V-Moda Crossfade M100 Review: V-Shaped?

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Hello there friend,

Before we get into the V-Moda Crossfade M100 headphones review, grab a snack, sit back and relax because..

You’ve come to the right place!!

Young man, you’ll get the horns.

What I will bring you in this review

1. Ratings/Price
2. Specifications
3. Summary
4. Pros
5. Cons
6. Video Review
7. Amp/DAC requirements
8. Who these headphones benefit?
9. Thoughts from Stu’s notepad
10. Consensus/Conclusion
11. Final Word

Now without further ado, let’s get rolling!!

V Moda Crossfade M100

Ratings/Price

• Amazon | Check Sweetwater! | Check eBay!

Specifications

• Type: Closed Back. Closed back vs. Open back headphones.
• Fit: Circumaural
• Impedance: 32 Ohm. What is Headphone Impedance?
• Sensitivity: 103dB
• Frequency Response: 5Hz – 30kHz
• Material: Foam, Steel, Kevlar
• Weight: 280g

Summary

The Crossfade M100’s are rather interesting. They are definitely a bass-heads can, but the sound signature reveals a lot more detail than I was initially expecting. There are very subtle, minor details that make the music come alive and seem a lot more present and to the forefront. This could be due to the sparkle in the treble range. It’s a little hard to explain, but songs sound different in that you can hear stuff that you may have previously missed in the recording. For instance, echoes become clear, subtle breaths, indistinct voices become apparent, and so on. You start to realize how many artists incorporate echoing in their tracks (basically lyrics repeat themselves and fade out simultaneously). You may hear an instrument play or ring out in its entirety instead of getting cut off. This becomes pretty amazing when you consider that the bass is relatively heavy. I would also like to point out that the lyrics are a bit easier to understand. You may not hear every single lyric, but I was finding myself making out words better. Artists have a tendency to mumble at times, and the M100’s solve that to an impressive degree.

Build

The build quality of these is fantastic. They are small and compact but feel extremely sturdy. Everything is mostly made of rugged steel, and the hinges fold nicely and feel solid in your hands. The headphones fold in a couple of ways, and the ear-cups themselves rotate down, but not around. So you could stand them up on your desk for instance. The headband has this sort of mesh padding that feels pretty good. There isn’t a whole lot of padding, but it feels fine on my head and there’s enough. The headband adjustment also feels solid.

Comfort

I’m liking the comfort factor here. The material of the ear-cups doesn’t seem like it would peel or crack easily, but time will tell. The clamping force isn’t too tight or loose, but just right. They are tight enough where you don’t worry about them falling off, but loose enough to stay comfortable.

Pros

• Deep, tight bass. It’s present but doesn’t overtake the song. This is extremely important in regards to clarity.
• Detail. The M100’s reveal a ton of detail; a lot more than I was expecting.
• Comfortable. I don’t have to adjust these very often.
• Build Quality. I love the fact that these aren’t made of plastic like most headphones out there. It’s a sturdy metal and looks fantastic while feeling heavy enough to deter any doubts you may have.
• Good noise isolation. You’re not going to hear much outside with these on.

Cons

• The sound does tend to get sibilant at very high volumes. What does Sibilant mean? This is a bit strange, because the frequency response shows the treble not spiking much at all.

My Video Review

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Click to see the M100!

Suction cups.

Pro.

Good contour.

Slick.

Side view.

I peeled off the annoying headband.

Orange you gonna listen to some Rap?

Sexy.

Sexier.

Sturdy.

Are you too good for your hole?

Clams Casino.

Amp/DAC requirements

You’re not going to need an amp with the M100’s. How to choose a headphone amp!

Who these headphones benefit?

They do very well with:

• Hip-Hop
• Rap
• R&B
• EDM
• Indie Pop
• Rock

They don’t do as well with:

• Jazz. I couldn’t listen to Coltrane for more than a few minutes because with Jazz, the bass is a lot more articulate than it is thumping. There’s more texture to jazz bass, and the notes are generally higher and more varied. This doesn’t work very well with the hard, deep nature of the M100’s bass. Still, it doesn’t sound terrible, just not ideal.

Thoughts from Stu’s notepad

• They have an inline remote, but it only functions as a mute button.
• The removable cord is very sturdy and can be plugged into either the right or left ear-cup, allowing you to daisy chain between people if you wish.
• I found that these sound much better with Spotify music than they do with Deezer. In general, they will work very well with your mobile devices and don’t really need an amp.
• I found the Soundstage to be very deep, but not that wide. As mentioned before, this can present instruments in a very strange and different way. You’re listening to tracks you’ve heard before, but they sound a little different. It’s hard to explain. What is Soundstage?
• You can customize the M100’s by changing out the ear cup plates and the V-Moda logos on the sides of the headband. You can also plug in the chord on either side of the headphones. In fact, a lot of components can be customized: Base headphone color, shield design, earpad color, different cables, different cable colors).
• You may need to purchase the XL pads if you’re ears are larger than average. Also, some people are saying that the M100’s are prone to breaking down over time. Keep this in mind.
• Before I mentioned the build and how awesome it was. The only caveats are a couple of things: I got a used model off of eBay, and there are a couple of minor issues that I must go over. The headphones are mostly metal, but there’s a bit of plastic right where the headband begins on either side. I’m not sure what happened with the previous user, but there is a small crack on said plastic where one of the mini-screws is. I had read a lot of reviews about the fact that these are prone to breaking down over time. I find the issue to be very minuscule, but it’s something to keep in mind.
• Also, the material on the outside of the headband peels rather easily. Again, this isn’t a big deal to me, but it’s something to consider. It’s the same material as the M50’s headband. I’ve had those since January of 2013 and I went ahead and peeled the entire coating off 1) because I have a slight form of OCD 🙂 and 2) because I’ll never have to worry about those little specks of black on my rug again. The good news is that none of this affects sound quality. I suppose it was just a way for the companies to cut costs.

Consensus/Conclusion

An exceptionally built set of headphones with a good comfort factor and an incredibly detailed sound. The bass is tight, authoritative, and punchy without becoming overbearing. They do get sibilant at high volumes, and it may bother you depending on how sensitive your ears are. I’m pretty sure my own ears have gotten a lot more sensitive as I’ve grown older. 😛

Final Word

I absolutely love these headphones and would recommend them in a heartbeat for anyone who craves tight, detailed sound and rugged build quality out of their headphones. The amount of detail that you get is astounding considering that this is a bass-head headphone first and foremost. Not only that, but you’re getting a better sound and a lower price than some of the other big-name headphones out there that I won’t mention. 😛 Interested in reading more about the M100’s?

SEE THEM FOR YOURSELF ON AMAZON!!

Well, that’s about it for today my friend! I hope you’ve enjoyed this V-Moda Crossfade M100 headphones review.

Questions? Comments? Requests? Did I miss the mark on something? Please let me know down below or Contact me!!

Would you invest in these? I would love to hear from you. Until next time…

All the best and God bless,

-Stu

[Xtr@Ba$eHitZ]

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Save

V-Moda Crossfade M100

4.7

Build Quality

4.8/5

Sound Quality

4.7/5

Comfort

4.7/5

Soundstage

4.6/5

Pros

• Great build
• Comfort on point
• Detail and precision is phenomenal
• Good sound isolation

Cons

• Sibilant at times

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