretty true with me too – I do find Dubstep ok and classical if I add some eq… hmm I wonder if that’s enough to make them worth keeping. Just thinking what else this could fund…

              • Reply November 19, 2012

                Julius

                I tried to sell mine twice on Ebay, nobody was interested and I had it listed for significantly cheaper than the pre order price. That is a REALLY BAD sign that not one person on earth wanted the M100 before the public got theirs. A few of them popped up on Head Fi recently as well, so its a pretty terrible sign that people are already selling them off. I’d sell them all in a split second if I found buyers for any of them. I can see myself wearing a long trench coat with a 30s style gangster hat on, standing outside in a dark alley trying to get people to buy my headphones…

      • Reply November 18, 2012

        Edd_N

        True, but the big question is: How much, which is personal preference of course. Speaking of which I must try the Beyer COP, I wonder if they will include the changeable bass feature on a more high-end headphone one day. For me AKG often have too little bass and that became a big issue with the K550 and its dodgy fit.

    • Reply December 3, 2012

      e-rod

      Can you please tell me how exactly the M-100 compare to the D1100? I own the D1100 and actually like them a lot, despite the negative reviews. They excel in comfort, bass and soundstage. I was looking for an upgrade and was thinking about the M-100. This is the forst time I’ve seen someone compare the two and I’m surprised to hear you like the D1100 better.

      • Reply December 3, 2012

        Edd_N

        Hi e-rod, I do really like the D1100 sound! It has a pleasant bass presentation with very little sibilance. It can feel a little closed in and veiled compared to others at first but it’s nothing to really complain about for the price. The bass of the M-100 is much more bloated than the D1100. It can sound epic if we’re just talking about bass but it utterly destroys the midrange which the Denon does not. As far as build goes the M-100 is light-years ahead, they are a lot heavier and clamp harder but the leather is softer which has a nice feel initially. The size is similar externally but inside the cup there is less room and they can get way more irritating than the Denon ever could due to pressure on the ears. What you don’t get with the M-100 is the horrible creaking noises from moving your head 1/10th of mm. That Denon headband and it’s plastic arms are absolutely shocking for any price!

      • Reply December 3, 2012

        Julius

        Ed and I share a different view on this one. I felt the D1100 to be too recessed in the mid range and the upper region too harsh. Noticeably more harshness and all around more painful than the V-Moda M-100. I also enjoyed the Denon D1001 ( especially a modded verison ) much more than the D1100.

        I say skip the M-100 and the D1100 and shoot higher or lower. Higher being the V-Moda M-80 or Philips M1. Lower being the Phiaton MS400. V-modas M100 doesn’t really fit in anywhere and seems like the black sheep to me. Its right in the middle somewhere between portable and suitable for home use. Save the cash and get the Phiaton PS320, MS400 or the V-Moda M80 for your portable needs. The V-Moda design is just too tacky and too childish for me, where as the Phiatons just scream elegance and class. You can knab an MS400 for just over $100 US on Newegg refurbished. That is a crazy deal.

        For $320+shipping tax and the cost of extra shields the M-100 turned into a bad deal for me. Mostly because there are a lot of other “true portables” out there that do not look so thuggish and strange, but also some custom monitors like LiveWires and ClearTunesMonitors that only cost around $250-$350 that simply crush the M-100 and all the above mentioned portables. Take my ClearTunes CT-200 Customs for example ( $350 ). Shockingly great and my pick for this years best value. I am sure a ton of people want the sound qualities the M100 puts out for their portable experience, but I am not one of them. Despite enjoying the set for some genres and the praise I give it for its build quality and features, I just prefer something less punchy and more soothing on the go. Something smaller and less loud when it comes to styling and design.

  • Reply November 19, 2012

    Andre

    WOW! That was a great review! It’s going to be very depressing to a lot of readers but it was still great to hear. To me it sounds like the M-100’s are direct comparisons to those “dreadful rapper headphones (smiles)” and thats not exactly the best group of cans to compare yourself to now is it… There are so many horrible things I can say about that but I’ll keep those comments to myself thank you 🙂 I didn’t have the highest of hopes for these cans once I saw that they changed from being On ear to Over ear which gave away the plan for these. They listened to the people that said that the M-80’s lacked bass and decided to “fix it” and ended up making it compete with the Beats instead of other lets say quality headphones…

    So with the recent test of the Beyer DT770/32 LE and the Custom One Pro’s would you say that the M-100 ranked last out of the three new models you guys have tested?

