V-Moda Crossfade M100: An HONEST Review
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Order the V-Moda Crossfade M100 HERE for the lowest price available (Do NOT pay retail!):
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V-Moda Crossfade M100: http://amzn.to/22WnnuH
Bluetooth WIRELESS Version: http://amzn.to/22WnmXU
Hey, what's up, ODi Productions here with the V-Moda Crossfade M-100s. If you’ve never heard of these, keep watching because they may very well be one of the best overall headphones you can buy today. These headphones compete directly with Beats, Bose, Audio-Technica, Sennhesier, and other big names in consumer audio. I’m here to provide my honest review after 6 months of ownership. Stay tuned.
1. Features + Unboxing
The Crossfade M100s come in a neat little box shaped like a hexagon, much like the shape of the earcups. You open up the top and pull out the headphones enclosed in a nice, compact hardshell case. The case is perfectly molded to the shape of the M100s, which are collapsible and allow you to tuck in the earcups into the middle, leaving a very tiny footprint that is perfect for throwing into a bag without taking up much room.
This particular model is called “Matte Black Metal” which has matte earcups that are hexagon-shaped, and gloss black metal hinges. The design of the V-Moda’s is pretty sleek in my opinion and looks just as stylish as any pair of Beats, but I’ll let you decide which looks better. Overall, I find it an accomplishment when any brand makes a good-looking pair of headphones, since a lot of the over-ear headphones in the market just look big and goofy in person.
The hardshell case also comes with bands that hold your cables in place, and I think this is a great design since most hardshell cases don’t really account for the cables. The main headphone cable which comes with an in-built microphone and volume control comes in a bright orange color which I actually find to be quite refreshing, contrasting very nicely with the black headphones. I also think it’s a little jab at the Beats brand which is known to ship their headphones with red cables.
One of the biggest features of these headphones is noise isolation. Unlike noise-canceling headphones which run on batteries and have an active noise filter of sorts, the M100s rely on a passive method for keeping sound out. The good news is that these headphones require no batteries or charging, and you still get most of the noise-canceling performance. I find the noise isolation to be pretty impressive, and I honestly can’t hear anything if music is playing at a moderate volume. I’ve even worn these on a plane and although you have to turn the volume up a little higher, they still drown out a good amount of jet noise and allow you to enjoy your music.
As far as features go, the only thing really missing is Bluetooth wireless compatibility, but V-Moda recently released a Wireless version of these headphones as well.
2. Build Quality
The build quality on the M100s is second to none. I honestly believe that this is the sturdiest pair of headphones I’ve ever held in my hands. The headband and hinges are made of steel, with the headband flexing with ease. The outside of the earcups is made with some very hard plastic and although these are the stock plates, you can actually design and order custom metal plates in whatever color and logo you want. Even the cable itself is reinforced with Kevlar material.
Just hold a pair of these in your hands and you know that these are bulletproof. Did I mention that these are actually military-grade quality? Yeah, look it up. Apparently, these have been military tested.
Lastly, every pair comes with a 2 year warranty and something called the Immortal Life 50% program. That means you can get a replacement pair for 50% off as long as you own the headphones.
I’d say best build-quality in the business hands down.
3. Comfort
The more headphones I test and review, the more I realize just how important comfort is when it comes to owning something you plan to wear a few hours a day or more. Because what’s the point in the best-sounding headphones ever, if you can’t wear them for more than 15 minutes until your head starts hurting from too much clamping, and your ears start getting warm and sweaty that you have to take them off again and again.
For the Crossfade M100s, there’s good news and there’s bad news. Let’s start with the good news. The M100s can be one of the most comfortable, if not the most comfortable, everyday pair of headphones I’ve ever used. I say “can” because you’re going to have to make a slight modification. Which brings us to the bad news. Right out of the box, the M100s are one of the most uncomfortable headphones I’ve owned. The headband clamps pretty strongly, and the earcups are pretty thin and really apply too much pressure to your skull.
