[SonusAudio]

For me while I obviously like the K545 but did like the HP50 sound as an alternative, with only some songs sounding a bit shouty and painful to my ears. 

How loud do you listen? 

 

[dweaver]

I generally listen at low to medium volume levels.

In regards to an amp warm will work better. I LOVE my Audioengine D1 with the K545 and also like my Bravo Ocean tube amp (warm) when paired with my Little dot Dac1

 

[AustinValentine]

Just got a set of these in 90 minutes ago. I'm completely floored. 
 
In the past six months, I've been on a hardcore hunt for a circumaural, closed mobile headphone to use on my commutes to work in Chicago's South Loop. My goal was to replace my V-Moda M-100's. (I found the M-100's mids too recessed and its bass to overpowering. But I loved it's fit, build quality, and aesthetic sense.) 
 
During that time I've bought/auditioned the following trying to find my replacement: Sennheiser Momentum, Shure 840, Logitech UE6000, Beyerdynamic DT250-250 ohm, KRK KNS8400 (briefly), Soundmagic HP100 (briefly), and AKG K550 (briefly). 
 
This is it. I was going to tryout the AKG K267, Focal Spirit Pro, and PSB M4U1 next. I don't feel like I need to...at all.
 
These headphones are sublime.

 

[amigomatt]

Just got a set of these in 90 minutes ago. I'm completely floored. 

In the past six months, I've been on a hardcore hunt for a circumaural, closed mobile headphone to use on my commutes to work in Chicago's South Loop. My goal was to replace my V-Moda M-100's. (I found the M-100's mids too recessed and its bass to overpowering. But I loved it's fit, build quality, and aesthetic sense.) 

During that time I've bought/auditioned the following trying to find my replacement: Sennheiser Momentum, Shure 840, Logitech UE6000, Beyerdynamic DT250-250 ohm, KRK KNS8400 (briefly), Soundmagic HP100 (briefly), and AKG K550 (briefly). 

This is it. I was going to tryout the AKG K267, Focal Spirit Pro, and PSB M4U1 next. I don't feel like I need to...at all.

These headphones are sublime.

Yeah, I think I might sell my KNS8400s and something else to fund a pair of these in the near future. NAD had always featured in quality hifi here in the UK and my first separate amp was a chunky NAD 3155. I have a soft spot for the brand and was joyed to hear they released some headphones. There was no way they were going to be bad in my mind!

 

[drogo]

I just bought HP50 today after auditioned twice at the local audio store.  The first time I found HP50 totally lack of bass.  The mid and treble were great.  The vocals stood out for me and not too bright.  I was comparing it with Momentum (over ear) at the time.  The lack of bass was a minus for me.  Weeks later (today) I tried again but this time I didn't listen to any headphones before trying the HP50.  With the same music as last time, I found there was very good bass.  I was very surprised.  When I took it home and tested it with my own music (Natalie Merchant's But Not for Me), the bass was present, not strong but very realistic, the sound stage was nice.  I then compared it with Momentum (on ear), the bass was definitely stronger with the MOE.  I switched back HP50, I found the bass and sound stage were lost.  My theory is our ears get used to strong bass and become less sensitive to detailed sound.  Has anyone come across this?
 
Before buying HP50, I have compared it with a few headphones both at store and my own.  Here are my thoughts:
 
Momentum over ear:  Very good sound for all range of frequencies, crisp, excellent bass.  Ear pad is more like on ear to me but clamping pressure is very low so it is still very comfortable. Good for all kinds of music, classical, jazz, pop, rock, instrumentals.
 
P7: Very crisp, bright sound.  Bass not as strong as Momentum but present.  It has a very different sound that you have to listen. Somewhat expensive but build quality is excellent. Good for jazz, vocal, instrumentals.
 
Sennheiser 558:  Open/semi-open sound. You could hear details that you missed with other closed back phone. Bass is present but not strong.  Sound not as crisp as HP50, Momentum, P7. Good for classical, jazz, live music. Kind of heavy weight wise.
 
Grado 80i: Treble very strong, almost too bright.  Very little bass.  The open sound is very different from any headphones I owned.  Good for instrumentals, vocals, music with little bass.
 
Momentum on ear:  Very good bass and treble. Mid can be a bit lost sometimes depending on your music. Very crisp without being bright.  Not as balance as over ear version.  A little less comfortable but very light.  Good for pop, rock, music that have punchy bass.
 
Sony MDR-V500: One of my first headphone.  It seems to get better with age.  At first I found the bass is lacking and treble a bit tinny. Now, it is has a very warm sound.  The sound is just a bit less crisp than MOE.  At less than $100, it is very good buy although the earpad can get uncomfortable after awhile.
 
Sennheiser 495:  Very light. It is on ear but it has very soft earpad and put very little pressure on the ear.  Good for watching movies.  Can wear them for hours without getting hot or pain.  You forget you are wearing them.
 
Sony XB-500: Way too much bass that don't sounded very realistic. Good for electronic music.
 
I picked HP50 because it has a very crisp sound that is not too bright (better than P7).  It has realistic bass (although less than Momentum).  It has good sound stage (similar to 558).  I also like Momentum over ear very much.  It was a real toss up between HP50 and Momentum over ear.  It all depends on you taste of music and sound you like.  I may eventually get Momentum over ear when it goes on sale.

 

[grizzlybeast]

  I just bought HP50 today after auditioned twice at the local audio store.  The first time I found HP50 totally lack of bass.  The mid and treble were great.  The vocals stood out for me and not too bright.  I was comparing it with Momentum (over ear) at the time.  The lack of bass was a minus for me.  Weeks later (today) I tried again but this time I didn't listen to any headphones before trying the HP50.  With the same music as last time, I found there was very good bass.  I was very surprised.  When I took it home and tested it with my own music (Natalie Merchant's But Not for Me), the bass was present, not strong but very realistic, the sound stage was nice.  I then compared it with Momentum (on ear), the bass was definitely stronger with the MOE.  I switched back HP50, I found the bass and sound stage were lost.  My theory is our ears get used to strong bass and become less sensitive to detailed sound.  Has anyone come across this?
 
