[gelocks]

Ultrasone? While I haven't heard the DJs, I have never heard an Ultrasone worth the price of admission. I owned the Ed.8LEs and while nice, I'd easily take at least half of the headphones I've covered here (and they all cost much, much less....like $300-400 vs. $2000 :eek:  ). 

Don't want to keep a closed mind, I am willing to give them a try...just not plunk down my hard earned money on a pair to find out. The Signature Pros though do measure reasonable well. I'm personally more interested in them.

Definitely do not write them off!!
I had both, somehow found the Pros more uncomfortable and decided to stick with the DJs (more airier, bigger soundstage, slamming bass when track commands it!). The Sig Pros were my gotos alongside the HD600s and Mad Dogs for quite a while.

 

[MacedonianHero]

Definitely do not write them off!!
I had both, somehow found the Pros more uncomfortable and decided to stick with the DJs (more airier, bigger soundstage, slamming bass when track commands it!). The Sig Pros were my gotos alongside the HD600s and Mad Dogs for quite a while.

I guess I was trying to say that I don't want to write them off due to my previous experiences with Ultrasone, but I'm gonna definitely try before I buy with these ones (due to my previous experiences with Ultrasone ).

 

[gelocks]

I guess I was trying to say that I don't want to write them off due to my previous experiences with Ultrasone, but I'm gonna definitely try before I buy with these ones (due to my previous experiences with Ultrasone ).

 
Ahhh got you!
If you check out their threads, it seems a lot of Ultrasone owners thought the very same thing and ended up quite surprised with these ones. In fact, I was one of them that expected just HUGE bass, ear piercing highs and recessed mids... got a reality check when I got them.

 

[MacedonianHero]

Ahhh got you!
If you check out their threads, it seems a lot of Ultrasone owners thought the very same thing and ended up quite surprised with these ones. In fact, I was one of them that expected just HUGE bass, ear piercing highs and recessed mids... got a reality check when I got them.

Now you've piqued my interest.

 

[ubjuris]

Not sonically per say, buy the ue9000s are huge and the dt1350s are torture devices for someone with glasses.

 
I have dt1350s and wear glasses.  I find that if separate the headband with it skewed away from the top of my head and towards my back they are comfortable.  I hope this makes sense to you all and helps.

 

[starfly]

  Great thread you all have going on here!! This site is SICK!! Its really been a huge help for me in trying to make a tough decision. I'm coming from the Beats Studio (Yes, i know these aren't the best, as they are def overpriced, but i bought them years ago and they've done me well tlil now, but are starting to fall apart and i'm noticing how crappy some of the parts are). 
 
But after reviewing all the comments, I'm between the KEF M500, Momentums, and the Sony MDR-1R. My biggest concerns for this purchase are leakage pretty much. Also, when talking about the KEFs, are they horrible on lets say, airplanes, because they are on-ear and not over-ear? I'm used to the Studios being over-ear so thats why i ask. Also, if there is another choice that i should look at, please share. 
 
Sorry for the "NEWB" type post...
 
Thanks so much

 
I just recently gave the M500 and Momentum a test drive. In terms of leakage you wouldn't have to worry much with either. Actually tested this with a microphone and at normal listening volumes the microphone didn't pick up any noise from about 3 feet away (1 meter). Of course, if you want to inflict hearing damage on yourself, other people will probably hear it as well.
 
In terms of isolating you from outside noise, the Momentum is the clear winner as it actually is an over-ear model, whereas the M500 is an on-ear model. Be warned though, the earcups are quite small on the Momentum, so make sure they would fit your ears. I eventually found a fit after a lot of finnicking, and then I found them quite comfortable (I ended up picking the Momentum over the M500 just for this reason, comfort. The M500 started to hurt my ear after about 2 hours of listening because it's pressing on my ears).
 
In terms of sound quality, well you can't go wrong with either the M500 or the Momentum. I'd say they're both equally good, because they both overall work with most genres of music and excel at a few specific ones. The M500 for instance is great for electronic music as it has a very deep sub-bass that's well defined and controlled, very tight. I personally found most vocals to sound a bit more natural on the Momentum, sometimes vocals would sound a bit shrill on the M500 compared to the Momentum. Guitars sound about equally good on both the M500 and Momentum, although I'd say the M500 is a bit more agile and definitely has a wider soundstage. And the M500 also performs a bit better in the mid-highs to highs, although sometimes it was a bit too sharp for my ears and can sometimes produce sibilance with certain vocals (a hissing 'ssssss' sound when a singer uses an 'S' or similar sounds). They're both very good at retrieval of minor details, it's just that you'll notice those details a bit quicker on the M500 because of the more forward presentation of those headphones. The Momentum tends to blend all the sounds together a bit more (and I mean this in a good way, it balances all the sounds a bit more).
 
