[freakfingers12]

One sexy looking beast (at first glance that is). I would appreciate more padding on the headband area though. Looking forward for it to be compared to the VMODA M100 and Sony MDR1R. 

 

[manveru]

Quote:

Well if you don't have a driver, you don't have a speaker for one. I would think that qualifies the driver as being the heart of a headphone, no?

 
What I mean is, instead of merely saying "statement A is true," I'd like to see him say "statement A is true because of reasons x, y, and z." Not that I'm trying to argue, I'd just like to know if there's a reason he's saying what he's saying, as I don't know the answer myself with complete and utter confidence.
 
It doesn't sound crazy to say that the driver could have a large influence on the sound. It also doesn't sound crazy to say that everything else could have a large effect. For example, consider modded T50RPs. They all have the same drivers, but through the use of different damping materials or even cups they can be made to sound very different from each other (judging by subjective impressions and graphs). Swapping pads can definitely be more than subtle, or if you've ever experienced a bad seal on a headphone, it can make all the difference.

 

[freakfingers12]

Don't know if you guys saw this link but here it is, a preview of the headphone:
http://www.trustedreviews.com/sennheiser-momentum_Headphones_review
 
The way he described the SQ sounded like it will be close to the Amperior/HD25. Audiophile-friendly, eh? Hmm, sounds promising. 

 

[robm321]

The Amperior sounds nice, so that is a good thing.

 

[grokit]

I'm about to have a mid-fi closed-back face-off, FA003 vs. P5 vs. MS400 vs. D2000. When the rest are sold the winner goes up against these!

 

[Norml]

Does any one know if the drivers are angled or not?

 

[.Sup]

Does any one know if the drivers are angled or not?

I doubt there is enough room for it to be angled.

 

[Craigster75]

Quote:

 
Well, if you've got a point to make, why don't you explain it?

It wasn't a point, it was a rhetorical question.  Here's another rhetorical question:  If drivers have no impact on sound, why doesn't every headphone manufacturer use the same, cheapest driver available in all their headphones and just change the cups, cables and dampening material?
 
I normally expand further in my posts, but didn't regarding this statement because, IMO, it doesn't warrant debate.  There could certainly be a debate regarding what impacts sound MORE- the drivers or other factors.  However, for someone to state drivers have no impact on headphone sound is just plain silly.

 

[manveru]

Quote:

It wasn't a point, it was a rhetorical question.  Here's another rhetorical question:  If drivers have no impact on sound, why doesn't every headphone manufacturer use the same, cheapest driver available in all their headphones and just change the cups, cables and dampening material?
 
I normally expand further in my posts, but didn't regarding this statement because, IMO, it doesn't warrant debate.  There could certainly be a debate regarding what impacts sound MORE- the drivers or other factors.  However, for someone to state drivers have no impact on headphone sound is just plain silly.

 
I'm confused. I think there's been a misunderstanding. I don't remember anyone ever claiming that drivers have zero impact on sound. 

 I thought the conversation was about how big their contribution is relative to other factors.

 

[M-13]

What worries me about these is that Sennheiser barely even mentions the drivers. The emphasis is all on the great look of the Momentum. I do like the look and also the nice case. Wondering why the Amperior did not have a case like this for the exact same price.

 

[Craigster75]

Quote:

You cannot claim the driver to be the major contributor to the way a headphone sounds. All other making minor differences. Some 200$ driver are used in very upmarket speaker producing a sound so different than cheaper speaker using same driver that you would not believe it. Not just a matter of materials, but shape, size and rigidity of the cup and the same variables with the pads and even the headband and the ergonimics have a lot to do with what seal you will achieve and from which angle the sound will hit your ears. All of that might mean more than the driver on its own 

 
Quote:

I couldn't disagree more.  While there are many factors that influence the sound, how can the driver NOT be the heart of any headphone?

 
Quote:

 
Well, if you've got a point to make, why don't you explain it?

 
Quote:

Well if you don't have a driver, you don't have a speaker for one. A headphone without a driver is useless if you're expecting to hear music through it. I would think that qualifies the driver as being the heart of a headphone, no? You can make cheap or expensive headphones, but all headphones require a driver to function properly, just as the human requires a heart or pumping mechanism to deliver blood throughout the body.

 
Quote:

It wasn't a point, it was a rhetorical question.  Here's another rhetorical question:  If drivers have no impact on sound, why doesn't every headphone manufacturer use the same, cheapest driver available in all their headphones and just change the cups, cables and dampening material?
 