Before buying HP50, I have compared it with a few headphones both at store and my own.  Here are my thoughts:
 
Momentum over ear:  Very good sound for all range of frequencies, crisp, excellent bass.  Ear pad is more like on ear to me but clamping pressure is very low so it is still very comfortable. Good for all kinds of music, classical, jazz, pop, rock, instrumentals.
 
P7: Very crisp, bright sound.  Bass not as strong as Momentum but present.  It has a very different sound that you have to listen. Somewhat expensive but build quality is excellent. Good for jazz, vocal, instrumentals.
 
Sennheiser 558:  Open/semi-open sound. You could hear details that you missed with other closed back phone. Bass is present but not strong.  Sound not as crisp as HP50, Momentum, P7. Good for classical, jazz, live music. Kind of heavy weight wise.
 
Grado 80i: Treble very strong, almost too bright.  Very little bass.  The open sound is very different from any headphones I owned.  Good for instrumentals, vocals, music with little bass.
 
Momentum on ear:  Very good bass and treble. Mid can be a bit lost sometimes depending on your music. Very crisp without being bright.  Not as balance as over ear version.  A little less comfortable but very light.  Good for pop, rock, music that have punchy bass.
 
Sony MDR-V500: One of my first headphone.  It seems to get better with age.  At first I found the bass is lacking and treble a bit tinny. Now, it is has a very warm sound.  The sound is just a bit less crisp than MOE.  At less than $100, it is very good buy although the earpad can get uncomfortable after awhile.
 
Sennheiser 495:  Very light. It is on ear but it has very soft earpad and put very little pressure on the ear.  Good for watching movies.  Can wear them for hours without getting hot or pain.  You forget you are wearing them.
 
Sony XB-500: Way too much bass that don't sounded very realistic. Good for electronic music.
 
I picked HP50 because it has a very crisp sound that is not too bright (better than P7).  It has realistic bass (although less than Momentum).  It has good sound stage (similar to 558).  I also like Momentum over ear very much.  It was a real toss up between HP50 and Momentum over ear.  It all depends on you taste of music and sound you like.  I may eventually get Momentum over ear when it goes on sale.

you are saying that the hp50 has a smaller soundstage than the momentum?
 
man with the small cups and soundstage it is becoming more and more hard to believe the hype... Can anyone confirm or explain the soundstage?

 

[drogo]

I am sorry if I didn't make myself clear.  I was trying to say the soundstage of HP50 is similar to 558 in my opinion.  HP50 is better than Moementum over ear in soundstage.
 
In my search for the "ultimate" headphone, I found that there is no such thing -- especially if you listen to all kinds of music.  One headphone may be good for one type of music may not be good for another.  I find both HP50 and Moementum over ear are good for my type of music I listen to: 80's new wave, instrumentals, classical, jazz, pop.  It is very subjective.  I hope by comparing the headphones that someone may beneifit a bit from my experience. I know I benefited a lot from reading this forum.  Ultimately, I think you have to try the phone yourself in order to make your deccision.

 

[drogo]

I forgot to point out that the reason for what I said in the original post (HP50 lost of bass and soundstage)  was due to after listening to bass heavy headphones, I believe during my auditioning and  switching from bass heavy to more neutral headphones, it can make the neutral headpone sounded worst.   It is like wine tasting.in my opinion.  In between different wine, you have to clean your palate.  I don't know if anyone agree.

 

[BaTou069]

  It is like wine tasting.in my opinion.  In between different wine, you have to clean your palate.  I don't know if anyone agree.

Totally agree, this is relativity
Ears get used to something..... but I guess that other people know exactly what they're searching for

 

[dlhen68]

I had been vacillating like crazy between the P7s and the HP50s (I bought both to try). It was back and forth for weeks. Then I decided to return both. I boxed up both sets. Then I ended up unboxing them again for one last listen. The HP50s have a good overall sound but are very uncomfortable on my ears after a short time; if only the ear pads were larger and deeper. SO back in the box they went. I prefer the fit of the P7s, so I hunkered down with those again. The HP50s went to UPS this afternoon. I have another week and a half to decide about the P7s. Craziness... ;P

 

[Beagle]

  It is like wine tasting.in my opinion.  In between different wine, you have to clean your palate.  I don't know if anyone agree.

 
I agree 100%. A very astute observation. Welcome to Head-Fi!

 

[grizzlybeast]

  I am sorry if I didn't make myself clear.  I was trying to say the soundstage of HP50 is similar to 558 in my opinion.  HP50 is better than Moementum over ear in soundstage.
 
In my search for the "ultimate" headphone, I found that there is no such thing -- especially if you listen to all kinds of music.  

I believe that is true but I don't understand why it is so hard to make a headphone cup go over the whole ear, be comfortable and have a good balance. Why the heck are the cups so small. The yamaha hph mt220 does this for me though it needed a little work and modding it is my ultimate in that price range. 

 

[squirrelboy1210]

that glossy finish looks REALLY prone to scratches... do they scratch easily?

 

[sfwalcer]

  that glossy finish looks REALLY prone to scratches... do they scratch easily?

^ yeppp and it kinda makes the cans look cheap, if only it had a matte black finish. Unfff!!! Ultra sexcee.

 

[squallkiercosa]

Maybe Paul Barton will make a matte finish hp50 in a few years. Let's sign a petition supporting non glossy finish!