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DSC 2867

The Momentum On Ear From Sennheiser

Marcus
Dynamic Driver

Looks and build

There is a lot to be said about the on-ear physically and with the whole presentation in general. In a nutshell it is a classy package, really great quality materials though obviously not on par with its bigger more expensive Momentum sibling. Consider it a mini Momentum of sorts. The suede type molded hard case of the bigger brother is replaced by a cheaper nylon soft zip case with another internal soft cloth pouch. Quite why the double carry bag solution I am not sure but it is well made and feels durable. The Momentum On Ear is a single sided detachable cable design with a choice of two cables – igadget flavor with microphone and controls and audiophile component free straight wire. Naturally I picked the straight wire for this review. It does not come packed with any quarter jack or other adapters for larger desktop inputs so you will have to find your own. It also has a very normal looking 3.5mm connector unlike the fancy swivel connector on the larger Momentum.

I received the “Ivory” version of the On Ear for this review. It does come in a range of colors but the brown fetish guy in me just loves the retro ivory shell and brown alcantara cloth headband and ear pads. I really hope this ‘alcantara for earpads’ takes off with other suppliers because they are supremely comfy and maybe even more so than the leather variant found on the senior Momentum version. The alcantara on ear doesn’t quite provide a great a seal as some other variants like the V-Moda M-100 but the comfort and non-sweat factor is excellent as well as the general overall balance of the headphones over my head.

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I have to admit this is one of the best looking on ear headphones I have seen since the TMA-1 and the Marshall Monitor. Yeah V-Moda has that whole vamp vibe going on and its very distinct but the on ear (particularly in Ivory) just feels a grade higher visually and very much retail shelf eye candy of the highest order. I do not think you need to baby it though despite the plastic cup finish. It is reasonably flexible and lightweight with few moving parts though not as shock proof as the HD25-1 II or the TMA-1 but as a consumer can you can have no quibbles about the On Ear’s build quality.

Click to next page for sound impressions…

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Marcus
Editor
Marcus is the Founder & Owner of headfonics.com which started in 2011, and a former contributing music journalist to European regional printed newspapers in the late 1980's and 1990's. Prior to the start of Headfonics Marcus was the admin of the Headphiles national audiophile forum from 2009 to 2012.

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21 Responses

  1. The m100 is over ear…. :-P
    …but the pads on the m100 and on the over ear momentums are so small that some like me may call it a on ear indeed….

    Actually i have a stock hd25 since i am not a modde. If everything works out well i am receiving a pair of silver amperiors next week. I am really excited to see how they conpare straight from my 4th gen ipod touch. I am hopping for a bit fuller sound, a bit more bass and more controlled highs…. Also hope the velour pads are more confortable since i use the pleatherette ones on the hd25 and i can almost feel the drivers after half an hour… :-D

    I never tried any v moda but i dont know if i would like them. I like clear sound with not much coloration. I didnnt like the mdr 1r for instance, too colored and muffled vocals. From what i read the v modas have a similar signature too the 1r but with added bass imact of course.

    1. Oh in that case you would hate the M100 because its a very colored headphone. Actually a very neutral headphone with great bass is the M50 believe it or not. The Amperior is going to sound more high fidelity than the HD25 with more controlled highs and a slightly smoother and more refined response. I think you are going to enjoy it if you get it.

      1. I had the m50, i really liked the bass but the midranbge was too recessed and the highs sounded a bit plasticky to me. Also they were quite bulky. I am hoping to like the amperior too. The amount of bass is more than on the stock hd25? Will i nottest a big difference? I have no amps so i am expecting to try the amperiors.
        I think the problem of the hd25 is mostly the compressed soundstage. I dont want much more bass on the amperiors and i dont want the highs too be much smoothed, o just want a tiny bit fuller sound and more bass straight from my ipod. But in terms of soundstage the momentums on ear are far better than the hd25 and probably than the amperiors, but on the other hand the isolation on the on ear momentums is not that good….

