When my old and very low-end headphones died, I decided to step-up and ordered an HyperX Cloud, which was at the time the best overall sub-100$ headphones which didn't required any amp to work properly. They last me for a few years, and then I started to feel a bit limited and started to look at more high-end hardware.
That's how I came to get the Sennheiser Momentum one year ago. To start with, yes, these are great headphones, as many reviewers already pointed out. They're comfortable - while not perfect on this, and some units like mine are sadly less comfortable than other ones, maybe due to a manufacturing problem -, classy, don't require any amp, work well even with low-end DACs, and the sound is clearly worth the money. But there's a point that many here missed.
I first used these headphones on my Honor 5C, just after receiving them. While listening for a few minutes, I was directly disappointed. That was not as good as I thought it would be - at the moment, I didn't know ears required a bit of time to get used to the sound of new hardware. But then, I plugged them in my laptop's (great) output, and it became a lot better. After tricking the equalizer for a bit on my phone, giving more bass and more treble, it became more enjoyable. And it was even better when I got my Pocophone F1, which has a better 3.5mm output though it didn't have a dedicated DAC nor amp.
And then my curiosity was picked up by DAPs. I never understood why some of them were so expensive, and I didn't know much about the quality of outputs (DAC, amps etc.). Finally, I learnt a bit about these things and bought a Shanling M0. The sound was less precise, but a lot more enjoyable than my laptop's output - and the imprecise stereo was all about the DAP's fault, as many reviewers pointed out on this product.
A few weeks later, I got a Fiio M9. And that's where things really began. While these headphones already sound great with low-end hardware, they sound a lot (no, I said A LOT better) with a proper DAC (amplification doesn't help as they have a low impedance and are very sensitive). The sound difference even with these Momentum between my Shanling M0 which already have a good dedicated DAC and my Fiio M9 is HUGE, to the point any come back is really difficult.
Sound is absolutely amazing to my sense, they're classy, lightweight, comfortable, easy to drive - though a good DAC is ABSOLUTELY required to get the best of them -. Soundstage is really wide, though depth is somewhat limited, but here too requires a good source to deliver its best. Instruments separation is perfect, I can easily pick a specific instrument and follow it independently of others, even in messy mixes. This are also very forgiving headphones, as ugly YouTube recordings can be listened to without making an ugly face. Still, don't expect to hear a huge difference between a well-recorded 320kbps MP3 and even a 24bit/94kHz lossless file, though the difference is certainly audible.
So, let's talk about the sound. If you love kicking basses, you will love these headphones. Without being bassy by a bit, the lows slam and hit as hard as you may want them to. I find the lows a lot more impressive on these than on the Sony WH-1000XM3 for instance. The mids are a bit forward, and marvelously present. Guitars and vocals just feel alive, and on very good recordings the impression of having the singer near to you is really impressive - although it's obviously not as impression as some very high-end headphones. The highs are good but not incredible. You will hear many details from your music but if highs are the thing you're looking for the most in a pair of headphones, these may not be the best for you.
I won't put any test music here, as I listen to many genres and always use several hundred tracks to get a good overview of the sound. But I can easily tell the sound is open, airy, loaded with details. Basses go deep with a nice texture. Impacts are great, with punchy lows - which is perfect for electronic musics/rap, but also makes cellos and such classic instruments a lot more alive, without bleeding into the mid's ranges.
If I had to find a con to these headphones, that would be they really require a great source to shine. Not as much as the HD 6XX, of course, but still.
About sources, the Momentum 2 will sound good with absolutely any source (smartphone or pc) but it'll definitely be another world with a great source. I find the Fiio M9 to be perfect with them - delivering a somewhat slightly warmer sound, with extremely crisp mids making it excellent at reproducing soundstage on rock musics and any vocal- and/or guitar-intensive musics. But it will also sound great with any other genre, and that's the main selling point of the Momentum in my opinion - just throw anything at it, and it will sound good.
