Related
This is a review of FiiO Portable USB (OTG) DAC and Headphone Amp for Android Phones. http://www.fiio.com.cn/products/index.aspx?ID=100000049935442&MenuID=105026002
Getting my Galaxy Note 2 almost a year ago played a significant role in how I changed my home entertainment system. It became my go-to music player, my preferred movie player, my game console, and just in general my pocket entertainment system. Delivery of sound is the key element of such system, and that's how my journey begin to find decent headphones. I'm still on that journey and have found a lot of great choices in different price categories. But this journey took a slightly different direction when I started to visit audiophile communities to learn more about proper setup to achieve a great sound. One thing I found mentioned over and over again - to complete the equation of sound perfection you need audio source + quality DAC / headphone amplifier + headphones. Considering I wanted to stick with my Note 2 as audio source and already have a selection of preferred IEM, at first I got a little discouraged looking at different DAC and headphone amp bricks because I didn't want to loose my portability. But at the end I found the best solution with the most flexible setup - FiiO E18. As someone who hasn't been previously exposed to the audiophile world, I couldn't even believe my eyes that something like this even existed. That is why I'm very excited to share with you my Note 2 best new companion - E18.
I always start with a packaging of the product since it sets the tone before the review. The product was packaged in a very sturdy hard carton box with a modest design. It's actually very environmentally conscious without any unnecessary plastic. But once you open it up and start taking E18 out along with all the accessories, it becomes almost like a magic trick how much they packed inside of this little box. In my pictures below the only extra thing was a second set of usb/micro-usb cable included inside of packing envelope while the product box only had one of these cables. E18 itself was inside of a form fitting soft storage pouch, intended for DAC/amp only, no extra room for cables. Once you take E18 you can't help but notice how light weight it is. With dimensions of only 130mm x 66.2mm and thickness of 14.6mm and a weight of 162g, it's super compact and fits nicely in the palm of your hand. The brushed metal finish of the case takes it to the next level of quality and appeal. Every element, every port, and every control on E18 screams high quality. All 3.5mm ports are gold plated and precisely aligned with the edge of the enclosure. Micro-usb ports are also aligned and slightly recessed so that mating cable doesn't stick out too much. Gain, Bass, and DAC/CHG switches have a precise click action, and Playback (next, prev, play/pause) Controls have a nice tactile response. Speaking of playback controls, the left/right arrows actually point to next/prev instead of typical prev/next like everywhere else, but you get used to it really quickly especially since play/pause button is not in the middle. Of course, the big star of the controls is Volume analog knob, ALPS potentiometer with a symmetrical placement for easy access and very precise smooth rotation movement. The volume knob also works as power on switch when you turn it from "0" position where you get red led power indicator. The feel of turning analog knob to control your volume is priceless, puts you in full control, and makes you feel like you are dealing with a real audiophile equipment.
In addition, you also get a large selection of high quality accessories. You get usb/micro-usb charging cable which can also be used to connect to your laptop/computer, a short right angle 3.5mm male to male adapter for headphone amp connection between smartphone headphone jack and E18 line in, you get a very rare pair of micro-usb to micro-usb OTG cables to connect DAC to your smartphone/host for external audio processing, you also get 3.5mm to S/PDIF adapter for coaxial output to give you an option of outboard connection, you get 2 sets of rubber bands in standard and large sizes to attach E18 to your smartphone or music player, you get a set of stick-on rubber feet if you choose to attach it to a device like a smartphone without a case and want to prevent scratching, you get a very nice Quick Guide with explanation of every port and control, and a warranty card with step by step explanation how to check authenticity of your product.
As you have seen from description of accessories, this little portable device is a swiss army knife of multiple functionality. First of all, it has it's own built in battery with 3500 mAh capacity to power up internal components AND also to work as external battery charger. Believe it or not but you can actually juice up your smartphone or wireless headphones/speakers/accessories using E18. With a battery full charged, confirmed by 3 leds indicators corresponding to low/medium/high capacity, you get 25hr of continuous AMP use or 12hr of continuous USB DAC use. Keep in mind, when used as USB DAC through OTG cable where your smartphone becomes a Host - E18 will not drain your phones battery because it uses it's own built in power supply. This USB DAC functionality is the most useful and sound rewarding in my opinion. Also, in that configuration you no longer need to rely on transport control of your audio player and instead can use remote Playback controls on E18 to play/pause and skip next/prev. Of course, your smartphone need to support USB OTG. If it doesn't, no worries since you can use E18 as headphone amp by connecting 3.5mm output from headphone jack of your smart device or tablet to E18 input and plugging your headphones of choice to headphone output of E18. And if you want more, just connect E18 to your laptop as an external USB sound card where in addition to higher quality sound output you can use the same remote Playback buttons to control your Windows Media player.
