[KSIXephos938]

Hi guys, so I've started my audiophile journey and am thinking about buying four different headphones. I have already gotten the Sennheiser IE80 for portable use. I have chosen these over the Shure SE-535 because I wanted a bit more bass while I'm outside and I just wanted a smiley-face sound that sounds comfortable. The second headphone that Im going to get are the Sennheiser Momentum. They're for traveling and are probably the ones that I'm going to use the least. Are they an improvement over the IE80's. Are they much more comfortable? My third headphones are the Audio-Tecnica ATH-M50. They're for home use where I can really appreciate the added detail of the cans. And my fourth headphones are the Razer Tiamat 2.2. They're for gaming and they have a decent amount of bass. So I just wanted you guys to give me some comments of the headphones I'm going to get. Are they suitable for my needs? Thanks.

 

[Archerious]

I don't use portable headphones, because they tend to be more expensive while sounding worse. I recommend LCD-2 as a desktop headphone with great bass. HD650 while veiled also has good bass. Both are desktop headphones, and really should only be used with a amplifier. Used headphones cost 50% less than new. Keep that in mind.

 

[BillsonChang007]

Hello!

For IEM: Ultimate Ears UE900
For on the go: Sennheiser Momentum
For home use: Grados / AKG K550 / PSB M4U1 / Sennheiser HD600(together with an amp)
For gaming: ATH-AD series

That should work better but what genre of music do you listen to? And what games?

Hope it helps!
Billson

 

[KSIXephos938]

I don't use portable headphones, because they tend to be more expensive while sounding worse. I recommend LCD-2 as a desktop headphone with great bass. HD650 while veiled also has good bass. Both are desktop headphones, and really should only be used with a amplifier. Used headphones cost 50% less than new. Keep that in mind.

Hi, thanks for the reply. I am only 14 and am currently at school so I can't afford to get those headphones. For home use, I have decided with the ATH-M50's because they are very cheap. Also I'm not looking for headphones that need amps to reachits full potential. I do have a FiiO E07K that's connected to by laptop and a FiiO E6 but they are fairly cheap and low powered. Thanks.

 

[KSIXephos938]

Hello!

For IEM: Ultimate Ears UE900
For on the go: Sennheiser Momentum
For home use: Grados / AKG K550 / PSB M4U1 / Sennheiser HD600(together with an amp)
For gaming: ATH-AD series

That should work better but what genre of music do you listen to? And what games?

Hope it helps!
Billson

Hi, thanks for the reply. I'm not looking at a new IEM as I believe that the IE80's are sufficient enough. Are the UE900 a little bit, are a lot better than the IE80's. they are very expensive. And for home use, I'm not looking for an amped pair of headphones. I'm only 14 and for home use, all I'm looking for is a pair of cans that have a flat sound unlike my portable headphones. And do the ATH-ADxxx have a mic? I'm not really fussy about the sound quality of my gaming headset. I have a pair of Creative T20 2.0 speakers for that. My headset is just for better positioning and multiplayer chat.

And for the genres of music I listen to, I listen to a lot of alternative pop/rock like Coldplay and Linkin Park and a lot of female RnB vocals like Mariah Crey and Ariana Grande. I also listen to a bit of current pop songs.

And for games, I play a lot of games with background noise. For example FIFA and Need for Speed with the crowd chanting and bypassing cars and a bit of FPS. A good headset with good bass is what I need. Thanks for your help.

 

[BillsonChang007]

Hi, thanks for the reply. I'm not looking at a new IEM as I believe that the IE80's are sufficient enough. Are the UE900 a little bit, are a lot better than the IE80's. they are very expensive. And for home use, I'm not looking for an amped pair of headphones. I'm only 14 and for home use, all I'm looking for is a pair of cans that have a flat sound unlike my portable headphones. And do the ATH-ADxxx have a mic? I'm not really fussy about the sound quality of my gaming headset. I have a pair of Creative T20 2.0 speakers for that. My headset is just for better positioning and multiplayer chat.

And for the genres of music I listen to, I listen to a lot of alternative pop/rock like Coldplay and Linkin Park and a lot of female RnB vocals like Mariah Crey and Ariana Grande. I also listen to a bit of current pop songs.

And for games, I play a lot of games with background noise. For example FIFA and Need for Speed with the crowd chanting and bypassing cars and a bit of FPS. A good headset with good bass is what I need. Thanks for your help.

If that is the case, I say get a all in one sort of headphone. Go for the Sennheiser Momentum and it does everything pretty good for your needs + it does not need any amp. If at all you want something more open just get another pair of Grado SR60i/80i and this set up is more than enough for your needs!

Hope it helps!
Billson

 

[Leliana]

Don't be shocked if you find out the Momentum sounds better than the M50 by a fair bit. You might consider using that at home if they are comfortable enough for you, instead of also buying the M50s. 

 

[BillsonChang007]

  Don't be shocked if you find out the Momentum sounds better than the M50 by a fair bit. You might consider using that at home if they are comfortable enough for you, instead of also buying the M50s. 

 
Exactly what I am trying to say! If you have the Momentum, you should really forget about other headphones you mentioned except for the IE80!

