[Tyll Hertsens]

 
I'm quite surprised since I thought Tyll always liked the neutral sound.
 

 
Problem is, neutral sound is very hard to come by with sealed on-ear cans. And while I have my personal preferences, I can certainly appreciate the tastes of others and, hopefully, be able to calibrate that into my review. I think the MOE is close enough to neutral to warrant reviewing it with the caution that they are a somewhat "V" shaped response headphone.

 

[kookoo]

   
Problem is, neutral sound is very hard to come by with sealed on-ear cans. And while I have my personal preferences, I can certainly appreciate the tastes of others and, hopefully, be able to calibrate that into my review. I think the MOE is close enough to neutral to warrant reviewing it with the caution that they are a somewhat "V" shaped response headphone.

Really though?
I've always respected your views on headphones Tyll but I'm very surprised you called the MOE neutral.
I thought the original momentums would be closer to neutral than on ears version. also given the fact that MOE does have somewhat more bass than the original as well... I think it squarely leans to v shaped than trying to call them neutral

 

[ellis ip]

Why moe need tune more v shape because it is not sealed and isolation is very bad , it was kind of in neutral zone but not as neutral as momentum and others hp like akg k142, sony 7506....

 

[scrypt]

Yesterday, I was riding home on the train in a state of refined exhaustion when a blonde in her 20s sat down across from me wearing a pair of blue Momentum On-Ears.  Never before have I seen fashion-intended headphones look that appropriate (i.e., good). 
 
What set the Momentums apart was that they merged with everything the woman was wearing and the attitude she projected, which was one of focused self-assurance.  They looked less like a hood ornament with earcups and more like headphones designed to serve a serious purpose while looking efficient and stylish.
 
After years of being assaulted by pair upon worthless pair of Urbanears in swimming-pool-ready colors, it was nice to see a young lady come off like a music professional who knew how to dress, not a fashion casualty who wanted to be noticed wearing headphones.  It was the difference between seeing a person who listened to music seriously and someone trying to show us they did.
 
I wish I were a fan of the MOE's sound because she was an exceptional commercial for its aesthetic.

 

[vai-777]

Ok, picked these up just last week. Now let me say I own the HD600 and the HD800... also the MX985 for portable devices. I was looking at these are a replacement for the MX985 (not that those aren't great but wanted something with a little fuller sound).
 
Also note that I am NOT a bass head, in fact I like a little extra treble if anything.
 
So I unpack these things (and after admiring the looks and solid construction)... I plug them into my computer running Foobar and....
 
My first impression was What... is Sennheiser serious? CRAZY BASS... RIDICULOUS AMOUNTS OF CRAZY BASS. There was NO CHANCE IN HELL that I could listen to these as is, no way no how. Don't get me wrong here, they aren't at the level of Beats or Bose as far as stupid bass is concerned, but this was, coming from Sennheiser a real surprise, a shock even.
 
So... I listened and listened and realized everything about this headphone was great except for the booming bass. I loved the mids, the treble was fantastic but the bass really took away from the overall sound... seriously.
 
I decided to see what I could do to resolve this. I wasn't going to physically mod these things so I figured lets see if an EQ works here. I downloaded the graphic EQ for Foobar. After much fiddling I managed to dial out the boomy bass and still keep the rest of the sound signature pretty much intact.
 
Now while I'm not a fan of running an EQ I must say these things are GREAT when the bass is dialed down a notch or two...and in my case several notches. Now if they could just make a pair exactly like this with the bass dialed way down I'd say they would be the perfect portable headphone, and while the bass issue annoys me (as if you haven't figured that out already) I haven't found anything close to these as far as a portable set is concerned, no matter how much EQ I used on other offerings.

 

[Tyll Hertsens]

  Really though?
I've always respected your views on headphones Tyll but I'm very surprised you called the MOE neutral.
 
 

 
Can you show me where I said they were neutral?

 

[kookoo]

   
Problem is, neutral sound is very hard to come by with sealed on-ear cans. And while I have my personal preferences, I can certainly appreciate the tastes of others and, hopefully, be able to calibrate that into my review. I think the MOE is close enough to neutral to warrant reviewing it with the caution that they are a somewhat "V" shaped response headphone.

I think I may have misunderstood here but in your last sentence here, you said close enough to neutral but at the same time somewhat v shaped.
I thought they were quite v shaped, pointing out that the original momentums would be something that is much closer to neutral.
 
If I have misunderstood, I do apologise

 

[deltasun]

Tyll, great and very articulate review as always.  Please spare a few words in comparing this MOE version to the over ear Momentums.  SQ-wise, how much do they differ and in what specific areas do you prefer one over the other?  Does the MOE excel in any areas at all?  Thanks!

 

[Zojokkeli]

Can anyone tell how the over-ear Momentums compare to on-ears? The on-ears sound great, but the bass can be too much at times and ruin certain type of music. Are over-ears worth the extra cost?

 

[Snoopy Ears]

Anyone know if they sell the case separately?  Could use one for my Amerperior 

 

[bala]

Yeah, the case would suit the amperior very well; the new HD 25 Aluminium ships with the case! On a related note, I prefer the Amperior over the MOE

 

[nallyvaico]

I purchased my MOE 2 days ago. Out of the box it sounded rather rough with a clear accent on the bass. I then auditioned it at home and was immediately disappointed - as my benchmark was Grado SR60, the MOE didn't provide enough transparency and imaging the Grado did. I then decided to give it a break. Literally: my Grado had needed at least 80 hours of break-in, before it fully revealed itself, and it was a turnaround that almost blew me away.

I was about to hook it up to a vintage tuner, when it became clear that the 4-contact plug with phone control I was using didn't provide for a proper stereo separation - it came out mono! I had been messing all this time with the wire that had phone talk control, I didn't even bother to unwrap the other 3-contact wire. Now I did, and connected it to my Note 3 to audition. Wow! That was a surprise - it did sound different! There was some sort of air that seemed to be missing with the other cable.

Now after 20 hours of break-in I decided to try it again - it made a difference already! The sound became clearer and involving to the point that I wanted to keep on listening. Now I know I won't return the headphones. After at least 75 hours of break-in I'll get to them. A bit at a loss what to do with the wire with phone control - it needs breaking in, too... At least

 

[keepitsimple]

Can anyone tell how the over-ear Momentums compare to on-ears? The on-ears sound great, but the bass can be too much at times and ruin certain type of music. Are over-ears worth the extra cost?

I managed to give both a quick in store audition.I didnt like the on ears but thought  the over ears were very good.You need to check them but you may find the bass too prominent.

 

[Zojokkeli]

I managed to give both a quick in store audition.I didnt like the on ears but thought  the over ears were very good.You need to check them but you may find the bass too prominent.

Actually I just sold the MOEs to my sister and bought the over-ear Momentums as I saw them on sale. I'll probably receive them during next week and I'm seriously looking forward to test them out.

 

[nallyvaico]

I'm not sure what you all guys mean by too much bass.
After a proper break-in like 100+ hours it disappears, and the sound becomes very smooth and pleasant. I did observe the boomy bass at first myself, and sometimes had to EQ it to levels well below the 0 point