[billiek]

If I may ask: those of you that own/have tried the Momentum and/or MDR-1R - have any of you listened to the MrSpeakers Mad Dogs (Fostex T50RP mod)? If so, what do you think about them?

Reason I'm asking is because I've listened to both Momentum and MDR-1R and am trying to get an idea of how the Mad Dogs sound by comparing them.

 

[wolfetan44]

Quote:

If I may ask: those of you that own/have tried the Momentum and/or MDR-1R - have any of you listened to the MrSpeakers Mad Dogs (Fostex T50RP mod)? If so, what do you think about them?

Reason I'm asking is because I've listened to both Momentum and MDR-1R and am trying to get an idea of how the Mad Dogs sound by comparing them.

The Mad Dogs are dark and sound like the Audeze LCD-2.

 

[billiek]

Quote:

The Mad Dogs are dark and sound like the Audeze LCD-2.

Woop! Those I can find in stores around here to try out! I've got another question but I'll PM..

 

[money4me247]

Quote:

Sound quality:       Momentums or Sony?
Comfort:                   Momentums or Sony?
Stylish                 Momentums or Sony?
Build Quality            Momentums or Sony?
Quality-Price               Momentums or Sony?
 

 
Sound Quality: hard to say which one wins, but IMO the Momentums are very balanced and flat in comparison to the MDR-1Rs which are really mid-centric with a nice warm bass. So it depends on your tastes. I think I would personally prefer the MDR-1R sound over the Momentum for general listening, but the AKG K550 over both if I was looking for a neutral/flat sound.
Comfort: MDR-1R (over-ear) >>>>> Momentums (on-ear). the MDR-1R you can wear forever, but the Momentums get annoying after 2hrs-ish. however, if you are not wearing for extended periods of time the Momentums are comfy as well. Momentums are super light. It's really the on-ear-ness of the Momentums that bother me
Stylish: Depends on your taste, but the black/red MDR-1R are a lot cooler than the black/red Momentums IMO. If going silver/brown, maybe the Momentums are slightly better, but I don't really like silver/brown.
Build Quality: Momentums for sure. Momentums are lighter, real leather, stainless steel. MDR-1R is plastic, durable nice-feeling plastic, but still plastic.
Quality-Price: MDR-1R for sure. If you are super patient, you can find MDR-1R for <$200 which is a steal IMO. I think a MDR-1R under $250 is great deal. I wouldn't buy Momentum at $350. I know they use nicer materials, but the small earcup dimensions make the Momentum basically on-ear and I would definitely not pay more than $300 for on-ears.
 
Momentum's small earcup is a deal-breaker for me as I need to be able to listen comfortably continuously for long periods of time. MDR-1R is really extremely comfy. However, if that is not a concern for you or when you try the Momentums you can wear them for a long time without discomfort, then I think it would be a pretty even fight depending on your sound sig preferences.

 

[burgoc02]

Which one has better isolation, MDR-1R or Momentum? For portable use I really want to (passively) block out train/bus noise

 

[roguegeek]

Quote:

Which one has better isolation, MDR-1R or Momentum? For portable use I really want to (passively) block out train/bus noise

 
Depends on the seal you can get. The Momentum is marketed as a full cup, but it's much closer to an on-ear. I have medium sized ears and was able to get a consistent seal which messed with the isolation big time. If isolation is a priority for you, the 1R is going to be the much safer bet by far as it fully covers your ears.

 

[money4me247]

Quote:

Which one has better isolation, MDR-1R or Momentum? For portable use I really want to (passively) block out train/bus noise

not sure exactly which one is better, but I had both at the same time and they both isolate noise very well when you are playing music through them.
 
my brother was wearing the momentums while studying like 5 ft away & i was saying in his name at normal volume and he didn't hear me. kinda funny. i can't hear anything he is saying when i'm playing music out of the mdr-1rs.
 
i never compared exactly which pair isolates noise better, but from my experience they both isolate well.

 

[MacedonianHero]

The Sony's offer great value at 60% off of the Momentums with regards to price. But that said, there was nothing that the Sony's did better than the Momentums to my ears. The bass is rolled off on the Sony's, the imaging was a bit more closed and the treble was peaky to my ears. Noise isolation-wise they were on par.
 
The Momentums hit on all the right notes and I can understand why Tyll put them on the Wall of Fame. Agreed that these are more supra-aural headphones, but I've had them on my head for an hour and a half with no issues. Don't get me wrong, for $200ish, the MDR-1Rs are fantastic and hard to beat for that price range. But I would say that the improvements that one hears with the Momentums are worth it if you can swing it.
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/SonyMDR1R.pdf
vs.
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/SennheiserMomentum.pdf
 
...in case you're interested in that stuff (I certainly am). 
 
Just my 2 cents...YMMV of course.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

Quote:

The Sony's offer great value at 60% off of the Momentums with regards to price. But that said, there was nothing that the Sony's did better than the Momentums to my ears. The bass is rolled off on the Sony's, the imaging was a bit more closed and the treble was peaky to my ears. Noise isolation-wise they were on par.
 
