Review: Sennheiser Momentum On-Ear

Sennheiser released the smaller brother of their Momentum headphone and now that we've managed to get our hands on a unit, it makes sense to compare this high-end on-ear headphone to another high-end on-ear headphone.

Packaging of the Sennheiser Momentum On-ear.

But before a head-to-head comparison, let's take a look at the design and build quality of the Momentum On-ear. Opening the box, I was welcomed by the very nice and black travel pouch. When I unzipped the pouch, I found a drawstring bag made from soft materials and inside the drawstring bag is the Momentum On-ear. The travel pouch is made from top-notch materials and has a small pocket to hold the cables that come with the Momentum On-ear.

Build and Design

In the box.

Pulling out the headphone, I immediately felt the suede like leather on the headband. This type of leather is not commonly found in headphones and it really felt nice to the touch. The leather is actually called Alcantara, it is synthetic leather made to feel like suede, breathable, and more durable. This stuff is also used in clothing, jewelry, furniture, luxury cars, and Sennheiser's HD800 headphone.

Ear pads covered with Alcantara.

The leather is also used to cover the ear pads, and boy do they feel really comfy on my ears. Unlike the common smooth leather used to cover ear pads, the Alcantara leather does not have that sticking sensation on the skin and is also feels a bit cooler to the ear. I love this material and the level of comfort that I felt while wearing this was really something else...it felt really luxurious. I just don't know how the Alcantara leather will handle sweat since Philippines is a tropical country...but if the ear pads do get ruined, replacement ear pads are available.

More Alcantara covering the headband.

The headband is made from stainless steel and has a nice matte finish that matches nicely with Apple products. The top part is covered with leather; this pink variant that we have uses the Alcantara leather at the top and bottom part. And even though the headband is made from stainless steel it is still flexible enough to wear comfortably. The amount of pressure that I experienced on my ear felt comfortable over extended use. To differentiate left from right, there are nibs on the left side of the headband that are used to determine the right orientation.

Nibs for orientation.

Oh and make sure to adjust the ear pad to to prevent aching ears during extended use. The ear pad ball joints can be tilted at different angles for a better custom fit.

Titling ball joint for a comfy fit.

I was also able to adjust the ear pads to match my head size with ease just by sliding them up and down the slider. This super smooth action is attributed to the same ball joint on the ear pads used for tilting it. The ball joints are not loose and they don't move easily up and down the slider unless I try, but I suspect that wear and tear will make the sliding motion looser over time and a locking mechanism would have been nice.

Sliding ball joints.

Speaking of locking mechanisms, the audio cables have a locking system in place. The ear pad port has a couple of small nibs and the audio jack has a small groove that I lined up to properly plug the cable. Once I had it plugged in all the way, I did a twist to lock it in place. There was a tactile click when I pushed the jack into the port all the way in, but there was no tactile sensation when I twisted the jack to lock it in place.

The audio jack port with the locking nib.

Grooves on 2.5mm end of the audio cable.

Included in the box are 2 audio cables; one for Apple devices, and another for everything else. The end that goes to the ear pad port is a smaller 2.5mm jack and the other end is bigger 3.5mm jack. The iRemote or the Apple controller is wide, has marked buttons, and a matte silver finish at the front with a glossy black finish at the back. The controller can also be used to answer calls on the iPhone or Android phone and doubles as a microphone. In iOS devices, the iRemote can be used to control iTunes with the middle button by following different sequences. I've also tested this on an iMac and the iRemote controls works with iTunes and functions as a mic for those on-line calls. On a PC, the iRemote will function as a mic provided that the correct port is available. This is how a controller on a premium product should be.

The iRemote.

To be honest, I think these cables are a headache for two reasons: the locking mechanism and the serviceability of the cables. The locking mechanism will ensure that the entire headphone will get tugged along when the cable gets snagged somewhere instead of detaching safely...not cool especially if the Momentum On-ear is around someone's neck when that happens. Serviceability is a headache because it's probably difficult to find replacement cables with a 2.5mm to 3.5mm jack configuration that has a grove at the 2.5mm jack that will work with the locking mechanism...I suspect that replacements from Sennheiser will be expensive.

