solderdude
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Post by solderdude on Oct 8, 2015 10:51:56 GMT
Would like to buy the HM5 pads from you if Ian can't cancel the order.
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Feb 8, 2016 17:40:50 GMT
MOMENTUM on ears V2
It arrived today and so far, very positive.
You can see that they are a premium headphone from the build and the cups are so tiny. In a way, I think the size of the cups actually helps the comfort because they press down further in the middle of your ears rather than on the outer edges. I was very curious what such little cups would do to the sound.
So what I'm going to do is have a good listen and compare to the Momentum Over Ears 1 and 2, since I noticed that there aren't really any comparisons out there.
So first impression is that these are small, which is great for outdoors. Instead of pleather pads, they have some plush kind of material and the V2 folds up as well. The whole package is great with these headphones. You get a nice case and also a bag, so you can choose or even use both at the same time.
I'm not that keen on 'on ear' headphones since I do find them a bit uncomfortable after a while so I've avoided them really. The Grado sr60 is fine because the pressure is spread out with the wide pads but with many, they start to hurt because of where they push. With these, they are pretty small, so the pressure is more towards the inner part of your ears rather than the painful bits. I think these are bearable and they don't clamp like a vice.
Build is just superb. They are tough and pretty good looking too.
First listen to the sound is surprising. They sound really good. IMO, the bass is raised or mid bass at least but the treble is also slightly raised as well, I think. It's not unpleasant at all and actually, I quite like them. They feel perhaps a little more 'lumpy' in sound than my Momentum 2 over ears which is very smooth, but they are great sounding. If anything, the little ones seem to sound bigger than the bigger ones!! It's the bass that does it which is surprising, given that the pads aren't pleather or leather? I'm not sure, but the over ears might have leather pads.
The on ears May be less closed up sounding. Not sure yet until I directly compare and I have to say, I'd be hard pushed to choose between over and on ear versions. Both sound really good but there is quite a price difference, so maybe the choice might come down to how you feel about on ears pads and your ears plus the price.
The pair I have are a shop pair and so have been used for a while but I can hang on to them for as long as I want. So I'll do some comparisons with the others, which seems to be lacking when you check around on other sites.
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Feb 9, 2016 16:12:16 GMT
Comparing Momentums
I switched between three of the Momentums today in order to see what differences there were in sound.
The whole series has really interested me, because although none are 'flat' headphones, they are designed to be used in certain situations rather than as a purist hifi headphone. So I'd not be using any of them to analyse or mix any music at all. They're just not designed for this.
Things they all have in common are the headband being the same size in all of them. Obviously the V2 ones fold up where the V1 doesn't. Curious that the wire has changed sides for the V2's. My V1 has the wire going into the left cup, where the V2's have the wire going into the right cup. For some reason, I find the right side a little strange. I have no idea why.
I've used the V1 over ears for some time. It has an elevated bass and rolled away top, but to me, still sounds very Senn like in presentation with a bit more kick which is really useful when mobile. That kick actually helps outside in particular. I'm not exactly sure why, but what sounds heavy inside, seems to sound less heavy outside and it perhaps overcomes noise a bit better. The biggest complaint that some have made about the V1 is the size of the ear cups. You have two choices here. Fit the tops of your ears in and let the lobes do what they want, or rest them as 'on ears'. I actually use both methods because it alters the sound. With the tops of my ears in, so effectively 'sealed' it's big sounding with that bass. However, if you want less thickness, then wear them as 'on ears' and they fix that for you. Then they don't isolate as well though, so it's a kind of controlled leak in order to bring the bass down.
All in all, I like the V1 and it has served its purpose well imo. Again .... it's not a flat or hifi headphone, but produces a good, full bodied sound that works well in an open environment. Once you put on the 'purist' hat, then I'd say, raised bass and rolled away treble. Mids are actually not bad tbh. Much like a fatter, closed hd650 with less resolution I guess. However, they make nice music to my ears.....
The V2 is pretty much the same in sound with minor changes. The obvious things are .... Same headband size but now it folds but bigger cups so it is a lot more comfortable for longer periods. I find the sound slightly less heavy in the bass which either allows more of the top to filter through or it's slightly raised. So to me, the V2 'over ears' is better, slightly than the V1. As far as sound goes, this is the one that I think is the best of the series.
The V2 'on ear' is curious to me. Again ..... Same headband but tiny cups. I think Sennheiser has missed a trick. They could easily have put a smaller headband on these to make them really portable, but in reality, they fold up no smaller than the V2 'over ears'. That makes me wonder, what is the point of the 'over ears'. If it's not smaller, then it's no more portable than the better sounding 'over ears'. That doesn't mean that the 'on ears' is poor. Far from it.
