[goodyfresh]

  So how long did you actually listen to the momentums? and you're comparing them to your M80's which you've had for how long?

It was an audio-specialty store with an area with nice comfy lougne chairs you can sit in while demoing the headphones.  I sat and listened to the Momentums, the Sony MDR-1A, the PSB M4U1, and the Sennheiser HD 558 each for about 15 to 20 minutes, with a variety of tracks from different genres.  I listened the Momentums for the shortest time, probably just short of a quarter-hour, before I just couldn't stand them anymore.  But I honestly was starting to feel like I couldn't' stand them within thirty seconds of putting them on.  I listened to part of Beethoven's Ninth, some rap by Wu Tang Clan, some Delta Blues by Son House, and some old-school Red Hot Chili Peppers (from back when they were still funk-jazz influenced) on them, and I thought that with all the tracks it made them sound closed-in and unremarkable.  This is opposed to my V-Moda M-80's which I absolutely adored from the very moment I first put them on and hit the play button.  Also opposed to the HD558 which while they didn't have much bass, did the mids and highs spectacularly, and had great soundstage (but of course, they're open-backed, so that isn't fair to compare to the other ones, really), and to the Sony MDR-1A which I thought sounded nice and warm and fun but with very good detail and sound stage.  Then, there were the M4U1's, which I thought did everything SPECTACULARLY, including sound-stage which somehow managed to be almost as good as the HD558 despite the M4U1 being close-backed.  Overall, the only two I liked more than the V-Moda M-80's I already have were the MDR-1A and the M4U1, and I found the Momentums entirely unremarkable.

Honestly?  I think the pair they have there in the store MIGHT be some kind of dud, or something, becuase it DIDN'T have many good qualities to the sound.

 

[jimmers]

Originally Posted by goodyfresh /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Ugh.  Not to mention the fact that I think the guys at Sennheiser were tripping on acid or something and thought they were designing headphones for people from the Shire in Middle Earth, i.e. Hobbits with teeny-tiny ears.

 

[volly]

  It was an audio-specialty store with an area with nice comfy lougne chairs you can sit in while demoing the headphones.  I sat and listened to the Momentums, the Sony MDR-1A, the PSB M4U1, and the Sennheiser HD 558 each for about 15 to 20 minutes, with a variety of tracks from different genres.  I listened the Momentums for the shortest time, probably just short of a quarter-hour, before I just couldn't stand them anymore.  But I honestly was starting to feel like I couldn't' stand them within thirty seconds of putting them on.  I listened to part of Beethoven's Ninth, some rap by Wu Tang Clan, some Delta Blues by Son House, and some old-school Red Hot Chili Peppers (from back when they were still funk-jazz influenced) on them, and I thought that with all the tracks it made them sound closed-in and unremarkable.  This is opposed to my V-Moda M-80's which I absolutely adored from the very moment I first put them on and hit the play button.  Also opposed to the HD558 which while they didn't have much bass, did the mids and highs spectacularly, and had great soundstage (but of course, they're open-backed, so that isn't fair to compare to the other ones, really), and to the Sony MDR-1A which I thought sounded nice and warm and fun but with very good detail and sound stage.  Then, there were the M4U1's, which I thought did everything SPECTACULARLY, including sound-stage which somehow managed to be almost as good as the HD558 despite the M4U1 being close-backed.  Overall, the only two I liked more than the V-Moda M-80's I already have were the MDR-1A and the M4U1, and I found the Momentums entirely unremarkable.

Honestly?  I think the pair they have there in the store MIGHT be some kind of dud, or something, because it DIDN'T have many good qualities to the sound.

Fair enough Goodyfresh, at the end of the day as long as your happy with what you have, then you can't go wrong. 
 
I've had my momentum's for a while now and still quite impressed with the sound within the circle of headphones that I have. 
 
I actually had a similar experience with a set of MDR-1A in a store down my way and wasn't impressed by the Sony's at all. Upon reflection, the setup that this store had was terrible compared to what I was using at home. But still I won't write-off the Sony's just yet because of one experience I had at the time. 
 
Back to the sound of the momentum's, yes they are a closed headphone and the sound will never sound like an open airy set. But the sound quality and comfort (for me) makes a worth while purchase, I won't be giving them up anytime soon. 
 
The momentum's do have a rather warm sound signature but with my fairly neutral setup, it's a welcome and pleasing sound, perhaps the Fiio X3ii isn't such a good pairing?
 