It's great to know how well E18 operates in different modes and it's compatibility with smart devices through OTG USB, but without rewarding sound performance all this will be negligible. I'm not going to pretend to be an experienced audiophile, and for a more detailed analysis of this USB DAC/AMP I would suggest taking a look at this review on head-fi by one of their highly reputable reviewers: http://www.head-fi.org/t/685414/preview-fiio-e18-kunlun-surprise-surprise . But I still would like to add my impression from a perspective of audiophile in training. For my test I used Logitech UE900 and Etymotic HF2 headphones, and did a number of a/b comparison using both through headphone amp only path and USB DAC path. Using 3.5mm audio jumper between my Note 2 headphone output and E18 input with headphones connected to E18, I found the sound to be relative transparent to my ears, exactly what headphone amp supposed to do - to amplify the sound without coloring with distortion or it's own built in EQ. USB DAC config is my main use for this device. Note 2 recognized E18 as peripheral device attached to a host without any problems. I also found that while playing music both Note 2 headphone output and E18 headphone outputs were active which helped with a/b comparison. Basically Note 2 recognized E18 being connected to the phone so sound wasn't playing through speaker of my smartphone. Even with a Gain set to low and Bass boost turned off, you can hear right away a significant difference in sound delivery where everything sounded tighter, with more headroom and improved dynamics especially as you raise the volume, and the sound itself felt a bit smoother and warmer. Gain switch added a significant boost in volume (supposed to be a little over 6dB) and Bass boost was a pure delight especially with UE900 which have a more balanced sound. That Bass boost added a nice warm low frequency punch and made sound more "fun". I was very pleasantly surprised how clean that boost was applied, not like a low frequency shelf EQ boost but rather a precisely tuned parametric EQ boost of sub bass frequencies. Btw for my test I was using stock Android audio player since my favorite Neutron MP turned out to have some incompatibility issue with E18 processing (added distortion and roll off of high frequencies). UPDATE: seems after the latest v1.7.53 update of Neutron everything works great and developer (Neutron) mentioned it could have been due to my own setting of auto-gain which needed a reset.
Overall, I know this is the first time I used USB DAC/AMP but in my opinion FiiO E18 set a VERY HIGH bar for any future comparison. I think the combination of portable size, the build quality with all the precision controls, the enhanced sound quality and well executed Bass boost, and other bonuses such as playback control and external battery functionality - ALL make this portable device as a must have item for anybody who appreciates the high-fidelity sound and wants to enhance their listening experience with a smartphone, a tablet, or a laptop/PC. Since I received this E18 model as a review unit, I've been told that price will be set closer to $160, and we will find out very soon once it gets listed on amazon. In my opinion - this is one fantastic value!!!
Here are the pictures in order of unboxing, walkthrough, and setup and use with my Note 2.
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Excellent review. It actually makes me reconsider using a smartphone for music.
What happens when you get a call while playing music?
-No longer accidental, just Jeremy. F.cfb
[Guide] Headphone/Earphone Buying
jRi0T68 said:
Excellent review. It actually makes me reconsider using a smartphone for music.
What happens when you get a call while playing music?
-No longer accidental, just Jeremy. F.cfb
[Guide] Headphone/Earphone Buying
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I just posted the same reply in head-fi, once you listening to music and receive a call, music will pause and then resume playing when call is done. But if your headphones have in-line remote/mic you will not be able to use since you are not connected directly to headphone jack which is expected.
Also, I'm checking to see if the latest update of Neutron (last night they released v1.7.53) fixed the compatibility issue.
I'd like to see them figure out how to pass the audio for the Mic through the DAC someday. It's a natural evolution of the technology that would greatly increase the usefulness. Of course, it would mean serious hardware development.
-No longer accidental, just Jeremy. F.cfb
[Guide] Headphone/Earphone Buying
jRi0T68 said:
I'd like to see them figure out how to pass the audio for the Mic through the DAC someday. It's a natural evolution of the technology that would greatly increase the usefulness. Of course, it would mean serious hardware development.
-No longer accidental, just Jeremy. F.cfb
[Guide] Headphone/Earphone Buying
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It's probably has to do something with the usb-audio standard limitation at the current moment. Though playback controls from E18 work fine on smartphone, I wonder if audio path is one way only (toward the headphone output) versus mic audio input going back to the smartphone?
Just got an update from FiiO. For those in US interested to buy E18 it will be available on Amazon very soon. 200 pieces has been shipped to a distributor (TekFX, Micca Store) and will be on sale for $159.99. I will post Amazon link as soon as I have it.
Awesome review. I'm sold on this device. been toying with picking one up, but now I'm convinced. I'll be using on my Note 3.
vectron said:
Just got an update from FiiO. For those in US interested to buy E18 it will be available on Amazon very soon. 200 pieces has been shipped to a distributor (TekFX, Micca Store) and will be on sale for $159.99. I will post Amazon link as soon as I have it.
