In which we test V Moda Crossfade M-100 headphones by tuning into the greatest band on the planet and listening to Tiger yell “God Damn It!” after yanking his drive into the woods at the Arnold Classic.
What? V Moda Crossfade M-100
What the hell is it? Over-ear, noise isolating/cancelling headphones that claim to offer superior sound, extreme durability, customization and style (they’re covered in metal…which some say is the new black) and headband comfort resulting from “hexagonal shaping to match natural anatomical features” of your cranium. Our test pair also came with an extension cable and a boom microphone for talking on the phone, gaming, VoIP, or broadcasting. They’ve won a ton of awards…and many legit techno-geeks are raving about them. Of course, at $300 MRSP, they should be great. To test them, we started by listening to “Lonely Boy” by The Black Keys via Pandora on iPhone. Why The Black Keys? Because they’re the greatest band on the planet, not to mention they hail from L.A. (lower Akron). If we’re going to shell out 3 bills for headphones, they better make The Black Keys sound awesome on iPhone Pandora, because that’s how we’ll use them. And they do. The lows are full but not muddy. The mids are rich, and the highs are crisp. The sound coming through these ‘phones is noticeably good, actually. Like, “oh, wow. This is different.”
And they have this weird “3D surround” thing that makes you feel like you’re live at whatever you’re listening to. It’s surreal, but cool. Next, we plugged them into a home theatre system to see how they’d sound watching sports. We found a rerun of the final round of the 2013 Arnold Classic (Palmer, not Schwarzenegger) with Tiger in the lead hitting a tee shot on #8. It felt like you were at the course — the helicopter flying above, the wind whispering through the crowd, the “ping” sound of Tiger hitting the ball…and then a crystal clear “GOD DAMN IT!” from Tiger who yanked his drive 20 yards into the woods. The final test was supplemental, for every guy who lives with a woman. I asked my wife to come into the room where I was wearing them and said, “Honey, check out my new headphones. They’re awesome. And they only cost $300!” I’m couldn’t hear what she said, but it didn’t seem good. A+ for completely cancelling out the “unwanted noise” in the house.
Get entered to win the V-Moda Crossfades in the BC Bracket Challenge
Yeah, but do I really need it? Financial advisor (and total Debbie Downer) Suze Orman would say, “No, you don’t need to spend $300 on a pair of headphones. Take that money and pay down high-interest credit card debt or purchase shares of an indexed mutual fund inside a Roth IRA.” Whatever. If you want top-notch headphones, you need these. Life’s too short to listen to The Black Keys with crappy buckets.
Will chicks dig it? Yes, every chick on the planet will dig these (NOTE: except Suze Orman). Even if some chick doesn’t, you won’t have to listen to her because these headphones cancel external annoyingness. Great for airplanes (and guys in relationships).
Conclusion: Expensive but worth it, if great sound is your thing. We tend to be skeptical of technology company hype, but these buckets deliver as promised: superior sound, comfort, and style. $300? Priceless.