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New Sennheiser Momentum 2 first impressions...

Posted by AbeCollins (A) on February 26, 2015 at 19:56:00

In Reply to: Need headphone primer for a newbie - me, and some recommendations posted by AbeCollins on February 6, 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.

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