        1. Depends on what you listen to as the On Ear is excellent with EDM or beats genres but not so good with the standards or classics etc. The amperior as I said is more like a high fidelity HD25 with more control where it counts.

          1. But the bass is on the amperiors, unamped and the sound overall straight from portable devices is bigger? Slightly or the difference is still noticeable?
            I really liked the over ear momentums, to me the momentums over ear and the hd25 complement each other very weel with the momentums being a bit warmer bit not too much wich makes them perfect for classic rock and stuff like that and the hd25 more headed to beatcentric genres….

            I mostly used my over ear momentums at home…. Have you ever tried the denon ah d600? They are really cheap in europe now…. Worthy momentums repalcement?

            1. I believe from memory its the same but just with better detailo and texture and a not so hot high end.

              1. Hum…. I thought the bass would be at least a tiny bit more and fuller. At least the treble is better….But straight from portable devices will i notest a big difference against my stock hd25?
                Confort with the velour pads must be nice compared to the pleatherette pads….

                So you have never tried the ah d600s?

                1. Never tried the 600’s sorry. Mind you I last tried the Amperior a while ago so if you are reading the review then that is still to date my opinion.

                  1. Too bad…. There seems to be a lovehate thing with this denons, not only because of the looks but also because they are the the following line to the famous d*000 line and some seem to think theybare a step back other a step forward in terms of sq. I never tried them too unfortunatelly…. They used too retail for 400, 500 euros and can bow be had for about 140 euros.

                    Now another question…. :-P

                    A personal one…. :-P

                    Are you a momentum (over ear) or amperior (hd25) guy…? I know they are different but just by curiosity… :-P

                    Sonically speaking of course….

                    2. Maybe…. Gotta sell my sony mdr v6s first since they are like new and colecting dust…. Is it true the v6s were discontinued and this time is really for real?
                      You should review the denon ah d600… :-P

                      At the current price point, around 150 and 200 euros maybe they are really realluy worth it now…. Afterall we are talking of headphones that had a initial retail price of 500 euros….

  2. Marcus, would you say that thw amperior is still the best all around on ear (dont know if u tested the hd25 alu)…?
    I think this guyan are not bad at all, not on the same level as the over ears pf course but still they are good. Too bad the pads on the over ears are too small for me…. :'(
    Loved the sound and its beeing really har to find a replacement…. Suggestions? :-)

    Cheers

    1. Hi Pedro and thanks for visiting us! :)

      The amperior is definite step-up for me personally over the older HD25 so it is a pity they stopped making it.

      Now as to whether or not this the best all-round on-ear that is a very tough question to answer given the explosion in on-ear headphoens that have come onto the market of late.

      A lot of people would vote for the V-Moda M100 or even the smaller XS as excellent on-ear, others would veer to the Beyer T51P or even stick with the older DT1350. It really depends on your personal preferences.

  3. now THAT is a review we’ve been waiting for!!! i agree, it doesn’t do much good in rock, there’s no “ooomph” on solos and riffs, but it is indeed a pleasure when listening to hip-hop, r&b, and dance…

    1. Thanks Bro, its a muddy mess for rock but the tuning just seems to pick up a few notches as soon as you play dance – works well.

      1. hehehe… i remember at the product launch, i was listening to skid row’s monkey business, and youth gone wild, and a bit of children of bodom, because i just love how guitar dive bombs sound especially on good headphones. BUT, i was disappointed, my focus was not even on my listening session, i was even aware of what’s happening around me despite my ipod’s volume cranked up (it’s like one of those moments where you daydream, and your music just becomes a background noise); plus, dimebag’s guitar doesn’t sound “magnetic”… however, switching to “love in this club 2,” and other top 40’s, awakened my “inner chika chika yeah” mood…. =)))

    1. Oh where did I say that? Read the group FB page and the article most carefully my friend ;)

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