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Click to collapse
Will get one for my GN3 too, i hope International shipping will be possible ...
Edit : We're sorry. This item can't be shipped to your selected destination. You may either change the shipping address or delete the item from your order. Grrrrrrrrrrr .....
kryz70fr said:
Will get one for my GN3 too, i hope International shipping will be possible ...
Edit : We're sorry. This item can't be shipped to your selected destination. You may either change the shipping address or delete the item from your order. Grrrrrrrrrrr .....
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Can you contact FiiO guys directly?
vectron said:
Can you contact FiiO guys directly?
Click to expand...
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i contacted micca store ...
shop in France said not before december ... and the price is bigger
Just ordered mine this morning. Can't wait.
Sent from my SM-N900T using Xparent Skyblue Tapatalk 2
Excellent review, I had a FiiO portable amp but it was tiny and quite a pain to keep track of. I like how this one can charge your phone, I may actually pick one up because I'm in need of a portable charger and it'd be awesome if it seconded as an amp. I love the earphones you were using, they look awesome
Stay tuned for an additional review. I found an awesome grip setup to attach E18 to your phone without blocking the display. You gonna love it!!!
Please share!! I should have my unit by Wednesday, would love to see what you've come up with
Sent from my SM-N900T using Xparent Skyblue Tapatalk 2
I have always wanted one of these but want to make sure it would work with a Galaxy S3 running Cyanogen Mod. Has anyone tried this on a AOSP rom?
Ryphez said:
I have always wanted one of these but want to make sure it would work with a Galaxy S3 running Cyanogen Mod. Has anyone tried this on a AOSP rom?
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I can't comment on it since I have N2 and all stock, but just as a suggestion since you can order it now from Amazon - as long as they have an acceptable return policy, it makes sense to try it out Plus, you will do a favor to a lot of other XDA readers who are probably in the same boat thinking if it's going to work. That is a beauty of amazon, hassle free return if something doesn't work.
Btw, lately I have been using my E18 more with laptop then with my Note 2. The whole idea to play/pause when I'm watching movies or analog knob volume control without touch a laptop adds a lot to the convenience.
I will post review with enhanced grip mount later today.
Arkon Slim Grip Ultra setup with FiiO E18
As much as I was excited about E18 portable usb DAC/amp, there was one thing I wish could have been improved. When you are dealing with a portable external DAC or amp, you need a way to attach it to your audio source. If you have a dedicated mp3/audio player using velcro or rubber band is the most logical option. The same idea could be applied when using with a smartphone, especially in a setup with E18 where it's intended to be connected to your smartphone through USB/otg cable. FiiO included two sets of rubber bands for that purpose, and I have read how others use a velcro tape as an alternative attachment option. Using a velcro tape is secure but it will leave a sticky residue if you decide to remove it. It also takes away from brushed metal look of the case when you use it standalone. Plus, assuming you would not stick the other side of velcro on the back of your phone but rather to some temporary case, it's no longer a universal attachment. On the other hand, using rubber band is a clean solution that should work with any case and without a need for any sticky velcro tape, but you will have parts of your smartphone touchscreen covered with a rubber band. It interferes with touch screen control and obstructs the view of the screen if you choose to use your DAC/amp for a premium sound delivery when watching movies/videos. Not too mention rubber band will not work with a tablet if you use E18 as headphone amp. The solution? The almighty Arkon Slim Grip Ultra mount!!!
First of all, out of every car mount I have reviewed in the past (and I have reviewed them all) Slim Grip Ultra has been my favorite go-to car mount that works with any size smartphone as well as 7"/8" tablets. I have reviewed it in the past here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2174449 and later followed it with Intelligrip version here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=44760662&postcount=41 . What's unique about it is that mount grip can easily be removed from the mounting arm leaving only a slim backplate which is 10mm thin with about 60mm in width and 110mm in length expandable to 160mm in length through a spring-loaded mechanism. In addition it comes with 2 sets of removable support legs of different length with a soft inner rubber padding and ability to extend the backplate with end grips to hold your smartphone or tablet. What is very important, those support legs could be shifted anywhere along the edges to accommodate for different port openings on your smartphone or tablet. Therefore you no longer need to attach E18 to the phone but rather use your rubber bands (smaller size pair worked great) to attach E18 to Arkon Slim Grip Ultra as I have demonstrated in the pictures. Once it's attached, you just insert your smartphone or tablet of choice inside of the grip and you're DONE!!!