Word of the end: if you are a looking to nice headphones to look to many different genres, don't look any further. You'll have a hard time finding better overall-performer in the closed-back headphones world without spending at least twice as much - even more if you consider these ones are often sold a lot less below their original price (I had them for €170 while many retailers still sell them at €320). So get a pair of these, sit & enjoy
That's how I came to get the Sennheiser Momentum one year ago. To start with, yes, these are great headphones, as many reviewers already pointed out. They're comfortable - while not perfect on this, and some units like mine are sadly less comfortable than other ones, maybe due to a manufacturing problem -, classy, don't require any amp, work well even with low-end DACs, and the sound is clearly worth the money. But there's a point that many here missed.
I first used these headphones on my Honor 5C, just after receiving them. While listening for a few minutes, I was directly disappointed. That was not as good as I thought it would be - at the moment, I didn't know ears required a bit of time to get used to the sound of new hardware. But then, I plugged them in my laptop's (great) output, and it became a lot better. After tricking the equalizer for a bit on my phone, giving more bass and more treble, it became more enjoyable. And it was even better when I got my Pocophone F1, which has a better 3.5mm output though it didn't have a dedicated DAC nor amp.
And then my curiosity was picked up by DAPs. I never understood why some of them were so expensive, and I didn't know much about the quality of outputs (DAC, amps etc.). Finally, I learnt a bit about these things and bought a Shanling M0. The sound was less precise, but a lot more enjoyable than my laptop's output - and the imprecise stereo was all about the DAP's fault, as many reviewers pointed out on this product.
A few weeks later, I got a Fiio M9. And that's where things really began. While these headphones already sound great with low-end hardware, they sound a lot (no, I said A LOT better) with a proper DAC (amplification doesn't help as they have a low impedance and are very sensitive). The sound difference even with these Momentum between my Shanling M0 which already have a good dedicated DAC and my Fiio M9 is HUGE, to the point any come back is really difficult.
Sound is absolutely amazing to my sense, they're classy, lightweight, comfortable, easy to drive - though a good DAC is ABSOLUTELY required to get the best of them -. Soundstage is really wide, though depth is somewhat limited, but here too requires a good source to deliver its best. Instruments separation is perfect, I can easily pick a specific instrument and follow it independently of others, even in messy mixes. This are also very forgiving headphones, as ugly YouTube recordings can be listened to without making an ugly face. Still, don't expect to hear a huge difference between a well-recorded 320kbps MP3 and even a 24bit/94kHz lossless file, though the difference is certainly audible.
So, let's talk about the sound. If you love kicking basses, you will love these headphones. Without being bassy by a bit, the lows slam and hit as hard as you may want them to. I find the lows a lot more impressive on these than on the Sony WH-1000XM3 for instance. The mids are a bit forward, and marvelously present. Guitars and vocals just feel alive, and on very good recordings the impression of having the singer near to you is really impressive - although it's obviously not as impression as some very high-end headphones. The highs are good but not incredible. You will hear many details from your music but if highs are the thing you're looking for the most in a pair of headphones, these may not be the best for you.
I won't put any test music here, as I listen to many genres and always use several hundred tracks to get a good overview of the sound. But I can easily tell the sound is open, airy, loaded with details. Basses go deep with a nice texture. Impacts are great, with punchy lows - which is perfect for electronic musics/rap, but also makes cellos and such classic instruments a lot more alive, without bleeding into the mid's ranges.
If I had to find a con to these headphones, that would be they really require a great source to shine. Not as much as the HD 6XX, of course, but still.
About sources, the Momentum 2 will sound good with absolutely any source (smartphone or pc) but it'll definitely be another world with a great source. I find the Fiio M9 to be perfect with them - delivering a somewhat slightly warmer sound, with extremely crisp mids making it excellent at reproducing soundstage on rock musics and any vocal- and/or guitar-intensive musics. But it will also sound great with any other genre, and that's the main selling point of the Momentum in my opinion - just throw anything at it, and it will sound good.
Word of the end: if you are a looking to nice headphones to look to many different genres, don't look any further. You'll have a hard time finding better overall-performer in the closed-back headphones world without spending at least twice as much - even more if you consider these ones are often sold a lot less below their original price (I had them for €170 while many retailers still sell them at €320). So get a pair of these, sit & enjoy