[Anouk]

Hi everyone,
I am really frustraded and cant decide what headphone to get. Either the nad hp50 or the original sennheiser momentum.
I am blind myself (not a joke) I guess this is one of the reasons why i enjoy sound so much and am a girl head-fier.
I am told the momentum looks a lot nicer and  would allow me to travel by train in confidence knowing that i dont look like a total geek.
I do value sound a lot more then looks but having both is not bad either.
Which of the both do you guys find more comfortable/portable/seals better?
Sound seems to be fairly similar?
 They are both the seem price here in the Netherlands namely eur 300/
Thanks in advance for any pointers/help!
Greetings, Anouk,

 

[AngryGoldfish]

  Hi everyone,
I am really frustraded and cant decide what headphone to get. Either the nad hp50 or the original sennheiser momentum.
I am blind myself (not a joke) I guess this is one of the reasons why i enjoy sound so much and am a girl head-fier.
I am told the momentum looks a lot nicer and  would allow me to travel by train in confidence knowing that i dont look like a total geek.
I do value sound a lot more then looks but having both is not bad either.
Which of the both do you guys find more comfortable/portable/seals better?
Sound seems to be fairly similar?
 They are both the seem price here in the Netherlands namely eur 300/
Thanks in advance for any pointers/help!
Greetings, Anouk,

 
The Momentum has small earcups. I'm not sure what size your ears are but I can imagine they're smaller than mine. I have Elvish ears. If you have small ears, the Momentum is fantastic. It looks amazing, sounds excellent, and is extremely robust and rugged. You definitely won't look out of place with them on your ears no matter where you are or what you're doing. The Momentum seals well and is portable enough for most. However, if you have bigger ears, the Momentum may not be a good choice. If I had smaller ears I would buy one.
 
The NAD HP50 doesn't look as good, in my opinion, but it's supposed to have arguably a clearer sound that is better suited for cleaner styles like jazz and classical. The headband is known for being slightly uncomfortable for some, but it has bigger earcups and is also made extremely well, so I can tell. The company is well regarded and has some produced some extremely high-end pieces of audio equipment.
 
I would rate them this way:

Portability - Momentum
Sound quality - Equal but the HP50 has a slight bump in clarity and balance
Comfort - Momentum for small ears, HP50 for bigger ears
Looks - Momentum
Durability - Momentum
Design - Momentum
 
I personally think the Momentum is a better headphone overall, but the small earcups kill it for me.

 

[Koolpep]

   
The Momentum has small earcups. I'm not sure what size your ears are but I can imagine they're smaller than mine. I have Elvish ears. If you have small ears, the Momentum is fantastic. It looks amazing, sounds excellent, and is extremely robust and rugged. You definitely won't look out of place with them on your ears no matter where you are or what you're doing. The Momentum seals well and is portable enough for most. However, if you have bigger ears, the Momentum may not be a good choice. If I had smaller ears I would buy one.
 
The NAD HP50 doesn't look as good, in my opinion, but it's supposed to have arguably a clearer sound that is better suited for cleaner styles like jazz and classical. The headband is known for being slightly uncomfortable for some, but it has bigger earcups and is also made extremely well, so I can tell. The company is well regarded and has some produced some extremely high-end pieces of audio equipment.
 
I would rate them this way:

Portability - Momentum
Sound quality - Equal but the HP50 has a slight bump in clarity and balance
Comfort - Momentum for small ears, HP50 for bigger ears
Looks - Momentum
Durability - Momentum
Design - Momentum
 
I personally think the Momentum is a better headphone overall, but the small earcups kill it for me.

 
I don't have small ears but somehow the Momentum sits on my ears very comfortably and the sound quality is sublime. And they are so easy to drive as well. A good solid state amp and there you go. Amazing sound. I would say, try the Momentum, even with bigger ears, they can fit well under certain circumstances with large ears as well.

 

[robotskill]

..
.
The NAD HP50 doesn't look as good, in my opinion, but it's supposed to have arguably a clearer sound that is better suited for cleaner styles like jazz and classical. The headband is known for being slightly uncomfortable for some, but it has bigger earcups and is also made extremely well, so I can tell. The company is well regarded and has some produced some extremely high-end pieces of audio equipment.

I would rate them this way:


Portability - Momentum
Sound quality - Equal but the HP50 has a slight bump in clarity and balance
Comfort - Momentum for small ears, HP50 for bigger ears
Looks - Momentum
Durability - Momentum
Design - Momentum

I personally think the Momentum is a better headphone overall, but the small earcups kill it for me.

Just curious, have you tried the HP50 yourself or ?

I really liked the Momentum's sq and despite what many have stated as having comfort issues due to the size of the earcups I found that they were largely acceptable in comfort, not the best, but acceptable, and I arguably have huge ears: 3 1/8" or basically 79mm tall..

 

[AngryGoldfish]

The

   
I don't have small ears but somehow the Momentum sits on my ears very comfortably and the sound quality is sublime. And they are so easy to drive as well. A good solid state amp and there you go. Amazing sound. I would say, try the Momentum, even with bigger ears, they can fit well under certain circumstances with large ears as well.

 
They're fortunately one of those headphones that should be easy enough to find, even here in Ireland. The next time I'm in Dublin or another major city I'll definitely be keeping my eyes out for them. Of course, initial comfort is not always a statement of its future comfort, but it'll give a decent gauge as to its longevity for me personally and my Spock ears.

