[acb515]

Hello! I plan on buying my first 'more premium' headphones however I'm still not sure which one should I get. I'm looking for a closed one, with decent-good isolation that's fairly portable. I also prefer wired over wireless due to longer life span(?). However, I don't know the audiophile terminology and also I have no idea how to describe what type of sound I want. I just want something that's enjoyable and requires either no amp or a small, portable one.

I've been thinking about Momentum 2.0 however from what I've read it doesn't have a good isolation. I really like how that model looks like however there's been plenty of complaints about it's sound quality(is it true?).

My budget on headphones alone is around 300$.

Thank you.

 

[Mhog55]

Really hard to help unless you can provide an example of what kind of sound you enjoy.

 

[Implacable]

It is kind of hard to recommend without a preferred sound signature, but I found the DT770 a largely inoffensive choice myself. Some people are bothered by the treble though so YMMV

 

[buke9]

I have the HD-1 which is the new Momentum 2 because of copyright as they can’t have the Momentum name .

 

[PurpleAngel]

Hello! I plan on buying my first 'more premium' headphones however I'm still not sure which one should I get. I'm looking for a closed one, with decent-good isolation that's fairly portable. I also prefer wired over wireless due to longer life span(?). However, I don't know the audiophile terminology and also I have no idea how to describe what type of sound I want. I just want something that's enjoyable and requires either no amp or a small, portable one.
I've been thinking about Momentum 2.0 however from what I've read it doesn't have a good isolation. I really like how that model looks like however there's been plenty of complaints about it's sound quality(is it true?). My budget on headphones alone is around 200$. Thank you.

Audio Technica ATH-ESW9, find good prices on eBay.
ATH-WS99 if you like it a little more bassy.

 

[surfgeorge]

I had the Momentum 2. Very comfortable, folding makes them easily transportable too. Sound is very warm with strongly emphasized mid bass, kind of boomy. Think Diana Krall, makes her VERY breathy, singing into your eats, close up and personal. Isolation was quite good. Gave them to my son who likes them.
Often recommended are the Meze 99 NEO, but I have not heard them.
Also often recommended are B&O H6 V2, which I have and rarely use after getting NightOwls frommAudioquest.
The H6 are much leaner, great with Piano, but not that full or warm. Voices more distant. Bass much leaner and drier. Don’t isolate that well, also not that portable.
Neither Momentum nor H6 have much soundstage.
I’d say NEO 99 based on reviews

 

[JediMa70]

I had Meze 99 Neo and I didn't like them at all, while i'm in love for my 99C but they cost more, if you can stretch a bit your budget the 99 classic are fantastic headphones

 

[Paulnguy3]

I had the Momentum 2. Very comfortable, folding makes them easily transportable too. Sound is very warm with strongly emphasized mid bass, kind of boomy. Think Diana Krall, makes her VERY breathy, singing into your eats, close up and personal. Isolation was quite good. Gave them to my son who likes them.
Often recommended are the Meze 99 NEO, but I have not heard them.
Also often recommended are B&O H6 V2, which I have and rarely use after getting NightOwls frommAudioquest.
The H6 are much leaner, great with Piano, but not that full or warm. Voices more distant. Bass much leaner and drier. Don’t isolate that well, also not that portable.
Neither Momentum nor H6 have much soundstage.
I’d say NEO 99 based on reviews

This, but H7, for the portability factor.

 

[acb515]

The point is that I don't know if buying some super expensive headphones like the 99C wouldn't be an overkill for someone so inexperienced with all that fancy audio stuff. About the Audio-Technicas, almost every of their products looks massive, simple and somewhat cheap so I'm not sure if I like their design at all.

If I were to buy either 99 Neo or Classic, would I feel the difference as a complete audio newbie? Right now, only thing that stops me from buying Momentums, is that a lot people are saying there are a lot of better performance/price alternatives. I absolutely love how minimalistic they look however if buying slightly larger and more expensive headphones will actually make me see the difference, then I'm willing to do so. About the Meze, I've read few reviews but they claim that those become quite uncomfortable after an hour or two. Is it true? Comfort is basically my number 1. just next to decent-good isolation on my priorites list so it's pretty important for me.

Also, about the wireless models, I've just read that these plugged into a PC can be used even if the battery is completely off and that sorta changed my mind about the wireless headphones as it'd extend their life span significantly. If there are any worthwhile wireless headphones, I'd be happy for any recommendations.

Also, I'm very grateful for your input. I get that it's probably not easy to recommend me anything as I didn't provide the sound I'm looking for. Thank you.

 

[buke9]

Both have nice carry cases and as said before the HD1 (Momentum’s 2) do fold up.
As far as sound goes the Meze get it for me both are close but the Meze are a bit brighter and bass is very close but the brightness not being harsh just makes them more of what I want. I actually bought the HD1’s for my wife as she wanted noise canceling headphones for travel.

 

[acb515]

Okay @buke9 I think I could give up on some audio quality if I'm getting more portability so I'm leaning more towards Momentum Wireless. You've helped me a lot but could you please tell me if you or your wife experience any connectivity issues? I know a lot of people had some issues back in 2015 and I'm not sure whether or not were those issues fixed. I will be probably using those wired most of the time, so I'm also wondering if the wired/wireless modes have any differences in their sound quality? And last question, how is the sound volume when using it with a phone? I know they have quite high impedance so I wonder if it'll require an amp to get a proper volume level.

Thank you!

 

[buke9]

She hasn’t complained to me about that and be sure she would ; )

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Hello! I plan on buying my first 'more premium' headphones however I'm still not sure which one should I get. I'm looking for a closed one, with decent-good isolation that's fairly portable. I also prefer wired over wireless due to longer life span(?). However, I don't know the audiophile terminology and also I have no idea how to describe what type of sound I want. I just want something that's enjoyable and requires either no amp or a small, portable one.
---
My budget on headphones alone is around 300$.

Maybe the Focal Listen Pro

 

[acb515]

Maybe the Focal Listen Pro

Well, those look nice. I'll check them out. Did you have any experience with both Momentum and Focals? If so, how would you compare those two?

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Well, those look nice. I'll check them out. Did you have any experience with both Momentum and Focals? If so, how would you compare those two?

I spent a bit of time on the older Spirit Pro. Response is fairly even, could use deeper bass but not really that big of a problem. Amp will help manage distortion if you boost the low end with an equalizer.