Sennheiser MOMENTUM Review - Page 43

hey guys

as u might see, im new to this boards.... Two Years ago it began with the MM400 from Sennheiser, but after a short period i realized that over-ear would be better.... so i decided to buy the PX 360BT from Sennheiser.... Nice to wear, but the sound had an annoying "S" touch.... it seemed like every song on my ipod has been song by an snake...

so would i hope now...

is there anybody who got handson the PX 360BT and is now in love with the Momentum?

*edit* I just forgot the KOSS Porta Pro... the best Earphones ive ever head, but not overear :(

Just got them. Impressions are mostly positive so far. Fancy packaging, good build quality and materials. Fits nicely, but not sure about long term comfort due to small earcups and thin headband. One more thing- second cord is laughably short for home use. Why they decided to make it in almost same lenght as iPhone cord is beyond my understanding.

Sound wise I can only compare them with HE-400 and D2000. I think Momentum sits somewhere inbetween. They don't even come close to HE-400 but i think i like them a bit better then my beloved D2000. Isolation is definitely better with Momentuma as is portability and weight. And less of that closed headphone effect. 2 areas where D2000 wins are bass extension and value. Momentums are almost 2x the price of Denons and definitely not 2x better.

All in all nice cans, but it's too early to say if it's a keeper. I still want to try MDR-1R and D600.

They made the cord the same length as an iphone cord because it's designed to be used extensively with iphones and other portable players. that's also why the sensitivity is high and the impedance is low.

Should be easy enough to understand. it's designed for portable use, not really for home use (there's better value out there for home use cans)

This is almost never the case. HIFI audio equipment has some of the most extreme diminishing returns of any hobby around. Often an extra $100 only gives a 5% overall increase in performance - and most headphones over $250 begin to have less to do with actual sound quality but taste in sound and function (not including the big flagships). 

Quote:

Originally Posted by LCfiner 

They made the cord the same length as an iphone cord because it's designed to be used extensively with iphones and other portable players. that's also why the sensitivity is high and the impedance is low.

 

Should be easy enough to understand. it's designed for portable use, not really for home use (there's better value out there for home use cans)

Weird logic. Why bother with second remoteless cord then anyway if these are only designed to be used with iPhones? Momentums sound quite nice from better source than iPhone- I'm sure guys at Senn are aware of that and don't mind if some of us use them with proper dac and amp.

And what headphones in your mind are allegedly better for home use that offers same good isolation, comfort, build quality and SQ among other things in similar price range?

Quote:

Originally Posted by GREQ 

This is almost never the case. HIFI audio equipment has some of the most extreme diminishing returns of any hobby around. Often an extra $100 only gives a 5% overall increase in performance - and most headphones over $250 begin to have less to do with actual sound quality but taste in sound and function (not including the big flagships). 

Not always the case. HE-400 at 1.75x price over D2000's easily offer same level of performance increase if not more. Now that's a real value!

Can't say same about Momentum but they are really nice cans all the same.

Quote:

Originally Posted by giedrys 

 

Weird logic. Why bother with second remoteless cord then anyway if these are only designed to be used with iPhones? Momentums sound quite nice from better source than iPhone- I'm sure guys at Senn are aware of that and don't mind if some of us use them with proper dac and amp.

 

And what headphones in your mind are allegedly better for home use that offers same good isolation, comfort, build quality and SQ among other things in similar price range?

I didn't say ONLY iphones. I said iphones and other portable players. someone with a sansa clip or a rockboxed ipod won't need the controls and mic but will still want a short cord.

it's not weird logic. the momentum has a very strong focus on portable playback. If you want to use it at home, you'll need to use an extension cable.

For home use if you must have a closed can for isolation, I'd say the MrSpeakers Mad Dogs are better for sound. they offer isolation, comfort but a more even frequency response and better imaging. They also need an amp - which is why I think they're much better suited for home use and not for portable use.

And when I said there was better value for home use, I was speaking of sound quality (since that's what you were talking about regarding the D200 price comparison) and figured that when one is looking for home use cans that having an open can is an acceptable option. I never said there was something better that equals the Momentum in all areas, including build quality, size and isolation.

That said, for around 350 or 400, There's the Senn HD600/ 650. that's an obvious choice for home use instead of the momentum.

Quote:

Originally Posted by giedrys 

 

Weird logic. Why bother with second remoteless cord then anyway if these are only designed to be used with iPhones? Momentums sound quite nice from better source than iPhone- I'm sure guys at Senn are aware of that and don't mind if some of us use them with proper dac and amp.

 

And what headphones in your mind are allegedly better for home use that offers same good isolation, comfort, build quality and SQ among other things in similar price range?

well remote cords cannot work with some phones (like mine) so that's why a plain cable would be good too

Quote:

Originally Posted by streetdragon 

well remote cords cannot work with some phones (like mine) so that's why a plain cable would be good too

+1  

Assuming the remote cable costs more to replace it makes perfect sense to include a plain cable, which I also use. 

My thoughts after a day and a half of listening...