The pads are now some kind of material. The same stuff that goes onto the hd800. They're ok as far as comfort goes since they don't clamp that hard, but the first thing to hit you is the bass. These have a big bass. Bigger than either 'over ear' versions. Now that's curious given that the pads aren't leather like the other two. Of the three, this one has the most 'u' shape frequency response imo. Another strange thing to me, is why did Senn make the pads as doughnuts? Why not flat so that the pressure is spread? (Like the 414 pads but smaller?) Maybe because of changes that it might make to the sound? My point is, why doughnuts when you can't possibly get your ears inside? In order to help make them more comfortable, I found that the connection to the cups is quite stiff and holds itself still. This means that when you put them on your ears, they could be set at an angle that doesn't suit you that well, without you knowing. The answer is to physically swivel the cups forwards or backwards to suit your ears and they stay that way. Swivelling them so that the back was up and the front down took a little pressure off my ears and I was able to wear them for much longer that way. No effect on the sound since they still seal; it just alters where the pressure goes. The outside of the cups are glossy rather than the matt finish of the 'over ears'.
Another thing that Senn have missed is the fact that these are supposed to be portable. They're just as big as the 'over ears' but sound isolation is worse!! Traffic noise gets through which is strange given that they're supposed to be portable headphones and yet the 'over ears' do a much better job with leather. Having said that, I think the 'on ears' actually gives a better image which again, is a bit odd because they're smaller.
Again, indoors, it sounds in yer face with big bass and slightly more treble info going on. It sounds relatively brash, although it's not. Here's the thing ..... outdoors, pottering around, it seems quite normal.so perhaps Sennheiser have engineered these headphones with a raised mid bass on purpose because it just works well when you're out and about. It really does and I have no idea why that should be!!
I like them all. Great designs. Build is fantastic and you can see that they're not a cheap headphone. They do the intended job well and that is something that I wish hifi guys would take into account with headphones. Being technos, we tend to just look at the technical capabilities of the headphone rather than what they're designed to do. Another example is those who get a studio headphone or amp and expect it to suit a hifi environment, which in many cases, they just don't. Reason being, the design is not meant for purists, but people working on sound, not for pleasure ......
So listening to all three has been interesting and I'm left wondering what their purpose actually is. In fact, I wonder whether Sennheiser have thought these out properly.
If you wanted a Momentum but money was the issue, there are great bargains on the V1's both 'over' and 'on' ears. They are very good. I could live with them happily. Thing is, how do you choose? The 'on ears' with a more raised bass, better sound stage, but less comfort or the slightly flatter 'over ears' with its better isolation and slightly more compressed stage. In any case, both are going at decent prices because of the V2's.
V2's both are nice in that they fold and the 'over ears' is more like a home headphone in that it's bigger. Some still find them too small though. The 'over ears' has better balance of sound imo but less sound stage than the 'on ears', but then you have to suffer with isolation problems outdoors.
As far as value goes, I'd go for the cheapest every time. Sound is similar between them all with slight variances, since I'm being quite analytical in what I'm describing here.
So I'd go V1 on ears > V1 over ears or V2 on ears depending on cost > V2 over ears.
As far as sound goes .....
V2 over ears > V1 over ears > V2 on ears > V1 on ears
I do like them all though but I can also understand why some might not like them as well. I stuck with the Beyer DT1350 for quite a while and no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't stick with them. They really didn't suit me in spite of them being a superior driver. For me, they sucked the life out of music in a similar way to the K701 of old. All of the Momentums give a warm, weighty sound that allow you to really enjoy the music, once you 'attune' to the kind of sound that they make.
V1's come with two leads. One with volume control and a plain lead. The V2's only come with a lead and volume comtrol. I thought that a pity since those volume controls can be a nuisance if you're not using an Ipod or the other way around if you have that configuration. Also, if you use them with portable radios, then the radio sound doesn't go through those volume controls which I personally find a pain.
The other curious thing about them, being a portable headphone. If you just walk while listening, all of them make a strange noise due to the wind going past the cups. It's like a pitched sound and can be a bit weird, like a ghost in the machine!!
Are they worth all that money ............. Imo, no. They should be cheaper but I really do like them quite a lot. Small, weighty and entertaining listen. But, the same pricing level as an hd650? Something wrong there!! Mind you, I feel the same about the dt1350.
One last thing. Ipods don't sound great from the headphone out. Use a digital amp from the lightening connector and the headphones light up a bit more and clarity is really improved. Perhaps it's something to do with the low impedance of the headphones but the changes to the bass are quite large. Much clearer via digital out.
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solderdude
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Post by solderdude on Jul 13, 2017 21:42:42 GMT
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Jul 14, 2017 8:53:16 GMT
I quite like the Momentum II. It is a slight improvement on the first version which I also have and looks smart too. It's not until you have used it for some time that you realise how good it actually is because nothing massive stands out at all and actually, it sits neatly amongst the Vmoda m100, Sony MDR1a and the AT MSR7.
In terms of bass quantity
M100 Mdr1a Momentum MSR7
Treble quantity
MSR7 Mdr1a Momentum M100
Possibly the most balanced sounding of this collection I think.
The biggest problem with these little closed headphones is the colourations and now back reflections affect the sound. Some, like the m100 take advantage and offer a huge bass which becomes its selling point.
The Sony with its v shaped kind of sound is very appealing.
The MSR7 with its analytical capabilities is attractive in a different way.
The Momentum seems to sit right in the middle ground with not too revealing top end for crappy MP3. Very nice mids and a warm bass. So I think overall, it is a great choice for mobile use but it did take me some time and lots of comparison to realise just how good a job Sennheiser did with these.
They're kind of unremarkable, but actually, very nice!!
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