Cowon J3 + EX600 with comply T500 tips
 
 
A listening sesion of your favorite album with the Sony MDR EX600 feels like fe****io from Jessica Alba and eating chocolate icecream at the same time, all this while watching your favorite team winning the related worldcup and receiving an Oscar from Natalie Portman who then gives you a long french kiss while everybody goes crazy in a standing ovation. yeah, it is just that good.
 
 
 

Marshall Major​

 
At first I had a hard time with the major and was dissapointed, mainly fit issues and sound. then I learned to "live with it" for what they are.
 
Build: no complains here, the build up is tough, nothing feels loose or flacid, the headband is well padded but not so flexible, the cups are made of plastic with a rubery feeling to it, hinges are metal attached to the leather( or leather look?) headband with a plastic pieces responsible of the folding. the fold nicely to a small ball, very practical.
the cable is about 1 meter and 1/4 of it is coiled, it doesn get in the way because it is a very thin and dosile and easy to handle cable.
 
A Design flaw: the cups are fix, they wont move but upside down, not even swivel to the sides a bit, this make them press hard on the back part of your ear, sometimes too hard.
 
Look: The Major look like an old rocker, something you would match with an old leather jacket and heavy boots. See the picts at the end of the review.
 
Comfort: the headband is well cushioned and soft, the material is like hard leather on top (black) and brown soft leatherette (below). earpads are square and very soft. They clamp hard, because of teh lack of flexibility of the headband and the lack of movement of the cups makes the bad note here, they can put pressure in the back of your ear and press it against the skull. I used to hate them because of this but playing with the fit I can find a comfortable spot, basically wearing them more in the back that I usually do, so the back of my ear dont get in the edge of the cup, where the pressure is bigger. also the earcushions + pressure makes my ears hot.
 
Isolation: they manage to Isolate a big deal, over average than most over ear portables.
 
 
Sound signature is leaned just a little bit to the dark side, you could tell if you wear them after a bright or neutral headphone. Laid back and mellow sound, something I can listen for hours without getting tired or exahusted. but at the same time sounds powerful and full bodied. all this without the need of an amplifier, tried a couple and all they did was volume up the headphone, and not that it needs it, the clip+ manage to get it at very high volume levels.
 
Detail is average. not deatil champions by far, but not muddy either. I dont mid using low bitrate recording with it.
 
The bass hits hard, but it feels loose, not too loose, just not tight either, bass extensions is nothing to call home about but it doesnt lack either, basically mediocre in the bass section. lets say something a bass freak and a regular fella would agree on: the major has adecuate ammount of bass, not too much and not too little.
 
And the Mids are slighty recesed in the way that you hear the voices warmer than they actually are. but brings out a nice guitar texture, this and the treble makes the whole presentation mellow and laid back.
 
The highs are clear enough but sound veiled, this helps to the melow and laid back feeling. nothing impressive here.
 
Final words / Summary: 
A good all rounder, and would make for a great portable if you dont mind paying what it cost, at $99 it feels overpriced, I could pay $75 and be OK with it, they would be hard to bea in the $60 to $75 price bracket.
 
The combination of hard hitting bass and warm mids makes them sound powerful for metal and despite the boom of the bass, they manage fast technical stuff pretty damn well. it is indeed a rocker.
 
Leaving price aside, it is a good package, you get a great looking, well built and decent isolation with a non tiring sound. I can relax with this listening some pop-rock like radiohead, but I can also rock out with some heavier music like Blotted Science and they turn into powerful little bastards. 
 
This is the thing, soundwise the Major's is not something impressive, but they dont lack either, they just dont do anything bad, for the price, the only problem the Major's have is the fact that is priced in a very competitive area.
 
Would I recommend it at $100? no, there are better headphones at that price, unless you really dig the look, like I do. if you can get ti at something like $70 or even $80, it would be awesome, though even then they will have to fight against the Sony V6, not an easy rival for any headphone in that price if you ask me.
 
 
Photos:
 
Folded:
 
  
 
In its natural form:
 
  
 

This review is part of the V-moda M80 voyage program, started in the thread: 'V-moda crossfade m80 audio-voyage reviewers wanted' and I was lucky enough to be selected to receive one M80 and be part of a group of discussion, and finally post my review here. We were asked to make an honest and free of prejudice review (as expected) so here is mine. Consequently this is my opinion but hopefully I managed to be objectively enough.
 

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V-Moda M80 on ear portable headphone​

 
 

 
First things first: If you just want the straight-to-the-point review and no blabbering, read only the blue bits.

