The V-Moda M100 Crossfade Review That You’ll Love

Chances are, you’ve seen a pair of V-Moda headphones and you might not have even known it. The undeniable hexagonal shape of the earcups is the first noticeable feature of the M100s, branding them perfectly within the line.

The M100 Crossfades carry the V-Moda quality too, with excellent construction, plenty of extra features, and pristine sound.

However, an inflated price tag at around $300 brings the M100 Crossfades down from reaching their full potential.

Regardless, this pair of cans proves to be an excellent choice for those who don’t mind pulling out their pocketbook.

V-MODA Crossfade M-100 Over-Ear Noise-Isolating Headphone
$399.00
Check Price
We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you.
03/07/2024 03:11 pm GMT

Quick Specifications

Design Over-Ear Circumaural
Frequency Response 5 – 30,000Hz
Sensitivity 103 dB @ 1kHz 1mW
Microphone Sensitivity -42dB @ 1kHz
Impedance 32Ω
Weight 280g

Design and Construction

One of the landmark features of any pair of V-Moda cans is the aesthetic of them. The hexagonal earcups can be seen from a mile away, and while strange, are not intrusive to the experience.

In fact, this design fits over the ear nicely. The wider opening of the M100s proves to accompany the longer form factor of the ear, instead of wasting space on the sides.

Each of these earcups can be customized to fit the look you want as well. The outside of each allows for plates to easily be changed out, completely changing the look of the headphones.

What is spit out is 3D designs that can make the headphones personal to you. Here is what V-Moda offers with their Forg3D parts:

  • Precious Metals – Commissioned works of art and the ultimate symbol of bespoke luxury (sterling silver, 14k gold, 14k rose gold, 14k white gold, platinum)
  • Raw and Gold Plated Metals – Luxury within reach in brilliant finishes or raw metals that patina over time (raw brass, raw bronze, 14k rose gold plated, 14k gold plated, rhodium plated)
  • Stainless Steel – Distinctive “Damascus steel” effect that allows you to proudly showcase the advanced 3D technology behind your forged relic (matte black, stainless steel, polished gold, polished bronze, matte bronze)
  • Fiber – Lightweight and matte touch (in 9 vibrant colors)

These parts are not the only ones with exceptional build quality either. V-Moda is founded on producing headphones that can last a lifetime, and the M100s are no exception to that.

The all-steel frame of the headphones can take a serious beating before they wear out. V-Moda actually tested them against Military-Level Quality MIL-STD-810G Test Standards and they exceeded.

The headband alone is virtually indestructible being able to bend completely 10+ times flat without breaking.

Moving down, the detachable cable that is included holds this same level of quality. This braided cable (plus microphone) can bend 1 million+ time (that’s 100x industry standard) without breaking.

If you’re rough on your headphones and are sick of buying and breaking pair after pair, the M100s may be for you.

Overall, the M100s hit it out of the park in their design and construction. The look is not just aesthetically pleasing, but incredibly practical as well.

Both the design of the ear cups and the insanely rugged construction of the M100s prove to make this one of the best looking, and longest-lasting, pair of headphones on the market.

Sound Quality

Thankfully, these headphones perform past just their looks. The V-Moda name proves once again to provide excellent sound from their headphones, being warm and full while still giving plenty of punch.

On the top end, the M100s perform far beyond many popular pairs on the market. Instead of being abrasive and brash, the high end is silky smooth, not becoming overbearing with long sessions.

In fact, if there was a criticism to make, the M100s are a little too smooth. The high-end detail is lost, by a very thin margin, in the headphones.

While this is barely noticeable, it is something to take note of.

The part that attracted me to the headphones so much is the full and punchy midrange. Instead of a smiley scoop, the M100s punch through, highlighting the best parts of the midrange and ducking the nasty parts.

This ends up making the music feel alive, with depth and clarity throughout this range to provide solid context for the highs and lows.

The low-end provides a ton of bass and sub, rounding out the entire experience. The marketed 5Hz frequency response shows serious promise with the subs punching at every tick.

Another pitfall of many pairs of headphones, the M100s stand apart with the bass being full and punchy. Never did it seem like tracks came through too obtuse or bloated.

With all that being said, the sound quality just meets par. While everything seems to be in its proper place, I wasn’t blown away by the experience.

Had the M100s been exceptionally less money, the sound quality would be insanely impressive. However, with the current price tag, the M100s just seem okay in the sound department.

To be clear, the M100s should not have money spent on them because of exceptional sound quality. While the sound is fantastic, it doesn’t justify the price tag.

Overall, what justifies the cost is still the insane construction, with the sound quality holding up on par with that, but not exceeding expectations.

Extra Features

Another reason to justify the cost is all of the extra features that are packed into the M100s. These headphones provide excellent flexibility with two cord inputs, passive noise canceling, an exceptional warranty, and more.

The detachable cable can be hooked up into a port on either side of the headphones. While many other pairs also feature this, it’s nice to see and provides a lot of flexibility for those who want to move the cord out of the way.

And moving the cord may be essential. The headphones do not feature wireless connectivity via Bluetooth as Crossfade Wireless’ does.

While the lack of Bluetooth connectivity isn’t the end of the world, it would push this pair of headphones to the next level.

Thankfully, the cord is a nice one. In fact, those cords are nice ones.

The M100s come packaged with two cords, a 1-Button SpeakEasy Mic cable, and SharePlay audio cable.

The 1-Button SpeakEasy cable is for a single listener, completely braided with an in-line microphone and one-button operation.

The SharePlay cable splits the experience, giving extra input so you can listen to music with a friend.

While these two are included, V-Moda has an entire ecosystem of cables for their headphones including ones that have lav-mics attached and ones that coil.

The over-ear design leads to natural passive noise canceling. While this isn’t anything close to active noise-canceling headphones, the M100s do a solid job of blocking out sound.

With the durability being so nice, V-Moda has thrown an excellent warranty behind the M100s. The headphones come stock with a 2-year manufacturer warranty as well as enrolment in the Immortal Life program.

This program grants a 50% coupon towards another pair of headphones should yours become overused and worn out.

Conclusion

V-MODA Crossfade M-100 Over-Ear Noise-Isolating Headphone
$399.00
Check Price
We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you.
03/07/2024 03:11 pm GMT

The M100 Crossfades from V-Moda are more than worthy of carrying the name. This pair of cans strikes an incredible balance in their line, offering enough top-level features to feel pro without shooting the cost through the roof.

However, the headphones aren’t cheap and the sound that is being put out isn’t well above the expectation. Maybe the view is being swayed by the exceptional build quality, but the sound produced is just on par.

That’s not to say that these headphones sound bad. In fact, they sound pretty great. The only caveat is the price tag to justify it.

Overall, the M100 Crossfades are an amazing pair of headphones with the next-level build quality, great sound, and plenty of features in the V-Moda ecosystem. Plus, they’ll last a lifetime with an insane warranty and military-level build.

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