impressive as the build quality and comfort are, these aspects are shaded by the excellence of the Momentum’s sonic presentation. In short, they sound more like high-quality audiophile ‘phones than fashion ‘phones, with none of the big bottom end or boosted mids that have become something of a cause celebre in that part of the market.
Overall, the tuning of these ‘phones is very well balanced, there’s a touch of warmth to be found but this is so finely judged that you never feel as if you’re listening to syrup. Initially, these ‘phones sound bass light, but that’s only when compared to models that have been “enhanced” down below. Listen to the Momentums for a while and it’s plain that there’s enough bass weight to make any kind of music feel right, but this bass is tight and impactful. The boosted bass on my less expensive Skullcandy Navigators (reviewed here) is more exciting and far punchier, as to a lesser extent is the bass on Yamaha’s Pro 500 ‘phones (reviewed here) but there’s no question that when it comes down to accuracy at the bottom end, the Momentums are closer to the truth.
The mids are also quite special: remarkably clear and expansive but the top end is nothing less than a joy. The multi-driver, balanced armature equipped in-ear monitors from Sony and Logitech UE that have been reviewed in recent times are naturally better in this area, but the Momentum’s are perhaps the best I’ve heard on any compact headphones designed to be trundled around town. The treble is lusciously extended and it’s also transparent, majoring on detail presentation, with a strong ability to render the atmospherics and air inherent to the performance. It’s frighteningly easy to get lost in the nuances of an acoustic guitar with these ‘phones. The presentation is quite spacious despite the small size of the enclosures.
It’s worth noting that these ‘phones don’t suffer whatsoever for being so precise from bottom to top. The bass is fulsome enough so you never want more, and dynamics are good. The detail levels are high without being so ruthlessly revealing that poor recordings, compressed files, sibilant vocalists or just generally bright music become fatiguing or annoying.