[BaiFan]

Hey all,
I'm looking for a nice multipurpose headphone.
 
I've done a fair bit of research, and I found my favor to either the P5 or the Momentums.
 
I have Grado 125i at home, but as you can imagine, the thick cable and open back make them less than ideal for outside use, and busy environments (Roommates, leakage, etc).
 
First off, does anyone have any opinions about selecting a pair of headphones in this niche as my second main pair (over IEMs for example).
 
Otherwise, any feedback would be appreciated.
 
Thanks!
 
EDIT: I suppose it's worth it to note that I might use the pair I buy over the Grados I have now, so any comparisons there would  be helpful as well.
And music taste (copied from my introduction).
The music I listen to is generally pretty thin (I don't know if this is a good way to describe it).
A lot of solo acoustic guitar (Tommy Emmanuel, Andy McKee, Chet Atkins), or less busy songs (Loving John Mayer's Born and Raised album). However, I do have a louder side of me, enjoying the "Neo-Classical" electric guitar, like Joe Satriani's work, and Blues (BB King, John Mayer Trio). I dabble a bit in Jazz, mostly favoring slower pieces focused on piano (Oscar Peterson).

 

[DrSheep]

Get the Momentums, and this come from a person who own's the P5.  Don't get me wrong, the P5 sounds great, but it is less comfortable than the Momentums.

 

[formula1]

Quote:

Get the Momentums, and this come from a person who own's the P5.  Don't get me wrong, the P5 sounds great, but it is less comfortable than the Momentums.

 
I didn't like the P5's. They lack on transparency and bass punch could be better. I take the momentum over it. 

 

[BaiFan]

What would you say the Momentum excels at specifically, compared to the P5s?
Is there anyone here who has both? I'm definitely leaning towards the Momentums atm.

 

[GREQ]

Get the Momentum.
I own it, but have auditioned the P5 many times (my friend owns one).
 
The P5 has a slight mid-bass hump that bleeds into the mids. For any acoustic recordings or something like BB King, you'll want to preserve the tonality of the mid-range. The P5 does not do this well. The Momentum does.  
 
Also the Momentum hits harder in the sub-bass, which is perfect for all genres. Personally I think it's a genre master. 
 
Tonally you might immediately think the Momentum sounds dull and boomy compared to your Grado SR125i, however after a few hours (or days) you should notice that the Momentum is in fact a VERY fast headphone and produces sounds with a great deal of articulation. 

 

[formula1]

Quote:

Personally I think it's a genre master. 
 
 

 
I agree on this. 
Its hard to find a genre that sounds bad on the Momentum. 

 

[BaiFan]

Wow GREQ, thanks for the in depth response. That was exactly what I needed to help me commit to a decision.

 

[reeshahn]

I would still suggest you to try them both somehow. Sound is something subjective. If you came down to two choices it is always better to try them personally.

 

[asgiov]

I would still suggest you to try them both somehow. Sound is something subjective. If you came down to two choices it is always better to try them personally.

I agree with this...
But at the same time.. if he gets the momentums and he's happy with them, I think that's fine. He's already got his MAIN headphones at home... so I don't think there is really any need to be too picky or critical in this case. That's just my opinion.

I've only owned the momentums.. and they are my favorite Closed, portable headphone I've ever owned. I currently just use IEMs right now... but if I ever decided to go back to a portable closed headphone, I would go straight back to the momentums.

 

[zackzack]

Quote:

Get the Momentums, and this come from a person who own's the P5.  Don't get me wrong, the P5 sounds great, but it is less comfortable than the Momentums.

 
B&W makes some great floorstanders & their PM1 is amazing piece of gear
but their headphones, both P3 & P5, are just as mediocre as Beats.

 

[DrSheep]

Quote:

 
B&W makes some great floorstanders & their PM1 is amazing piece of gear
but their headphones, both P3 & P5, are just as mediocre as Beats.

I won't say that, but relatively it is not their strong point.

 

[BigMooseInKilt]

Which one did you get in the end?
 
I had a B&W P5 and just purchased a pair of Momentum (Bowie edition) after auditioning it in the shop and being very impressed. I thought about giving my beloved P5's to my girlfriend, but things ended up being not that easy! I spent quite some time listening to listening to both, and compared it with different tracks (Dance, rock, tango).
 
I found the Momentum are very easy to love - They produce a very nice amount of bass (Not overpowering, just the right amount) while bringing loads of details. They work a treat with my Iphone (On the move) and my laptop (At work). They are super comfortable even with glasses for a short/medium amount of time. However, after few hours, they tend to press on the branches of my glasses which gives me a slight headache. Due to the over-head construction, they give a nice spacious sound too.
 
The P5's took me more time to like. I attribute it to different reasons:
- Positioning is trickier - Place them incorrectly and they will sound thin.
- They need more power to push them - The Iphone just doesn't provide enough juice to do them justice. Plugging these to an amp (Or even a laptop) will bring the P5's to life.
- The cable make noise & the microphone is dreadful. The cable is also fragile, and I had to replace it after 6 months.
- Placing these around the neck is very awkward as these are quite heavy for portable headphones.
 
Now, despite all the above, I'm inclined to get the P5's back, and giving my brand new Momentum to my girlfriend. The sound is punchier and feel more "correct". A piano sounds like a piano. A guitar, like a guitar. The P5 also sounds clearer. Finally, I found the P5's more comfortable with glasses as the memory foam keeps the shape of the branches of my glasses.
 
I would say, the momentum are more enjoyable on the move or working - Not really concentrating on the music. When I "really listen", I prefer the P5's. The Momentum just feel like better designed for their purpose, to be on the move and work with an Iphone. The P5's are not that great on the move, and forget about using the microphone to answer your calls - My Girlfriend has loads of difficulties to hear me, and usually asks me whether I'm on speaker phone. Siri just can't understand a word I'm saying. I usually just unplug these and hold the phone to my ear.
 
I now need to make the decision of letting one go, hence my search and I ended up on this thread. 

 

[BaiFan]

Hey,
I ended up buying the momentums. I took a listen to them in the store and they fit the music I listen to very well. I was primarily picking the sennheiser sound, in a very nice compact package. The p5s looked great on paper, but I seemed to find many more people that ran into disappointments with the p5s over the momentums.

 

[BigMooseInKilt]

Nice choice, and I'm sure you'll enjoy them! I guess the P5's are an acquired taste.. It takes a little time to really appreciate them. My girlfriend eventually opted for the P5's, so I guess that leaves me with the Momentum.

 

[Whitetriton]

Quote: From BigMooseInKilt

...
 
Now, despite all the above, I'm inclined to get the P5's back, and giving my brand new Momentum to my girlfriend. The sound is punchier and feel more "correct". A piano sounds like a piano. A guitar, like a guitar. The P5 also sounds clearer. Finally, I found the P5's more comfortable with glasses as the memory foam keeps the shape of the branches of my glasses.
 
...

 
This is an excellent example, in my opinion, of how the same headphones can (accurately) be perceived/experienced quite differently by different people.  Personally, I found the P5 to be extremely uncomfortable with my glasses.  They pushed the branches (I think these are called temples) into the sides of my head.  It was so bad that I stopped using them completely and eventually sold them. 
 
Additionally, I read a fair number of people say that the Hifiman HE-400 and HE-500 were very uncomfortable.  I think the HE-500 are some of the most comfortable headphones I've ever worn for an extended timeframe. 
 
This is not to dispute BigMooseInKilt's assertion that he found the P5 comfortable or those that say the HE-X00 are uncomfortable (far from it).  These are just excellent examples of what totally works for one person may be quite different for another.