Really hard to describe headphones as everyone is different. I've read countless reviews of lots of headphones stating stuff that to MY ears is totally false.
But i'll try. Lows are there in good quantity, somewhere in the middle compared to other headphones, but not flat. I wouldn't call them super punchy, but definitely punchy enough! Mids are beautiful and realistic, a bit raised tho. Highs are the most difficult to describe, as everyone hears them so differently. It would actually be better to descibe my ears.. I am very sensitive to bright and unrealistic highs, especially bright S's and F's. And these are perfect for me. To my ears the highs are realistic and good quality, but a bit recessed.
If you have a love affair with highs and like them, as reviewers call it, crispy and snappy or whatever, you will NOT like these. These headphones have a comfy sound. The best comfy non-fatiguing sound of any comfy sounding headphone.
And last but not least, TO MY EARS.
Hope that helps.
I pretty much agree with your sentiment. I originally purchased them when they were still known as the Momentum 2.0 Over Ear and was doing an A/B with the Audio-Technica DSR9BT. At the time, I thought they sounded dark, but in retrospect, that was due to comparing 2 very disparate headphones/sound signatures.
I recently repurchased the Pink Floyd version directly from Sennheiser for $215 (on sale for $299 with $60 off & 10% off promo codes). I have to say, it sounds better than I remember, in fact, I'm really liking the sound signature, especially for the office. Great bass, with a slight sub-bass emphasis and tastefully elevated overall bass range to give it some nice punch. The mids are very well done, slightly shouty upper mids, but I enjoy the overall sound and slightly forward characteristic. The treble is better than I remember, but it could use a boost in the low to mid treble regions and a slight reduction in the sibilance range. Overall, however, the treble has smooth characteristic and is good for long listening sessions. It's a fun headphone and I am definitely enjoying them more than I thought I would! Plus, they look SMASHING, BABY!
I will say that there is a difference when listening over an iPhone and an Android device with aptX (I have an LG G6 as well as an iPhone 7 Plus). Since the headphones do not support AAC, it defaults to SBC when using an iPhone. Using the same source audio, even over Apple Music, it sounds notably better over aptX when compared to SBC
on these headphones (some headphones have poor drivers, so aptX does squat). Over SBC, it sounds more compressed (smaller ceiling, shorter stage), instrumentation & vocals are less distinct from each other, and there is a very slight graininess. Don't get me wrong, it still sounds good over SBC, and in a vacuum, you'd be quite content. Since it has multi-point, my solution is to connect to my LG G6 for music, but take calls from my iPhone. During a commute, you're not going to notice the detail improvement over aptX; it's only apparent if you're relaxing and listening to some jams.