So the one modification that will take your M100s from wearing a bear trap on your head to memory foam pillows on your ears, is simply to switch out the earcups. V-Moda sells what they call XL Memory Cushions for about $20 that will literally transform these headphones.
After switching out the earcups, I can wear these headphones for hours straight without my ears getting warm and virtually no pressure on my skull. Something about the memory cushions allows more breathability for your ears. These are one of the first closed-back headphones that I can wear for more than 2 hours without having to take them off.
So far, I’ve gone over build quality and comfort with you guys, but it’s time to jump into the Sound.
4. Sound
Throughout my 6 months of owning these headphones, I spent a lot of time thinking about how to describe the sound to you guys. Well, the other day, I wanted to listen to a new song on Spotify real quick so I threw on these headphones. Before I knew it, an hour passed by and all I was doing was just listening to music. That’s the effect that these headphones can have if you really love music.
But I have to tell you, at first, I wasn’t totally blown away the first time I listened to them, which might be due to not allowing for burn-in time. Anyways, I thought that they sounded good, but you have to realize there was quite a bit of hype behind these online. Then I realized that I was listening at a quieter volume, so I turned it up a couple of notches. The sound started to get better and better, and I was beginning to feel the punchiness of the bass, along with some nice details in the highs. As time went on, the M100s really started to impress me not just with the power and fullness of the sound, but in the details and separation of the instruments and vocals.
The separation is great which allows you to tell exactly where each instrument and vocal is. For example, not only can you hear the main vocal in the middle, but also the background vocals on the left and the right. It really is a cool effect that adds to the “3D” sense.
V-Moda describes it as a “3D soundstage”, which I mostly agree with. I think “3D” is a good way to describe the depth that these headphones have, allowing you to hear the tiny little echoes and the reverb from the vocals. Although some critics say that the soundstage is pretty narrow, which I agree with, the depth of the soundstage is brilliant. Every echo sounds like it’s getting further and further away into the distance, adding to the 3D effect.
Make no mistake, these are definitely one of the “fun” headphones to listen to, as the frequency response is V-shaped, meaning that the two extremes of the spectrum are more pronounced, which is the bass and the highs. The mids are pulled back in order to emphasize and make room for the powerful bass and sparkly highs. If you’re looking for a flat response headphones that are clinical and accurate, I would look elsewhere. But for everyone else who just wants to enjoy the music, and to feel some crisp, punchy bass, then these are the headphones for you.
Speaking of the bass, aside from the 3D detail in the highs I described previously, I think the bass is my favorite part of these headphones. The bass response goes down very low to hit some pretty deep sub-bass. Unlike some other bassy headphones, the bass is not muddy at all, and is very punchy and clear instead, letting you hear the tones and detail in the bass, rather than just the boom. If you like to feel the bass but also value quality sound, then these are one of the few high-end options that will satisfy you.
5. Bottomline
At this point, I’ve said that the M100s have the best build quality, best comfort after replacing the earcups, and are arguably one of the best-sounding “fun” headphones in the market. I know at this point it sounds like I’m gushing, but honestly folks, these headphones are the real deal. I’d say one of the only drawbacks to the M100s is the price, as they initially retailed for over $300.
But if you’re in the market today, then you can luckily find these at the discounted price of just $230, which I think is a steal compared to a lot of the big-name brands in the market that routinely sell headphones in the $300 to $400 price range.
For the price, I don’t think anything can touch the Crossfade M100s in terms of an overall package of build quality, comfort, and of course, gorgeous sound quality.
I’ll include an Amazon link in the description below to where you can get a pair at the discounted price, instead of paying $300 retail.
Last but not least, please don’t forget to Thumbs Up and Comment if you enjoyed this video. If you have any questions at all about the V-Moda Crossfade M100s, leave it in the comments below.
Order the V-Moda Crossfade M100 HERE for the lowest price available (Do NOT pay retail!):
V-Moda Crossfade M100: http://amzn.to/22WnnuH
Bluetooth WIRELESS Version: http://amzn.to/22WnmXU
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