While it seems like every week there's a hot new player in the headphone market, there are a few manufacturers who have been there since the beginning, before there even was a Walkman, let alone 128 GB portable media players that double as phones. Sennheiser is one of these headphone pioneers. Founded in Germany in 1945, initially making microphones for recording studios, the company branched into headphones in the 1950s, and offered the world's first open headphone design in the late 1960s.
Today, Sennheiser offers a number of in-ear, on-ear, and over-the-ear models at a wide range of prices, with the Momentum On-Ear or "Momentum Ons" being one of the company's most affordable models. Originally priced at $259.95, the actual selling price is currently under $150 which brings it into direct competition with a number of models from Bose, AKG, Beats, Monster, Beyer Dynamic and a host of others. Are they up to snuff? Read on to find out.
What They're Not
It's a little confusing that Sennheiser has multiple "Momentum" headphones. Think of it as a line and not a model. The original Momentum headphones are an over-ear model, which means the earpieces surround the ear and rest against your head. They're more expensive than the Momentum On-Ear, a bit larger and heavier. The new Momentum in-ear is a more affordable model that sits in the ear canal for maximum noise isolation. The Momentum On-Ear sits on top of the ears and provides a decent amount of noise isolation, but not as much as you'd get with the in-ear or over-the-ear models. Because they sit on the ear, we'd recommend trying them on before you buy. I found them to feel a bit unbalanced, though they never actually fell off during regular use, which is a good thing.
The Sound
I listened to a variety of music -- mostly lossless -- in order to get a feel for the Momentum On-Ear's sonic signature. One track that saw frequent play was Rebelution's "Bright Side Of Life," a contemporary reggae cut, in the lossless AIFF format (Audio Interchange File Format). AIFF was originally developed by Apple but is now compatible with a number of different platforms and players. Speaking of players, I used the NRG app on my Samsung S3 phone for portable playback and the JRiver v19 player and a Dragonfly v1.2 USB DAC on my PC for high resolution audio files.
On the Rebelution track, bass was pleasantly visceral, yet not overpoweringly tweaked to obscure the rest of the mix, as is the case with the Beats by Dr. Dre line. Consequently, drums and guitars in "Something In The Way," from Nirvana's In Utero, downloaded in high resolution from HDTracks.com (also in AIFF format) sounded life-like as if I were standing in the same room as Kurt Cobain.
The Momentums added a slight but noticeable level of bass boost to reggae and electronica tracks that modified the sound signature in a more pronounced way than the B&W P3 headphones, which are largely neutral. By comparison, the Monster Inspiration headphones add so much bass as to obscure the original recording (and bring the party). Thankfully, the midrange on the Sennheiser 'phones is preserved and vocals are neither overwhelming nor faint. However, while vocals are reproduced faithfully, there were times where the extra bass clouded over primary guitar sections and other fine details in the recording.
Overall, the Momentum On-Ears offer a fair compromise between an audiophile's desire for neutral tuning and a bass aficionado's wish to feel the low end viscerally. They are fairly unique in this respect as everything else I've listened to in the price range was either definitively neutral, such as the Ultimate Ears UE900 and the B&W P3, or bass-boosted such as the Beats and the Monster Inspiration.
The Momentum On-Ears are reasonably portable without enduring a significant sonic compromise. They boast a nicely full-bodied sound packed into a compact chassis.
Fit 'n Finish
The Momentum On-Ears are aesthetically appealing with their use of the space-age material Alcantara trim which is also found in the interior of fine sports cars such as the Maserati GranTurismo. Their aluminum sliders for adjusting the 'phones to your head are not just functional, but attractive. Thankfully, these headphones' handsome charm is coupled with a solidity of build quality, as evidenced by their two-year warranty (twice what you get with Beats). Although I admit it's speculation, I'm guessing the Momentums will deliver five to ten good years of service, so long as they are not subjected to excessive environmental exposure.
What's Not to Like?
Overall, there was little to dislike about the Momentums with regard to sound quality or durability. My reservations are with regard to other aspects of its design. The small ear cups do not match the size of my ears well and seemed to perch on the ends of my ears precariously; I'm grateful they never fell off on my frequent walks around the city.
The headphones themselves are offered in a number of elegant colors, including ivory, blue, black, brown, pink, green and red. But the included bold-colored red 3.5mm cord offered with the black model is a bit flimsy and seems like it was a style element borrowed from Beats. I would have preferred a more durable cord, more consistent with Sennheiser's unique colorways. A black cable is included with some of the other color options.
Also, the included case is not very protective and does not accommodate the cords unless they are organized with twist ties which isn't very practical. I preferred the hard clamshell case that comes with the B&W P3 on the protection front and the large, carabiner attached case that arrived with the Monster Inspiration with regard to protection, cable management and overall design.
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Final thoughts
I would recommend the Sennheiser Momentum On-Ear headphones to my audiophile and non-audiophile pals alike, particularly if they're budget-constrained. The sound-quality, build quality, and aesthetic attractiveness are too good to pass up, especially at their current price point.
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