[sfgiants2010]

Are you still doing the comparison?

 

[BruinAnteater]

Yes yes, absolutely. unfortunately life got in the way this week. I have a new puppy thats requiring much more attention than anticipated, I had a few major exams, then I went to a death metal concert on Weds, and my hearing was shot for the entirity of yesterday. Today my pup got fixed, whicb woulda been the perfect time to do the compo, except Ive been without power the entire day (I am on my cell as I post this). The compo WILL come...my apologies to all!!!!

 

[donunus]

The hd650 comparison would be a good read. Is this still happening?

 

[donunus]

I guess not

 

[BruinAnteater]

I am gonna type it up right now. Sorry for the delay, life just got in the way for the last few weeks and I didnt have a chance to sit down and type this up. Its a 13 song comparison I think (I actually did the comparison a few weeks ago, but never got the time to type it up, its still sitting in my notebook, hand written). I am going to type it up right now!

 

[BruinAnteater]

Ok, so here it is: Sennheiser Momentum vs Sennheiser HD650. First, some background on this comparison.

Equipment used:
Oppo BDP-105: both headphones were fed directly by the Oppo's wonderful built in headphone amp. The headphone amp has enough power to drive 300ohm Impedence cans like the HD650, although the cans do operate at the limit of what the amp can do: a volume setting of 100/100 was normally used when listening to the HD650s throughout the test, however a volume level of 90-91/100 was used for the Momentums. At these levels, both headphones were reading 83-84db on my basic dbmeter phone app.

Media used: I mostly stuck with good source material like SACDs, DVDAs, DualDiscs, recent remastered CDs, and even some HDTracks material burned as a DVDA. Here is a list of the songs/media that is being used to evaluate:

01. "Call It A Stormy Monday" - In Session SACD - Albert King & Stevie Ray Vaughn
02. "Heaven and Hell" - Heaven and Hell SACD - Black Sabbath
03. "Jumping Jack Flash" - Hot Rocks SACD - Rolling Stones
04. "Time" - Dark Side Of The Moon SACD - Pink Floyd
05. "Let Me Ride" - The Chronic DualDisc - Dr. Dre
06. "Hail Mary" - Makavelli: The Don Killuminati DualDisc - Tupac
07. "El Cuarto De Tula" - Buena Vista Social Club DVDA - Buena Vista Social Club
08. "Song Of The Wind" - Caravanserai SACD - Santana
09. "Don't Know Why" - Come Away With Me SACD - Norah Jones
10. "So What" - Kind Of Blue SACD - Miles Davis
11. "Free For All" - Free For All 96K-24-Bit HDTracks Download Burned To DVDA - Art Blakey
12. "Symphony Of Destruction" - Countdown To Extinction MoFi 24K Gold CD - Megadeth
13. "Smack My Bitch Up" - The Fat Of The Land CD - Prodigy
14. "The Rover" - Physical Graffiti Mini-LP Japanese Box Set Remasters - Led Zeppelin
15. "Good Times Bad Time" - Led Zeppelin I Mini-LP Japanese Box Set Remasters - Led Zeppelin
16. "Fool In The Rain" - In Through the Outdoor Mini-LP Japanese Box Set Remasters - Led Zeppelin
17. "Lemon Song" - Led Zeppelin II Mini-LP Japanese Box Set Remasters - Led Zeppelin

I would like to test out a few more Electronic tracks later on today, but for now, these are the song I used in the compo.

 

[BruinAnteater]

"Call It A Stormy Monday" - Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughn - In Session - Stax SACD (2003)

Momentum - First thing I noticed was how quickly the Momentum changes in sound, meaning that changes in the music come abruptly rather than smoothly. There is excellent separation with the instruments and voice, with the guitars having a real nice bite to them with good detail. The bass guitar driving the beat is very prevalent but there is a loss of detail to it: it has deep presence, but kinda muffled. The extreme highs are a bit jarring, and not smooth. Albert's voice sounds clean and clear but also distant, like his singing is relegated to the background and the instruments are upfront.
Overall: Great presentation, but wished the highs were handled more nicely.

HD650 - Right off the bat, Albert's voice is back to the front, sharing the presence with the guitars, bass and drums. There is a lot more detail to be had with the HD650s: here we have a cleaner presentation, with no bass hanging over you. For example, the bass guitar still hits nicely, but it has much more detail. The guitars have great bite to them, and the music as a whole sounds much more coherent. The highs are handled smoothly without loosing their impact. The sound stage is nice and wide.
Overall: Impressive first round has to go to the HD650. It did everything better than the Momentum.

