INSPIRED IN ITALY – STYLED IN HOLLYWOOD – HELD IN HIGH REGARD
In the automobile world, it is generally accepted that the Ferrari flagship debut of the year will be superior to the Hyundai flagship debut of the year. It should be since the price difference is enormous. General consumers and experts can more or less agree on presumptions such as this. However, the headphone industry is greeted with far less unanimity. Headphones targeted toward audiophiles are often considered weak or thin sounding by the general consumer. Despite a price tag worth more than 5 times the amount of the headphones they are used to, the consumer may not be inclined to agree with the more expensive headphone's proclaimed superiority. In order to please both the consumer and audiophile demographics, headphone companies must either exhaust their R&D departments and often come up short, discover some magic voodoo potion, or simply give up! I know for certain that in the case of the M-80, V-Moda did not subscribe to the latter.
THE FIT & THE FINISH
For all intents and purposes the V-Moda M-80 is a flagship headphone, both in its sound and design. In my opinion, it appeals to both the sensibilities of the consumer and the discriminating audiophile. For one, it's extremely compact. Even down to its remarkably artistic packaging, the V-Moda M-80 is one of the most spectacular headphones I've come across. The M-80 are very attractive looking to me – very unique and rugged looking, satisfying both my artistic and utilitarian appetites. The very unique hexagonal ear pads are roughly 3 inches high and 1.5 inches wide. On the ears they are quite comfortable as the pads are fairly soft. The brushed aluminum faceplate (which can have customized art added) shows three grooves to allow the sound out. The passive noise isolation however is still really quite good considering that these are ported.
The headband features a microfiber-like material and feels nice in the hand. One of the coolest features of this headphone is in fact its rugged headband design which can be slightly twisted without risk of damage.
The carrying case is truly remarkable looking! The shell, hard and protective, contours to the headphone both inside and out. The detachable one-sized cable design is fully taken advantage of in this case. The M-80 ships with two different cables, one featuring an Apple Remote & microphone; the other featuring a Windows/Android compatible remote and microphone. The microphone and remote for both cables is embedded just slightly below the chin. The call quality was very good.
ALL ABOUT THE SOUND…
Considering its size, the sound of the V-Moda M-80 is truly a marvel. I wouldn't hesitate to call it one of the best on-ear headphones being made today. To go even a little bit further, I consider the M-80, the best on-ear I've heard for those seeking a warm, punchy, seductive sound.
THE GOOD
- Warm & punchy while retaining clarity – very full bottom (sub-woofer frequencies are finely articulated)
- A very transparent & forward midrange – allowing for full-bodied sound and clear vocals
- Non-abrasive highs with above-average extension
- Granted the size, these have a mightily impressive soundstage presentation – Wide and more outside-the head than one should expect from an on-ear
- The instrument placement / imaging is very good considering the size of the headphone
THE BAD
- The bass, while impressively full for the headphone's size, may be a tad slower than some would prefer. This is particularly noticeable when listening to classical music
- While the sound of these headphones is markedly warm when judged against more neutral headphones, the treble presentation may be more forward than one is used to if this user is primarily experienced with the highly rolled-off treble presentation found in many consumer headphones.
The first track I listened to with the M-80s was "The Ocean Doesn't Want Me Today" by Tom Waits.
*Tom Waits' Bone Machine album is, in my opinion, one of the most well-recorded albums around. Lots of room microphones were used for this recording and, as a result, there is great depth and definition all throughout the record caused by the carefully recorded natural-room reverb. I would implore anyone serious about seeing what your headphones can do, to have this album at their disposal.
The headphones were not only able to render all the distinct layers of this track very cleanly, but I actually was confused at the commencement of the track that the sub-bass frequency that I was hearing was not actually coming from a speaker. For a moment, it actually felt like the sound was resonating against my chest. The percussion and distant instrumentation showed to have amazing depth – outside-the-head in feeling. There have been very few on-ear headphones able to achieve sound so clean and so full at the same time.
When Listening to Kanye West's "All of the Lights", the M-80 proved to be the best sounding on-ear headphone for hip hop which I have heard to date. Whereas other warm on-ear headphones tend to blur the very fast 16th-note hi-hat pattern which plays throughout the track primarily in the right channel, the V-Moda M-80 somehow manage not only to articulate the hi-hat very clearly, but also clearly articulates the left channel slap-back delay of this hi-hat pattern. At the same time, the fast snare pattern cuts through the very deep sub-bass notes allowing the rhythm track the full ability to make me want to move. West's rap is full-bodied and is properly spotlighted against the brass. Rihanna's vocal which has shown to be sibilant on other headphones, is executed here without the slightest ounce of sibilance – all this without diminishing the presence of the voice. Great!
While listening to Steely Dan's "Aja" I was very satisfied with the headphone's ability to balance instruments within the same frequency range. The Fender Rhodes, guitars and piano were each easy to hone in on. I felt the piano lacked a hair of transparency which I usually associate with this track when listened to with top-tier headphone. It may just be that the mix is so chock-full that there is a sense of congestion which intrudes at times on the piano which on this track is a bit thinner / tack-like than average. When the instrumental section starts, the marimba, maracas and cymbals are impressively spaced, not leaping into one another. It was while listening to this track that I became convinced of the M-80s enormous sensitivity to placement. I moved the headphone just slightly on my left ear, and the whole balance was off. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but definitely worth mention since this slight movement, removed a significant amount of treble and caused the whole mix to feel lopsided.
Listening to Metallica's "Enter Sandman" I was literally shocked – literally blown out of my listening chair when the kick drum entered - so thick – the crack of the beater and the remaining undertones - so equally matched. The guitars were far more crunchy and aggressive than I expected. Of all the tracks I prepared for my listening evaluation, this was the most surprising because I suspected the sound may be slightly mellow or slow for metal. Happily, I was wrong - the M-80 kicks some major a** with metal!
Upon feeling that this headphone was a brilliant all-rounded, I gave some classical a whirl. You know, it didn't sound nearly as slow and warm as I would have anticipated from my initial impressions, but I still felt that for classical, there are other on-ear headphones (such as the HD25 1-II) to be had which rise to the occasion a bit more effortlessly. The thing about classical which makes it so difficult for a headphone to be the best at everything thrown in its path, is that rather than depending on factors of mixing and bright mastering to bring out the clarity, classical music depends on the rendering of the harmonic content – the overtones which naturally occur when an instrument is played and recorded. This sonic information is found in the treble region. Since other genres do not depend nearly as much on this aspect of sound, a headphone which excels in classical music may sound bright or lacking in depth with other genres. Well recorded jazz and acoustic too depends on this aspect of sound, but unlike classical, jazz often can benefit immensely from a forward bass presentation since jazz is a highly percussive genre.
Overall however, the V-Moda M-80 is superior on ear headphone which shows to be a very, very good all-rounder. I was highly impressed!
LAST WORD
The V-Moda M-80 is likely a new trend setter. They are unique looking, compact, can be used with a variety of smart phones, ultra-rugged, feature a sleek design all the way from the headphones themselves - to the carrying case – to the packaging. But most of all, V-Moda managed the task of creating a warm, immersive, beautiful sounding headphone which I think has the ability to captivate the traditional consumer and the elite audiophile alike. It is not all too often that a headphone comes along with all these features. I would recommend these to anyone a pair of ears. ;)
Rating Chart at Price Point
| Sound Quality |
9.5 |
| Portability |
8.5 |
| Design & Features |
10 |
| Value |
9.5 |
| Comfort |
9 |
| Passive Isolation |
Good |