    • Reply November 19, 2012

      Edd_N

      I haven’t tried the DT770/32 LE or COP yet, although I will get the former very soon and the latter hopefully in the next few months. From what I know about the original DT770 I can say that it’s a much better hifi headphone than the M-100, Less bass of course but a much more entertaining listen.

      Yeah I also don’t get why people combine the M-100 with a Digizoid! I can only guess that they are addicted to bass like others are addicted to dangerous substances.

  • Reply November 19, 2012

    Gorboman

    I’ve got the impression (from reading and light discussion) that M100 is more suited for the average consumer out there. I noticed that M100 excels in bass which also a base to my impression. However, I don’t get how some people want to pair the M100 with a Digizoid Zo. That’s like bass level over 9000!

    • Reply November 19, 2012

      Julius

      I think the Zo would go well with any source that has a nasty or lacking low end experience. This is why I mentioned the M-100 responding to EQ more absurdly than most portables out there. I can max out my J3 low end EQ and the M-100 still responds to it. Most other portables just stop producing “more bass” the higher I toggle. The M-100 just hits harder the higher I go on my J3. Impressive, considering the headphone already has a Bass Boost designed into it. Now…something like the Cowon J3 + Digizoid Zo would be utterly useless and would make even Vegeta cry.

      “Hey Vegeta, what does the Scouter say about the V-Moda M-100 and Digizoid Zo’s Bass potential!?”

      “Its over 9000 Decibelsssssssssssss!!!”

      Remember, friends don’t let friends double Bass Boost.

  • Reply November 20, 2012

    Reza W.A

    is that a batman logo on the centre of the stars?

    • Reply November 21, 2012

      Edd_N

      Yes it is, inspired by the Arkham City logo.

      • Reply November 21, 2012

        Julius

        The Arkham games are in my top 5 favorite PC games of all time. Ugh, not to get off topic but I really hope Scott Adkins gets picked for the next Batman, and furthermore I hope they follow the Arkham games with Mark Hammil playing the Joker. And it was a really nice logo Edd used!

      • Reply January 17, 2014

        Patty Daniels

        Would you be willing to share the artwork for this logo?!

        • Reply January 17, 2014

          dalethorn

          If you wanted to have v-moda replicate it just send them a screen copy and they could do it. For any other purpose it’s still just a line drawing, so making a computer copy should be just a screen copy, yes?

          • Reply January 18, 2014

            Patty Daniels

            Really! That’s great, so just perhaps this picture?

            http://www.headfonia.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/edd_vmoda_m100_11.jpg

            or should i use his avatar thumbnail (at 120×120):

            http://a.disquscdn.com/uploads/users/2982/2720/avatar92.jpg?1349938148

            • Reply January 18, 2014

              dalethorn

              Come to think of it, v-moda might not put that logo on your headphone unless Edd or the owner of that design gives permission. But, if you just extract the line drawing from the photo and submit that for laser engraving on a headphone only, they may do it. It would depend on how it looks to them, whether they remember it, etc. Then consider if someone who knows Edd’s design sees you with it, that could raise questions. If I were doing this I’d take the line drawing and make some changes, enough to make it unique.

              • Reply January 23, 2014

                Patty Daniels

                I suppose I’ll build off his creativity so I don’t entirely rip off his design. However, I got into Adobe Illustrator and was able to recreate it if anyone would like the initial design.

                @dalethorn Thanks for mentioning Edd may not be comfortable with it as that simply escaped my train of though.

  • Reply November 21, 2012

    Joost Vriens

    Can anybody compare the M-100 with the B W P5? I was in the apple store a
    time ago comparing the Momentum with the P5. I thought the Momentum was
    going to be my type of headphone. But I fel in love with the tight
    punch of the P5, something the Momentums are lacking. Yes the Momentums
    were the brighter ones but they just did not have it for me.. Since I am
    listening to electronic dance music for most of the time I have also
    been interested in these M-100’s. I listed to VERY loud bass electronic
    music (hardstyle) and I don’t know if this is going to be fatuiging with
    the M-100. I also saw the AKG K267 Tiesto’s which are also made for
    electronic dance music.. Can somebody give me some advise? I know nobody
    heared the Tiestos at this time.. But some advise on the P5 should be
    nice.. Although my taste of music is very bassy, I do not concider
    myself a pure basshead headphone fan. But impact and punch is something I
    really love in a headphone!

    • Reply November 21, 2012

      dalethorn

      The momentum is a heavier, bassier sound than the P5 (I have both), but the M100 should be like the Momentum on steroids. Sounds like the wrong direction for your preferences.

