[Milhouse74]

Just curious what the thoughts are on these from anyone that's tried both?  I've seen some reviews say go Momentum, but I'm curious what the average board listener thinks.  I need a closed back, somewhat portable headphone.  I will use them mostly at home, but I do travel quite a bit so I want something I can use when needed on the road.  I had the PSB M4U2, but I returned them due to the cracking issue.  I liked the sound, but honestly the fit wasn't great (not very comfortable).  I also own the Monster Turbine Pro Coppers and the Senn 598's.  I listen to a bit of everything (Kanye, Ben Folds, Metric, Radiohead, Jeff Buckley, Prodigy, Pete Yorn).  All of my listening with these will be on a portable device, iPhone or iPad, AAC files.  I also have a FIIO E11 that I use.  Pro's and Con's of these two headphones?

 

[BillsonChang007]

What type of sound do you like? Something like PSB M4U2? 

 

[Milhouse74]

What type of sound do you like? Something like PSB M4U2? 

Well, I like the 598's for some music but I wouldn't say they are a great overall use phone. I've heard the m-100 called a bass can(don't want too bassy) and I've heard it called fun (which I do like the sound of). Not sure I can find a good all around phone for travel. I did like the M4U2 though, can't deal with defects on a $400 item.

On a side note I'm also looking at the Sony MDR1R. On CNET's review they seemed very positive. There was also a note in the review that scared me in regards to the Momentum. He said it could bring out flaws if you are listening to MP3's (odd for what seems to be a portable phone). I'm worried it might be too precise.

 

[BillsonChang007]

I am not sure if Momentum are very unforgiving to low bit rate and I can't confirm with you. If you are worried about that, Sony MDR-1R are good with more bass than Momentum but not too much. Judging by FR graph, M100 seems to have too much bass..

 

[redrich2000]

Quote:

Well, I like the 598's for some music but I wouldn't say they are a great overall use phone. I've heard the m-100 called a bass can(don't want too bassy) and I've heard it called fun (which I do like the sound of). Not sure I can find a good all around phone for travel. I did like the M4U2 though, can't deal with defects on a $400 item.

On a side note I'm also looking at the Sony MDR1R. On CNET's review they seemed very positive. There was also a note in the review that scared me in regards to the Momentum. He said it could bring out flaws if you are listening to MP3's (odd for what seems to be a portable phone). I'm worried it might be too precise.

The Momentums are fine with MP3s. I haven't heard the M100s but a auditioned both the momentums and the R1s and thought the senns were better across the board.

 

[money4me247]

Quote:

Just curious what the thoughts are on these from anyone that's tried both?  I've seen some reviews say go Momentum, but I'm curious what the average board listener thinks.  I need a closed back, somewhat portable headphone.  I will use them mostly at home, but I do travel quite a bit so I want something I can use when needed on the road.  I had the PSB M4U2, but I returned them due to the cracking issue.  I liked the sound, but honestly the fit wasn't great (not very comfortable).  I also own the Monster Turbine Pro Coppers and the Senn 598's.  I listen to a bit of everything (Kanye, Ben Folds, Metric, Radiohead, Jeff Buckley, Prodigy, Pete Yorn).  All of my listening with these will be on a portable device, iPhone or iPad, AAC files.  I also have a FIIO E11 that I use.  Pro's and Con's of these two headphones?

I was in the same boat as you recently picking between the M100, Momentum, and MDR-1R 
 
Sound Comparison: M100 has a v-shaped sound signature like the M50 with more bass-emphasis. Bass is well-done, tight & accurate, no bleeding into the mids/trebles. MDR-1R is more mid-centric but definitely colored with a warm bass. Momentum is very technically balanced, but the bass is still there. Honestly, all three sound great, but it just depends on your sound signature preference. You really need to hear them to know what suits you personally.
 
Other considerations that may come into play:
 
Build Materials: M100 & Momentum have higher quality build materials, MDR-1R is mostly plastic.
 
Comfort: MDR-1R had people comment on how  exceptionally comfortable they are. Some people complained that the Momentum earcup diameter was too small making it more over-ear. Some people complained that the M100 earcup depth was too shallow. However, remember comfort is a very individual thing, so I wouldn't worry about it unless you experience issues.
 
Portability: M100 folds into a small ball & comes with a really cool small travel case, MDR-1R can swivel the earcups flat & has a cloth case, Momentum does not fold but comes with a case. I believe the Momentum are the lightest out of the three.
 
Other: V-Moda offers a pretty sweet 2-year warranty & has great customer service. Don't know how the warranty & customer service of the other two compare.
 