Comfort wise, I'm happy to report that the Momentums work very well for me... and I tend to be very picky on comfort as well (as noted here for reference: http://www.head-fi.org/t/634691/the-comfort-thread-rate-the-comfort-factor-of-your-headphones#post_8856613). Sennheiser has always had well-fitting headbands for my head and Momentum is no exception... they curve perfectly on top of my head, distributing the pressure very evenly. I think perhaps the pad on the headband could have been softer but the headphones are light enough that I hardly feel it at all.  Clamping wise, they're firm but comfortable enough.. (and when I wear a hat outside and wear these over them, the clamping is even lesser) I'd say the clamping is on par with the M50's that I used to have. Thankfully I have small ears as noted on the link above, so the pads DO go around my entire ear... albeit it is very, very crammed in there (so this may likely be an issue in the summer when it gets hot, etc). The Momentums will likely be semi on-ears for most people I'd think. Pads are a bit stiff out of the box, but remembering the demo units they should get worked in soon enough. Overall, they're much more comfortable than the HD25's for me. I wore these for hours at a time last night without much issues.

The packaging is very nice, and they include a carrying case, an extra cable and a 1/4 plug adapter. It's a good thing that they include a remoteless cable, though... as I feel that the remote control on the default cable of the Momentums are unnecessarily too big and heavy. I realize they used metal there for durability reasons, but IMO it weighs the cable down noticeably, enough to be of a nuisance at times. And I'm not sure if it is just my cable, but the remote control on my Momentum doesn't seem to work particularly well... I'd press the center button twice to skip forward but lots of times, it would merely pause the music... The included case, while solid, will likely never see much practical use for most people IMO... it's way too big to carry around in a briefcase or a laptop bag and such.

Design wise these are a real winner.  Pictures says it all really... Much, much better looking than the HD25's which are frankly, well... ugly... and WILL get you curious looks when you wear it out. I usually use portable headphones when I'm out and about at work and the Momentums without a doubt look much classier in a business suit or more formal outfits. The HD25's.. clearly look out of place in such situations (though I've always worn it out and about anyway... can't say I'm all that fashion conscious ).

Sound wise... compared to my incumbent HD25-1 II's... it's definitely a different sound. I'm hesitant to say that one is outright better than the other here... I think each of them just goes about the sound in a different way at the same level of overall quality. I've noticed following differences between the two:

- The Momentums have a recessed lower treble/upper midrange to my ears, IMO just a little bit too much... to make things sound too "blunt" or "boring" on certain tracks. IMO the HD25's are much more of an exciting and fun sounding headphone, as they're opposite of the Momentums and have a boosted lower treble/upper midrange instead. Then again, this both comes with a benefit and a tradeoff... Momentums for example will almost NEVER become sibilant but HD25's definitely do have the tendency to become so on many tracks.  So here it really depends on what you are looking for... a more forward, and exciting approach to music (in which case HD25's would be better) or a laid back one (the Momentums).

- HD25's also have bit more of a tighter bass, but have a recessed lower bass (likely because they're on ears). Momentum's bass is a tad too loose in the midbass region I feel, but it also extends lower than the HD25's. This is also part of what contributes to the "blunt" sound I mentioned earlier sometimes as well. 

- HD25's extend higher in the high frequencies and is more elevated in this region overall, but this also makes them a bit harsh on some tracks. Highs on the Momentums exist but are shelved back... so this would really come down to how tolerant one is to high frequencies.

- The Momentums IMO are much smoother and cleaner throughout the entire range, which HD25 definitely do have some grainy sound to them. In terms of detail retrieval both seem about the same, though HD25's elevated treble may give you an illusion of those being more detailed. Momentums seems to have better instrument separation to me, while on HD25 things sound a little too mushed together.

- The Momentums are much more open sounding in the soundstage department. HD25's are nearly IEM-like in how intimately sounding they are. 

So to sum it up,

Momentums: Relaxed, open, laid back, but at times a bit 'blunt' in overall presentation.

HD25's: Forward, intimate, energetic, but sometimes a bit too aggressive and closed in. 

Overall, it's hard for me to say right now on which of the two headphones will survive in my collection... while I love many aspects of the Momentums (comfort, design, smooth, laid back sound), HD25's also sound great in its own way (forward, energetic, fun sound) as well, and also feel that HD25's are tad more portable friendly (it has more of that 'toss in the bag and forget about it cuz it's so damn tough and rugged' feel to them, and is smaller overall). To be honest, purely on the sound quality aspect alone, what I'm hearing is more of a $150~$300 range sound, similar to the HD25's level (I paid $400+tax CDN retail for the Momentums here)... but they do have other advantages such as design, comfort and extras which have to be considered. So I'll just have to do more listening over the next week or so and decide...

From what I've noticed, the isolation both in and out is about the same as the HD25's. Quite impressive IMO.

Good impressions, K_19. The momentum is definitely a dark headphone and the difference between it and the HD 25 (and Amperior) is pretty stark. 

I really like the bass on the Momentum but there are times I'd like it to have just a leeeelte bit more energy from 1 kHz to 4 kHz. just a few dB. It's probably something I add with some software EQ, to be honest.