Skip to main content

V-Moda’s M-200 studio headphones promise reference-quality audio for $350

V-Moda has added a new set of headphones to its arsenal of distinctly shaped cans. The M-200 might look a lot like the company’s other over-the-ear models like the Crossfade M-100 Master and the wireless Crossfade II, but V-Moda claims they deliver an entirely new level of audio performance for discerning listeners.

As V-Moda’s first reference studio headphone, the wired M-200 have been specifically tuned for musicians and studio producers. The company claims the result is “crystalline audio so clear and neutral that subtle nuances and flaws are easily distinguished.” From a specifications point of view, the M-200 look a lot like their Crossfade II stablemates: 50mm drivers using CCAW voice coils deliver a frequency response from 5Hz to 40kHz, which has earned them a Hi-Res Audio certification from the Japan Audio Society.

Related Videos

However, those numbers don’t reflect the fact that the M-200’s drivers are totally new, with a sound signature that is completely different from the M-100 Master and Crossfade II. V-Moda tells us that the build within the M-200 is designed specifically for studio listening. To capitalize on the capabilities of this design and the new drivers, the M-200 ship with a single-sided balanced analog audio cable which V-Moda says should reduce signal-to-noise ratios.

There’s also a slight update to the physical design. It’s hard to tell from the photos, but the M-200’s headband is slightly wider, offering more comfort for longer sessions. V-Moda claims it’s still as tough as ever, able to withstand lots of abuse, and flexible enough to be used with a single earcup while DJing. The earcup housings are larger and flatter than those of the Crossfade series, and the ear cushions are magnetically attached, making them easy to swap when the time comes.

Included with the M-200 are the same accessories that appear on most of the company’s line: A slightly larger and sleeker version of its Exoskeleton protective hard-shell carry case featuring vents for air circulation, an aramid fiber-reinforced SpeakEasy 1 -button cable with a microphone for use with smartphones, plus a headphone jack adapter and a carabiner.

V-Moda is continuing its tradition of offering customization options with the M-200. The outer earcup shields can be ordered in a variety of colors and patterns, and you can choose several options for the screws that keep the shields in place.

V-Moda is taking pre-orders for the M-200 now on its website and on Amazon.com, for delivery in mid-November. They come with a two-year warranty.

Updated at 10:53 PT: Included more specifics around the M-200’s drivers and design to indicate how they differ from V-Moda’s other models.

Editors' Recommendations

New Audio-Technica M50xBT2 headphones add new features, retain iconic design
Audio Technica ATH M50xBT2 cups seen from the side.

Audio-Technica has announced the ATH-M50xBT2 Bluetooth headphones. An update to the first-generation ATH-M50xBT launched in 2018, they continue to share the iconic design made popular by the original wired M50 headphones, which have long been a staple sight in recording studios since release in 2007. For this new pair Audio-Technica has updated, rather than drastically altered, the features and technology inside.

On the audio side support for the AAC and LDAC codecs has been added, increasing the headphones versatility, but there’s no mention of AptX in the press release, which was a feature on the M50xBT. A low latency mode for gaming and video has been added and is controlled through an accompanying app, which also has the option to select your voice assistant of choice. The headphones support Siri, Google Assistant, and Amazon Alexa. Also in the app is an adjustable equalizer and a find-my-headphone feature.

Read more
Edifier’s NeoBuds Pro earbuds promise wireless hi-res audio for $99
Edifier NeoBuds Pro hi-res true wireless earbuds with charging case.

Edifier, a company that has been making a name for itself as a designer of audio gear that offers very good quality at affordable prices, is taking to Indiegogo for its latest product: The NeoBuds Pro. The $99 true wireless earbuds offer active noise cancellation (ANC), plus a feature that is hard to find at any price -- hi-res audio. Pre-orders start now and Edifier says they will ship in August, which is also when we can expect the NeoBuds Pro to show up at retailers like Amazon.

Edifier's Indiegogo campaign page claims that the NeoBuds Pro are the "first hi-res ANC earbuds," but technically, that title belongs to Sony, which introduced the hi-res-capable WF-1000XM4 earlier in 2021. Edifier's press release makes a more nuanced (and more accurate) statement, in which it says, "the Neobuds Pro are the first hi-res-certified, noise-canceling, truly wireless earphones in the market that boast a dynamic driver, Knowles balanced armature, and LHDC+ACC codec."

Read more
V-Moda’s M-200 get the wireless ANC upgrade we’ve been waiting for
V-Moda M-200 ANC

We thought V-Moda's studio-inspired $350 M-200 headphones were pretty sweet when we reviewed them in 2019, but for all of their strengths, they're still a wired-only set of cans and they don't have active noise cancellation (ANC). Today, on the first day of CES 2021,  V-Moda fixes these omissions with its $500 M-200 ANC -- a wireless, ANC-equipped version of the M-200. This isn't a preview; you can buy the new cans on Amazon or V-moda.com today.

All of the classic V-Moda design elements have been preserved with the M-200 ANC. You get a well-cushioned headband, an articulated set of hinges that let the headphones fold up into a small, hard-shell carry case, aluminum "shields" on the ear cups that can be swapped out for an endless range of customization options, and magnetically attached ear cushions.

Read more