There're also 7 color schemes to choose from, starting from the top going left to right: black, brown, red, green, ivory, blue and pink. My wife really loves this pink variant that I'm reviewing, but my personal pick would be the ivory colored Momentum On-ear. Note that the color of the cables are red on the black and red color schemes.

Color options...love that ivory color scheme.

Sound Quality

So does the Momentum On-ear look as good as it sounds? Yes it does! The treble, mid-range and bass are all there and they're all pretty distinct and balanced to my ear. The bass is not that powerful but you can definitely feel a distinct oomph and it doesn't muddy the treble. The trebles are crisp and do not hurt my ears. And the mid-range provided sounds really pleasant.

Keep in mind though that noise cancellation is not part of the Momentum On-ear's repertoire. So look elsewhere if noise cancellation is one your list, but cranking up the volume will drown out moderate levels of ambient noise. The sound can also leak a little bit at very high volume levels and can be more pronounced in a quiet environment, so let's do the polite thing and crank down the volume especially when there are other people around. I also like how the Momentum On-ear works well with the different music genres that I listened this with.

Listening to Stay the Night by Zedd, I clearly heard Hayley Williams' high pitched voice with out any interference from the rich beats from Zedd. The acoustic guitar sounded crisp in Jack Johnson's Better Together track accompanied by his clean vocals. On Jay Z's Holy Grail track...Justin Timberlake's vocals are crisp and pure at the start and then Jay Z brings the rich and deep bass as he starts rapping. What's nice about this is that despite the heavy bass from Jay Z's track, the treble and mids were not distorted.

I also tested this with Liquid Spirit from Gregory Porter where I got claps, bass from the strings, the sax and the piano...all the sounds were rich and alive. The sound stage is also quite nicely depicted with this headphone while I was listening to Beethoven's ever famous Symphony No 5 in C minor Op 67. If you like heavy metal, Metallica's Master of Puppets sounds awesome on these headphones...the electric guitars expertly played by the band...and the occasional vocals were clean despite the heavy guitars. On the lighter side, an oldie but goodie, Linkin Park's Papercut track sounds great with Bourdon's drums, Delson's guitars, Hahn's mixing, and Chester and Mike's vocals.

Specifications

Checkout the detailed specs in the Sennheiser Momentum On-ear website.

Comparison

Since this is a premium product with a premium price tag, it only seems fair to compare this with another headphone that's within the same price range. So I'll be comparing this with the Blaupunkt Style. To be straight about it, these Momentum On-ear headphones are better than the Blaupunkt Style. Here are 3 reasons why:

1. Better build: The build quality of the Momentum On-ear is better because Sennheiser uses premium materials like the Alcantara leather and matte stainless steel. On the other hand, Blaupunkt uses a matte black rubberized material that looks like a toy compared to the Momentum On-ear  I also described how the hinges of the Blaupunkt Style were not perfectly aligned in my review...no quality issues of that kind with the Momentum On-ear. The Apple controller on the Momentum On-ear is also 10 folds better compared to the Blaupunkt Style's controller.
2. Better sound: The sound properties of the Blaupunkt Style is unusual because it enhances the vocals by default which makes for some weirdness while listening to some music genres. None of those issues with the Momentum On-ear...all music genres that I tested with (jazz, classical, pop, heavy metal, rock, and rnb) were spot on.
3. Value for money: Despite all the accessories of the Blaupunkt Style and the cleverness in some design aspects, the Momentum On-ear from Sennheiser still has better value due to better build quality, better sound quality, better looks, and for a lower price. Yes, it is more affordable than the Blaupunkt Style with a ₱11,290.00 SRP.

Conclusion

You can get these at any store carrying the Sennheiser brand here in the Philippines. If you're looking to get these from the US, you might be able to save around a thousand pesos for $230 at Amazon or Bestbuy...but that does not include taxes and shipping to the Philippines. Hefty price drops happen more frequently in the US though, so more savings might be in store for those who patiently wait.

All the qualities that I expected from a solid brand like Sennheiser were met with flying colors and this is an easy product to recommend. I can't stress enough how comfy these Alcantara covered ear pads are, it's something everyone should experience. And if you are looking for an on-ear headphone around the ₱11k price range, seriously consider the Sennheiser Momentum On-ear.