The Momentums hit on all the right notes and I can understand why Tyll put them on the Wall of Fame. Agreed that these are more supra-aural headphones, but I've had them on my head for an hour and a half with no issues. Don't get me wrong, for $200ish, the MDR-1Rs are fantastic and hard to beat for that price range. But I would say that the improvements that one hears with the Momentums are worth it if you can swing it.
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/SonyMDR1R.pdf
vs.
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/SennheiserMomentum.pdf
 
...in case you're interested in that stuff (I certainly am). 
 
Just my 2 cents...YMMV of course.

Except not everyone is able to hear that *improvement*, quite contrary.
The imaging on Sony is more closed and treble is peaky, wow, we definitely hear very, very differently. 

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

Except not everyone is able to hear that *improvement*, quite contrary.
The imaging on Sony is more closed and treble is peaky, wow, we definitely hear very, very differently. 

Never said everyone, but to my ears definitely better. Tyll was bang on when he put them on his Wall of Fame. 

 
BTW, the measurements back me up on the treble being peaky in comparison. AGAIN...YMMV. But my comments stand as my first hand impressions. 

 

[Andrew_WOT]

Never said everyone, but to my ears definitely better. Tyll was bang on when he put them on his Wall of Fame. 

BTW, the measurements back me up on the treble being peaky in comparison. AGAIN...YMMV. But my comments stand as my first hand impressions. 

Sorry, didn't mean to upset you. I just spent considerable amount of time with them when owned both and found mdr so clearly superior that I didn't even have second thought putting Momentum on a chopping block. But I can definitely see how some may prefer momentum presentation but it is not an "improvement" more like a side step, just a matter of personal taste.

 

[Maxx134]

Just want to point out that there is a misconceptions that the 1r is somehow cheaper quality.
Almost all headphones are made of plastic.
The finish on the 1r is very modern and looks excellent.
It certainly looks more expensive than its similar looking past models.
The confusion is how light the whole unit is.
Also is funny to note that the pleather on the Sony actually looks real compared to the real leather on the Momentum that looks fake!
As for sound comparison I can only say the Sony 1r is a good set & better than most.
It is a favorite I will keep.

If you really want to step up your game in sound I can only recommend the audio technica ws99.
So far in my headphone journey these are my cans to beat.
I am thinking it can only be surpass with a bigger or more expensive can.

 

[MacedonianHero]

Sorry, didn't mean to upset you. I just spent considerable amount of time with them when owned both and found mdr so clearly superior that I didn't even have second thought putting Momentum on a chopping block. But I can definitely see how some may prefer momentum presentation but it is not an "improvement" more like a side step, just a matter of personal taste.

I like the Sony's quite a bit. But technically the Momentums are better to my ears and a cut above (and FWIW, the objective measurements I posted links to earlier agree).

But as I've said, let your ears make the final call.

 

[acti0n]

I've owned both headphones. I returned the Momentum and kept the 1R -- a decision that came down to comfort. The Momentum ear cups were too small and I found myself constantly having to readjust them to alleviate pressure points. The 1R, on the other hand, is the most comfortable headphone I've ever worn. With its cushiony and spacious ear cups, as well its light weight and gentle clamp, they disappear on my head. The only potential comfort issue with the 1R is that if your ears stick out far enough, they can touch the driver. So, I recommend trying these on first just to make sure they don't.
 
I enjoyed the sound on both headphones. I feel like the Momentum is the more energetic can, while the 1R excels with vocals and soundstage. I think I slightly prefer the 1R sound signature since I listen to a lot of vocal trance and other electronic music, but both sound awesome.
 
I have to give the Momentum the edge in build quality. This is the only place where I have complaints with the 1R. A common issue with the 1R is jack rattle caused by a loose cable connection at the ear cup. Actually, the connection itself is very secure, but the inner housing of the jack in the ear cup can wiggle. Some users have applied blu-tack as a fix. Additionally, the 1R is prone to creaking during head movement. I've gone through 3 units from Amazon, and 2 had the loose jack issue. The one without the loose jack had some minor cosmetic defects. Go figure. Another replacement should be here tomorrow.
 
Although the Momentum is smaller, the edge in portability/transportability goes to the 1R. Since the 1R's cups swivel, they can achieve a flat profile for easy transport in a laptop bag. The Momentum comes with a hard case, but it's way too big to be useful.
 
If the Momentum had larger ear cups, I would've just stuck with them. I've demoed quite a few headphones over the past few weeks, and the only reason I'm willing to go through the hassle of getting the 1R replaced multiple times is that there is nothing else that has this perfect balance of comfort, sound quality, and portability.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by acti0n /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
I feel like the Momentum is the more energetic can, while the 1R excels with vocals and soundstage. I think I slightly prefer the 1R sound signature since I listen to a lot of vocal trance and other electronic music, but both sound awesome.
 

And that is exactly why MacedonianHero's comments on 1R sounding more closed struck me as odd.