Now your display will be open for a full touch control. You no longer need to use any sticky velcro. You can prop up your setup as a kickstand to put it up on the table to watch movies or videos or get access to your audio player without any obstructions. It also enhances the grip of the phone to hold it securely in your hand, and doesn't add too much bulk since Slim Grip Ultra is very lightweight and you only increasing thickness of your overall setup by 10mm. If you choose to you can still attach E18 with a velcro tape to Slim Grip Ultra, but in my opinion it's no longer necessary since you get a very sturdy grip, and can still use it later in the car to mount your smartphone or tablet. You can purchase Slim Grip Ultra for about $20 which is a fantastic value considering how many uses you can get out of it. Furthermore, you can choose Intelligrip version of Slim Grip Ultra which has a replaceable NFC tag. If your phone supports NFC, you can program it to trigger any action when phone is inserted into the E18 piggyback grip.
Here are the pictures:
Nice use the Arkon mount. I have a buddy from high school that used to work for Arkon, and I bought two mounts on his recommendation years ago (before they had the slim grip). Great products.
-No longer accidental, just Jeremy. F.cfb
[Guide] Headphone/Earphone Buying
Awesome setup. Thanks for sharing, that's what I'm going to order as well.
What are you using, which app, to play your music? There are so many different ones out there. I use Pandora, but for my mp3's I haven't found the perfect app yet. I've used a couple, but nothing seems to be amazing.
Are you also running Viper? If not, what else are you running?
Side note, my tracking updated today, I should have the unit by Thursday.
Sent from my SM-N900T using Xparent Skyblue Tapatalk 2
jRi0T68 said:
Nice use the Arkon mount. I have a buddy from high school that used to work for Arkon, and I bought two mounts on his recommendation years ago (before they had the slim grip). Great products.
-No longer accidental, just Jeremy. F.cfb
[Guide] Headphone/Earphone Buying
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Click to collapse
Indeed, I have been using their phone mounts for years, and it's the best quality and great support. Bar none! Btw, the one I used in my setup is "Slim Grip Ultra" which is different from "Slim Grip". The ultra version works with small tablets as well and it covers big phones like my Note 2.
Hi all,
After a year of trying out different portable speakers - I tried the beats pill, Braven 625 (very good for ultimate portability....) and many others. I finally bought a Bose Soundlink Mini today. It is amazing! I cannot believe the sound from this little thing. While it does not have some of the extras others offer (Braven seems best in terms of will charge your phone, and can be used as speakerphone), it has the best sound I have heard from something so small.
This will not appeal to audiophiles or pimply teenagers who think they are audiophiles, but as a mini speaker that fills a big room with good clear sound it is great. Now my life is complete with my note 2, note 10.1 2014, anker wireless keyboard and this speaker. With this sort of technology now I can see myself going off grid with my camper van in the future, living with a solar cell and a kelly kettle for hot food
Just thought I would share this, there is not much I offer to the forum in terms of rooting or roms etc, I do intend to in the future as I am a google certified teacher and starting to use my note 10.1 as my main tool in the classroom to control my whiteboard......but at the moment if anyone else out there was like me and couldnt justify spending £150 on a tiny speaker then go for this one, its brilliant.
I have the same speakers, and they are great ...... for Bluetooth speakers. The sound is as good as I have heard from portable BT speakers. Can't beat them for the size.
I also have a Soundlink Mini.
Best bluetooth speaker in its class, hands down.
Sloty
Iv had a look at the speakers your talking about and they have an awesome sound but a price tag to match. I recently picked up a blue tooth / cord speaker from Aldi supermarket chain. It does all the things you've pointed out for $20 (sale price) and the sound is big and impressive with clear lows unlike what iv seen in other portable speakers. I snuck back and got a second.
I just picked up a JBL Flip 2 whilst in the states. Listened to the Bose and the JBL and you would be hard pushed to tell the difference. Also with the new Flip 2 they have done away with the need to have a plug in power adaptor which for me takes away the whole portable aspect of a portable speaker as you can now charge it through USB. Biggest bonus is it only cost me $95 which is half the price of the Bose.
Althought flip 2 is a good speaker, none can even dare to compare to the Bose! I wish i had it, i bought the UE Mini Boom, has the same features as the flip 2 almost the same price range, not the same sound quality, but good enough and pairs up to 8 bluetooth devices (2 simultaneous), 10 hour battery life (real), much smaller (fits on my beach toal pocket).