 

[AngryGoldfish]

Just curious, have you tried the HP50 yourself or ?

I really liked the Momentum's sq and despite what many have stated as having comfort issues due to the size of the earcups I found that they were largely acceptable in comfort, not the best, but acceptable, and I arguably have huge ears: 3 1/8" or basically 79mm tall..

 
My ears are slightly smaller than 79cm. The Momentum's feel comfortable for you? Weird. That's good though.
 
I have unfortunately not been able to find a pair of the HP50's. They only have a few select dealers over here in the UK. I don't even think they have an Irish distribution at all, and I haven't found a shop online from Ireland that stocks them.

 

[hifimiami]

  So I've had my HP50s for a couple of days now. I can confirm the V-Moda audio cable fits perfectly and works without an issue, so if you need a longer cable for desktop use it's perfect.
 
Otherwise, I'm actually very happy with these headphones. They do sound very good indeed. Quite spacious and coherent. They also don't look anywhere near as bad on my head as they do on other people I've seen. I think it depends greatly on your hair and the shape of your head, and it works OK with my noggin! Comfort is good, maybe not quite at the level I'd want for all day desktop use, but certainly passes for listening for a few hours. I think I want to make this my portable headphone (once I get contact lenses).  

Ordered and received V-Moda cable confirm that it fits . The Sound Quality is affected by the V-Moda cable, compared to stock cable it sounds like a filter was introduced affecting midrange, bass and imaging. I do not recommend unless you want to waste $17 with shipping. I have the impression it is a .99 cent Chinese generic 3.5 mm cable!

 

[MacedonianHero]

 
Then do you guys with no comfort issues...extend the arms fully and tilt the headphones back at an angle so it is resting on the head kind of 45 degrees....that was the only way I could get them bearable for longer periods !

I extend them all the way, but I wear them like normal headphones on top of my head.

 

[n05ey]

Another easy way to mod the depth of the cups is some of the tubing used to keep flywire in screen doors. I used a length all the way around under the pad and it has been instant relief on the tips of my ears as well as helping me stop breaking the seal on the bottom of the right pad when I turn my head.

I am really enjoying them and this removes the little frustrations I was having.

 

[Venger77]

Hello everyone. I am interested in trying a closed neutral headphone and both these NAD HP50 and the Focal Spirit Pros are on my radar. I'm looking for any opinions or personal experiences on how these might compare with the Audeze LCD-2 and Sennheiser HD650 pertaining to neutrality and soundstage. I may purchase a refurb HP50 anyway since it's much cheaper than a Spirit Pro and I'm interested in how this RoomFeel technology might sound. I would assume the HP50 is more neutral than the LCD-2 and HD650 and has a somewhat more narrow soundstage (even with RoomFeel) given it's closed back. Any thoughts would be helpful.

 

[HeretixAevum]

  Ordered and received V-Moda cable confirm that it fits . The Sound Quality is affected by the V-Moda cable, compared to stock cable it sounds like a filter was introduced affecting midrange, bass and imaging. I do not recommend unless you want to waste $17 with shipping. I have the impression it is a .99 cent Chinese generic 3.5 mm cable!

Really? I don't hear any difference at all. Are you using the audio only cable, or did you get one with a mic and pause button?

 

[vilhelm44]

Morning guys,
 
I'm looking to buy my first set of headphones after many years of IEMs, my last pair being Shure SE846's. I have tested the PSB M4U2 and loved the sound with the amp turned on. I have also been reding reviews for the Nad HP50's, which sound like a great choice too.
 
Which phones would you say had the better overall sound?

 

[hifimiami]

  Really? I don't hear any difference at all. Are you using the audio only cable, or did you get one with a mic and pause button?

Audio Only, line out from a Fiio X3 to O2 amp. my impression not only poor SQ but cable kinks and is very stiff.  This weekend I will audition a Moon Audio V3 Blue Dragon cable with Oyaide 3.5 mm plug I hope it works with Viso HP50.

 

[subguy812]

  Morning guys,
 
I'm looking to buy my first set of headphones after many years of IEMs, my last pair being Shure SE846's. I have tested the PSB M4U2 and loved the sound with the amp turned on. I have also been reding reviews for the Nad HP50's, which sound like a great choice too.
 
Which phones would you say had the better overall sound?

Tough call...I never had the M4U 2, I had the M4U 1. I now have the NAD. I loved the sound on PSB and I love the sound on the NAD. There were a couple of reasons I exchanged. Main reason is vanity, I really like the look of the NAD better. Although neither are going to make a fashion statement. Some may think I am crazy but I think the PSB had a little bit better sound to my taste???? Flip a coin you will be happy with either..the PSB's are heavier but the weight was distributed ok(not great).

 

[vilhelm44]

 
Tough call...I never had the M4U 2, I had the M4U 1. I now have the NAD. I loved the sound on PSB and I love the sound on the NAD. There were a couple of reasons I exchanged. Main reason is vanity, I really like the look of the NAD better. Although neither are going to make a fashion statement. Some may think I am crazy but I think the PSB had a little bit better sound to my taste???? Flip a coin you will be happy with either..the PSB's are heavier but the weight was distributed ok(not great).

 
Thanks for that. I put an order in for the Nad's yesterday so now eagerly awaiting their arrival. If they're as good a sound as the PSB M4U's then I think I'll be in for a treat.