This hobby is a fun and fascinating one, everyone has their own personal preferences! 

 

[goodyfresh]

 

Keep in mind though that even with them being shaped like that, their ears are STILL tiny.  Because the guys are like, three and a half feet tall!

Also, I was talking abotu Hobbits in the books, who were never once described as having strangely-shaped ears.  I like the books more than the movies, not that the movies werent' great, but they took some liberties with aspects of the story (such as Hobbit-ears, for example ).

  Fair enough Goodyfresh, at the end of the day as long as your happy with what you have, then you can't go wrong. 
 
I've had my momentum's for a while now and still quite impressed with the sound within the circle of headphones that I have. 
 
I actually had a similar experience with a set of MDR-1A in a store down my way and wasn't impressed by the Sony's at all. Upon reflection, the setup that this store had was terrible compared to what I was using at home. But still I won't write-off the Sony's just yet because of one experience I had at the time. 
 
Back to the sound of the momentum's, yes they are a closed headphone and the sound will never sound like an open airy set. But the sound quality and comfort (for me) makes a worth while purchase, I won't be giving them up anytime soon. 
 
The momentum's do have a rather warm sound signature but with my fairly neutral setup, it's a welcome and pleasing sound, perhaps the Fiio X3ii isn't such a good pairing?
 
This hobby is a fun and fascinating one, everyone has their own personal preferences! 

It's funny, your preferences seem to be just about the OPPOSITE of mine  
 
And I don't think my experience has much to do with my Fiio X3ii, because this thing has a VERY neutral frequency response.  I know because I tested it. . .I took the USB cable for the X3ii and plugged it into my computer to use the X3ii as a DAC (which gives the same response as the X3ii on its own, by the way, as long as its getting bit-perfect input from the computer, and incidentally also VASTLY improves upon my computer's sound-quality), then took a 3.5-to-3.5 cable and plugged the output from the X3ii into the line-in on a Creative Sound Blaster 1095 external sound-card my friend had been lending me, which I had plugged in to another USB on the computer.  Then, I ran the RightMark Audio Analyzer Benchmarking program with output from the Fiio X3ii via ASIO, input from the line-in on the Sound Blaster, and the frequency response graph I ended up getting was REMARKABLE.  Namely, in the entirety of the audible frequency range from 20Hz to 20kHz, the variation in response never varied by more than 1.2 decibels, and that was only at the extreme ends of hte spectrum. . .between 25hz and 15khz, the variation was less than 0.4db!  This is opposed to the response from the Sound Blaster itself, which varied by about 2.5 decibels (still very good, mind you ), and the one from my computer's onboard Realtek sound, which was AWFUL and varied by about 10 decibels or more in some parts of the treble and bass ranges!  Keep in mind that my computer has built-in Beats Audio (UGH, seriously), but that I de-activated the Beats Audio in the control-panel for the test I did of the onboard sound.  I also did another test of the on-board, this time having it use ASIO4ALL, and it was much better. . .no more than 4.5db variation, the VAST majority of which was now almost entirely in the low-bass between 20 and 28hz.

 

[Tom22]

  I got a chance to demo these in a store the other day.  Unless the pair I tried is a dud, or these somehow don't pair well with my Fiio X3ii (which seems silly and impossible), then I find the sound on the Momentums to be a SUPREME disappointment.  Sure, there's good detail and the frequency-response, if anything, is decent, but the soundstage sounds SO closed-in, even compared to other closed-back headphones, and the dynamics sound super-duper artificial to me.  Ugh.  Not to mention the fact that I think the guys at Sennheiser were tripping on acid or something and thought they were designing headphones for people from the Shire in Middle Earth, i.e. Hobbits with teeny-tiny ears.

I MUCH prefer the sound and build of my lovely V-Moda M-80s

 
it would depend on where you demoed them.
 
I found that the ones at best buy and future shop are in the worst condition possible
 
their either :
 
1) bent out of shape (so its ridiculously loose on the head)
2) the drivers have been deformed from people blasting the music at ear deafening volumes.
3) they aren't properly handled and replaced (the best buy closest to me has had the same momentums for the last year and a half.. and it was already broken back then.... soo yea...
 
anyway
give them another shot and another place, and see if your opinion changes
 
they could just be not sound signature if anything. so that's perfectly fine =) just look for another (theirs plenty out there)!