Well in all fairness thats opinion. I have spent many years using B + W speakers with other hi end hifi equipment so I am used to high quality audio and in my opinion the gulf is not that big. Certainly not double the price wise. What swung it for me is using them as a portable speaker. What good is a portable speaker that when it runs out you have to find a power socket to charge it. They realised this with the first JBL flip and with the Flip 2 replaced the need for a power adaptor with a simple usb charging port. So with my portable battery I can have music playing all day well away from a power source. But as I said its completely each individuals opinion which I fully respect.
http://www.inateck.com/inateck-bp2001-10w-bluetooth-stereo-speaker/
Inateck® Wireless 10W Stereo Bluetooth Portable Speaker Built-in Hands Free Speakerphone and Rechargable Battery Works With iPhone, Samsung, Nexus, iPod, iPad, Mp3 player, Tablet PC, Laptop, Computers, Android Smartphones And more Bluetooth Enabled Devices, Support 3.5mm Audio Cable Connection, Bluetooth V2.1 + EDR, Portable Stand for Tablets Smartphones, Black (Wireless Phone Accessory)
i wanted a affordable bluetooth speaker for at home and outside by the pool ect and found all of that in this unit. some of the features are:
- Bluetooth
- Call button
- Rubber foot pads
- Aux in
- MicroUSB charging
the packaging was very well done and the unit is very slim and looks great and very sturdy hard plastic was pleasing to the eye . in the box was the bluetooth unit,(1) usb power cable and a simple to follow users manual. the unit came almost fully charged so i jumped right in and powered it up and when phone paired with the unit i was alerted that pairing was done with a sound and a flashing bluetooth icon illuminated on the unit. very nice to see a "call button" on the unit and something other units are lacking.the call button. the unit also has a built-in rechargeable lithium battery so no worries the the unit will die after only a few hours of use and i was able to get 7hrs of use and still battery was not fully depleted. on the back of the unit is a very handy kickstand which is also a great idea since i have a ipad and a large NOTE 3 phone that demand a solid base as both are large/heavy units. the pullout kickstand really gives my large tablet stability in landscape or portrait. And this also keeps it level on the table or desk. the top of unit is has a large "cutout" lined with rubber to securely hold phone/tab ect in place and soft rubber makes a nice stable (scratch free) area to support such devices. the sound quality was excellent and even on full volume no distortion unlike other units i have had in the past. overall i gave the unit 5 stars for ease of use/price and sound quality.
This is a Review of Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 Wireless Bluetooth headphones (M2 AEBT). http://en-us.sennheiser.com/momentum-wireless-headphones-with-mic , also available on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SNI44CQ/
While waiting to receive my review unit of recently introduced Sennheiser Momentum 2 Wireless headphones, I was both excited and a bit concerned. Personally, I thought it was a risky move for Sennheiser to make a leap from a wired headphone world where they are a well known audiophile player and into a wireless universe dominated by products fueled with celebrity endorsements and exaggerated bass. Wireless Bluetooth technology has been maturing year after year, and now with BT4.x and aptX codec the performance of BT headphones have improved significantly with a sound being less compressed, more dynamic, and with a better transparency through a digital domain delivered to your headphones. But you still need to consider D/A conversion, amplification, and transport of analog signal to your headphone drivers. This fusion of digital wireless domain and analog driver tuning is the biggest challenge to tackle in order to deliver a transparent natural sound, something Sennheiser wired headphones are well known for. So, was Momentum 2 able to accomplish this wirelessly? You BETTER BELIEVE IT!!! Here is what I found.
Arrived in a sturdy cardboard box packaging, I had to pause for a second while looking at the cover picture. Even so it was a familiar image from my review of the original wired Momentum, I still took a moment to enjoy sexy lines of their design. Before opening the box, I usually like to take a tour around it to get acquainted with key features, list of accessories, design details, and technical spec data. Some of this info really stands out with key features of 22 hr battery life, BT + aptX support, NFC pairing, Active Noise Canceling (ANC), foldable design, wireless and wired connection, and 2 year warranty – quite an impressive list to get you excited for what awaits inside of the box. With a cover off, you will find a compact case made out of a soft material (kind of reminds me of suede texture) inside of a foam cutout, a familiar display setting I found with other Momentum models, though case material usually varies.
Unboxing.
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In addition to this soft touch case with a yellow stitching around the edges, other included accessories (all inside of the case) were a detachable audio cable, usb to micro-usb charging/data cable, a flight adapter, a soft draw-string pouch with headphones inside and the pouch placed in the case, and a comprehensive quick guide. Personally I prefer a more heavy duty hard shell case and eventually will look for one which shouldn’t be a problem to find since Momentum 2 has a foldable design, but I do have to admit this case looks really sweet with a yellow stitching matching the one used on leather headband. Audio cable has a right angled gold plated slim connector going to your audio source and 2.5mm twist-on connector going to earcup. This is the same connector used in the original wired Momentum, and my only comment here is that I would have liked to see some kind of an alignment marker so you know when connector is engaged and twisted correctly inside of earcup, but with a few tries you get used to it anyway.
Flight adapter is rather rare to see nowadays, but it also very appropriate since a lot of people use headphones with ANC during their travel, and sometimes you're required to turn off Bluetooth on a plane (putting your phone in airplane mode). Having a wired connection gives you the flexibility to use headphones when battery is low or when you don’t have access to Bluetooth or in a situation like an airplane. USB to micro-usb connector is obviously for charging, but there is also another undocumented feature which I’m going to talk about later in the review.
