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In Reply to: RE: Need headphone primer for a newbie - me, and some recommendations posted by AbeCollins on February 06, 2015 at 15:33:00
I wanted to first thank everyone for the suggestions. I'm a total headphone newbie so I truly appreciate all the input.
I'm hardly qualified to give a detailed headphone review but I'll post my initial impressions of the Sennheiser Momentum 2 and compare them to my Grado SR80. I have only 3 hours on the Sennheisers and I'm not sure if I should expect things to change with break-in.
I'm driving the headphones with my Oppo HA-1 headphone amp / DAC using 'hi-res' 24/96 music files from my Mac Mini.
The Sennheisers are noticeably more sensitive (louder) than my Grados so I have to adjust and match the volume level when swapping headphones.
The Mementum 2 have ear 'cups' that fit perfectly over my average sized ears. My ears are completely 'inside' these cups with no room to spare so if you have big ears, these might be uncomfortable. I can barely feel the leather (or faux leather?) wrapped band on my head and the ear cups feel like soft foam wrapped in very soft leather or faux leather.... like the soft leather seats in some luxury cars. They're nice and they don't feel tight on my head or ears. They're comfortable but they eventually make my ears feel a little warm. That's fine because I wanted a closed headphone to block ambient noise.
Coming off the Grado SR80 the first thing I noticed in the Momentum 2 is the deep rich bass. It doesn't sound wooly to me but it's more prominent vs the Grados. Is this to be expected in a closed headphone vs open air design? Everything sounds clear and transparent with great dynamics and treble extension through the Momentum 2. I also like the fact that they passively block outside noise which my Grados can't do.
On the other hand, for ultimate comfort I still prefer my inexpensive Grado SR80 with foam ear pads that rest on my ears rather cupping my ears. The ventilation and lightness of these cheapies are wonderful. The Grados sound more 'distant' if that's the right way to explain it while the Sennheiser Momentum 2 are more immediate and enveloping. They both sound good to me but I'm not yet sure which 'sound' I prefer.
If I recall, the Grados were $99 and I think I paid full price on these Momentum 2 at $350 since they're brand new just announced at CES. They replace the earlier Momentum headphones. Is it fair to compare a $99 headphone to a $350 pair? I don't know but both sound very good to me.
I would love to try a pair of Grado RS1e so those are probably in my future when budget allows.
For now, it's the Momentum 2 when I want to block outside noise... and the Grado SR80 when I want more comfort.
Follow Ups:
Seems as if you like them, glad to hear.
Re your question as to whether prominent bass is to be expected in a closed headphone v. an open one, I would say that in general a closed headphone would have more bass, other things being equal, because of the reverberations within the earcup.
But, it probably just as much reflects the "tuning" of the closed headphone, since manufacturers have significant leeway to adjust the bass (and other frequencies too). For example, Sennheiser has other closed headphones that don't have nearly as much bass as the Momentum, such as the HD25 (also very light and sometimes likened to a closed Grado) and its iterations, Amperior and HD25 Aluminum. (I've had both the Momentum and HD25-1 II.) There are even closed headphones which are light on bass, e.g., the AKG K550, which I auditioned at the now defunct J&R in Manhattan.
Manufacturers can adjust the bass (both in amount and in other characteristics) mainly by adjusting the padding within the earcup.
The fact that the Momentum has a fairly prominent bass means that Sennheiser wanted it that way. For the Mom. 2, they reportedly tightened up the bass by adjusting the earcup padding, but didn't change the amount of the bass v. the M.1 Yet, Momentums are not considered "bassy" headphones such as Beats, Skullcandy, and others, but it seems Senn. wanted a fairly prominent bass, likely because that's what the customer demographic for the M. would want, given the customers' expected type of music, the fact that it's portable, and related factors. For me the bass was a bit too prominent but it seems most really like the Momentum sound.
In a portable headphone, generally you would want a more prominent bass because bass is really adversely affected by outside noise on a plane, bus or train. Also, since you like rock, I would think a more prominent bass would be desirable, the only question is how prominent.
Grados are considered to be good for rock since they're dynamic with a prominent treble (some would say too prominent) and a pronounced bass which, however, doesn't extend very deep (into the so-called sub bass region). Grados are very light and some think they're uncomfortable, while others like their comfort. I had the RS-1 for a year or so and thought they were a nice improvement on the SR-80, while still retaining the Grado sound. I didn't like the soft wood though, which was easily dented.
BTW, the bass on the M. 2 probably won't change from break-in, since a friend ran the M. 1 for a week and the bass didn't change.
Ned, thanks again for the detailed comments."Yet, Momentums are not considered "bassy" headphones such as Beats, Skullcandy, and others,...."
I'll be sure to stay away from those "bassy" headphones since I find the Momentum 2 bass to be just fine for my taste. Any more would be over the top too much.
I do like the Grados for their lightness and I consider them to be very comfortable long term but they wouldn't have cut it today. I was working in the home office when my wife decided to vacuum the house. I am so glad I have the Momemtum 2. I listened to music and didn't even notice her dragging and banging the vacuum around.
Edits: 03/02/15
I just set up the Oppo HA-!, and I love it. Meets all the hype, and then some.
I use it as a DAC primarily, but also with HD 600's.
Same here. I use my Oppo HA-1 primarily as a DAC driving my ARC integrated amp. Otherwise, it drives my headphones to keep the music in my ears and the noise out. It's a very versatile headphone amp / DAC. Enjoy!
I use my Monentums for travel. The combo of SQ, effeciency, isolation and comfort is great.
I haven't tried my Momentums direct from the iPhone or iPad for travel but I suspect it will do fine as it seems sensitive not requiring a lot of drive.
I think much of what you have described is the difference between closed and open headphones. I prefer the open sound of my 325i but I keep a pair of DT660 around for those rare occasions where I need isolation.
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