Score:
HD650 -1
Momentum - 0

"Heaven And Hell" - Black Sabbath - Heaven And Hell - Sanctuary Japanese SACD (2012)

HD650 - The soundstage is very wide. The driving bassline of the song is very well defined but lacking a little bit of impact; Tony Iommi's guitar is very crunchy. The first bridge of the song sounds extremely doomy and gloomy, a great epic presentation of this song. During the acoustic mini-bridge, I hear tremendous detail in the acoustic guitar. When the song picks up again, and the sound gets busy, Dio's vocals being to get a little lost in the shuffle.
Overall: Great presentation, but a little more impact from the bass would not hurt here, but that impression could be due to the volume of the previous song.

Momentum - A much fatter sound is immediately apparent. Dio's voice is more upfront here, and the bassline is very chunky and prominent, but a bit muffled and lacking a bit of the detail presented by the 650; the bass tends to bleed into the low mids, The guitars sound crunchier, giving them a much more impactful sound, despite loosing a bit of detail. The soundstage is more narrow than on the 650, giving a more intimate presentation (which is not necessarily a good thing: this is an epic song so I would prefer a wide and expansive presentation). The dynamic range of the Momentum is exposed here: the highs loose a lot of detail compared to the HD650s
Overall: Great Bass, but loss of detail and boominess doesn't do the SACD justice: there is too much distortion

Score:
HD650 - 2
Momentum - 0

"Jumping Jack Flash" - Rolling Stones - Hot Rocks - ABKCO SACD (2002)

Momentum - The intro riff sounds a little lazy and the first verse sounds a bit veiled. However, when that bass line hits, it hits nice and fat; the bass guitar is upfront and is totally driving the song. The soundstage is narrow, but Mick's voice is upfront. Here although the bass line has great oomph, it never bleeds into the mids, this is how the bass should be! The seperation is very prominent but sounds natural.
Overall: A nice tight presentation, with the bass hitting as it should: with great impact but keeping its place in the lows and not intruding into the mids. A fun sound, but I couldn't help but feel like something was missing.

HD650 - No laziness in the opening riff here, the sound is much brighter and has a raw garage band kind of sound with fits this song so well. Mick's voice is more in the background in comparison to the Momentum. That bassline does lack a bit of the impact of the Momentum, but that's not a minus here, it makes it sound natural, as if that bass guitar amp is next to me. Overall, the music is clean, clear and properly seperated: this is one of those times when you really feel like you are there live. The sound is much more energetic and involving. No distortion, these headphones are doing the SACD justice! Wow!
Overall: No weakness here. Absolutely perfect presentation!

Score:
HD650 - 3
Momentum - 0

"Time" - Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon - Capital SACD (2003)

HD650 - The impact of the clocks going off is a little bit of a letdown. Opening bass guitar riff has a very nice tight sound. The sound is nice and ominous, with the imaging of the instruments and sound effects being excellent. The soundstage is of medium width, which is perfect for this song. When the vocals finally hit, they are a bit of a let down as they lack some impact. That guitar solo, my oh my, talk about SEARING. There is so much detail here, the highest of the high on the solo are handled so well, they are so high nut they don't pierce! You can hear the vibration of the the guitar strings so well! The separation between the guitar tracks is obvious and welcomed. The sng has so much presence here.
Overall: Wow!!!! That guitar solo absolutely destroyed all! Wonderful presentation!

Momentum - The clocks sound much more prevalent and have more impact here. Nice impact on opening bass riff, with no bleed apparent, but there is a bit of lack of detail and a little distortion in highs. Very nice impact when the vocals kick in. David Gilmour sounds upfront here (he sounded kind of in the middle with the 650s). The guitar solo sounds great, but the overall sound is a little hampered by bass that hand over the presentation a bit. The strings of the guitar still sound nice and 'vibrant', but doesn't reach the HD650s level of detail.
Overall: Great presentation by the Momentum, probably the second best showing by the Momentum behind its "Stormy Monday" performance. It looses only because the HD650 was better, not because the Momentum was bad.