Accessories.
I already mentioned that unfolded Momentum 2 looks just like its original predecessor. You get the same stainless steel metal arc headband, split at the top, partially wrapped in premium leather with a dense foam padding inside and yellow stitching around the edges. Instead of a typical height adjustment mechanism and headphone yoke, you can slide the earcup up/down across a slit of exposed stainless steel headband sides. The sliding adjustment is very fluid and easily controlled with one hand without being too tight or too loose. The earcup itself is attached to a mounting pin and has a full 360deg pivoting rotation to adjust comfortably to the anatomy of your head and your ears. This adjustment mechanism has a pure German engineering quality written all over it, and at the same time it has a very fashionable modern-classic look. The wires from earcups going to headband are flexible and still have a heavy duty shielding. At the point of their entry to headband you will find 4 metal screws for additional security.
One of the most noticeable design changes introduced with Momentum 2 (both wired and wireless) has to be a foldable headband. Such mechanism is easy to implement with a traditional headband where you can design-in foldable hinges. Looks like Sennheiser decided to challenge themselves keeping the original design, making it look identical from outside, and adding a durable locking hinge on inside right at the point where leather band wrapping begins. This is another example of well executed German engineering - done with a slim hinge which is hardly noticeable from outside. The only comment I have here, you have to be careful when folding earcups in to make sure metal endpoints of the headband don't brush against leather earpads.
And speaking of earpads, you will be pleased to know these have been updated with a bigger opening in comparison to the original Momentum headphones. I never had issues with those original Momentum earpads, though my ears are just average and about 60mm in height. For me with original earpads it was tight but still comfortable. The new earpads are just perfect with an approximate opening of about 65mm in height, but that doesn't mean that 70-75mm ears won't fit in. The earpads are deep, with memory foam and a soft leather wrapping. According to a quick start guide, they are removable and replaceable, so it's definitely a big plus. The donut shape of earpads is not symmetrical where the thicker part is faced toward the back making fitment more comfortable. This also means that you can't flip left/right sides and always have to put headphones one way. The L/R marking is inside of the headband, right underneath of the hinges, and you also get 3 dimples on the outside of the left side at the folding edge, though I wish those dimples would be a little bigger for a “blind” id.
Looking closer at earcups, you will find the Left one having NFC pair up area and what appears to be a two microphone grills. A spec of M2 Wireless lists NoiseGard hybrid feature using 4 mics where I assume these are two of them. Right earcup is where you will find the actual controls. First of all you have a port for 2.5mm cable with twist-on lock, and also micro-usb port for charging and USB DAC input (more about it later). As a right handed person, I prefer cable attachment on the left side, but it’s not an issue moving forward since I’m planning to use these headphones mostly wireless. Right next to it you have another long microphone grill and 2 control buttons. One is a Power button (with led next to it) which also serves a purpose of initiating BT pair up once you hold it down. The other control has a spring-loaded rocking multifunction push button where you push it once for Play/Pause/Call and rock it up/down for a volume control. Furthermore, double and triple click while playing audio will trigger skip track next/prev, and double click and hold or triple click and hold will trigger a fast-forward/-back transport control. In idle, triple click informs you about battery status.
Design details.
Moving on to Bluetooth functionality of these new Momentum beauties, let me first start with a "digital" domain of the design. As it was mentioned before, Momentum 2 Wireless supports BT4.0 and aptX codec which is among the latest Bluetooth standards that enables high definition sound without lossy compression of the source. Pair up was effortless and headphones connected to phone and media audio without a problem. As an alternative you can also use NFC pair up. Keep in mind, with power on, ANC will be enabled automatically and you can’t disable it. Also, I had no issues making/receiving clear phone calls, though it was a bit of a new hearing experience considering ANC noise isolation.
Another way to connect to your source is wired, using detachable cable. With wired connection you have an option to use headphones in passive mode (with power off) or active mode (with power on). According to Momentum 2 spec, this will change input impedance (where btw, the packaging box has a typo so please refer to a spec on the web), thus you will be able to drive Momentum 2 wired with power off like a regular pair of cans, even with addition of external portable amp if you prefer to. With a power on, I would recommend direct connection without any external amping to avoid sound artifacts. I don’t know the exact chipset inside of these earcups, but once you turn the power on sound becomes wider/deeper, more textured and better balanced (especially when it comes to bass) - suggesting a high quality of internal DAC and maybe some amplification stage. Furthermore, with addition of ANC you will also hear a cleaner black background.