I normally expand further in my posts, but didn't regarding this statement because, IMO, it doesn't warrant debate.  There could certainly be a debate regarding what impacts sound MORE- the drivers or other factors.  However, for someone to state drivers have no impact on headphone sound is just plain silly.

 
Quote:

 
I'm confused. I think there's been a misunderstanding. I don't remember anyone ever claiming that drivers have zero impact on sound. 

 I thought the conversation was about how big their contribution is relative to other factors.

If I read more into these posts than I should, my bad.  Also, apologies to manveru if I misundstood the tone of his post.  However, I believe the driver contributes more to the sound of a headphone than any other INDIVIDUAL factor by a large margin.  If you look at the old Denon line, there is a signature with the same driver used in all three where it has a wide dynamic range from sub bass through a solid high end and all are considered somewhat bright.  While there are identifiable improvements along the line as cost increases based on changes in the housing (plastic to wood) and other factors, the common denominator is the driver.  The Denon D600 and D7100 have a huge price gap, also plastic vs. wood cups, yet many have described these as having a similar sound due to a shared driver.  I believe the same could be said for the HD25 and Amperior where the aluminum cups in the Amperior improve the resonance but don't dramatically change the sound.  In fact, when I A/B'd the HD25 Adidas and Amperior, I couldn't tell the difference aside from higher volume on Amperior due to lower impedance.  I hope I have provided enough examples to illustrate my unscientific claim  that the driver is the foundation upon which every headphone's signature is developed.  I welcome thoughts in agreement or to the contrary.
 
This is why I was excited to hear that Sennheiser is using a new driver in Momentum.

 

[Norml]

Quote:

 
 
 
 
 
If I read more into these posts than I should, my bad.  However, I believe the driver contributes more to the sound of a headphone than any other INDIVIDUAL factor by a large margin.  If you look at the old Denon line, there is a signature with the same driver used in all three where it has a wide dynamic range from sub bass through a solid high end and all are considered somewhat bright.  While there are identifiable improvements along the line as cost increases based on changes in the housing (plastic to wood) and other factors, the common denominator is the driver.  The Denon D600 and D7100 have a huge price gap, also plastic vs. wood cups, yet many have described these as having a similar sound due to a shared driver.  I believe the same could be said for the HD25 and Amperior where the aluminum cups in the Amperior improve the resonance but don't dramatically change the sound.  In fact, when I A/B'd the HD25 Adidas and Amperior, I couldn't tell the difference aside from higher volume on Amperior due to lower impedance.  I hope I have provided enough examples to illustrate my unscientific claim  that the driver is the foundation upon which every headphone's signature is developed.  I welcome thoughts in agreement or to the contrary.

Just adding my 2 cents. I agree that the driver makes just as much of a difference, if not more. Here is an example. I recently bought a pair of Koss dj100's strictly for doing a driver transplant. I listened to the koss with the stock drivers for a couple days and the sound was disappointing as expected. I then replaced the drivers with drivers of the same size from another pair of phones. The sound was night and day different. They went from being tinny and bass light to very balanced with amazing detail. This was before any other mods were done.
 
edited for poor grammar

 

[manveru]

Quote:

If I read more into these posts than I should, my bad.  Also, apologies to manveru if I misundstood the tone of his post. 

 
No worries. I realize in retrospect how my post could have come off as confrontational, though that wasn't my intention. Misunderstandings such as this happen on the internet all the time. It's no one's fault.
 
In any case, like I said I don't think anyone was trying to deny that drivers would effect sound. Taking a look at the big picture though, I suppose when you think about it the question of does it make more or less of a difference than something else doesn't really matter that much. I think everyone would agree that the final sound is a combination of drivers, cups, pads, fit, etc. In the same way that taking a poor driver and sticking it in an acoustically optimal enclosure doesn't necessarily produce the best sound, neither does taking a good performing driver and sticking it into any random enclosure.

 

[discretesound]

Just adding my 2 cents. I agree that the driver makes just as much of a difference, if not more. Here is an example. I recently bought a pair of Koss dj100's strictly for doing a driver transplant. I listened to the koss with the stock drivers for a couple days and the sound was disappointing as expected. I then replaced the drivers with drivers of the same size from another pair of phones. The sound was night and day different. They went from being tinny and bass light to very balanced with amazing detail. This was before any other mods were done.

edited for poor grammar

X2. Good driver alone won't guarantee a good sound. Overall implementation is very important.

 

[tuanh714]

fdsa