Sennheiser Momentum Review – Best Sounding Headphone Under $200?

Sennheiser has a reputation for making great-sounding headphones. The Sennheiser Momentum definitely lives up to this reputation. In fact, if you’re looking for the best sounding headphones, without having to worry about needing an amp, then these might be the perfect choice.

That being said, there are some reasons you might want to choose something else which I’ll talk more about as I get into the features, comfort and sound quality.

Features

Inside the packaging, you’ll find a hard sided carrying case, a ⅛” to ¼” adapter and 2 detachable headphone cables, including one with an in-line mic and controls.

Both of these headphone cables are 1.4 meters or roughly 4 feet long. The apple compatible remote also works with Android devices but you can only use the play and pause buttons. Both cables terminate in a ⅛” connector, however, the 3-button remote cable includes a very cool, adjustable plug. This allows you to go from a straight connection to a 90-degree connection or anywhere in-between.  Both cables are also pretty thin and pliable and do an excellent job of resisting any cable-born noise.

The included case is fairly large but quite sturdy and works well for protecting your headphones. It has dual zippers and the interior is covered in velour. There’s also a well with a velcro cover where you can store your headphone cables or the ¼” adaptor. The one downside to this case though is that the headphones do need to be adjusted to their smallest size in order to fit in the case.

Design

sennheiser momentum around ear reviewNow Regarding the design…

The headband is a thin, but sturdy, brushed stainless steel arch. It’s covered in an attractive, real leather cover, which is sewn over the top of the arch. It also includes just a little bit of padding underneath.

These have a very smooth slide adjustment which was a smart design decision. For example, I found that making very small adjustments could make a big difference in how comfortable these were or how long I could wear them for. Sometimes just moving them a mm or two made all the difference. So being able to fine-tune the fit, and have the sliders stay firmly in place is a real plus.

The ear capsules are made of a high quality, glass fiber filled plastic. And what’s nice is that the ear cups allow you to adjust them enough horizontally or vertically so that you can position them just right over your ears.

The ear pads are also real leather and very plush and comfortable feeling.  The inside dimensions of the earpads are 50mm X 35mm, and the inside circumference of the ear cushion is made of a very stretchy fine mesh knit fabric.

Now because the Momentum is small for an over-ear headphone, it is lighter than most. However, the downside is that if you have larger ears you may find the inside of the ear cups aren’t large enough to provide a comfortable fit. For me, these create a very cozy and snug fit around the ears, but if you have larger ears, the fit may be too snug. So it’s something to take into consideration.

Comfort

Regarding the overall comfort and fit, these are very snug and comfortable feeling with a moderate clamping force. So there’s enough of a grip that these stay on your head but not too much that it creates any discomfort. So for anyone wanting to use these for more vigorous activities like working out, these could certainly work.

Now these are one of the more comfortable headphones I’ve worn. The combination of having very plush and comfy earpads with a very lightweight design makes these easy to wear for long listening sessions. And even though there’s not much padding on the headband, I never experienced any discomfort as a result. Because these headphones are so light, it’s not a problem at all and they pretty much disappeared in that regard.

However, the potential downside comes with the ear cups. While my ears just barely fit inside, if you have larger ears these could be more like on-ear headphones and as a result, cause some discomfort. So if you have larger size ears, that’s something you may want to take into consideration.

The bottom line is that the Momentum is a very light and comfortable headphone, but they may need to be adjusted carefully to get a comfortable fit. Any anyone with larger than average ears you may find it difficult to wear for longer periods of time without experiencing discomfort.

Noise Isolation

And then for noise isolation, these do a moderate job.  It’s not bad, as they do a decent job of muffling surrounding noise but they’re definitely not at the level of noise canceling headphones or even other over ear headphones such as the ATH-M50’s.

Sound Quality

Next, I’ll talk about the sound quality which is totally awesome. Being that these are Sennheiser I was expecting them to sound good but these surpassed my expectations.  I’d characterize them as having a slightly warm. They’re exceptionally clean, clear, natural and well balanced with just a slight emphasis in the bass and lower mids. The whole soundscape is quite transparent and very engaging and pleasing to listen to.

The bass is full-bodied, punchy, well extended and tight. For example, if there’s a solid bass note played, as soon as it stops, these stop. Now my preference is to hear just a bit more extension but regardless, the bass is very well controlled and not loose or boomy in the slightest. So you have this very impressive bass, yet it doesn’t overpower the mids and highs at all. The Bass is definitely present when listening to more bass heavy music, but then when you switch over to a different genre the bass isn’t getting in the way and becoming a distraction. That makes these a very versatile headphone. Ultimately with the bass, everything is completely distinguishable and as a result, it’s soooo nice to listen to.

