I know these two headphones have been compared a lot, but I need help deciding which one to get. I listen to mainly R&B, Rock, and some Hip Hop/Pop. I can get the Sony's for about $100 less than the Sennheisers, so are the Sennheisers worth the extra $100? I wish I had some where to compare these, but no one around here carries either one and I can't afford to buy both sets to compare. I want something somewhat portable and these two seem to be the best options. I do have a Fiio E-11 and an E-10. My sources are a Dell laptop and my Iphone5. Thanks!!

Heya!
 
Tough choice here to me...tried both ans I find them great in very different ways. Momentums are better for hip hop and not sure about rocks. The Sony are great for pop and RnB. Sony in comparison, are a little slow in attack. Best if you could demo both of them. I have fitting & comfort issue with Momentums due to my a lil oversized ears
 
hope this help!
Billson  

  I can't say much about the Sony's (other than that I HAVE heard good things about them), but I have the Momentums, and am driving them with and IPod Touch 5th gen. I sometimes use a Fiio E17 DAC/Amp with my Asus Gaming laptop. I have found an app on ITunes called Equalizer (2.99) that I can just eq them to whatever flavor I like.These headphones are pretty neutral except in the mid bass department (which are just north of neutral), so they are really easy to eq out. After setting up some really good curves (for different types of music), I find them to be excellent (of course that is only my opinion I suppose). But they really do sound great un-eq'ed AND un-amped.
 
  They are at 18 ohms impedance, and (I think) are 108 Db/mW sensitivity, and 110 SPL, so they are extremely easy to drive straight from the IPhone jack (only requires about 2.5 mW "ish").. Hope this helps at least some for you.

I prefer the sonics of Momentum over the Sony. The Senns certainly use better materials and have better build quality. Your best bet of course is to try them both out for yourself and make an informed decision.

I've tried both and I would go with the MDR-1R because of the price and the comfort is just so much better than the Momentum.
 
In terms of sound, the Momentum seemed a lot more neutral to me and the MDR-1R seemed more mid-centric with a warm bass (slightly boosted over the Momentum).
 
However, the more on-ear design of the Momentum was not comfortable for longer listening sessions for me, so that was a deal-breaker.
 
they both sound good, so you can't really go wrong with either.

I owned both and let Momentum go.
In two words:
MDR-1R sounds more euphonic with lush, warm, emphasized midrange, very relaxing and non fatiguing, great for long time listening, soundstage is also quite bigger than on Momentum, in fact surprisingly big for phones that small.
Momentum are on ears versus full over ears Sonys, so comfort also goes to Sony big time.

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andrew_wot said:

I owned both and let Momentum go.
In two words:
MDR-1R sounds more euphonic with lush, warm, emphasized midrange, very relaxing and non fatiguing, great for long time listening, soundstage is also quite bigger than on Momentum, in fact surprisingly big for phones that small.
Momentum are on ears versus full over ears Sonys, so comfort also goes to Sony big time.

Click to expand...

 
+1 every bit of this.

Hey man, 
 
the only bit of advice i can give you is too test them out in store, but unfortunately not everyone has that opportunity to do that depending on where they live. 
 
I own the 1R's and i can say that there the most comfortable headphones iv'e ever used, period. unfortunately iv'e received 2 replacement pairs with scuff marks on the ear cups right out of the box and one of them had the rattle issue and im soon on my 3rd pair. 
 
Iv'e actually asked a local store where i live to order a pair of momentums so that i can listen to both of them and compare them to the 1R's and make a final decision, becasue like yourself iv'e had a hard time deciding between them both. 

Thanks!!

Sonically, there is no comparison. The Momentum is flatter and more neutral with better clarity and resolution. Bass on the Momentum is tighter and better extended. (You'll appreciate the better bass on the Momentum for the genres you listen to). Everything just sounds a little more refined with the Senns. The 1R may have a more open soundstage but that's about it. 

In terms of build, both look nice but the Momentum feels more premium and durable. The 1R just feels a little plasticy in comparison. However, the 1R has the ergonomic advantage because comfort wise, the 1R just kills it. The Momentum is comfy enough for me, but the earcups are fairly small (for larger ears, the earcups won't cover the entire ear) and can get annoying on the ears after hours of listening. The 1R is just ultra-comfy, very lightweight on the head and the pressure is very very light, yet the headphones sit securely. 

Sound matters most, but considering the lower price tag of the 1R I'd say it's a draw overall. 

Quote:

lan647 said:

Sonically, there is no comparison. The Momentum is flatter and more neutral with better clarity and resolution. Bass on the Momentum is tighter and better extended.

Click to expand...

 

I prefer MDR-1R.  More cable choices.

Quote:

lan647 said:

. The Momentum is flatter and more neutral with better clarity and resolution. Bass on the Momentum is tighter and better extended

Click to expand...

Agreed.
But only if your ears fit comfortably inside the earpads. 
You should measure your ears. If they're no taller than 65mm, and they don't stick out much, you should find Momentums to be supremely comfortable and have the better overall sound.
Unless you've got small ears you'll never be able to hear the Momentums the way they're meant to be heard. 
 
Despite Momentums being a little darker than MDR-1R, I find their speed more than compensates for Metal/Rock. 

Quote:

greq said:

Agreed.
But only if your ears fit comfortably inside the earpads. 
You should measure your ears. If they're no taller than 65mm, and they don't stick out much, you should find Momentums to be supremely comfortable and have the better overall sound.
Unless you've got small ears you'll never be able to hear the Momentums the way they're meant to be heard. 
 
Despite Momentums being a little darker than MDR-1R, I find their speed more than compensates for Metal/Rock. 

Click to expand...

 
I guess I'm a lucky man then, because my ears are pretty much exactly 65 mm tall and don't stick out much. I don't find them supremely comfortable, they do press tight on the upper part of my ears after extended use, but sound wise they are pleasing and no doubt in a different calibre compared to the 1R. I realized that after just a few seconds of listening to the 1R. 
 
Sucks about the size issue with the Momentum, more people should experience how great they truly are. I have yet to hear a better headphone for portable applications. K550, 1R, Spirit One, HD25, Amperior, P5, M50 and even ED8 fall short of the magic of the Momentum in my opinion. 

I have both cans and they are great cans. you can't go wrong with any of those. 
 
Sound:
overall, I can say momentum has better sound. Bass is firm and tight, high is more crisp and mid is silk smooth. The balance is fantastic and the resolution is amazing. It has audiophile quality sound. 
mdr 1r is almost good as momentum, but it sounds bit veiled compared to momentum. bass is slightly loose and high is little recessed. but mid is quite good and rich, and soundstage is surprisingly good. (better than momentum)
 
comfort:
I think mdr 1r is the most comfortable portable headphone. period.
 
design:
mdr 1r is very good looking design, but momentum is really really beautiful, elegant and unique design that stands out among headphones. 
 
Build quality:
even though mdr 1r is mostly plastic (housing is metal, aluminum), bq is very good. 
momentum is top notch, stainless frame, hight quality leather ear cups and headband, very unique adjustable angled connector..
 
overall:
momentum is superior in lots of way to mdr 1r, but I am listening mdr 1r more and more. momentum has definitely better sounding headphone but mdr 1r is more appealing to me. it has warm, rich sound with good soundstage and less fatigue sound signature, and very comfortable so you can wear it for a long time. well, i love both cans, but I would go for mdr 1r if I have to choose one.