V-ModaXL Cushions for Over-Ear Headphones - Black

Greatly increases the capabilities of an already very impressive headphone.After living with the M-100 Crossfades for about 3 years I'd grown really accustomed to their unique sound signature (the "V" shape with sparkly highs and punchy lows) but noticed that as the default pads compressed further and further my ear was beginning to touch the driver. This lead to issues with an oddly shaped sound stage and some misdirection with the stereo imaging that caused sounds in the very center to sound as though they originated slightly off center. Instead of replacing the pads with another set of the default ones, I decided to order the XL replacements and so far I'm unbelievably impressed with the difference these make in everyday listening and the versatility these add to the headset overall.From the perspective of someone who is probably a bit more in love with audio in general than any one person should be, here's what you can look forward to:-Increased sound stage depth, probably a good doubling of the overall soundstage-The expanded stage does wonders for providing better audio separation, meaning you get a clearer picture of where each sound is originating from and significantly less bleed from one channel to the other.-Better fit, more comfortable for long periods of time; the default pads are very tight in comparison and often times would put your ear directly to the driver. These correct this, so the soreness from contact as well as the midrange fatigue from the treble being so immediate is completely resolved.All said the only real drawback is the inability to fold them down to fit in their case. While you can still do this for portability I would not recommend it as the foam seems incredibly malleable and seems to hold shapes more easily than most memory foam pads I've encountered, so compressing them will just make them thinner more quickly and you'll lose the openness that the deeper pads grant you.Finally, I've seen some folks say the bass and low end impact are adversely affected by these pads and honestly if they are it is incredibly minor and the increase in bass clarity more than makes up for it.

I never thought a little addition like these XL earpads could make so much difference in the sound quality! I've been wanting to get this mainly to improve comfort on my V-Moda M-100 headphones because I'm an avid user (more than 5 hours a day, and sometimes up to 10 hours) and the original pads on the M-100 hurted my ears and head after only a few hours of use. Not only did these earpads make the headphones to feel a ton more comfortable, but it also significantly increase the quality of the sounds (particularly the soundstage). As an audiophile, the M-100 + XL earpads blew my mind while listening to nusic - it takes your listening experience to a whole next level. These earpads are very soft which makes it easy for it to conform around the ears a lot more comfortably.The building material of the outer cover of the pads are quite durable which made it easy to install (don't need to worry about tearing it apart by accident). Speaking of installation, it was a piece of cake: just pull out the original pad on one of the corners very firmly until you pop it out from the compartment and insert these pads starting from one corner and use your fingernail to fully insert it into the crevices of the earpiece. It takes about 5 min to install both sides. If you're having trouble, just search for an instructional video on YouTube. That's where I learned how.I highly recommend this products to audiophiles who own a M-100 and anyone who thought the original pads on the M-100 were uncomfortable. These XL pads really do make a difference, and you'll love it. Plus, it looks quite stylish as well. I like how the black pads look on my white M-100 (see the attached photos!)

The title says it all. IMO, these should have been the standard cushions that came with my V-Moda Crossfade M-100 headphones.The V-Moda Crossfade M-100 headphones are advertised as "over-the-ear" headphones, but I am willing to bet that for the vast majority of folks they are at least partially "on-the-ear" when you use them with the original cushions with which they come. The original cushions are just too small for many/most ears to fit inside. So although the V-Moda Crossfade M-100 headphones sound very good - especially if you are a fan of headphones with a pronounced bass response - they can become quite uncomfortable if worn for an extended period of time.But for many people, these Extra Large memory cushions can remedy that. They did for me. They are a major improvement in comfort over the original cushions for someone with average or above average size ears. I can now wear these headphones for a long time - hours - without any problems.Furthermore, I could not discern any significant difference in sound quality. The headphones may have a slightly more pronounced upper bass response with these cushions, but it was difficult for me to say for sure. Frankly, I could not see any downside to these cushions, and a big upside in comfort. So I do not understand why these cushions are not standard.It was not obvious to me how I was supposed to remove the old cushions on my V-Moda Crossfade headphones so I could install these. I will not go into the gory details, but there are a couple of You Tube videos that show you exactly how to do it and which can easily be found with a keyword search, and I recommend you check them out before replacing the cushions. It takes a little work, but I was able to do it, so I think you will be able to do so, too.It is not a good feeling to pay $20 extra to get the cushions that your headphones should have had in the first place, and one might downgrade the rating on the V-Moda Crossfade M-100 headphones themselves for that reason. But I cannot see that as any reason to downgrade the rating on these cushions. These cushions make a vast improvement in comfort for me and I suspect they will do the same for many or most other folks. So if you already have the headphones, I highly recommend that you go ahead and bite the bullet and buy these cushions. I don't think you will ever look back.