      • Reply November 21, 2012

        Edd_N

        I’ve had a brief go with the Momentum (less so with the P5). The M-100 has a ton more bass impact than the Momentum, although not the most pleasant bass in the world it’s huge. You may like it, but since you say that you are not a pure bass-head I can imagine it’s the other frequencies that will be the make or break for you here. Mids – very overpowered and treble just a bit to happy and unrefined.

        • Reply November 21, 2012

          dalethorn

          The Momentum is my limit for bass. I enjoyed the Amperior for awhile, but in the end it just had too much upper bass. It’s clear that the only way I would review the M100 is with bass reduction on. People who object to such things have other options, thankfully. Then again, we are still in pre-production mode, and despite all promises to the contrary, if I were Val I’d want to see this M100 become a respectable general-purpose headphone, even if bassy.

          • Reply November 22, 2012

            Julius

            Val knows what he is doing. I’ll defend V-Moda to the death if need be, I really enjoy most of their products and I have extremely potent respect for Mr. Kolton. If the average consumer is willing to pay $300 for headphones, then the M100 is a really great choice over the other common $300 crowd of headphones as seen in popular electronics outlets like Best Buy and Walmart. The M100 reigns superiority all over them and as I said before, the general population will think they are getting a great deal…and they are. For what the M100 is good at, its very good. It is lacking in some places, but so what. So is the HD800 and LCD3. There is no perfect headphone out there and it just so happens the tonality and coloration of the M100 is not what I want in my personal portable experience. I prefer a more balanced sound with more warmth on the low end, relaxed highs and a very forward midrange. These are qualities the M100 do not have, I posted a really long M100 review on Youtube before my review here was published, but I had a user who threatened me for sharing the cons of the M-100 even though I said they were all very subjective opinions and that your view might be totally opposite of mine. The next morning, his comments were voted down by 30 people and were barred from being shown, he sent me a private message saying he would get his friends to dislike my video review. By the time I read it a few hours later, my video had almost 40 dislikes. Thats the level of severity that comes with being an audio journalist. People can be very rude. Hell, Jude even posted my old user name without my permission just recently, telling everyone who I used to be on Head Fi. Its a lack of respect for others opinions and nothing more. I hope you find a portable you can enjoy, Dale. As well as everyone else. It just so happens I enjoy my customs and a few other on ear portables more than the M100. Clarity means nothing to me if the presentation qualities do not all mesh with my ears.

    • Reply December 16, 2012

      dalethorn

      I have the M100, Momentum, and P5 now. Not much of a really good comparison possible, since the basic signatures are so different that speaking about clarity or other fine qualities, those qualities are dwarfed by the much bigger differences. My personal quick summary is P5: Pretty neutral, very slightly tilted to the right (warmer, softer highs) from flat or neutral. Momentum: Bassier than P5, richer sound overall (makes P5 sound bland by comparison), but very slightly more HF rolloff. M100: Very bassy, makes mids seem recessed. Slightly uneven highs can make some material sound brittle or glassy. I think the P5 and Momentum are good all-arounders, the P5 more for the conservative purist and the Momentum for the person who doesn’t care about purism or whatever and wants to enjoy its richer sound. I can’t advise on using the M100 played flat, since that’s basshead territory where I have no expertise. But with some bass reduction the M100 can be a pretty good listen, but it won’t be a relaxed listen, if that makes sense.

  • Reply December 14, 2012

    dalethorn

    Got my M100, in white. Waaay too bassy for high fidelity, so tried bass reduction. Perfect. Played everything, sounded excellent. With bass reduction, bass is flat to close to 30 hz, and may be down 3 db at 30. Ran test tones – pretty smooth except there’s a modest peak around 8 khz, and that seems to exaggerate sibilants slightly. Reduced 8 khz level by 3 db – perfect. Played flat, the M100 is never going to get a fair shake because of the exaggerated bass. WIth bass reduction this is a pretty good headphone, even for at-home listening on a good system. I had the sense just briefly that the sound signature might seem too technical for some users, but I don’t hear anything that needs more than a little time for brain burn-in. Tried classical (organ, piano, orchestra), jazz, rock, folk, house, … all sounded good.

  • Reply January 18, 2013

    Broc Kelley

    You folks seem to be the only ones with the koochpahs to give these cans a solid and honest review. Though I would label it more honest than unbiased, and that may seem condescending; your personality bleeds through every word from the comparison of $1000 studio cans to $300 modiofiles, up to and including that “music” selection of yours…. haha I jest, always glad to see an honest post. But, it’s hard to take your seriousness serious when you seem like a completely different person than me, unfortunately.

