Barcelona is one of my favourite places. Lively, colourful and just lovely food and people.
Well, I have been looking around thousands of shops and found a guy who stocked some headphones in some backstreet place and he had the new Momentum 2. Now I had the first Momentum with me since I use it as a mobile headphone if I feel brave in public!! (If not, I go the iem route.) In Spain I don't care 'cos I'm a tourist.
I bought the Momentum 2 because it is actually better than my original!! (Damn them) Still, paying in Euros doesn't feel like real money to me.
There are significant changes that make the V2.0 a better buy.
First of all the comfort level. The originals just about went over the back of my ears and sealed down ok due to the soft pads, but they aren't that low down, so they tended to rest (I think) on my ear lobes at the bottom end.
The lead is lighter which works better mobile. You don't have a hefty plug swinging about when you walk. The plug into the dap has slim shoulders and goes easily through case holes which are often not big enough. I would have like the original metal right angle plug that you can adjust to straight though. The only thing is, with premium priced headphones, why can't thry give you THREE leads or even more?
a) Ipod lead
b) Android lead
c) lead with no adjustments
d) long lead
Seriously, what would that cost? They supply a beautiful case and a bag with it. Leads wouldn't have hurt and say ... plane adapters just to show that it is a premium portable headphone designed for mobile use.
Small cup headphones aren't an easy thing to make sound great imo and I haven't found many that don't have cup colourations. I could stomache the DT1350 for short periods but soon need a rest from its sound and fit. I don't like 'on ears' at all and to me, they sounded a bit nasally unless given the 'Frans' treatment with new earpads. The Momentum offers a 'fruitier' sound than the Beyer with a richer bass which for me, was and still is important. I need bass, but I need it to be deeper than the Momentum 1.0 if I'm honest. Since it's a small cup portable type headphone, I forgave it for not having a strong deep bass.
The less good thing about the Momentum sound though is the feeling of the sound being 'constrained' inside the small cups. I have always felt that it is in a small 'room' if you like, and I have always been aware of that. The treble roll off didn't bother me that much since it was being used mobile and tbh, it does help if there is a bass boost and less grit up top so you can turn up without pain to block out high noise levels say, in a plane. They are well suited to what they're designed for imo. A compromise in sound in reality but really suitable for mobile. However, Sennheiser did it well really and produced a neat headphone.
Now the Momentum 2.0 goes up a notch. Frankly, it's better than the original. It's expensive, but hey, it's a luxury headphone. I love its feel and look actually. Minimalist and soft pillow earpads that now, really do fit over your ears properly unless you're an elephant. They fit right over and the memory foam feels beautifully soft so that I can (and have) worn them all day with no problems. It feels seriously luxurious now and because of its slightly larger size, they've made it so that the cups fold up and it go into a soft bag that's supplied or for travelling, a hard case. The case is also drop dead gorgeous. Real luxury.
Audiophile people will now be turning their noses up because it's a luxury headphone aimed at a certain market. I regard headphones as appropriate for the TASK that they're designed for rather than JUST the sound. The sound is very important but the application is just as important too.
Grado missed the boat as far as I'm concerned with that one .... designed a headphone that can actually be painful to wear. No point.
So many an audiophile might not like what I'm going to describe but this headphone makes music big time.
Treble seems a tad more focused and there's just a fraction more so it doesn't sound so closed in.
Bass is big and fruity but feels deeper. whether that is just a bigger mid bass or it is actually deeper, I'm not certain yet but it is faster. So you get an amazing bass attack that dies away pretty quick. They feel like there is a really good quality sub woofer in there.
Stereo focus seems to be better. They feel wider than the original; maybe the bigger cups have hit a sweet spot?
They really suit mobile use well. the sound seems bigger than the headphone and crossing roads is dangerous with them on. They are really engaging.
The biggest problem is price. We are at Senn HD650 level here so most kids would avoid. I really like them a lot so Momentum 1.0 has become a memory with its slightly small soundstage and sound.
I often see a headphone and after hearing it, straight away think .... not as good as I'd like. With these, instant delight. Loved them from note one. Fruity, bih hearted sound that serves mobile use well imo. I've been wearing them for a week now and I still feel that it's just sheer pleasure listening to them.
I have read some reviews where people have said little difference to the first Momentum. Whether it's to do with a better seal due to bigger cups or the headphone is actually different is difficult to say, but for me, it's profound. Cleaner and deeper sounding. Sennheiser really are a company that know what they're doing with their designs imo. I've always been impressed by their reps who are very honest sounding without trying to boast about their gear. There's a lot more research going on than many might realise in order to bring out new designs.
Big. fruity, engaging headphone in such a small package. I can honestly say that this headphone has enhanced my holiday big time.
So glad that I paid in euros. doesn't seem like real money to me.