Sennheiser Momentum - An Outstanding Headphone

[AsSiMiLaTeD]

So I've had these for a little while now, and thought I'd share a few thoughts.

Initially I really didn't like these all that much, and after some initial burn in and listening I put them in the closet. I decided to pull them back out a few days back and burn them in for another 50 hours or so, and wow what a difference! These are some seriously good headphones.

Instead of going into a long winded review here, I'll link to a couple reviews that I think summarize these very well. Here's my quick one sentence review though: These are gorgeous headphones that are made with premium materials and are extremely comfortable, and they have many audiophile qualities and a sound signature to die for.

I don't always agree with Tyll at InnerFidelity and don't agree with every point in this review, but overall I agree and feel it captures the essence of the headphones very well:
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content...eiser-momentum

Oddly enough, the PCMag review is also pretty well done also:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2410215,00.asp

I've found that these sound very good with every type of music, and are certainly worth a look

[canadianicon25]

good info

[AsSiMiLaTeD]

Six weeks later and I'm still loving these!

These have replaced all the other headphones I was using for portable or semi-portable use. Previously I would swap between my PSB, V-Moda M80, V-Moda M100 and Sennheiser HD-25II. These have replaced all those.

- Compared to the M80 they are more comfortable and have much better detail retrieval. As good as the M80 are, they don't hold up against the Momentum, and I'm fine with that because they can be had for about half the price.
- Compared to the HD-25 the Momentum have maybe slightly less detail, but are less bright and listenable for longer periods of time. I'd argue they are more musical and certainly fit my taste better as well, but that's more subjective.
- Compared to the M100 the bass is a little more loose on the Momentum and they probably have about the same amount of high end detail. The mids are MUCH better on the Momentum though, the mids on the M100 are quite recessed
- The comparison to the PSB is much closer, at least in terms of how much I like each headphone. The PSB have a bit more neutral sound and are certainly more forward, but aren't what I'd call bright either. Honestly, on sound quality alone I could convince myself that either of these is the headphone for me, but once I factor in the comfort and the fact that the Momentums don't need batteries to get the sound I like the Sennheisers get the nod.

The Momentum just have that Sennheiser 'house' sound that I like so much, just a tad laid back sound that's very smooth and musical. They're not what I'd call overly energetic like a Grado headphone, but they're still alot of fun to listen to and their sound signature is such that I can listen for hours without getting worn out.

[sucks2beme]

So what is your headphone inventory now?
I've heard the PSB and have been thinking about these Senns.
I shed some Stax stuff and now have
Senn HD-650
Grado sr-100
Grado RS-1
Stax sr-202
Stax sr-40

[AsSiMiLaTeD]

I've shed a few models as well, here's my total inventory.

Desktop:
Senn HD600
Senn HD800
Beyer Dynamic DT880 (600 ohm)

Portable:
Sennheiser Momentum
PSB M4U2
V-Moda M80
V-Moda M100
Sennheiser HD25-II

I've got a couple IEMs as well. I just bought a pair of Etymotic that I'm having custom molds made for, can't wait to hear that setup. I also have and frequently use a pair of the new 'earPods' from Apple and they're actually not horrible - they're not great and I expect I'll use them alot less once I get the Ety package in but they're actually decent and light years beyond the crappy earbuds they've used for so long.

[AsSiMiLaTeD]

Compared to the HD600, the Momeentums don't have the airy open sound that the Senns have (and within their category I don't think the 600s have that open of a sound compared to, say, the Beyers). Other than that, they're a very similar sound which is probably why I like them so much. They are a little more pronounced (and loose) in the bass, have an almost identical mid-range, and have maybe a tad less detail up top. So really in every way they're not quite as good as the HD600, but with the exception of the soundstage the differences are marginal. Keep in mind though that I'm running the HD600 on roughly $1K worth of gear and the Momentum are being driven straight out of a frikkin' iPod.

