I've been in the market for a new set of cans for awhile now and was rather disappointed when at PAF the only ones to audition was STAX. Nothing against them and in fact, I owned a set back in the late 70s. They were very nice if a bit fragile and they eventually gave up the ghost. I'd listened to the Audeze LCD-2 and 3 a couple years ago and while they sounded good, I remembered them being a bit heavy as compared to some Focals I'd also listened to.
Anyways I popped into Olson's Hifi in Lynnwood WA yesterday to see if they had anything to listen to. All they had were an older model of Audeze but after fishing about in the stockroom, he came out with a couple pairs of the MM-100. Rather than parrot out the specs I'll let you read about them here:
https://www.audeze.com/products/mm-100
I've heard many closed back cans and they always seem to me to have a sort of resonance to them that takes away from the soundstage. I've always preferred open back headphones as they seem airier and more detailed. The MM-100s are no exception. They provide a nice wide soundstage with excellent detail.
I listened to "Dreaming of the Crash" from the Interstellar soundtrack. It eerily starts with distant thunderstorm then slowly the pipe organ makes its entrance. The deep organ notes will test any audio setup. While of course headphones won't give you the visceral impact that good speakers will, the MM-100s acquitted themselves very well indeed.
Moving on to something different, I played Yello's "Kiss in Blue". Yes, more base fireworks but amidst all that the vocals were nicely rendered. Clear, full and airy. Next I wandered over to Diana Krall's rendition of "Gee baby, ain't I good to you". Oh my, that guitar and standup bass. I kept looking around to wave down the cocktail waitress for a cocktail. And course Mz. Krall's voice. I know some audio folks look down their noses but she does have some pipes.
Wandering off to some Gaelic music by Clannad from their "In a Lifetime" recording. Lots of fireworks here with lots of percussion, multilayered vocals. I recommend "Newgrange" for sure. Again, the MM-100s met the challenge.
Physically the headphones, while not the lightest, have very comfortable, thick ear cups that seal well. The head strap is nice and wide and distributes their weight well so there's not too much pressure on a narrow area. Another nice feature is a detachable cable that can be plugged into either side. I find that rather convenient for my particular setup.
Really I was prepared to pay a lot more for a nice set of headphones so to find a set that sound great are well built and comfortable and for such a reasonable price is quite a find!
Happy listening.