The bass to mids balance transition is also excellent. And this leads to the mids which sound so beautiful. The midrange is full bodied, and everything from vocals, to guitars to pianos all sound spot on. Female vocals in particular sound very remarkable as well as harmonic overtones which are handled perfectly.

The treble is also just exceptional. It’s not particularly airy and open, but it’s also not veiled or piercing. It’s slightly laid back yet still very responsive and detailed. And it is has one of the smoother presentations I’ve heard overall. Cymbals and high hats all come across very clean and pretty natural sounding though there is just a tad bit of glare to the sound. But the treble response is far from being harsh or piercing. There are a lot of headphones that can get too shrill the louder you turn them up and that is definitely not the case with these. I can listen to these as long as I like and never feel like I need to adjust the volume or give my ears a break. So what’s remarkable about the treble response is you’re still getting all that great detail without having a fatiguing headphone. As a result, these headphones are ideal to use in a noisier environment where you probably need to have the volume turned up.

And then when it comes to imaging and soundstage these do an outstanding job. Side to side pans are very convincing including hearing sounds that seemingly travel across the headband.

Dynamics and punch is another strong point of these headphones. They handle everything from big dynamic hits to resolving the subtle textures of anything you’re listening to and they’re very responsive to quick sounds.

So ultimately, when you bring all this together you have one incredible sound experience. These headphones do such a nice job of getting out of the way of the music. And since they have a flatter frequency response they sound absolutely incredible no matter what genre of music you toss their way.

COMPARISON WITH OTHER HEADPHONES

Now compared to other headphones such as the Sennheiser HD 600 or 650, the Momentums don’t have the same open airy highs of the 600 but the bass is substantially better. The brightness of the Momentums is actually similar to the 650.

Then comparing these to the M-100, the Momentums have a little less upper bass but a little more treble presence. Overall the Momentums give a little more balanced presentation and are a better all-rounder, but the M-100 can be a more fun headphone for some of the harder music genres.  

Next, comparing these to the Sony MDR-1R, the Momentums are more refined and cleaner sounding. But, if you have any fit issues w/ the Momentums the MDR-1R would be a great alternative as it gives a similar type of engaging and alive sounding listening experience.

Finally, compared to the B&W P5’s, the P5’s have more of a closed and hollow sound by comparison. The Momentums have more clarity and perform better technically with better instrument separation. Also, assuming you find the Momentums fit your ears ok, they are far more comfortable to wear.

Reasons to consider something else

Now as amazing as the Momentums are, there are some reasons you may want to consider something else.

First, there are some situations where your listening preference may warrant going with a headphone that gives a different presentation for a particular genre or genres. For example, the M-100 is a super fun headphone to listen to, especially for harder or more contemporary genres. Or the HD 600 is sublime for anything that can take advantage of it’s open-airy highs.

Also, from a comfort standpoint, if you have larger than average ears you may find the ear cups are too tight and as a result, uncomfortable to wear. And on a related note, if you want to take these with you using the travel case, you’ll have to slide the ear cups to their smallest setting. This means you’ll have to find that perfect fit again when you take them out of the case. It’s not a big deal unless you have to really fine tune these to get them to fit comfortably. So that’s just something to be aware of if you plan on using the case fairly often.

Finally, if you need a headphone that provides a lot of noise isolation you might want to look at a different headphone. These certainly do an ok job, but if you want to block out as much noise as possible then that’s something to consider.

But Otherwise

But otherwise, the one question I get asked the most is “what headphone sounds the best, or what headphone has the best sound quality?” And that’s not something I think there is an easy one size fits all or one headphone fits all answer for. However, with these Momentums, assuming they fit you fine, these are the ones I’ll be recommending now.

Bottom Line

The bottom line is these are the best all-rounders I’ve heard in this price range or under. I love that they balance giving you the most lively and engaging, well balanced, detailed and clean sound without being fatiguing in the slightest. As a result, these are now personally my favorite go-to over-ear headphone. I love how light-wearing and comfortable they are, I love that they sound great un-amped, and I love that no matter what kind of music mood I’m in, everything sounds absolutely stunning.

So if you’re looking for one of the lightest, most comfortable and best sounding headphones you’ve ever heard at this price range or under, then you can stop looking because the Momentums really deliver on all of that.