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Build quality:
Two things come to my mind, tough and flexible. Headband flexes like few, I’ve manage to set it flat or twist it to the other side and cross the cups far from what seems normal.
 
 
The hinges that holds the cup is metal. And its hold with four screws per cup, the cup shell is plastic with a metal back plate.
The headband is some sort of fiber with a soft felt in the part where it touches the head. It looks very durable, but only time will tell.
The cables look well built, I have 3 cables in my package, one audio only (grey, 2 meters) , one with volume +/- and play/pause keys (black, 1.5 meters), and the other with mic (red, 1.5 meters), the audio only one soft and docile, the others two tend to become stiffy specially when twisted. The plig housing in all cables are minimalist, stylish, rubbery and flexible.
 
Physically, the attention to details by V-moda is remarkable. and I can throw this around with confidence, it can take the abuse, even more if you store it in the case, but I've been just trowing it inside my backpack, no case, no cover.
 
The good: flexibility in the headband, solid build, replaceable back plates. Detachable cord and you can use almost any cable extension (slightly jack only the massive plugs wont fit). It can take a lot of abuse.
The nitpicks:  the cable from the cups to the headband could be held to the hinge to avoid it to pop up (the sony V6 prevent this with a clamp in the hinge holding the cable). 2 of the 3 the cables gets stiff and even more when twisted.
The bad: none.

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Look:
Definitely stylish, not your standard rugged plain black headphone, but it doesn’t go as far as being pretentious either.
Body is mainly black (glossy or matte) with red bits here and there.
 
 

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Accesories:
3 cables, an excellent hard carrying case known as exoskeleton, a clip to hel carry the bag, 3 cables and ¼ to 1/8 inches adapter. All this in a fancy hard cardboard box.
 
The good: exoskeleton case is awesome. More cables than you’d need.
The nitpicks:  none.
The bad: none. V-moda does not fool around in accessories.
 
 
Cables and plugs.

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Comfort:
The headband is well padded and the clamping force is low, additionally the earpads are soft. All this sums up to have a very comfortable headphone. I can wear this for long listening sessions without a single problem.
After a while I forget the headphones are on, which is hard to achieve with an on ear headphone.
 
The good: top notch comfort.
The nitpicks: none.
The bad: none.

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Isolation:
Not the best, fair less than the Sennheiser HD25. I believe it might be due to the shape of the cups, oval shaped (hexagon) and the fact that they have vents in the back. It manage to block the high frequencies but creates some sort of tunnel like sound with the lower frequencies. I wouldn’t use it in a noisy environment, tried it at a football stadium and got distracted by the exterior’s noise every now and then.
 
It confuses me how V-moda advertises this in their website as “Noise isolating” and at the same time advertize the V-port technology. 
Where sound/air goes out, sound/air comes in.
 
Edit: From V-Moda we got the fact that this are semi-closed headphones, and it was made to gain some soundstage and bass, and it really works in that matter, covering the vents will end up in a different sound. at the end it was a good choice, at expenses of some isolation, you lose some you win some, right?
 
The good: block some noise.
The bad: Isolation could be better, not on par with HD25 and DT1350.
 

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Sound:
Is you are expecting the M80 to sound the typical bass heavy fashion headphone, you’re in for a surprise, the midrange was the first thing that caught my attention.
I used this headphone right out of my Zune120, ipod classic and clip+, also used iBasso D3  ¿and Mini3 as amps but felt that the M80s doesn need the amplifier, it does well from the headphone out alone.
 
Bass:
Not prominent, not loose and neither boomy, it isn’t as tight and detailed as other headphones like the DT1350 either, but enough as to know that the M80’s does not lack bass.
Extension is good enough as to perceive subbass when the track demands it.
They have punch, don’t hit as hard as the HD25, but definitely more punch and kick then the DT1350.
 
Mids:
This is my favorite of the three. Very articulated, clear, fairly detailed and liquid. They make the HD25 mids sound recessed.
I’ve also being using the M80s to watch movies and listening poscasts, something I wouldn’t do with a headphone without articulated mids. These are responsible to make the M80 sound slightly bright, even at the lack of sparkling highs, maybe because the bump in the mid-high section of the FR graph.
 
Highs:
From the three ranges this is the one in the third place. See it this way, if you were to categorize the clearness, detail and how loud each range is, the highs would be in the background. I can safely say the highs feels tamed and lacks sparkle, without sounding dark.
This could be seen as an advantage considering that piercing and sibilance are out of the equation.
 
Sound signature:
I’d say it’s a fun signature but not V shaped (oddly enough since V-moda seems to like to put a V in everything they made  ) bass is not the priority, but you certain have decent amount of bass. Bassheads, you’ve been warned. The liquid, open and clear mids makes this headphone what it is, a pleasant non fatiguing portable headphone.
 