Score:
HD650 - 4
Momentum - 0

 

[BruinAnteater]

"Let Me Ride" - Dr. Dre - The Chronic - Death Row DualDisc (2002)

Momentum - LOUD! Great bass impact, but the treble is a little piercing. The beat is very prevalent, and drives the song. Dr Dre's vocals have great echo. The bass is very fun, and the impact really works to the song's advantage and the sound is actually quite detailed.
Overall: Great presentation, with the bass power of the Momentum truly shining: the bass hits nice and hard and the detail is preserved!

HD650 - LOUD! The lack of bass is immediately noticed and missed. The HD650 is giving me a cleaner presentation,when Snoop says "Rollin in my 6 4", it has much more detail. As the song progresses the lack of bass becomes less of an issue.
Overall: The song flows a bit more coherently with less distortion. However, the lack of bass really impacts the 'fun' of this song. The HD650 loses its first contest.

Score:
HD650 - 4
Momentum - 1

"Hail Mary" - 2Pac - Makaveli: The Don Killuminati - Death Row DualDisc (2005)

HD650 - Nice bass sound here, its clean, clear, impactfull and prevalent. Tupac's voice is crisp and clear; the layering is absolutely phenomenal here! The soundstage is nice, tight and intimate, which fits the song perfectly: this is a cerebral hip hop song, not a party anthem. That intimate soundstage makes the song sound very ominous, makes the song sound crazier, like Tupac is loosing his mind. Very little distortion here, the presentation is just so damn nice. Its so hard to get over how beautifully the layered vocals are presented. It just adds so much to the feel of this song.
Overall: Awesome job by the HD650. This isn't party rap or "g-funk" rap, this cerebral rap, its "prog" rap and the HD650 is the perfect can to listen to this.

Momentum - Bass is immediately more prominent but its bleeding and distorting everything around it. The emphasis on bass does not work here at all! There is so much bleeding here that the bass is actually causing the layered vocals to shake, completely detracting from quality. The bass is no fun. The contest is stopped early, because this was such a horrible presentation.
Overall: This was so bad, I had to stop the song early. 'Nuff said!

Score:
HD650 - 5
Momentum - 1

"El Cuarto De Tula" - Buena Vista Social Club - Buena Vista Social Club - World Circuit Records DVDA (2000)

Momentum - Nice clarity to start the song, although the bass does bleed a little bit. There seems to be a lack of energy here, with the vocal sounding a bit lazy. The trumpets sound a bit weak and distant, like they were an afterthought. Ferrer’s vocals are lacking, and play second fiddle to the music, that is already lacking energy. The percussion in the rhythm section does have descent separation.
Overall: Somewhat of a disappointment. The lack of energy could be due the fact that I just got done listening to more energetic rap song, and the hearing has not gotten acclimated just yet.

HD650 - Wow! Very nice detail! Finally, the wonderful vocals of the BVSC are coming through nicely! The trumpets still sound distant, but very distinct; there is great detail in the music. There is wonderful imaging going on here: you can easily imagine the placement of the instruments in the studio! Ibrahim Ferrer’s vocals are front and center here! There is equal emphasis placed on vocal and music, excellent! There is a wonderful liveliness to the track, a great atmosphere is created!
Overall: Excellent presentation! The HD650 excels with the detail, ambience, imaging and soundstage of the track!

Score:
HD650 - 6
Momentum - 1

"Song Of The Wind" - Santana - Caravanserai - Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs SACD (2011)

HD650 - Nice wide soundstage is immediate! The guitars are crystal clear and very detailed; the bass guitar is very smooth. The vibrations of the guitar strings are clearly heard and felt! The bass guitar presentation is wonderful, it beautifully guide’s Santana’s guitar work, never overshadowing Santana, but never allowing itself to be ignored; just gorgeous! Volume is lacking a bit, but this has always been one of my quieter albums.
Overall: The presentation is simply beautiful; it’s so easy to get lost in the rhythm and guitar work. Truly a great SACD, presented faithfully!

Momentum - Soundstage is a little more narrow. The bass guitar had nice impact, is beefier and is more upfront; there is the tiniest amount of bass bleed into the guitar section, but does not deter from the overall presentation. Though the overall sound is not as clear and detailed as the HD650, the bass impact adds a lot to the sound: whatever tiny lack in detail and clarity the Momentum gives up to the HD650, the bass makes up for it.
Overall: This is a nice and warm presentation. A wonderful showing for the Momentum, probably its best showing yet. There is no clear winner here: The HD650 really extracts all this song has to offer on SACD, but the Momentum adds a nice warm to the presentation.

