aCuria
Head-Fier
- Joined
- Apr 14, 2009
- Posts
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I just demoed the Sennheiser Momentum and here are some thoughts.
Source: iPhone 5
Fit and finish
Sound
I auditioned these cans with great anticipation on the back of Jude and Tyll Hertsens's very positive reviews. The momentum has a very slightly wider soundstage than the HD25s but nowhere approaching that of the HD800, and is to my ears somewhat darker and much more laid back than the HD25s. The high's are very tame and are unlikely to cause fatigue the way some of Grado's offerings will, and they isolate very well, i found the isolation comparable to the HD25s.
Unfortunately while the Momentum is a competent offering, I found it very much more enjoyable using my HD25s. There is just something missing from the Momentum's presentation of each song that I find very hard to quantify.... While detail is certainly present, there seems to be something muddying the waters and this gets worse as you increase the volume. When I swapped out to the Amperior demo unit, it was immediately a breath of fresh air. This was quite unexpected and I got a second opinion from a DT1350 owner just in case (without saying what I thought first of course). The response was "It was quite disappointing." It was almost as if the demo unit was defective.
Overall I feel the Momentum is a downgrade from the HD25s and is not worth the asking price, especially since the Amperior retails for < $220 usd. In fact I don't even think I would pull the trigger at $150.
Looks like my quest to upgrade my HD25s will not be ending for some time yet.
Source: iPhone 5
Fit and finish
- The Momentum looks FANTASTIC in person, perhaps even better than in the photos, the leather pads and headband feel great, the can is light and stays on your head nicely.
- The locking mechanism that keeps the cable attached to the cans looks flimsy, there is what looks like a very small nub of plastic that keeps the entire thing locked in place. I fear that if the cable is yanked with some force, the nub would break off. I would much prefer there be no locking mechanism at all
- I noticed that the Momentum's leather pad traps heat very effectively, this may be an issue for some people
Sound
I auditioned these cans with great anticipation on the back of Jude and Tyll Hertsens's very positive reviews. The momentum has a very slightly wider soundstage than the HD25s but nowhere approaching that of the HD800, and is to my ears somewhat darker and much more laid back than the HD25s. The high's are very tame and are unlikely to cause fatigue the way some of Grado's offerings will, and they isolate very well, i found the isolation comparable to the HD25s.
Unfortunately while the Momentum is a competent offering, I found it very much more enjoyable using my HD25s. There is just something missing from the Momentum's presentation of each song that I find very hard to quantify.... While detail is certainly present, there seems to be something muddying the waters and this gets worse as you increase the volume. When I swapped out to the Amperior demo unit, it was immediately a breath of fresh air. This was quite unexpected and I got a second opinion from a DT1350 owner just in case (without saying what I thought first of course). The response was "It was quite disappointing." It was almost as if the demo unit was defective.
Overall I feel the Momentum is a downgrade from the HD25s and is not worth the asking price, especially since the Amperior retails for < $220 usd. In fact I don't even think I would pull the trigger at $150.
Looks like my quest to upgrade my HD25s will not be ending for some time yet.