 
Soundstage:
The M80 offer more soundstage than one would expect from an ‘on ear portable’ as a Grado fanboy I have very little acknowledge about soundstage ha!. I often gets amazed at soundstage and how my beloved Grados lacks it. The M80 space doesn’t feel so cramped as the Sennheiser HD25, for my listening sessions, I’d compare the soundstage with the Beyerdynamic DT1350, at least.
 
Separation and Details:
I find it to be very good, channel separation is very noticeable, which gives out a larger soundstage feeling, instrumental separation with heavy, faster and technical music (progressive metal) was good enough as not to feel cramped and neither lacking details.
 
Sound summary:
With the mids in the front row, the bass in the second and the highs behind them, the M80 offers a very different option from the two better known competitors, Sennheiser HD25 and Beyerdynamic DT1350.
I really enjoy the M80s, I like the fun yet different sound it makes, most fun headphones tend to be bassy and sparkly or recessed mids, the M80 defies that and the results are quite exciting. It was a pleasant surprise and I plan to use them a lot from now on, at expenses of the beyer DT1350, which was already getting little use next to the senn HD25.
A very welcome new option for those of us who believes that portable-fi should be about fun and comfort, after all I don’t want a clinical signature to analyze the music in a 30 minute trip or a 15 minute relax in between classes, I want to have fun and enjoy the music. The M80 does that for me, and plenty more, I’ve used this at the office for 2.5 hours straight without feeling tired at the sound or my ears hurt.
 
The good: Clear, liquid and articulated mids. Over average level of details, good soundstage, not overpowering bass. does not require amplification.
The nitpicks: None.
The bad: lack of sparkle, lack of extension in the upper levels.

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Value:
I got this for free and perhaps that and the fact that I like it makes me put a higher value rate.
But thinking as a potential customer, the actual MSPR from V-moda is $230, do I think its worth it?  no, but rarely a headphone worth its list price, none that I remember, and that is why street prices exist. I believe I could handle $180 for the M80 and be happy, but what do I know about prices, I am only a customer. 
Here’s the thing, it is a whole package, clas A buld quality, very good sound, and the accessories, including the excellent exoskeleton case, it all sums up for a great portable.  
 
Technical specs:

1. Type: Supraaural (on-ear)
2. Speaker Drivers:  40mm.
3. Impedance: 28.5 Ohms
4. Frequency Response: 5 - 30,000 Hz
5. Sound Pressure Level: 105 dB
6. Weight: 180g (headphone only)

 

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Size comparison:
 
 
Cup size comparison with the beyerdynamic DT1350
 
More and larger photos in this album
Hope this was useful to someone.

 
Smallest Denon around, also a very good looking can. The folding mechanism is similar to the ATH FC700 but an extra hinge in the headband makes the Denon to fold into an even smaller package.
 
Specs: 
Type: Dynamic
Driver Diameter: 38mm
Frequency Response: 10 ~ 22,000 Hz
Sensitivity: 100 dB/mW
Max. power input: 1000 mW
Impedance: 35 Ohms
Cable: 0.5 m + 0.8 m extension DAP end is straight plug.
Weight: 140 g
Connector: 3.5mm mini-stereo straight.
 
 
Build and look:
When I first got my hand on these all I could thought was "oh my! what a gook looking person".
On further inspection I notice the plastic, is all plastic (except two screws in each hinge), which wouldn't be a problem but it doesn't feel like the good kind of plastic, feels flimsy and cheap, the kind of toasted plastic that breaks. and sometimes I can hear the plastic cracking when i have them on, Although they can be fixed with a combination of earcup positioning and headband adjusting, meaning: adjusting it to a tighter fit. But then it clamps too hard.
 
The headband is only plastic, the padding is on the top sides of it, which as you will read later is a comfort issue.
The earpads are soft vinyl and the stuffing is just the right amount. the pads fits tight in the cups, not so ear to remove but not hard to do so either.
As for the cable, from plug to headphones is extremely thin and its never straight, memory character. 
 
Accessories:
Cable extension: The cable isn't much better quality here, it has a lot of memory character and feels flimsy. 0.8 meters, straight plug end.
Bag: small bag just enough for the P372 themselves and the cable extension, my clip+ fits there but i wouldnt bet an ipod nano will fit. (my zune8 was too tight inside). the bag is made from a light cloth and feels cheap, if I place it between me and the screen, I can see the light trough.
 
