The Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless noise-canceling headphones are designed with a new smartphone interface in mind, which offers a significantly longer battery life and better audio quality than other competitors. Additionally, their latency is minimal and they offer an excellent sound experience.
The Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless headphones are a respectable substitute for our preferred models from Sony and Bose, but they don’t quite provide the same active noise cancellation (ANC) that leads the class. Even though we enjoy the app’s functionality, we would need more precise control than what the simplified EQ offers. Despite these minor flaws, the Momentum 4 Wireless headphones are a respectable substitute for our preferred models. ..
Design
The Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless headphones are interesting because they don’t really draw attention to themselves. This most recent set of headphones’ aesthetics have been simplified for a cleaner look. They sacrifice some style by going for a more simplistic appearance; aside from the metallic Sennheiser logo on both sides of the headband, these headphones could be any other pair made by the company. If aesthetics are important to you, there isn’t much here that stands out because these aren’t the AirPods Max, but Sennheiser has succeeded when it comes to ergonomics.
The Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless headphones are incredibly comfortable and provide good noise cancellation. They can be folded flat for storage. ..
The headphones are designed with a slider adjustment on the headband and a wider headband to reduce pressure on the head. Additionally, the headphones have a fabric covering that resembles the Momentum True Wireless 3 case. Its underside is coated in a silicone material, and a soft centre was thoughtfully added to accommodate the little ridge on top of people’s skulls. They feel lighter while weighing 293g. To turn the device on or off, there is only one button on the right earcup. Touch controls on the right earcup are used to control playback, calls, and voice assistants.
The noise cancelling and Transparency modes can be strengthened by pinching and then moving your fingers inwards or outwards on the touch panel. In contrast to the slider on the Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 or the B&O H95, it is intelligent, if not the fastest way of operation. However, we far prefer the touch panel’s extreme sensitivity to prods and pinches than a lack of responsiveness. A USB-C charging port, a 3.5mm jack, and an LED indicator that displays the battery life are also located on the right earcup.
Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless review: Comfort
The M4W is a comfortable and stylish headband that helps distribute weight and keep your head cool. We found some sweat spots on the underside of the band after our morning commutes’ brisk walks to the station, but overall it was a comfortable and stylish headband.
The Sennheiser’s are 7.67 x 7.67 x 1.82 inches in size and 10.3 ounces in weight. They are actually a touch heavier than the Sony WH-1000XM5 and almost the same size and weight as their predecessor, despite the fact that new headphone designs usually emphasize being a little lighter. Although we did notice that after about an hour of use, our ears started to get warm, which might be uncomfortable for some people during prolonged listening sessions, comfort levels are still quite good thanks to the plush ear cushions. The Sennheiser’s are larger and heavier than their Sony counterparts, but they offer good comfort levels due to their plush ear cushions. They are also similar in size and weight to the headphones they replaced, making them a good option for those looking for an upgrade from their old model. ..
The new design’s retractable arms function effectively. It was simple to achieve the ideal comfort levels and fit, with the earcups in the ideal position for our ears. The new swivel hinge design allows the earcups to fold flat for storage in the included carry case while still fitting perfectly on the ear. ..
Connectivity
The new Sennheiser Momentum 4 supports the AptX, AptX Adaptive, AAC, and SBC codecs and is Bluetooth 5.2 compatible. We were able to easily pair the headset with our phone even without using the Sennheiser app. Use the Sennheiser Control app instead for better controls, adjustments, and functions. The connection management feature of the app displays the number of devices currently linked to the headset.
The Sennheiser app allows you to change the equalizer mode, including Rock, Pop, Dance, Hip Hop, Classical, and Movie. Additionally, the app has a Sound Zone mode that enables you to automatically apply your sound settings when entering or leaving particular zones. The Sennheiser app also allows you to change the ANC and Transparency levels.
Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless review: Noise canceling
The Momentum 4’s over-ear design naturally isolates noise well from the start. Even before ANC was turned on, simply wearing the headphones lowered background noise levels generally pretty much. However certain low frequency sounds still managed to pass through. According to Sennheiser, each earcup has one exterior microphone and two internal microphones that measure the amount of outside noise that may be heard. Utilizing adaptive technology, the Momentum 4 Wireless automatically adapts the noise cancellation level to your environment.