I think the reason I like them so much is because they're similar to the HD600, which are actually my favorite headphone and the one I listen to the most, so when I change rigs from the desktop to the portable setup I don't get a whole different sound as well. Going from the HD600 to the PSB was a more drastic change, going to the Momentum is exactly what you'd think going to a portable setup of the same headphone would sound like - same sound signature but with a sound that isn't quite as good

[coolsax]

Assimilated... have you had a chance to get your hands on a pair of sony's new can's? the MDR 1R.. i heard these in the sony Store recently and was impressed. and its bluetooth version has gotten a good review as well from Jude at Head-fi,... trying to decide between it and the Momentum as my next portable as i want to try something new over my P5

[sucks2beme]

There is a head-fi meet in Austin in the 1st Saturday of March.
It might be a good visit. I believe due to the size they rented convention space,
and there's a marginal cost. Check the local meets section of head-fi.

[coolsax]

nice may have to check that out.. i hadn't been the getogether section of headfi in awhile.

[AsSiMiLaTeD]

I've spent a good bit of time (few hours) with the MDR-1, but do not own that headphone currently. I feel like I'm qualified to make a few statements though:

First, the Sony are some of the most comfortable closed headphones I've ever worn, and I feel like most people will find them to be as comfortable as I did. The Momentum is really just as comfortable for me, but for people with larger ears they may not be as comfortable, so the Sony will probably fit more people better, the difference only becomes an issue if you have larger ears though.

In terms of design and quality I feel like the Momentum has better materials, you get real leather on the momentum vs pleather on the Sony. Both headphones have some plastic, but there's more on the Sony and the Ithe plastic on the Senn I believe is some kind of glass filled job and, again, feels more premium. Ultimately though, neither of these headphones feels like something I would want to throw around carelessly, and neither one feels overly fragile compared to the other. I like the cable on the Momentum better, the plug is heavy duty and has a variable angle and the buttons for iPod controls are metal and feel very solid. The controls on the Senn cable can be a little tricky to use blind at first because there's not a great distinction in feel between the three, but after a few hours of use it's no longer an issue.

In terms of sound, honestly I found them to be a bit dull but very accurate. I don't think these are accurate in the sense that they dig out every last bit of detail, they just have what seems like a flat response and do a good job with acoustic instruments. They actually have a little better soundstage compared to the Momentum but overall presentation is very similar, if anything the Momentum sounds a bit more congested but not by much. My biggest issue with the Sony is that they sound a bit lifeless to me, and they don't have any sparkle on the high end. I would not call the Momentum an exciting headphone or overly energetic, but compared to the Sony they're much more fun to listen to.

Keep in mind, that's all being powered by an iPod, I get the feeling that the Sony may respond better to a good headphone amp than the Sennheiser, which I feel was built specifically to be powered by a portable device.

[coolsax]

thanks that's a great view on your thoughts and glad you've had a chance to listen to them... sounds like i may have to order both and return the one i don't like.. these are the two i'm most considering.. i've tried the AKG 550 and thought it was ok but didn't blow me away. I really liked what i heard when I listened to the MDR 1R in the sony store, but I didn't really get to stick around long and it was tested with the music already on the sony tablet it was attached too. Unfortunately I haven't had a chance to listen to the momentum yet, but I like the Sennheiser sound as evidenced by my HD 650. I just worry that the Momentum sounds too much like the p5's i have and I'm wanting to try something different.

[AsSiMiLaTeD]

Oh, well I can tell you that the Momentum sounds nothing like the P5, I bought and returned both the P5 and P3 because I didn't like either of them. The Sennheiser has a MUCH better top end than either of those, and it's not bright by any means, but much more revealing and less colored overall than either.

[coolsax]

interesting good to hear... maybe someone will have them for the austin Headfi meet in March.. that's tempting to check out.

[Haman03]

The Momentum headphones design and engineering expertise while superb performance and comfort.
• Balanced, smooth, and natural sound quality
• Detachable smart remote and microphone

[sucks2beme]

I sense a huge spam storm about to happen.

[JoshepDanial]

Hello,
I have recently bought the sennheiser Momentum headphones. Though it is costly but worthy buying.

Pros: Stylish lightweight frame; Rich and balanced audio; Comfortable fit; Secure lock audio cables

Cons: Expensive; In-line media controls are iOS-exclusive