Simplicity comes at a price

Armed with a hard shell case, Sennheiser's latest set of headphones offers an enviable balance of sound

The first thing I noticed about this pair of cans was its packaging - a very elaborate affair. That inspired confidence and the build quality did not disappoint.

In this era of headphones which look like hi-tech gadgets, the Sennheiser Momentum is refreshingly simple to look at. The ear cups and head band are made of leather, giving it a premium feel and the ear cup sliders - which one uses to adjust the headphones - are made of stainless steel and feel solid. The headphones are available in brown and black (I received the brown ones for review) and will feel at home with your leather jacket.

These closed-type cans are light and fit snugly and are comfortable to wear for extended hours. But the single-piece design means the cans are sturdy but can't be folded.

These headphones were able to handle almost anything that I threw at it. The sound is balanced - meaning lows, mids and highs are all in tune so you don't miss the finer details of each instrument. The sound is more of the forward kind, it sounds as if you're in the front row of the concert, not the centre, so classical music aficionados should keep that in mind. Also, because of their being of the closed type, the openness of the sound is missing. But hey, your co-passengers and colleagues will be pleased, as there's no sound leakage even if you crank up the volume.

The soundstage of this pair is limited, so you might not enjoy using these cans while playing shooters. But if you're into games with a rich soundtrack such as Burnout Paradise, these headphones won't let you down.

Besides its hard shell case, the Momentum comes with two cables with 3.5 mm jacks and a 6.3-mm headphone jack adapter. One of the cables is meant for use with a PC or your Hi-Fi. One end of the cable screws in to the left ear cup, while the other end is plugged in to the source. The other cable is for use with phones and comes with a remote. The cables seemed quite sturdy during the time I tested these cans (the company claims they're unbreakable), but in case you wreck one of them, you just need to buy a new cable.

I loved the fact that on the phone cable, the jack that plugs into your phone is 'pivoted', meaning you can keep your phone in your pocket any which way but this jack will make sure it's always comfortable. Using these headphones with my iPad, I could even communicate with Siri without a glitch. But it'll take some time to get used to the controls on the remote. And there's no beating the experience of watching a movie in bed on the tab with these cans plugged in.

A caveat: Headbangers might be disappointed with these cans as they don't boost the bass at the cost of other instruments. But if Eric Clapton is your god and the stringed instrument he wields your obsession, you'll love these headphones, provided you're ready to put down the cash.

SENNHEISER MOMENTUM
Price: Rs 24,990
Type: Circumaural closed
Frequency response: 16-22,000 Hz
Impedance: 18 ohms
Weight : 190 g (without cable)