Now, here comes a total undocumented surprise! You can push Momentum 2 wired performance even further by using a direct USB connection to your smartphone or laptop/PC. Yes, in a typical fashion of USB OTG connection (to your smartphone) or USB DAC connection (to your computer) you can now bypass analog HO driven by low quality internal DACs inside of your phone or laptop. It’s hard to quantify the level of improvement since with some of the latest phones, like my Note 4, I find a lot of USB OTG DACs to offer only a marginal step up, but when it comes to laptops – you can expect a better wired sound through usb cable.
USB OTG / USB DAC functionality.
Before I proceed to a more detailed sound analysis, I want to bring up another key feature of these headphones – Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). I typically don’t require ANC in my everyday routine since I don’t take public transportation or work in a noisy environment. As a matter of fact, I probably wouldn’t even take these headphones outdoors. But I’m well aware that a lot of people rely on it during their daily activities and very serious about the quality of ANC implementation. I have briefly tested ANC offered by other headphones, and a lot of you probably will agree that Bose is at the top of that game, but I also found Momentum 2 Wireless to be not too far behind and sometimes even better than others (such as noisy hiss of Beats Wireless Studio). Personally, I was pleased with a quality of noise reduction implemented in Momentum 2, and found no annoying hissing or periodic pulsating white noise. There were some occasional bursts, but it happens rarely. I’m not going to carry on about these having the best ANC in the world, and in my opinion if this is your only top priority – Momentum 2 Wireless is not for you. But considering everything else these headphones have to offer and their outstanding performance, ANC implementation is just an icing on a cake!!! And just to be clear, ANC implementation in Momentum 2 Wireless doesn't feel like an afterthought feature added to make them look complete. This is actually a well functioning active noise cancellation!
So how do these sound? I tested them both wired and wireless, and found some interesting differences. As it was previously mentioned, in wired mode you have an option of passive mode (w/power off) and active mode (w/power on and ANC enabled). In passive mode the input impedance is 28 ohms and headphones function just like a regular wired set of cans which you can drive directly from HO of your audio source or through external amp. Even so stock OFC cable does its job well, I was testing these using Whiplash Modular Cable (Pure Silver Litz cable) with a custom 2.5mm connector that plugs right into earcup without a need for a twist-on lock.
Whiplash modular cable.
In this passive mode I found sound to be well balanced and with just slightly overwhelming mid-bass hump. What is interesting, the impact of this bass enhancement only comes out to play in the tracks with a strong 4x4 kick/bass drum, while it was hardly noticeable in mellow tracks. In general, wired passive mode is OK if you completely drained your battery, but I personally prefer to keep active mode always on. As soon as you turn on the power of active mode, you are greeted with an improved sound tuning and an expanded soundstage. One interesting phenomenon, most likely due to internal DAC, in active mode the input impedance goes up to 480 ohms (!!!), and it becomes quite noticeable since the volume drops and you need to compensate it from your source.
In active mode with a stock cable sound signature was close to a wireless mode performance. It was a very impressive comparison since this is a truly best audiophile quality wireless sound I heard to date. When I switched to Whiplash Pure Silver cable, level of detail retrieval went up and sound became just a little bit brighter and crispier. That was also expected and I was very pleased with a level of improvement using a custom cable. But for the sake of my testing, I will refer to how Momentum 2 sounds in a wireless mode of operation since I consider it to be the most important characteristics of these headphones.
So, overall I found Sennheiser Momentum 2 Wireless to have a balanced sound signature with a smooth warm organic tone and moderately enhanced bass.
Starting with a low end, you have a good extension down to a sub-bass layer which is smooth and well balanced with a mid-bass punch. The bass presence is excellent and builds a strong warm foundation without muddying the sound or overwhelming the rest of the frequency range. Also, it is well controlled without spilling too much into lower mids. The mid-bass hump I experienced in passive wired mode was completely gone and smoothed out as soon as you enter active mode.
Mids are warm and smooth, maybe just slightly recessed. They contribute to a full body sound starting with a thicker lower mids and going into a detailed lush of upper mids. Both male and female vocal delivery was very smooth and organic with an intimate feeling. Even though mids are warm and smooth, they still have an excellent retrieval of details without being harsh or analytically bright.
Treble is relaxed, detailed, organic, not too crisp or grainy and without any sign of sibilance. These are definitely great for extended listening period without ear fatigue. Some might perceive treble extension as a bit rolled off, but after a closer listening you realize that it's just a warm nature of the sound.
As I mentioned before, in passive mode soundstage was just average, controlled by your source, but once you put it in an active mode - soundstage expanded to a 3D depth and width with an amazing separation and layering of sounds.
Conclusion.