Score:
HD650 - 6
Momentum - 1
Tie - 1

 

[BruinAnteater]

"Don’t Know Why" – Norah Jones - Come Away With Me – Blue Note SACD (2003)

Momentum - The bass bleeds a bit here, but Norah’s voice is unaffected by it; Norah’s voice has nice subtle echoes to it. The song has a relaxed presentation, but the blending of different tracks and channels is less than subtle. When Norah hits the highs, they are a bit piercing. The piano lacks some detail.
Overall: Nice, relaxed presentation, but lacks some of the flair of what an SACD can really do. There really isn’t anything wrong with the presentation, there are very few flaws, it just left me wanting a little more out of it.

HD650 - No bass bleed here. Norah’s voice is more upfront and much more in control of the song, the echoes really give the feeling of being in the studio with her. The blending of the tracks is much more subtle giving the song a much more coherent, live in my living room type of feel. The highs hit higher, but are not piercing. The piano solo sounds much more organic, more ‘live.’
Overall: Perfect presentation! With the emphasis placed on Norah’s vocals, the song sounds more refined.

Score:
HD650 - 7
Momentum - 1
Tie - 1

"So What" – Miles Davis – Kind Of Blue – Sony Music Japan SACD (2007)

HD650 - Right off the bat, you can hear the strings being plucked on that upright bass. Imaging is great: you can easily place the musicians in space, and the soundstage is wide. The cymbals are raining down sound, the sound is engulfing: like being wrapped in a blanket by the music! Mile Davis’ trumpet is never lost is the music, always taking precedence without completely dominating the sound. There is a great echo to the sound of Coltrane and Cannonball’s saxes, and the piano provides a nice background for everyone to solo over. When the piano itself solos, it sounds warm and soothing and the bass is always present, tight and clean throughout the entire song.
Overall: Wonderful presentation of an epic song! Truly great showing by the HD650

Momentum - The lowest of bass notes from the intro have a bit of trouble getting distinguished: even though the bass has more impact, its slight muddiness causes those low notes to mash together, causing the performance to sound less live. Up to now, this is the widest soundstage produced by the Momentum. There is some distortion from the bass when the song revs up to full speed. Mile’s trumpet work is presented front and center; this is a nice touch. The cymbals still add a nice atmosphere to the song, although the overall sound is less engulfing. The other instruments have ore presence, the imaging is very forward. The highs are a little piercing.
Overall: Definitely a much more up front and in your face presentation, which is very different from what I am used to hearing, but it is welcomed. Ultimate, the Momentum doesn’t quite extract the same level of experience the HD650 can.

Score:
HD650 - 8
Momentum - 1
Tie - 1
"Free For All" –Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers – Free For All – HDTracks 96K/24-Bit WAV Burned to DVDA (2012)

Momentum - There is a touch of resonance from the bass. The sound is not clean, but that’s OK, because this is a gritty, dirty, muscular type of jazz! Wayne Shorter’s sax is unnaturally separated from the rest of the music. The presentation is energetic and intimate due to the narrow soundstage. The trumpets are nicely separated and nicely imaged. The frantic drumming of Art is lost in the frantic sax of Wayne. When Art solo’s, the speed of his drumming seems to be quicker than what the Momentum can handle and some resolution is lost.
Overall: Nice and energetic, if less detailed presentation.

HD650 - There is no bass bleed here. The piano sounds wonderful, with the trumpets have nice balance and are very detailed. The separation of Wayne’s sax is not as extreme here: while the sax sound does lie mostly in the right side, there’s enough of it imaged in the middle to make the sax sound naturally entrenched in the rest of the sound. The trumpets don’t hit you like a hammer upfront, instead the chime in beautifully. The HD650 has no problems keeping up with Art’s drumming and is able to fully resolve the drums from Wayne’s Sax: both instruments wail away at an insane pace, but each can be heard fully! The piano is very well detailed.
Overall: Just a great job by the HD650. Every instrument can be heard well, yet the overall sound is cohesive: very ‘live/in the studio’ sound. Very natural! Awesome!