 
Comfort:
The clamp is strong, presses my ear in a bizarre way, from the bottom part, or the upper if i fix the headband to make it more tight, the padding on the headband is totally  useless, these rest over your head with the middle part of it, which have no padding, my guess is because of the way it folds. Lucky me I have enough hair and it doesn't bothers me... but because of the clamp, I cant stand the AH-P372 for more than one hour on my head, Honestly, and speaking about comfort only, I  feel some sort of relief when taking them off, however the fit has been improving by use, after 2 months is rather better, but still cant stand them for more than one hours.
 
 
Sound:
Well, here is where the AH-P372 shines. At first listen I couldn't help notice a prominent mid range with some sort of echoing or reverberation, but as they break in and/or I got used to it, I started noticing the qualities of its sound.
 
Highs are very clear and, I dare to say, same or more clear than my AKG K240's but lesser in quantity, with some sorts of music. because that is one thing about the AH-P372, they can shine easily with some genres but fail at others.
 
The one thing different about these is their mid range, specially the mid-highs. it is aggressive and clear, but also very articulate, easy to differentiate the instruments and goes extremely well with some voices, specially the hi-pitched metal-like singers (see the musical references), they also do well in instrumental complex music, that reverberation turns out to be killer for some guitar solos!, also does incredibly with piano and keyboards. sadly they get in the way when listening to calm, simplistic or minimalist tunes, and gives them a rare flavor, this mid range is a hit or miss and will depend entirely of the listener, for me, definitely a hit on some genres.
 
Now with the bass, most of the main words used to describe the mids would also apply here, clear and articulate, nothing bloated, but not light either, not a dark signature. something that stands up if the punch: strong, tight and sturdy. This goes incredible well with instrumental fast complex music, ie: instrumental metal/progressive metal.
 
All in all, a sound that grew on me for the best. very nice details and clarity for the price range, with a remarkable mid range that does wonders with my favorite genres. not the most friendly sound though. overall a hit or miss.
The AH-P372 is very loud, they dont lose clarity at higher volumes and is one of those headphones in which is hard to tell if you are listening at too high volume, until you take them off and get that feeling of "oh man, it was too loud".

 
Most probable the smallest over the head portable from ATH, and a good looking one, specially considering the price.
 
Specs: 
Type: Dynamic
Driver Diameter: 40mm
Frequency Response: 10 ~ 24,000 Hz
Sensitivity: 102 dB/mW
Max. power input: 500 mW
Impedance: 40 Ohms
Cable: 0.5 m + 1.0 m extension, DAP end is L-shaped.
Weight: 130 g
Connector: 3.5mm mini-stereo staright.
 
Build and look:
It is a very small on-ear portable, specially when folded. The headband is the standard metal surrounded by plastic, its thin and flexible enough to be stretched to the point of being totally straight, and same flexibility to the other way too.
 
The cups are made of plastic and a transparent plastic cover of the sides which shows the colors of the model, this one is black, although such side of the cup look more like dark brown.
 
The earpads are made of soft vinyl, very soft and nice to the touch, also they and can be removed easily.
The cord is short, about 0.5 meters from the plug to the cups, hence why they come with an extension of 1.0 meter. overall a decent quality cord and extension.
 
Albeit the thin headband and all the plastic, is a good built, I wouldn't be afraid to put this on their bag and  trow them around or inside a backpack with other stuff. Is a solid built and also very portable.
 
Accessories:
1.0 M extension (decent quality and docile) and a carrying bag, also very good quality soft vinyl, size is enough as to fit the extension and also an iPod nano or, in this case, my Clip+, without any problem.
 
Comfort:
Due to the flexibility of the headband and the soft pads the FC700 are very easy to "wear and forget".
The clamping force is enough to keep them on while walking around, but it inst strong enough to bother my ears. In fact, after a while one can get used to them and "forget" these are on your head. I could easily wear these for many hours.
 
Sound:
The ATH FC700 feels like a rather warm sound that gives you a bit of sense of fullness. pretty much a generic sound signature in the price range.
 
The highs are there in a decent quantity but nothing to call home about, and with fast complex music they tend to feel 'chopped' as if the bass were interrupting the highs every now and then.
As for the mids, I'd call them slightly recessed but not bad, they actually go well with the high range together, definetely feels a bit Blanketed. Nothing exceptional here.
Bass is probably the good thing about these, is strong and reaches some deep notes, but again, when some complex music is on, ie: metal, these feels muddy and too loose.
 
They do OK for calmer music, don't get me wrong, this is a very friendly sound signature,  easy to get used to if you are not looking for clarity or instruments separation, but rather a common sound in this range. but if you are too picky and demanding about every headphone you might have, these might not worth it.