True music fans will never be without a good pair of
headphones, no matter where they are or what they're doing. Although in-ear
headphones and earbuds wind up nice and tight and are perfect for travelling,
nothing beats the sound offered by actual cans you pop on your head. We've
found the perfect pair of 'phones which combine awesome sound quality in a tidy
package: it's the Sennheiser Momentum On-Ear Headphones.
Although a lot of over-ear and on-ear headphones can be
folded up these day, allowing you to pack them away in a bag to take with you,
they still tend to be pretty bulky things and take up more of your precious
cargo space then they should. If you've realised this and switched from
headphones to in-ear earphones, you may have noticed a drop in quality. Even
the greatest earphones on the planet are never going to match the sound
reproduction capabilities of a beefy pair of headphones, so what are you to do?
Sennheiser seem to have the answer.
The Sennheiser Momentum On-Ear Headphones have been designed
with the mobile commuter in mind as they are full-sized on-ear headphones that
manage to fold themselves up nice and tight. The cleverness lays in the 'phones
construction, and viewed head-on (pun intended) they look extremely thin and
minimal. The band is made from brushed stainless stain, and while being very strong
it also possesses a lot of flex, helping the 'phones stay comfortable while on.
The cans themselves are also fairly bulk-free, with most of
the mass being taken up by the Alcantara cushions for each ear. The cans stiffly
slide along the metal headband, allowing you to adjust them to get the right
fit for your head size, and also when folding the whole thing up to put away.
Speaking of which, there are hinges where the band meets the soft and padded suede
top, which click nicely in and out of the open position. Included are two ways
to keep your headphones safe while on the go; a hard(ish) zip-close carry case,
and also a thin drawstring pouch. We found that although the carry case offered
the most protection, it tended to add a bit too much unnecessary size to the
folded headphones, unlike the pouch.
So, what about the music itself? In a word, excellent.
Although no way the best headphones we've ever tested, the richness of the bass
and the clarity of vocals that the Sennheiser Momentum On-Ear Headphones can
produce was surprising given their size and (relative) inexpensiveness.
Depending on the quality of the music file you play through them, we found all
genres of music to sound delightfully rich, while the spoken word was
exceptionally clear - even while using them on a crowded bus at rush hour.
Controlling said
music is aided by the inclusion of a remote on the cable (although we found it
to be a bit too high up for our tastes) which also features a mic for taking
calls. Just like the podcasts and audio books we tested through the headphones
(and of course, depending on the quality of your phone's reception), calls
sounded very good.
Sennheiser always have an eye (and ear) on the fashion
world, and the development of the Momentum On-Ear Headphones has been no
exception. That is why the headphones are available in seven different colours,
none of which make us want to rip out our eye balls. We were sent the ivory pair,
which we think is by far the prettiest (and when we say ivory, we mean colour
only. No elephants died in the making of these 'phones. We assume).
So for an excellent compromise between quality and
portability, with the Momentum On-Ear Headphones Sennheiser have really hit the
nail on the head(phones).
£129.99