Score:
HD650 - 9
Momentum - 1
Tie - 1

"Symphony Of Destruction" – Megadeth – Countdown To Extinction – Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs 24tK Gold CD (2006)

HD650 - Super crunchy guitars. Mustain’s vocals have lots of echo and sound very ominous. The overall sound is very electric, very metallic. There is no obvious bass thump, yet the bass does not feel like its lacking. Vocals sound absolutely fantastic and are imaged properly. The guitar solo is crisp, electric, metallic detailed, with the backing rhythm still present and not lost.
Overall: Great presentation with a little bit of distortion. This presentation highlights what is possible with a CD, the mastering is masterful and the HD650 takes full advantage of it!

Momentum - Wow! What a nice bass kick! Mustain’s voice still sounds ominous but is imaged a bit further back. The guitar sounds thicker, adding some nice substance to the crunchiness. Everything here has more weight: the guitars, the bass, even the singing, everything hits harder! There is a bit more distortion when the song is firing on all cylinders, but this distortion does not take away from the sound of the song and may actually add to the sound! The guitar solo has everything that the HD650 presentation had, but with much more impact, much more weight!
Overall: WOW! The detail/definition achieved by the HD650 is not matched by the Momentum, but it doesn’t matter at all! There is nothing wrong with this presentation, and there are so many things right. The extra bass is so very welcomed here, and whatever distortion is added by the extra bass only adds to the experience of this song! Momentum wins its second contest!

Score:
HD650 - 9
Momentum - 2
Tie - 1

 

[BruinAnteater]

"Smack My Bitch Up" – Prodigy – The Fat of the Land – Maverick Records CD (1997)

Momentum - The opening riff is nice and fatty, This song hits hard when the bass kicks in, the cymbals are a bit piercing though. The soundstage is a bit narrow, and this hurts the presentation of the song: it’s a song that should take you to another place, but the narrowness of the soundstage hurts that a bit. The soundstage narrowness is tempered a bit by the nice and authoritative impact of the bass, adding presence to the song. There is a little bit of distortion when the chick starts to ‘sing.’ Surprisingly, the bass line is slightly hidden behind the rest of the music.
Overall: The narrow soundstage is the only fault here; otherwise, you gotta LOVE this song with these cans!

HD650 - The presentation by the HD650s is more tech, industrial, surprisingly more ‘lo-fi.’ Highs are a little piercing at times. The soundstage is much wider; you get a great sense of space and ambience! All instruments and effects are very detailed, well separated and imaged to give the song a wide airy feeling. There is no distortion with the girl’s singing, the bass line is more prevalent and had more presence. The effects have a nice sustain to them.
Overall: A much more spacious presentation. Entirely different presentation from the Momentum, but it’s no better or worse, it’s a solid tie!

Score:
HD650 - 9
Momentum - 2
Tie - 2

"The Rover" – Led Zeppelin – Physical Graffiti – Mini-LP Japanese Box Set Remasters (2008)

HD650 - Guitar and drums are very airy, and the bass line is nicely defined, but there is an overall slight thinness to the sound. Plant’s voice sounds distant. The soundstage is wide, with a ton of space. The highs are a little piercing at times. Jimmy’s guitar interlude sounds great, being guided nicely by JPJ’s bass work. The guitar solo/outro absolutely shines and is searing, the backing sound is well defined and sounds great!
Overall: A bit thin, but this album has always been the thinnest sounding album in Zep’s catalog, so it’s accurate, but feels like it could still be more fun.

Momentum - The Momentum automatically added some much needed meat to the song, making the performance sound more ‘live/in the studio’ than the HD650. The narrower soundstage does detract from the ambience of the song. Plant’s vocals are more upfront. There is a slight hint of bass bleed, but it’s not enough to detract from the enjoyment of the song. The changes in tempo don’t carry the same urgency as they do in the HD650, but there is much more substance in the sound.
Overall: More intimate and meatier presentation. The HD650 is the more accurate to the original recording, as we know it, but the Momentum is able to sound more ‘live’ and is much more fun; it just adds that extra oomph this song needed. Momentum wins its third!

Score:
HD650 - 9
Momentum - 3
Tie - 2

"Good Times, Bad Times" – Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin I – Mini-LP Japanese Box Set Remasters (2008)

Momentum - There’s a nice thickness to the sound, but the sound does get distorted when the song gets busy. The impact of JPJ bass is nice, but it’s a bit hidden. The imaging of Plant’s vocals comes off as artificial: the vocals sound like they were recorded somewhere else, at some other time, then just placed there. The guitar solo seems a little lifeless, and the bass mini-solo is a little distorted. The sound lack some detail.
Overall: This is just an OK presentation. Nothing really bad or really good with this presentation, just blah.