    • Reply January 18, 2013

      Mike

      Thanks, we do have different authors, each with their own writing style.
      Sent from my mobile device. Sorry for any mistype.

    • Reply January 18, 2013

      dalethorn

      I get a “pretty good” sound from ipod to LOD to analog amp, but from computer USB to Dragonfly or Audioengine D1, I think the M100 is up there with a lot of really good headphones. Not as “detailed” as the treble-happy DT770-32, but it compares well, on the mini-DACs I mentioned at least.

  • Reply February 18, 2013

    Pablo Augustus

    My first impression is that it barely covers my ears and barely makes it as a functional overear headphone. This is ridiculous as its been identified as a bassy headphone, is that the kind of phone you want barely fitting over your ears? NO!

    Nor can I abide the EQ recommendations on here. With the poweramp EQ as recommended I couldn’t even hear the bassline in reggae music from the 70s and 80s. I duplicated the EQ for the upper range but by 50%.

    To me the greatest feature of this heaphone is the cable with the mic higher up and a seperate switch element lower down. For snowboarding, walking the dog, these are the greatest headphones and thats what I’m using them for.

    They blast sound out like nobodies business so while I intended them for studio use they have simply replaced my beats solo HD monster and I’m not sure its better, I just love the cable and I can grab a call that sounds great on the other end while I’m 3 feet deep in powder.

    Buy these if you like but don’t treat them like audiophile phones and for me thats been great because I wouldn’t have dared take another equally expensive set snowboarding or skating but with these why the heck not?

    Embrace the bass and the many faults with these cans or quickly return them.

    • Reply February 18, 2013

      dalethorn

      The M100 is a very snug fit for me, barely making it as a circumaural headphone, just as you describe. But sound is another matter. Yesterday I spent several hours comparing it at home to the Beyer DT770LE, B&W P5, Sennheiser Momentum, ATH ESW9a and 11, and the $1000 Sennheiser IE800. With a *small* measure of bass reduction of 4 db or less, the mids and highs are clear and clean, but most important, the highs are smooth and perfect for (get this) orchestral music. Better than my other full size headphones easily. The IE800 has better tonality and overall fidelity than the M100, but it’s also overly bright and needs its own EQ, as do all of the other headphones I mentioned. The last headphone I had that needed no EQ? Maybe the Senn HD800 or 600. The Shures all had problems. The Grado PS500 had a bass hump. The Philips L1 was too bassy. The M100 has good potential, but very few people will find it.

  • Reply March 3, 2013

    rich torres

    While I agree with some of the comments here, I think the m100’s with some eq’ing can sound better than the m-80’s. They also isolate noise MUCH better than the m-80’s. I originally started off with the m-80’s, and was blown away by the sound, but really disapointed with noise isolation. They are terrible. So i upgraded to the m-100 and was satisfied with the noise iso, but left a lil disapointed with the sound. I kept going back to the m-80’s. After using some eq settings on poweramp, I have them sounding as good as the m80, but with more soundstage as expected with an over the ear. Are they worth spending twice as much?? Thats debateable, but worth it to me as I needed noise iso.

    • Reply March 4, 2013

      dalethorn

      I like the light weight and form factor of the M80, but in cooler weather the earpads take awhile to form a good seal, which is a nuisance. The M100 works right away, and comfort is adequate.

  • Reply August 26, 2013

    Audi Ar

    Vmoda M-100+RSA Intruder :headbang:
    Great Poison , Thanks Mike

  • Reply January 31, 2014

    chris0101

    Great review – very extensive too! I like a long review as it addresses pretty much everything.

    After a listen, I think I am forced to agree that the target market was not well … the audiophile community. I had been hoping for a more refined ATH-M50 with a super-wide sound stage. Looks like they got the sound stage wide enough, but yeah, the upper sounded distorted.

    Does anybody else find this can’s bass to be analytical to the point where it’s unpleasant at times?

    • Reply January 31, 2014

      dalethorn

      If you were to use a little bit of bass reduction on a M100, the result would be a smooth, almost flat, and distortion-free sound top to bottom. The bass emphasis never bothered me outdoors, but it’s too heavy for me for indoor listening. The distortion you heard I don’t understand, since the dynamic range of the M100 is very large, and under any conditions I’ve experienced, the sound is clear and clean.

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