Meet Crossfade M 100 headphones

V-Moda, the audio company started by Val Kolton, a professional musician, has always made gear — headphones, earphones and amplifiers — that's durable and fashionable. Its latest offering, the Crossfade M-100 headphones, is no exception.

The M-100 is built with a steel frame and a strong, flexible headband that can bend flat. The over-the-ear memory foam cushions are comfortable even after several hours of use. And the exterior of the cups feature interchangeable metal shields that can be customized in a variety of colours and engraved with a name or logo.
The headphones come with two Kevlar-reinforced cables, one with a microphone for making phone calls and the other with an extra connector for sharing your music. And a hinged mechanism allows the head - phones to fold up for easy storage in a sturdy exoskeleton case. But all that attention to design doesn't mean much if the sound isn't good.

And the sound here is excellent. I noticed new depths and subtleties while listening to albums I've had for years. I felt wrapped in the music, even at low volumes, and I never felt the need to turn up the volume to get a better listening experience .

The M-100 is not noise-cancelling , but its ergonomic design helps isolate noise, immersing you in music (this feature is especially beneficial in cacophonous environments, like on the subway).

When I tried the headphones for phone calls, however, I found it disconcerting to hear my voice echoing in my head, and eventually I had to take the headphones off. At $300, the Crossfade M-100 headphones are priced to compete on the high end of the market.