I’ve owned more headphones in my time than I care to admit. Right now, I have a few different pairs of headphones in my bag that serve different needs. I have a pair of Earpods from Apple for quick trips, my Beats Studio Wireless (which I talked about here) for when I want to be mobile and avoid the tangle of cords, and then there’s the last pair – my V-Moda M-100s. My favorite pair, I break them out when I really want to crank the music up. There are a lot of reasons I keep them in my bag – below are a few of them.
Design: These things will turn some heads. They aren’t generic looking, and you have the ability to customize them even further with the use of custom shields on either side. There are black, white, and shadow (my personal favorite and the pair I own) and each of them is eye catching in their own way. The earcups have a hexagonal shape to them, and while the stock pads are fine, you can swap those out for the XL pads that offer more cushion and more of a soundstage. There are a few colors of these as well, so adding them can make your M100s even more distinct.
One of the nicer design features is the ability to connect the cord to either earcup, and a simple rubber plug keeps the other headphone jack safely covered when you’re not actively using it. They are also designed with hinges that will compress the headphones down butterfly style to fit into the case in a much smaller footprint (as seen above) this makes them very portable and takes up less space in your bag.
Build quality: Everything on these bad boys is built like a tank. Metal and kevlar used are used in loads of places. They are heavy, but the heft feels solid in your hand and I’ve not really ever had an issue with weight on the head. If anything, the clamping force of the ear cups is inversely proportional to their weight. And I’ve got a small head. The hinges flex well and have the right amount of give. The click of the ratchet mechanism that raises and lowers the ear cups is fine, a little on the lightweight side, but it’s not been an issue so far. These things aren’t cheap, but it shows in the craftsmanship of the V-Moda M100s.
Accessories: You get 2 cables and a hard clamshell case that holds the whole kit. Even the clamshell case is unique looking and surely protects your headphone investment. The inclusion of multiple cables is nice; one is a standard cable with inline mic for receiving phone calls – the other is much longer and has a 2nd audio out jack attached to allow you to share your music source with another person. The 2nd cable is also a different color, allowing you quickly to figure out which of the two you’d need to use. Both generous AND thoughtful.
Sound Profile: I’ve mentioned before, I’m not what I’d consider an audiophile. Or even a “music snob” as I’m more concerned with access to the music than I am that it be reproduced in exact lossless format files. What I do like is music that kicks ass. And the V-Moda sound profile gives me just that. Bass is tuned up, but you don’t miss the rest of the music. Its clean, and I can absolutely tell the difference between music listened to on these guys, and the music coming out of the other two headphones I mentioned up above. And that’s before adding a portable DAC (I use the FiiO Q1) which will drive the headphones with even more power. Depending on the kind of music you like to listen to, I’d say you are either going to enjoy it or really enjoy it. And isn’t that what matters?
That’s what makes the V-Moda M100s my favorite pair of headphones. They aren’t the least expensive headphones you can buy (they will set you back about $200) but in my opinion, totally worth it because of the build quality and accessories you get. Not to mention the quality of the sound. If you want more info on them, you can check out V-Moda’s website here or you can buy them on Amazon at this link. Cheers!
Silicon Theory 