 

[KSIXephos938]

Don't be shocked if you find out the Momentum sounds better than the M50 by a fair bit. You might consider using that at home if they are comfortable enough for you, instead of also buying the M50s. 

Well yes, the momentums are much more expensive than the M50's. in Australia, it is $280 compared to $160. But the momentums are more recessed in the mids and are for a more fun sound while I'm traveling while the M50's are more analytical. If not the M50's I was also looking at the Shure SRH-840's. Are they any good? Thanks.

 

[KSIXephos938]

Exactly what I am trying to say! If you have the Momentum, you should really forget about other headphones you mentioned except for the IE80!

Thanks, but aren't the Momentums and the M50's different headphones? The momentums are more recessed in the mids and so the sound is much more fun, while the M50's are more flat. I'm definitely going to get the Momentums but if not the M50's, would you recommend any other studio reference headphones that aren't over $300? Thanks.

 

[BillsonChang007]

Well yes, the momentums are much more expensive than the M50's. in Australia, it is $280 compared to $160. But the momentums are more recessed in the mids and are for a more fun sound while I'm traveling while the M50's are more analytical. If not the M50's I was also looking at the Shure SRH-840's. Are they any good? Thanks.

 
Hold on!!! From where you get the details saying that the Momentum have a recessed mids? 

 The bass are slightly louder than the mids but it is by no means recessed! The Momentum is more refined, more accurate and timbre are excellent compared to the ATH-M50! Shure SRH-840 have some rolled off bass, warm and creamy mids. Not much impressive but the smooth sound it delivers makes it suitable for long session listening and your ears won't get tired of the sound
 
Billson

 

[KSIXephos938]

Hold on!!! From where you get the details saying that the Momentum have a recessed mids? :eek:  The bass are slightly louder than the mids but it is by no means recessed! The Momentum is more refined, more accurate and timbre are excellent compared to the ATH-M50! Shure SRH-840 have some rolled off bass, warm and creamy mids. Not much impressive but the smooth sound it delivers makes it suitable for long session listening and your ears won't get tired of the sound

Billson

Yes, that's what I'm trying to say. The momentums are more bass-centric for casual, on the go listening. Because of my IE80's I have been given the impression that all Sennheiser headphones are Bass>Mids>Treble. That's excellent for casual listening but your ears will get tired fairly easily. For my home use headphones I wanted something that focused more on the mids than anything else. Like a pair of Shure headphones but the M50's caught my eyes because of its design and its raving reviews of the best price to quality ratio.

 

[Leliana]

To my ear Momentum does not have recessed mids. Definitely not more recessed than the M50. The Momentum will also be better in imaging, detail, and most other categories from my memory of the two headphones. I would not consider the M50 analytical at all, more like a fun headphone itself. The Shure 840 will be more "analytical" than the M50 due to its more detailed and neutral sound.
 
Oh and by the way, are you talking about the normal momentum or the on ears version because they sound fairly different. I'm describing the normal version. The normal version sounds a lot better balanced than the on ears.
 
If you are after a really impressive home headphone that is very easy to amp, very detailed, expansive and doesn't break the bank, I would be suggesting the Audio Technica AD900x. But if you are desperate for a closed headphone that is quite neutral, comfortable and is under 300 etc I'd be recommending the A900x by the same company. Not hard to amp at all either of them.
 
 
Other one to consider is
 
Fischer FA-003
Which you can get a re branding of called Brainwavz HM5 (a lot cheaper) - one of the best value closed headphones and perfect for home usage. Not sure if you amps are enough, but they sound decent even unamped. Neutral, non fatiguing, decently detailed and very comfortable.
 
 
 
 

Yes, that's what I'm trying to say. The momentums are more bass-centric for casual, on the go listening. Because of my IE80's I have been given the impression that all Sennheiser headphones are Bass>Mids>Treble. That's excellent for casual listening but your ears will get tired fairly easily. For my home use headphones I wanted something that focused more on the mids than anything else. Like a pair of Shure headphones but the M50's caught my eyes because of its design and its raving reviews of the best price to quality ratio.

 
Not true. Most Sennheiser open headphones are focused on Mids mostly and some have very detailed treble. The HD800 their flagship for example, has one of the most neutral balances of all time, and possibly the most detailed headphone you could get. The HD600 is mid centric.
 
The momentum and a few other phones they make have been trying to get into the mainstream consumer market up against stuff like Beats, Sony and others. Many of the audiophiles companies have made bassy phones for this market. This goes against the grain compared to most of their open backs.

 

[KSIXephos938]

The momentum and a few other phones they make have been trying to get into the mainstream consumer market up against stuff like Beats, Sony and others. Many of the audiophiles companies have made bassy phones for this market. This goes against the grain compared to most of their open backs.

Ok, so these are my portable headphones. Extra bassy and nice warm sound. But for my home use headphones, if the M-50's aren't that great, I'm leaning towards the Shure SRH-840's. Do you have any other suggestions for a neutral, creamy mids headphones? Thanks.

 

[Leliana]

Consider the Fischer FA-003. Really though the Shure 840 is a great headphone for the price and great for home usage. Both should do the job well. The E07k can amp both no worries.
 
You can get the Fischer FA-003 cheaper by buying the Brainwavs HM5, which is the exact same headphone but a cheaper rebranding.