HD650 - Nice balance to the sound right off the bat, the detail is more apparent. The different instruments are nicely separated, but work as a cohesive whole; Plant’s vocals do not sound artificially placed, they vocals sound like they were being recorded with everyone else. There is little to no distortion, and there is a boatload of detail. The guitar solo comes alive, and its searing; the bass mini-solo has no distortion. There is so much more energy here and the song is so much more fun.
Overall: This is a great, powerful and fun presentation to a fun song!

Score:
HD650 - 10
Momentum - 3
Tie - 2

"Fool In The Rain" – Led Zeppelin – In Through The Outdoor – Mini-LP Japanese Box Set Remasters (2008)

HD650 - The interplay between the piano, bass, and guitar is awesome! Each instrument can be distinguished, but doesn’t sound distant from the rest: everything is detailed and playing in harmony. Plant’s voice sounds wonderful and his highs are handled so nicely. The bass line could use a little bit more impact. This is just a very nice, bright and happy presentation. Even in the middle break, everything has so much detail; I heard some extra whistle blows that I had not heard before. The guitar solo sounds great and has a nice low sound to it.
Overall: Nice, happy and upbeat presentation of a nice, happy and upbeat song!

Momentum - The bass is immediately more prevalent. The overall ambience of the song is more downbeat, not quite as happy or fun as the HD650 translation. The higher highs and lower lows are held in check nicely: nothing is piercing, boomy or distorted. Plant’s voice is nicely imaged. During the middle break, the details are just not there, with a bit more of a mish mash sound to it. The guitar solo is a little meatier and it’s appreciated, but the bass line bleeds into it a bit.
Overall: Not a bad translation of this song, but it lacks the happy and fun feeling of the HD650.

Score:
HD650 - 11
Momentum - 3
Tie - 2

"The Lemon Song" – Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin II – Mini-LP Japanese Box Set Remasters (2008)

Momentum - Nice crunch to the opening riff. The sound from the cymbals is a bit piercing at the beginning. Plant’s voice seems a bit out of place. There is a nice accentuation of the bass, which is great since the bass guitar on this track absolutely destroys! For whatever reason, the song seems to take on a slower tempo, perhaps an illusion due to the narrow soundstage. The track of the distant guitar seems a bit artificially placed. Now to the first bass ‘solo:’ wow does that ever sound nice, the bass line is accentuated by the Momentum and simply sounds incredible You can feel and hear the amp right next to you. The guitar solo is cool, laid back and slick.
Overall: A solid overall presentation that goes into a different level when the bass guitar takes center stage. Momentum does that solo good!

HD650 - Much wider and expansive presentation, the instruments have a wider environment to play in. There is more detail here, but the sound is also a bit thinner. The sound is great in any case! This presentation is less intimate and sounds much more raw: the wider soundstage accommodates how the guitars and vocals were recorded, giving the placement of tracks sound more natural and not artificially placed there. When the bass solo hits, you can tell there is more detail and everything is more distinct, but a little more bass would not hurt the presentation. During the guitar solo, the bass guitar and Jimmi’s guitar are in perfect harmony: each instrument can be differentiated, each has its own personality and impact, but neither steps on the toes of the other, yet they still work together beautifully!
Overall: Much more detailed, accurate and spacious presentation, A bit more bass would put this presentation into another dimension. We have a tie here!

Score:
HD650 - 11
Momentum - 3
Tie - 3

 

[BruinAnteater]

Some Conclusions:
So what can we gather from this comparo? I set out to answer the following questions:

1) Compared to HD650 quality/price, are the Momentums worth it?
2) Can the Momentums be used as a premium Audiophile grade level headphone for home use, or are they strictly a higher end portable?

To answer 1: The HD650s have an MSRP of $499, but can normally be found for $450, are often on special for as low as $400, and on rare occasions can be had for about $360, I got them for $352. I've even heard that they've popped up for $325, but I've never seen em that low. The Momentums have an MSRP of $350, and I've rarely seen em for less than that (I may have seen em for $325, I paid $350 for the blacks). If we are looking at price alone, given the fact that you'll likely pay $350 for the Momentums, and you could reasonably expect to find HD650 for about $350-$400, I would say HELL NO, they are NOT WORTH IT. How could they be? They are not much cheaper, if at all, than the HD650s, but the HD650 trounces them in sound quality. Sure, the Momentums look sexier, but the don't sound as good as the HD650 and sound quality must trump fashion for an equal amount of money.

