Now that my paranoia wore off, after a couple of weeks in my hands (or, should I say ears?) and about 150 hours of burn in, I think I can finally tell my impressions about the Momentum.
I have to admit that I had a rough start with these cans. Since this is my first quality set, and I migrated from a cheap, 20 bucks headphone, I expected that the improvement in sound would feel akin to upgrading from an old CRT TV (you know, the old, boxy ones) to a 1080p LED. Instead, it felt like I "only" switched from a CRT to a 720p LCD: sure, there was some improvement, but not the ear-opener I was promised. Therefore, I felt disappointed at first. Then the washed out logo on the box, and that's how I came to believe I got a fake...
However, after some time passed by and I got to listen to more and more music, I discovered their true potential. From Mozart to The Flaming Lips, from Frank Zappa to Café Tacuba... Listening to guitars, vocals, strings, video game music, in-your-face mixes, layered tracks... You name it, I came to love my Momentums.
So far I'm enchanted with the sound from this headphones. They're simply beautiful. Bass is powerful but it doesn't overshadow mids or highs. Treble sounds just perfect. Actually, they have a very balanced sound signature, if only a bit dark. While I do agree that on a couple of tracks bass felt a little muddy, it was an exception, never the rule.
Sound definition is superb . I'm discovering details I've never noticed before, even in songs I have listened for years. I know I might sound overreacting, but honestly, some songs feel like I'm listening them for the first time. Examples of this lay in the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds - most of the songs on it feature at least one instrument I never caught before; it was with that album when the Momentum finally blew my mind, the moment I knew I had made the right choice when I bought them instead of the Q701 (though I'm still looking forward to get an open can in the future).
And the design. Oh god, the design. They look beautiful. They have a gorgeous retro appearance that suits me to a T, especially when considering that I'm using these headphones for listening my 1960's vynils mainly. And I was lucky enough to be blessed with midget ears. They fit just fine inside the much controversial mini-earpads. While I admit that after one hour or so I start to feel a little pressure, I simply rotate the earpads one millimeter (without taking them off, so I don't need to stop listening nor pause the recording) and everything is solved.
Like many people have said, the earpads are really small, and unless you have midget ears like me, I would not recommend you these headphones (you can buy the new Momentum 2, but I don't know if $200 more is worth for the same product only for bigger earpads). But if your ears fit inside, there you go. This is the headphone to get. I don't think other set of closed cans will give you such a beautiful sound plus a sleek appearance for $200. While I'm aware they're no hi-fi item (I believe they do qualify for mid-fi tier though, but I'm a noob in here, so you tell me), they're awesome headphones for their price (bought them for $220, and now they only cost $200).
... Actually, that is my only regret - only a couple of days after I purchased them, they got a price drop on Amazon. But that has nothing to do with the headphones themselves, and even at the $220 I bought them for it was a bargain; especially when their retail price in Mexico (where I live) is MXNP 6,500 (around $420, nearly double the Amazon price, and even pricier than the newer Momentum 2).
All I can say is that I love my Momentum, a beautiful sound inside a beautiful can. For a first in the headfi world, I could not have had a better welcome
