Sennheiser MOMENTUM Review
Mar 9, 2013 at 9:25 PM Post #1,532 of 3,594
It's a common strategy with Senn phones. They must know what they are doing.
 
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Mar 10, 2013 at 4:29 AM Post #1,533 of 3,594
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It's a common strategy with Senn phones. They must know what they are doing.
 
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This strategy is certainly more prevalent in their closed-back designs. It might not look good on paper, but my ears like it.
I've read before when others have compared these headphones and questioned whether Sennheiser are simply using the same driver in some of these headphones and ripping off all the Momentum buyers... just food for thought.
 
Mar 11, 2013 at 11:52 AM Post #1,534 of 3,594
I just bought a pair of Momentums and I'm super impressed with them. The mids sound great and the bass is very warm. I'm particularly impressed with how comfortable the leather pads are. The only pair of Sennheiser's I had previously had experience with were a pair of 280 pros and while they sounded good, they were extremely uncomfortable for me and their overall look was ugly. The Momentums comfortably hug my head without making me feel like I'm being interrogated. The leather on the pads gets a little warm but I live in a cold place so that's almost a plus. The headphones feel extremely secure and there is no movement even when I'm being fairly active.
 
My only complaint so far is with the included case. The headphones don't fit into the case after being adjusted, which makes the case almost entirely useless for me since I don't want to be refitting my cans every time I take them off. The case is also fairly large which makes it less than ideal for travel. Since I bought the headphones mainly for morning commute and my daily travels the size is definitely a drawback, I'll have to come up with a better system for keeping them secure than the case.
 
Mar 11, 2013 at 12:07 PM Post #1,535 of 3,594
Quote:
This strategy is certainly more prevalent in their closed-back designs. It might not look good on paper, but my ears like it.
I've read before when others have compared these headphones and questioned whether Sennheiser are simply using the same driver in some of these headphones and ripping off all the Momentum buyers... just food for thought.

I would highly dount that they would do something like that.
 
Sennheiser have always commanded a lot of respect in the audiophile community and I couldn't see them risking that,just to make a few extra bucks.
 
Besides, it sounds like something sinister that a company like beats would try to pull of.
 
Mar 11, 2013 at 1:49 PM Post #1,536 of 3,594
Quote:
I would highly dount that they would do something like that.
 
Sennheiser have always commanded a lot of respect in the audiophile community and I couldn't see them risking that,just to make a few extra bucks.
 
Besides, it sounds like something sinister that a company like beats would try to pull of.

I totally agree. The level of sound resolution in the Momentums is far beyond that of the cheaper models, but it shows that Sennheiser have found a formula that works well and aren't afraid to simply stick to it and tweak it for various price brackets.
Despite this, in the past it was found that two Senn models of varying prices shared an identical driver, the models numbers escape my memory, but it did cause quite a stir at the time.
 
Mar 11, 2013 at 2:00 PM Post #1,537 of 3,594
I totally agree. The level of sound resolution in the Momentums is far beyond that of the cheaper models, but it shows that Sennheiser have found a formula that works well and aren't afraid to simply stick to it and tweak it for various price brackets.

Despite this, in the past it was found that two Senn models of varying prices shared an identical driver, the models numbers escape my memory, but it did cause quite a stir at the time.



HD555 and HD595 probably.
 
Mar 11, 2013 at 7:34 PM Post #1,538 of 3,594
Drivers are just one piece to the complicated equation.
 
You're paying for the end result (the sound).  Please remember that
 
And no, I'm not ignoring ergonomics, etc - obviously you pay for those too
 
 
Mar 11, 2013 at 8:48 PM Post #1,540 of 3,594
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At 299€ I do consider the Momentum overpriced at 199€ I gladly buy another pair (the black ones).


My ears honestly didn't think they were anything special...
 
but it was a really brief demo out of a very powerful amplifier, so I wasn't using them in their ideal environment
 
Mar 11, 2013 at 9:07 PM Post #1,541 of 3,594
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HD555 and HD595 probably.

You're quite correct.
 
In this instance they did use the same drivers for both models. The HD595 was basically an updated version of the HD555 with improved SQ and build quality.
 
But they were still different. The HD595 was an improvement over the HD555, despite the fact that the same driver was used.
 
They sounded better, they felt better and minor design flaws in the 555's were resolved in the 595 model.
 
Mar 11, 2013 at 11:16 PM Post #1,542 of 3,594
Quote:
You're quite correct.
 
In this instance they did use the same drivers for both models. The HD595 was basically an updated version of the HD555 with improved SQ and build quality.
 
But they were still different. The HD595 was an improvement over the HD555, despite the fact that the same driver was used.
 
They sounded better, they felt better and minor design flaws in the 555's were resolved in the 595 model.

What do you guys think about the Yamaha Pro line? It appears that they use the same drivers in the Pro 400 & Pro 500, except the Pro 500 has aluminium earcups for an additional $100. I am definitely not trying to start a fight (as I got ripped apart in the Yamaha thread for pointing that out & I do not want to duplicate that experience lol). Just wondering if anyone here get to do a A/B comparison on the sound difference and what people generally think about the idea of same drivers but pricier.
 
Mar 12, 2013 at 5:02 AM Post #1,543 of 3,594
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What do you guys think about the Yamaha Pro line? It appears that they use the same drivers in the Pro 400 & Pro 500, except the Pro 500 has aluminium earcups for an additional $100. I am definitely not trying to start a fight (as I got ripped apart in the Yamaha thread for pointing that out & I do not want to duplicate that experience lol). Just wondering if anyone here get to do a A/B comparison on the sound difference and what people generally think about the idea of same drivers but pricier.

I've never heard any of the Yamaha Pro line, but materials DO make a difference to the sound, and a much bigger difference to the price - look at the entire Grado line up and you'll see what I mean. 
 
Mar 12, 2013 at 5:08 AM Post #1,544 of 3,594
I was told that the HD518,558 and 598 shared the same drivers somewhere in another thread.
And yes they have the same base sound signature, but their enclosure and materials are different with the HD518 being kind of semi open with terrible scratchy earpads while the HD558 and 598 are among the most comfortable pairs i have tried.
 
Mar 12, 2013 at 6:04 PM Post #1,545 of 3,594
Quote:
I was told that the HD518,558 and 598 shared the same drivers somewhere in another thread.
And yes they have the same base sound signature, but their enclosure and materials are different with the HD518 being kind of semi open with terrible scratchy earpads while the HD558 and 598 are among the most comfortable pairs i have tried.

how big is the price jump?
 
I've never heard any of the Yamaha Pro line, but materials DO make a difference to the sound, and a much bigger difference to the price - look at the entire Grado line up and you'll see what I mean. 

 

 

I just quickly skimmed through the grado line and it does seem like they do use different drivers as well as different materials and designs in their different product offerings. Their $100 jump between SR225i to the SR325is at least has different measurable specs on the drivers along with different materials, not just a earcup material swap. how often do you see just a outside material change with no driver changes being marked up a lot? just curious if you knew other examples.
 
also, do you know of any examples where they just sell the same pair of headphones but "tune" the drivers or something?
 

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