 

[goodyfresh]

   
it would depend on where you demoed them.
 
I found that the ones at best buy and future shop are in the worst condition possible
 
their either :
 
1) bent out of shape (so its ridiculously loose on the head)
2) the drivers have been deformed from people blasting the music at ear deafening volumes.
3) they aren't properly handled and replaced (the best buy closest to me has had the same momentums for the last year and a half.. and it was already broken back then.... soo yea...
 
anyway
give them another shot and another place, and see if your opinion changes
 
they could just be not sound signature if anything. so that's perfectly fine =) just look for another (theirs plenty out there)!

It is a specialty high-end audio store that only has one location in this town where people go and pay them tens of thousands of dollars to design custom home-entertainment systems.  The store carries summit-fi products like the Senn HD800 and Audeze planar magnetic cans.  So for SOME reason I doubt that the customers, and DEFINITELY the management and employees, at that store would have somehow mistreated the headphones

 

[Tom22]

 
It is a specialty high-end audio store that only has one location in this town where people go and pay them tens of thousands of dollars to design custom home-entertainment systems.  The store carries summit-fi products like the Senn HD800 and Audeze planar magnetic cans.  So for SOME reason I doubt that the customers, and DEFINITELY the management and employees, at that store would have somehow mistreated the headphones

 
is that so? well if that's the case! it might either be the small earcups (its small for a full size headphone).
 
but otherwise, it might not be the signature for you! =) that's okay!

 

[krelianx]

Hey guys, I have a question. I am thinking of buying a Momentum 1.0 over ear for my portable listening. Right now, there are some pretty good looking deals in Amazon, but I'm wondering about how reliable they are. Particularly, there is one seller that has them at USD $130. Link below:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B009QV15DU/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&condition=used
 
When trying to buy them, Amazon gives me this message:
 

"Item Under Review

While this item is available from other marketplace sellers on this page, it is not currently offered by Amazon.com because customers have told us there may be something wrong with our inventory of the item, the way we are shipping it, or the way it's described here. (Thanks for the tip!)

We're working to fix the problem as quickly as possible."

There are several sellers in Amazon, however, selling it new for $180. That seems like a really good price! 

Should I jump on the $130 deal or should I just go for the $180?

Thanks everyone!

 

[goodyfresh]

  Hey guys, I have a question. I am thinking of buying a Momentum 1.0 over ear for my portable listening. Right now, there are some pretty good looking deals in Amazon, but I'm wondering about how reliable they are. Particularly, there is one seller that has them at USD $130. Link below:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B009QV15DU/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&condition=used
 
When trying to buy them, Amazon gives me this message:
 

There are several sellers in Amazon, however, selling it new for $180. That seems like a really good price! 

Should I jump on the $130 deal or should I just go for the $180?

Thanks everyone!

In my experience, the Momentums really aren't the best headphones in their price-range.  Also, if you don't have small ears, they won't actually work as over-ear, they have VERY small earcups for over-ears and many people can't get them to fit properly.  The ones I listened to (I do have small ears, so they fit me fine) had the most narrow, closed-in, artificial-sounding soundstage I've ever heard in headphones in their pricerange, which made them sound very boring to me.  However, it's been proposed by some folks in this thread that perhaps the pair I listned to were a fluke.  On the other hand, tehre seem to be plenty of others who agree with me the the soundstage and imaging of the Momentums is absolute crap.  Haha.  So I'm really not sure I'd recommend that you actually buy them as opposed to some of the possible alternatives.

 

[Tom22]

  Hey guys, I have a question. I am thinking of buying a Momentum 1.0 over ear for my portable listening. Right now, there are some pretty good looking deals in Amazon, but I'm wondering about how reliable they are. Particularly, there is one seller that has them at USD $130. Link below:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B009QV15DU/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&condition=used
 
When trying to buy them, Amazon gives me this message:
 

There are several sellers in Amazon, however, selling it new for $180. That seems like a really good price! 

Should I jump on the $130 deal or should I just go for the $180?

Thanks everyone!

 

  In my experience, the Momentums really aren't the best headphones in their price-range.  Also, if you don't have small ears, they won't actually work as over-ear, they have VERY small earcups for over-ears and many people can't get them to fit properly.  The ones I listened to (I do have small ears, so they fit me fine) had the most narrow, closed-in, artificial-sounding soundstage I've ever heard in headphones in their pricerange, which made them sound very boring to me.  However, it's been proposed by some folks in this thread that perhaps the pair I listned to were a fluke.  On the other hand, tehre seem to be plenty of others who agree with me the the soundstage and imaging of the Momentums is absolute crap.  Haha.  So I'm really not sure I'd recommend that you actually buy them as opposed to some of the possible alternatives.