Just keep in mind that these differences aren't night and day and that they're both great headphones, they're more subtle differences that you notice with extended listening. And if you go test these out for yourself, I'd recommend some burn-in time as I found the highs on the M500 to become less harsh and the soundstage on the Momentum to open up a bit with some burn-in. I don't have any experience with the Sony. With these headphones, it's really a matter of personal preference for the sound, but for the price they are absolutely fantastic headphones. I personally would have gotten the M500 instead if it weren't for the clamping force on my ears. The clamping force is very minor and the earpads are very soft, but on-ear headphones just don't work for me personally, I really need an over-ear model.

 

[alec10983]

Thanks for the detailed response! Really appreciate. As well to everyone else on here. Unfortunately, i can't find a dealer around me to try on the KEFs, so I'm gonna see if there is an online dealer such as amazon, that might have a good return policy. I'm gonna try on the Momentums as well. So its really between those two. I feel like i'm leaning more towards the momentums as they are an over-ear HP and i'm just so used to that. But i need to make sure like you said, about the fit on my head and comfort. I haven't listened to that many types of headphones, so I'm pretty sure i wouldn't notice some of the differences you all are saying about these. Thanks again everyone!

 

[Trunks159]

The momentum is only over ear for some people. The kef is more comfortable to me at least. The momentum does look better however.

 

[gelocks]

The momentum is only over ear for some people. The kef is more comfortable to me at least. The momentum does look better however.

 
Agreed!
 
Also, I'm using now the new Momentum ON-ears and they are SUPER comfortable compared to their over-ears counterpart! Sound is quite good actually. A bit more boomy bass, more recessed mids and a bit of glare up top. Sounds less warm-ish too (at least to me). Got them in Blue. They look good.

 

[gelocks]

 

[Lan647]

The momentum is only over ear for some people. The kef is more comfortable to me at least. The momentum does look better however.

 
I think the KEF looks better on the head though, which matters more to me I hate drawing attention to myself when wearing headphones and the small and discrete looking M500s don't do that too much. 

 

[dragoonv]

i mean it did win the red dot award

 

[Trunks159]

   
I think the KEF looks better on the head though, which matters more to me I hate drawing attention to myself when wearing headphones and the small and discrete looking M500s don't do that too much. 

 
Yeah, I agree.

 

[robm321]

X3

 

[TheManko]

Much to the chagrin of my wallet I went out and bought the Kef M500 and B&W P7 this week. To start with I think both sound better than the Momentum, so to some degree you're actually getting what you pay for with them in terms of sound. What both M500 and P7 do better than the Momentum is bass control. It just feels like the M500 and P7 are stiffer and better dampened constructions, while the Momentum has some resonance that bleed into the mids a bit.
 
The P7 is a huge improvement over the P5, since it now has a more present treble and properly big soundstage. The treble is still slightly dampened, so there's no harshness whatsoever. But it sounds like a more neutral balance than the other B&W headphones. The bass has a bump in it which adds some nice impact and oomph, without becoming ridiculous and overpowered. The bass bump is bigger than the one in the Momentum, so the Sennheiser's remain the more balanced headphone of the two. What the P7 do better though is have a big bass that still feels well controlled, so the mids and highs retain clarity even when there's a huge pulsing bass in the background. This is something the M500 do as well. The M500 seem to have a more linear balance than the Momentum and P7, except with a bump in the deep bass instead of mid bass. So with electronic music you can get a huge pulsing deep bass with the M500 at times, and thanks to the tightness of the sound you still have a wide open soundstage and midrange clarity. Of the three the M500 has more treble and can at times have a hard quality to the highs. There's no sibilance from what I've heard, so they're still nice to listen to over time.
 
Overall the Momentum are of course still a nicely balanced and well done headphone, but personally I like the M500 and P7 more. Between the M500 and P7 I can't decide yet, but I'm leaning toward the P7 since they're more nicely built and are more comfortable. If you had to pick one of the three there's no wrong choice. They're all excellent, and I'm impressed by the quality of the closed headphones in this category now. Many companies are clearly working their butts off to make the best headphone possible. Great times.