I personally liked the M100 the best, but they all honestly sounded great to me. just slightly different. lol, I didn't end up keeping any of them, but I would have kept the M100 if I had to choose.

 

[roguegeek]

Quote:

SQ wise the momentum are superior there is no contest. Build looks and durability and bass v moda.

 
Ehh. For you, is how that sounds. They're different. One isn't better than the other. It's just a matter of preference.

 

[roguegeek]

Quote:

that would be the case of headphones that are similar I.e k701 and HD650 which are different flavours. The momentum straight up has better treble, seperation for all sorts of music. The M100 has better bass and lacks in the other areas. If a headphone is superior then the other at more aspects which in this case is Most of them then surely that's a superior product.

 
I see your point. I politely disagree. I haven't had the time with the 1R that I've had with the Momentum, but I am finding several critical things the 1R does better than the Momentum. So for my ears and with my tastes, IMHO, the Sony is the better buy.

 

[money4me247]

Quote:

 
I see your point. I politely disagree. I haven't had the time with the 1R that I've had with the Momentum, but I am finding several critical things the 1R does better than the Momentum. So for my ears and with my tastes, IMHO, the Sony is the better buy.

What would you say that the 1R does better than the Momentum in your opinion? Just curious!

 

[roguegeek]

What would you say that the 1R does better than the Momentum in your opinion? Just curious!

Alright. I'll take a stab at this, but keep in mind I'm still fairly new to this hobby. Just a quick history, I absolutely fell in love with the signature of the Momentums, but there were a couple of things that stopped me from pulling the trigger. Although I like the bass in the Momentum, I prefer the more balanced sound of the 1R as opposed to the U-shape of the Momentum. The sound stage on the 1R is large for a closed-back can where as the Momentum is very much in your head. Depth is a high priority for me. I think the 1R is incredibly incredibly more comfortable on my head and ears. The full cup on the 1R vs the small cups on the Momentum make all of the difference there. Those are the big ones for me, but I can get nitpicky too. The extremely thin Momentum cable is disappointing and feels like it's going to snap at any moment(um). I also prefer the style of the 1R, especially the silver/brown variant.

I do like both, but I'm currently preferring the MDR-1R. Thoughts? Feedback?

 

[money4me247]

Quote:

Alright. I'll take a stab at this, but keep in mind I'm still fairly new to this hobby. Just a quick history, I absolutely fell in love with the signature of the Momentums, but there were a couple of things that stopped me from pulling the trigger. Although I like the bass in the Momentum, I prefer the more balanced sound of the 1R as opposed to the U-shape of the Momentum. The sound stage on the 1R is large for a closed-back can where as the Momentum is very much in your head. Depth is a high priority for me. I think the 1R is incredibly incredibly more comfortable on my head and ears. The full cup on the 1R vs the small cups on the Momentum make all of the difference there. Those are the big ones for me, but I can get nitpicky too. The extremely thin Momentum cable is disappointing and feels like it's going to snap at any moment(um). I also prefer the style of the 1R, especially the silver/brown variant.

I do like both, but I'm currently preferring the MDR-1R. Thoughts? Feedback?

Interesting... you are the first person I heard call the Momentum U-shaped.
 
How would you compare the bass between the too? quality & quantity

 

[roguegeek]

Quote:

Interesting... you are the first person I heard call the Momentum U-shaped.
 
How would you compare the bass between the too? quality & quantity

 
There's definitely more color with the bass in the Momentum. More prominent for sure. I would say it's the same for the treble. That's where I get the U-shape from (V-shape?). It's not as in your face as, say, the M-100, but it's more than the 1R. The bass in the 1R is less prominent, but the best way I can explain it is it sounds quicker(?) to me, yet still smooth. This makes me feel as though they are a high quality and less prone to distortion. Signature wise, I think it's splitting hairs between the Momentum and 1R. The things that are more prominent to me are the sound stage.

 

[DivergeUnify]

Quote:

Interesting... you are the first person I heard call the Momentum U-shaped.
 
How would you compare the bass between the too? quality & quantity

Never heard the Momentum's, but from everything I've read, they're V-shaped.  None of the new $300 portables( UE6000, 1R, M100, Momentum) seem to be very "technically" neutral( I've listened to all, but the Momentum)

 

[money4me247]

off topic, but has anyone compared the Momentum with the AKG K550?

 

[roguegeek]

off topic, but has anyone compared the Momentum with the AKG K550?

Yeah. The K550 is completely different from the Momentum. It's a lot more clean and neutral vs the Momentum's V shaped sound. A great looking can that I'd love to own if it weren't for the non-detachable cable and poor fit on my head because they're huge.