 
 
I'm not sure I agree. At their original msrp of 300-349$ USD. You might not like them, which is perfectly fine =)  I feel that they are a really great set of headphones due to the following reasons
 
Pro Momentum 1.0:
1) great isolation, on subway, trains, bus----> home use as well
2) lightweight
3) solid build (especially given how lightweight they are)
4) premium materials used (basically anything that touches your head and your skin really is leather)
5) they have a nice warm mellow sound, with a fast, but slightly (just a slight bloom in the bass). the midrange is nice and warm with no sense of harshness or edge to vocals, guitars. and the treble is smooth and a bit dark for my liking. but nicely detailed given the lack of emphasis in the treble, with a nice open soundstage for a compact closed can.
6) at any price under $200 (they are fantastic)
 
Con momentum 1.0
 
1) they are small for over ears
2) not the most portable as they don't fold up (they are quite small and compact given the lack of folding features)
3) they can be a bit boring for some, lacking energy a bit up top, to me their lacking a bit of edge in the vocals (which to me is lacking a bit of texture there)
 
 
otherwise at least for me and I feel at the current price the momentums are a bargain.

 

[goodyfresh]

   
 
 
I'm not sure I agree. At their original msrp of 300-349$ USD. You might not like them, which is perfectly fine =)  I feel that they are a really great set of headphones due to the following reasons
 
Pro Momentum 1.0:
1) great isolation, on subway, trains, bus----> home use as well
2) lightweight
3) solid build (especially given how lightweight they are)
4) premium materials used (basically anything that touches your head and your skin really is leather)
5) they have a nice warm mellow sound, with a fast, but slightly (just a slight bloom in the bass). the midrange is nice and warm with no sense of harshness or edge to vocals, guitars. and the treble is smooth and a bit dark for my liking. but nicely detailed given the lack of emphasis in the treble, with a nice open soundstage for a compact closed can.
6) at any price under $200 (they are fantastic)
 
Con momentum 1.0
 
1) they are small for over ears
2) not the most portable as they don't fold up (they are quite small and compact given the lack of folding features)
3) they can be a bit boring for some, lacking energy a bit up top, to me their lacking a bit of edge in the vocals (which to me is lacking a bit of texture there)
 
 
otherwise at least for me and I feel at the current price the momentums are a bargain.

It's not leather, it's "alcantara."  Totally different material.
 
Meh.  I guess my ears hear these differently than most folks'.  Either that or the pair I listened to really was just a fluke.  Maybe I'll just have to get a pair on Amazon sometime, see what I think, and return them if I don't like 'em.

It's not such a big deal to me, though, since I looooove my new Sony MDR-1A's

 

[VeggiePopper]

It's not leather, it's "alcantara."  Totally different material.

Meh.  I guess my ears hear these differently than most folks'.  Either that or the pair I listened to really was just a fluke.  Maybe I'll just have to get a pair on Amazon sometime, see what I think, and return them if I don't like 'em.


It's not such a big deal to me, though, since I looooove my new Sony MDR-1A's

The Momentums Over-ear (the ones we're talking about) do have leather in both the headband and the earpads. You're speaking about the On-ear model, but the original post you are replying to was asking about the full size model.

That must be the reason why your impression was different from everybody else's.

 

[goodyfresh]

The Momentums Over-ear (the ones we're talking about) do have leather in both the headband and the earpads. You're speaking about the On-ear model, but the original post you are replying to was asking about the full size model.

That must be the reason why your impression was different from everybody else's.

Oh no, my impression was of the over-ear model, of course.  I just thought it used alcantara the same as the on-ear. . .whoops!  Lol.

 

[krelianx]

Thanks for the responses, but no luck ne addressed the questions I raised.

 

[Cathcart]

I have these and I personally like them. Not only because of the sound quality, but the experience of owning it - the lovely case with a subtle embedded Sennheiser logo, the machined aluminum plug and remote,the leather band and pads... and when those pads go on your ears, you get great sound, too. These are my first "good" headphones, so I'm quite happy with them. And they're $220 on Amazon, quite a bit lower than the $350 list price.