Overall, I know that wireless experience can vary depending on the make and the vintage of your phone or tablet, BT version and aptX support, Android vs Apple (where aptX is not even supported by iDevices), and perhaps your location due to surrounding that can interfere with a signal. But in my everyday use during a test period I experienced a flawless performance with a wireless sound quality that rivals some of the top wired headphones I’ve tested. Of course a big factor in sound quality has to do with a great job Sennheiser team done in tuning of these headphones to have a warm and natural full body sound that oozes with a high level of detail retrieval. When people think of wireless headphones, usually convenience of cutting a chord is at the top of their list. With Momentum 2 Wireless you don’t have to compromise a sound quality and can add it at the top of your priority list as well. On top of that Momentum 2 Wireless has a remarkable 22hrs battery life, a choice of wired or wireless connection, USB DAC support to connect to your smartphone or PC/laptop, very high quality build and comfortable fitment, convenience of foldable design, latest Bluetooth with aptX support and also NFC pairing, 2 year extended warranty, and of course a bonus of very capable Active Noise Cancellation making Momentum 2 Wireless a complete package with a great value even at its premium price.
smatree said:
seems great
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It's the BEST!!! Pure Sennheiser sound quality in BT wireless with aptX audio codec.
Great review.
Got two questions tho:
1. How can you tell that aptX mode is enabled and working. Is there any notification icon on Android device?
2. Is it possible for you to receive record your voice? I am heavy phone call and Lync/Skype/Hangous user and the quality of my voice is extremely important for me.
Thank you for a really good review.
These headphones are really really good, bought them during a 1 hour sale for around 360 bucks, money that I dont reaaaaally had for the moment but it turned out to be worth it .
1 question. In one of your pictures you have connected the phones to your computer via usb and it shows up as an input/output device, do you need to do something with the headphones to do that or?
sorcgsdf said:
Thank you for a really good review.
These headphones are really really good, bought them during a 1 hour sale for around 360 bucks, money that I dont reaaaaally had for the moment but it turned out to be worth it .
1 question. In one of your pictures you have connected the phones to your computer via usb and it shows up as an input/output device, do you need to do something with the headphones to do that or?
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You need to have the power on (so that internal usb dac is powered) and just connect it. If I remember correctly, it was recognized by Win7 as is.
I know this is pretty old, but I came here from google looking for info and your review its much better than browsing 200 pages of head-fi.
thanks for it, appreciated.
Headphones
The best headsets under Rs.1000 is definitely the Boat Rockerz 510. It comes with an exceptional build quality and marvellous sound perfect for Gaming. It is designed specially to run for long hours. I bought these headsets from VPLAK as they offered me the headsets at a much reasonable rate compared to other websites.
Insanely good review! This is how all reviews should be!
I can add to your excellent review that trying to connect the Momentum 2 AEBT to the Sennheiser Smart Control app is a friggin' mega-pain.. (if even possible). I can connect them to my phone without any problems at all, but it's impossible to get the sennheiser app to find any device AT ALL.. tried everything and the app just won't find my headphones. I have followed every guide, checked compatibility with my phone and still no success. I have seen that some people even reinstalled the app 10 times before they got it working..
Exanimus said:
Insanely good review! This is how all reviews should be!
I can add to your excellent review that trying to connect the Momentum 2 AEBT to the Sennheiser Smart Control app is a friggin' mega-pain.. (if even possible). I can connect them to my phone without any problems at all, but it's impossible to get the sennheiser app to find any device AT ALL.. tried everything and the app just won't find my headphones. I have followed every guide, checked compatibility with my phone and still no success. I have seen that some people even reinstalled the app 10 times before they got it working..
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Thanks! I shared this review 7 years ago which considered to be ancient I moved on to review high end audiophile equipment on Head-fi years ago as well as mirroring everything between Head-fi and my own review site.
If you don't need ANC and ok with TWS earphones, my favorite is still Hiby WH2 (DD version). Was the first pair of TWS to feature LDAC last year, even before Sony introduced it in their wf-1000xm4, not to mention it cost 1/3 of WFs.
[Most Powerful Pocket Size Bluetooth Speaker Ever] Omaker W4 Portable Bluetooth 4.0 Speaker with 12 Hour Playtime,Ultra Compact,Outstanding Sound
Don’t let the size of this speaker (1.9in,3.5oz cube) fool you, it’s very powerful and best of all it’s very portable. This speaker has a 40mm driver that packs a powerful punch but to me the main feature is you can take this speaker anywhere and with the provided Carabiner its simple as clipping speaker to your bike/backpack or purse to name a few. On the batterylife side of things I was able to get almost 12 hours of playback and unit recharged in under 3 hours. Overall I was very pleased with this speaker and had a lot of fun wit it. What You Get – Omaker W4 Portable Bluetooth Speakers,1ft Micro USB charging cable,User Manual,Mash Bag,Carabiner,Hassle Free Replacement or Money back in three months.
https://youtu.be/0CbdALh0L9k
it looks a good speaker.