However, this is not the end of the story. The HD650s are notoriously hard to drive headphones. On everyday equipment, you wont begin to tap the advantages of the HD650s. If you don't have powerful equipment, you probably will be disappointed with the HD650s. A the bare minimum you would need something like the FiiO E9 or E12 ($90-$120 amps) to get a proper volume out of the HD650s. You will need some descent quality sources to really take advantage of the quality of the sound of the HD650. If you simply plug the HD650 into a DAP with no amp, if you plug it into your HITB receiver, being fed by a low end CD player, if you plug it into your computer speaker's headphone jack, if you plug it into your low end sound card's headphone out, you will be completely be let down by the sound of the HD650. You can't just expect to spend $400 on these cans and be done with it (assuming its your first foray into higher end audio). This is where the Momentum comes in: you can spend $350 on these and be done with it. They will make all your equipment sound better, because they are stupidly easy to drive. If you just want a great pair of headphones and are willing to spend $350, but can't or won't spend more on upgrading your equipment, then yes, these are worth it! Assuming you don't have a headphone amp and/or some descent sources, the HD650 will require at least another $300+ investment to really get them to start singing properly (say $100 for a Fiio E9 or E12 and $200 for a used, high end SACD player, or better sound card, etc).

To answer 2: Can the Momentum's be our only premium Audiophile grade level headphone for home use? Again, this is best answered in context: do I now have or plan to have good audio equipment? How good will that equipment be? How restricted is my headphone budget going to be? etc. Again, if want to spend $350 on headphones, but you don't have good equipment and you don't plan on or can't get better equipment, then yes, these are great headphones to get your foot in the door of audiophile sound.

What if this is not the case though? What if you do have every intention of upgrading your equipment? If you plan on upgrading very slowly, then the Momentums are a good choice. You can enjoy a nice bump in quality with every component you aquire, and since you are upgrading slowly, you don't have to wait a massive amount of time to enjoy you headphones.

Why is the slowness a pre-requisite, though? Because although the Momentums will benefit from nicer amps, and sources, the ceiling is still low compared to the HD650. Using the Oppo BDP-105 (a $1195 piece of equipment) as my source and amp, I can tell you that the Momentum has nothing more to offer for equipment past this point in quality and price. You can spend more money on stuff, but you have pretty much reached the ceiling with how good and how loud the Momentums can be. In fact, I think the Oppo may be more than the Momentum needs: at a volume of 92 or 93/100, the Momentums start to loose a lot of fidelity and feel like they are really getting pushed. The HD650s however sound like they are barely being tickled as far as what they can handle and what they can resolve with the Oppo BDP-105 (I am NOT saying that the 105 can't drive the HD650 or that the Oppo doesn't sound great: it certainly has the power to drive the HD650 to a good level and they sound absolutely great), I strongly feel that if I were to get an amp like the Burson Audio HA-160, or a Little Dot MKIV SE - MKVIII SE and feed it the output of the Oppo, the HD650 would have even more awesomeness to offer.

So if you can or want to buy only one high end can, but expect to gather some very very high end equipment in the future, you might as well get the HD650s. They will grow with you. If however you fully expect to buy more than one set of headphones, and you expect to upgrade your equipment at slow to normal rate, then buying the Momentums now would make sense, since you can enjoy great sound now, and simply make the HD650 the next headphone on the list once you have the proper equipment for it.

I love both sets of headphones (well I love all three, including the PX360), they all serve their purpose well. If I could only spend $200 on head equipment, it would be on a pair of PX360s and a inexpensive headphone amp. As a high end portable, the Momentum is a great headphone. As a high end Audiophile grade home headphone, the HD650 is so hard to beat. Now that I have these headphones as a base, I can consider other headphones for the sake of experimenting with different flavors of sound, but these headphones would still be my base if I had to do it all over again!

 

[donunus]

Very nice review there. Thanks for that

 

[BruinAnteater]

Very nice review there. Thanks for that

No prob, felt so bad about lagging on this. Glad its finally out!

 

[BruinAnteater]

I have copy and pasted the entire review (PX360 v Momentum and HD650 v Momentum) on the opening post for easier access (though it makes for a ridiculously long read).

 

[Snoopy Ears]

Awesome well written comparison and analysis!