V-Moda Crossfade M-100 Headphone review
Check out the Crossfade M-100 headphones from V-Moda. The M-100’s are over-the-ear award winning headphones that walk the walk. They were designed using feedback from over 200 audiophiles, DJs, entertainers and enthusiasts to give you the best attributes for all considerations… V-Moda’s got a great set of cans with the M-100’s, lets take a closer look at them.
“The M-100 is master crafted by people that know what they’re hearing. Over 200 audiophiles, world-class editors, artists, DJs and Grammy-winning musicians have collaborated for years on the tuning and features through the forums and on tour. V-MODA has made hundreds of prototypes to get feedback from the collective masterminds of the best in the business to create the first versatile crowdsourced headphone. “
What’s in the box?
Unboxing the Crossfade M-100’s you can’t help but take notice of the packaging. They come in a fortified shell/container/ thick cardboard that not only looks cool but you can feel safe that even if the box has dents of any shape, that the contents are well protected. Inside you find the Exoskeleton Case and M-100’s along with Kevlar reinforced SpeakEasy Microphone control cable, Kevlar reinforced SharePlay audio cable, 1/4″ pro adapter, V-Cork (2), instant six-star support code and V-Moda Sticker. The Exoskeleton case is a zippered clamshell style hard case, smooth to the touch and a little cushy. It comes with a loop and carabiner for a quick hang and access.
There’s an attention to detail here that is easy to see and feel, even the exposed headphone wire from the headband to each earphone is mesh wrapped. You can choose to use either the left or right headphone to plug into or even mix two sources simultaneously for your multitasking needs. A supplied V-Cork plugs the unused port. The orange SpeakEasy Mic Cable is specially tuned for voice recognition and calls in noisy environments. The black SharePlay Audio Cable allows you to link up with your friends or colleagues and share your music.
Optional BoomPro Mic, earpads, colored/textured shields and coiled wire are also available add ons.
Design, Functionality & Fit
Many studio quality headphones are enormous, even bordering on obnoxious these days. The M-100’s are much smaller and carry a much lower profile than I had anticipated, which is a very welcome sight. The V-Moda Crossfade M-100 headphones are sleek and minimalistic, designed with a contemporary if not slightly industrial style with it’s exposed steel headphone arms and hinge.
The SteelFlex headband (which can be bent flat and retain it’s resiliency) and ear cushions are covered in soft leather. The patent pending CliqFold Hinge movement is confident and the locking mechanism clicks when you are at either open or closed positions for a sure-footed fold every time you open and close them. They do carry a fair amount of weight to them, being that a large portion of them are made in metal. That being said, they have a very comfortable and streamlined fit that allows me to wear them for longer periods without fatiguing as quickly.
If the design is a bit too minimal for you, V-Moda offers colored cables, cushions and interchangeable aircraft-grade metal shields, customizable with your own laser engraving designs.
The M-100’s just feel well made, they scream quality. The steel frame, Steelflex headband and aircraft-grade metal shields make them impact resistant, tested beyond military-level MIL-STD-810G quality standards. Able to withstand 70+ drops from 6 feet. All the exposed wires are wrapped in a mesh, and the plug ends and bends are Kevlar reinforced able to withstand over a million bends.
The V-Moda Crossfade M-100’s feel like they were made for me, I am able to wear them for extended periods of time and remain relatively comfortable. The fit is form-fitting and earcups seem angled perfectly for my ears which also provides fairly good protection from sound leakage at moderate and higher levels. Both the SpeakEasy Microphone control cable and Kevlar reinforced SharePlay audio cable come equipped with a 45 degree angled plug on one end for added convenience when plugging in.
The BoomPro Mic is super convenient and plugs right into the M-100’s. Great to leave deskside or wrap it up and take it with you for LAN party. The microphone’s sound quality is good and sensitive, it works great for VoIP, Skype, online gaming situations and indoor use. The BoomPro Mic features a microphone mute and volume dial. It also comes with a pigtail mic/audio adapter for the microphone and speaker plugs.
Sound Experience
The V-Moda Crossfade M-100 audiophile headphones feature a patent pending large 50mm Dual Diaphragm Driver giving bass defining sound. It is the Dual-Diaphragm Driver that has inner and outter rings to insolate the bass and prevent it from bleeding into the mids and highs.A Frequency Response of 5 – 30 kHz, Sensitivity rating of 103 dB @ 1kHz 1mW and 32O Impedance. Microphone Sensitivity: -42dB @ 1kHz.
The reproduction of sound is full and powerful. Most notably the bass output is solid and undistorted even at high volumes. From heavily produced deep ringing synthetic bass, thumping POP/Techno style bass to thick heavy bass guitar to standing upright Jazz Bass, the M-100’s output energetic bass sound to drive your music.
The mids and highs are represented well and balanced though both stand a shoulder’s distance behind the bass. The bass is certainly pronounced and may even render the mids and highs a hair to the south for some, but an EQ will do wonders to brighten up your mids and highs. A little lossless Apple or Flac for example couldn’t hurt and a Hi-Fi audio source will pay you back tenfold.
The M-100’s also offer passive noise cancellation through it’s design and construction. Optimized sound isolation allows the M-100’s earcups to keep the inside noise in and outside noise out. It is devoid of any internal battery, circuitry or noise canceling components that could interfere with the sound signal quality or add weight and or increase the size of the unit.
Cons
I can hang them around my neck easily enough, though the earcups tend to choke me even when I extend the headphones to the largest position.
If I had to complain about something it might be cable management. The Exoskeleton case has two V-Strap System bands for holding your wires and a loop for the supplied 1/4″ adapter. The wires are wrapped together with a nice thin little velcro strap but it would have been nice if this was tethered somehow. a small zippered pouch inside for the 1/4″ adapter and V-corks would have worked well. Minucia? possibly. Depends how often you pack and unpack them I suppose.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for a set of headphones that not only sound great and look cool but are also super durable, the M-100’s are the perfect choice. The V-Moda M-100’s offer full immersive sound with powerful, solid bass performance for any genre of music. Even at higher volumes, they never stutter. V-Moda offers a 60 day test drive period, 2-year Warranty from verified reseller and even if you destroy your headphones somehow, you get 50% off to replace them with the Immortal Life Program!
Crossfade M-100’s $310.00
BoomPro Mic $30.00
available from v-moda.com