We were unaware that the technology was having any effect on our listening other than to keep us completely engrossed in whatever music we were listening to. It had no impact on the overall sound quality or frequency balance. In order to maintain safer listening levels and to make sure we didn’t miss any platform announcements or changes while waiting at the station, you can adjust the level of transparency mode so that you can hear outside sounds while you’re out and about without taking off your headphones.
Our listening on the windy train station platform was unaffected by Wind Noise Reduction being set to Auto. Additionally, Wind Noise Reduction may be disabled or set to its maximum setting. However, it falls short of the superior ANC standards attained by premium models like the Bose 700 and Sony WH-1000XM5. Overall, the ANC performance is very effective. ..
Audio performance
The Momentum 4 Wireless headphones are a good-looking and well-made product. They have a neutral tonal balance, which makes them easy to listen to, and they look good too. ..
The sound of Waxahatchee is engaging and lively, with well-defined highs and lows. The frequency range is well-rounded, with good mids and lows. The cymbals are impactful and purposeful, and the drum rhythm is scatty electronica that accurately bounces off the beat.
The Sennheiser’s deliver a stellar performance on the song “Sober,” with their expert handling of the boppy country instrumentation. The soundstage is wonderfully layered and expansive without ever sounding constrained or one-dimensional, and the song has a pleasant vibe and flow because it musically walks a fine line between melancholy and hope. The musical talent of the Sennheiser’s is evident as soon as the following track begins to seep into our ears. ..
The Sony XM5 are noticeably richer and have a deeper bass, but what really sets them apart from the Sennheiser’s is the improved midrange openness and clarity. They also support its higher cost. The difference isn’t particularly large, but the Sony’s attention to detail makes intimate songs like Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’ sorrow-filled Girl In Amber and Oneohtrix Point Never’s instrumentally complex and texturally varied Long Road Home unquestionably more compelling. The analytical nature of the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2 exposes subtleties in a similar class-leading way, but the livelier Sennheiser’s respond with more vigor.
Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless review: Call performance
The new Sennheiser Momentum 4 headphones are designed to reduce annoyance while making calls. The earcups have two microphones that are distributed evenly, so you can hear your caller clearly and without any background noise. Additionally, the headset has Sidestone mode which allows you to change the sound volume while on a call.
Battery and charging
The Momentum 4 Wireless has a 60-hour battery life, which is unusually high for a headphone of its kind. This lasts about 30 hours longer than the Sony WH-1000XM5. In fact, of all the noise-canceling headphones we’ve used, the Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless has the longest battery life. This represents a significant improvement in playback time over Sennheiser’s previous model, which promised 17 hours but delivered fewer when ANC was enabled. ..
The question of how Sennheiser was able to significantly extend battery life is left unanswered, but the prospect of only ever needing to charge these headphones once every two weeks or less will make them very appealing to commuters and business travelers. Even when you do need to recharge, it happens pretty quickly—from empty to fully charged, it takes just 2 hours, and a 5-minute charge is supposed to provide up to 4 hours of playback time. Additionally, you can check our article on Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless review.
Since we just recently got these review headphones, we haven’t had a chance to listen to them sufficiently to fully drain the battery and evaluate the claims. The headphones have so far been used for a few hours each day, and the battery indicator still indicates that it has 70% capacity left. Once we have a precise image of the battery life capacity, we’ll update our evaluation. We’ll continue monitoring its capacity over the ensuing several weeks. Keep this page bookmarked to view the results of our testing in the real world.
Conclusion
The Momentum headphones are now able to decode audio with a higher-resolution Bluetooth codec than the LDAC codec used in Sony headphones. This is an improvement over the previous version, which was only able to decode audio with a lower resolution Bluetooth codec.
The Momentum headphones have a deep bass and an active noise cancelling system that is effective. They also have Bluetooth and aux input, which are great for connecting to devices. The headphones also come with a USB-C port, which is great for transferring files.
