V-Moda Crossfade M-100 Master

To stand out among countless headphones on the market, you need courage and know-how. And this is what V-Moda have got. You only have to look at the hexagonal packaging of the Crossfade M-100 Master, which is printed with many superlatives about these headphones.

When unpacked, the matt black hard case has a typically cyberpunk look, which confirms expectations. These 282 gram, light and compact-looking headphones look like something from a science fiction film – they’re on a higher plain yet don’t seem too much. The extraordinary, yet smart-looking hexagonal capsule design includes specially manufactured, exchangeable metal plates – the technology lives up to the stylish look. The ear cups, which can only rotate horizontally, are gripped by robust steel arms that are bolted together, as is the ten-step extendable and snap-fit headband. With its steel construction and screw connections, these headphones look like they were made in a robot factory, but their look is not at the expense of their design. The flexible steel headband is completely covered with water-repellent vegan leather, with a softly padded underside. The company logo doesn’t disrupt the futuristic look and is only emblazoned upside down, extremely discreetly at the two ends of the headband.

Comfort

Ear enclosing headphones are more likely to be considered bulky, but when it’s on your head, the Crossfade M-100 Master feels more like an on-ear. The ear cups look quite compact and cling to my average-sized ears without giving them too much room to move. The drivers are also literally on the ear, which plays sound well. However if you have big ears, the fit could be a bit narrow for you because of how the pads lay. In general, these headphones are recommended for very small heads as the very stretchy headband is narrow and fits tightly. The low weight, the soft headband and the replaceable, very luxuriously padded ear pads compensate for the somewhat over-secure fit of the headband. Even with violent head movements and with the flexible ear cup turned on one side of the ear, it does not move. These headphones don’t have a swivel joint for one-eared monitoring, but I didn’t really miss it. Unusually, the headphones are completely rigid in their y-axis. Only the joint around the x-axis of the ear cup suspension adapts to the ear position, but there is a large extendable bracket. With the second hinge as the link between the ear cup and the suspension, the headphones be folded for transport in the space saving case.

Sound

The 50 mm double diaphragm drivers built into the Crossfade M-100 Master present an above-average wide frequency response. They range from ultra-deep 5 Hertz, which is only perceived as a pulse, to extremely high 40,000 Hertz. Although not audible to the human ear in full range, it provides an extremely high-resolution sound image. Massive Attack’s “Protection” was our test track, and the drum intro and fat bass line sounded great. Tracy Thorn’s crystal clear voice balances gracefully on the groove. These headphones also brilliantly picked out the bell-like, pointed transients in Bob James “Winchester Lady”. They give a lot of warmth to the organic instruments. In general, the sound is very balanced and natural. The bass adapts very well to the tamed mids and the concise, but not exaggerated, highs. This makes these headphones suitable for studio production.

With the Crossfade M-100 Master you literally forget your surroundings. The closed design shields you very well from disturbing noises and the sound hardly leaks to the outside. Therefore, volume does not have to be adjusted, with 103-decibel sensitivity and 40.75 Ohm impedance (averaged) a solid signal is sent to the drivers. This pays off especially when these headphones are used with smart phones. The included cable and microphones makes them great for this purpose and I’d recommend them for this use. The manufacturer also offers an additional cable with remote control.

Custom metal plates

More and more DJs want to design their own headphones even personalize them with their stage name. With their exchangeable ear cup plates, V-Moda offers different designs with the option of 3D-printing or engraving, making another unique selling point for these exceptional headphones.