[azimkajai]

I was previously thinking of getting these. However, I'm not quite convinced yet especially after reading this thread. Also, I'm open to any other suggestions of headphones and I'll mainly use them at home as I take my M100 with me when I go out.

 

[efgalen]

I've had a really similar experience to some others here, and it's left me wondering if I just don't have my source or EQ right. I'm not an audiophile expert, but I am a professionally trained musician who spends a lot of time in the studio with clients, and I listen to a lot of music. Prior to these, I've used the Beats Studio Wireless, the V-Moda M100, and the Munitio Pro 40. The Beats are primarily for the gym, but they don't sound amazing, so I got a pair of the Momentum 2.0 after reading the reviews.
 
Back to back with the other headphones I have, they just sound boring and too much mid. The bass isn't exciting on EDM tracks, I'm not sure why other people feel like there is too much bass - the other headphones I have give much more bass and are just more fun to listen to. 
 
I've really, really tried to like these - they are super comfortable and look great, and I do hear some good clarity and separation on some elements of the tracks I listen to, but overall I have more fun putting on the Beats or M100s than these - which really surprised me. 
 
I'm going to send them back tomorrow unless I can figure out how to get these to sound right with EQ or something. Reading the reviews, I feel like I'm crazy for not loving these, but I just don't. 

 

[sikki-six]

I guess you're just used to a big bass boost and little mids. Nothing wrong with liking things colored, go with what suits you best.

 

[JohnnyCakes]

i haven't tried the 2's, but i bought the original when it came out and returned it quickly.  
 
i can't fathom how these cans get the gushing reviews they do (e.g. Tyll).  to me they were weak, overmatched, dull, and uninspired.  i've never actually FELT a driver work so hard trying to keep up.  it was pathetic.  
 
but if you like them, hey man that's cool, more power to you.  
 
i recently returned to the $400 portable market and got the Denon MM400 and they are GLORIOUS.  total opposite... very powerful, confident sound.  accurate and highly disciplined when loud.  love them.  

 

[dgyoungs]

This isn't a critique on the original poster, just a reminder that different sound signatures are for different listeners. I don't hear a muddy bass at all with the Momentum 2.0. I find it detailed and there when it needs to be there. There's no masking of other frequencies with my iPhone 6, iPad Air, and Macbook Pro. When I add my Fiio E6 using the bass boost feature, I can't say the bass is thrilling, but there's signal loss with the extra connections and dual-amping going on. Using an equalizer in say Spotify or on my Macbook, I can get the sound as full as I like without a sense of muddiness to my ears.

Sparkle-wise, there's more than enough for me. The treble is detailed without being overly-analytical. There's little of the splashiness that bothered me with the original Momentum over-ear. No sibillance to be sure, but I could stand for the 2.0 to be a couple decibels lower in treble in relation to the bass, as I have basshead tendencies. This is source-dependent... hardware and software. I also found the original Momentum mildly boomy, and just not as natural sounding across the board.

I find the 2.0 handles whatever I throw at it, and I can tune it to bombard me with bass or detail, and it answers accordingly. Straight from my Pad Air using Rdio at the highest setting, it's not as lush as I'd like, and while the iPhone 6 is an improvement, it's still somewhat disappointing. Switching over to Spotify, pumping the bass a little and lowering the treble, it's golden. I find Apple DACs overly bright in general.

I auditioned about 40 headphones before sticking with the Momentum 2.0. It gets a lot right as a portable for me... comfort, natural clean sound, style, transportability, and very very little leaked sound. My other favorite portable is the Audio-Technica WS99. They have some cons (build, mid-bass bloat), but they're lush and a steal under $200. I'm about to audition the Oppo PM-3, and it'll be interesting to see they compare to the Momentum 2.0. If they roll-off the treble a bit more than the Sennheisers, I might make a switch, so I'm not as reliant on equalizers, amps, or an external DAC down the line. But muddiness and missing sparkle I don't hear. Just my opinion, and this is in relation to the specific 40 or so others I've tested. I do thank the original poster for sharing and getting me thinking more critically about whether these work for me.

Did you end up getting the PM-3 and have any comparison the Momentum?

 

[sodasoda]

I tried it out in JB HIFI a long time ago and I was very unimpressed with the $400+ price tag, I told the store helpers who tend to try to recommend stuff one guy I heard "best sound quality I heard" that their source must be broken becaus it sounded like a donkey synthesizer. That's my way to pin out how the tuning was in comparison to beats, urbanite in the demo section.

 

[329161]

I think the Momentum line (including the wireless) are one of the most overrated headphones ever.

 

[potterpastor]

I have the M2 over ear wired and I think they sound rich and warm and dark, like the Shure SE 215 iem or the HD650 open back. if you like bright, neutral or analytical or flat headphones, you probably won't want these.

But if you like the SE 215 or 650, then come on down!

 

[Audiophile_Apprentice]

I got them a couple of weeks ago and I'm on the fence. Part of me almost prefers my HD 280 pros to them which should be absurd.

 

[MICHAELSD]

The Momentum 2.0 Wireless do a fantastic job at being both consumer-friendly and analytical. Bluetooth quality hasn't quite caught up to what the drivers are capable of but I'm still happy I bought the wireless version since the tuning is better than the wired Momentum (surprisingly powerful bass) and it sounds best via USB, powered by the on-board amp.

 

[Aaron Brandon]

I just bought a mint set of momentum v.1's used for what was claimed 5hrs tops. Little bit of listening tonight to 3 or 4 genres of music and admittedly they are relatively comfortable and light. But putting them up against my HD280 Pro's... I'm not sold on them. All I hear is mids out of the momentums.. The 280's have incredible range. Not bassy by any stretch but the highs are crisp and I could hear much more out of the 280's on acoustic tracks over the momentums. I'm listening on a lg v20 with the quad 32 bit DAC enabled. I dunno I'll try the momentums again but how does a $100 headphone sound better than a more expensive set? The 280's fit better too with larger ear cups. Anyone try the 280's? Or do I just need to give them momentums more time?

 

[Aaron Brandon]

I got them a couple of weeks ago and I'm on the fence. Part of me almost prefers my HD 280 pros to them which should be absurd.

You too eh? Really love my 280 pros.

 

[Ronann]

Well I've owned a pair of Urbanite XLs for 2 years now and they've held up really well. The sound is still as good as it was on the day I bought them if not better after being broken in.

I have it paired with a Topping NX2 amp and a Asus Xonar DGX 5.1 so it's a fairly standard setup. It's the same setup I used with the Momentums.
I paid €100 less for the urbanites and they beat the Momentums in sound by a good bit and on par via build quality.

Only complaint I have about them is the ear pads easily pop off and it takes a few minutes to get them back on. I bought replacement pads a month ago as they were worn but that's pretty much all I've spent on them.

 

[lesiashelby]

Has anyone compared them with ATH's esw9 or es10?

 

[Audiophile_Apprentice]

The main issue for me is that they sound very "digital." The best way I can describe it is like a stock car audio system that hasn't been EQ'ed or anything.