Sennheiser Momentum 4 — One Day Review
I finally pulled the trigger on a good pair of wireless, over-the-ear, headphones! The budding audiophile inside of me held out against this for as long as possible, but my inner pragmatist who sees the value in wireless cans (and who is also the same person as the dad in me who wants as much noise cancellation as possible) eventually won out. I’ve been testing these headphones for about 24 hours now, and here is my quick review after just one day of use.
Presentation and Build
My wife’s immediate reaction when first laying eyes on these headphones was “oooooooooooh, niiiiice!”.
I concur. The look and feel of this entire package (case, headphones, cables) is such that it makes me happy to hold it in my hands. The general design makes me want to use these headphones, and I have long been a proponent of the concept that “the best XYZ_Thing is the one that makes me want to use it.” Here are a few quick bullet points to summarize:
- The fabric on the case is a night touch. It quickly sends the message that you are going to enjoy the product.
- The case itself is fairly compact while still comfortably housing the included headphones and cables. The case also has an interior pocket for additional small items.
- The pivot points on the headphones move very smoothly and noiselessly; that adds to the premium feel.
I do want to note the noticeable lack of metal components and the rubberized coating on the underside of the headband. These are two items that, when present, call into question the longevity of traditional wired headphones; however, that does not mean that the durability of these headphones is low. I suspect that the life of the Momentum 4s will be limited by the battery and not by the wear on any structural components.
Comfort and Functionality
Simply put, the Momentum 4s are incredibly lightweight. How else could they manage to get away with having such a light clamp force? Combine that with the soft pads and angled drivers, and you have a headphone that can cause you to forget it is on your head. At least until you feel them slide slightly anytime you look down. That movement is the one downside to their comfort that I have found so far, but this may be resolved as I learn how to better adjust the fit of the headband.
The Momentum 4s also have the most intuitive controls of any bluetooth headphones I have ever used. They have a very small learning curve, and I am hugely appreciative of that.
- swipe up on the earcup to increase the volume
- swipe down to decrease the volume
- swipe forwards/backwards to skip/go-back
- pinch to increase/decrease the noise cancelation
- single tap to play/pause
- double-tap to toggle transparency mode
Another thing I really enjoy about these headphones is their automated messaging. It is very helpful to have the Momentum 4s tell me how much battery is left whenever I unplug them.
Sound and ANC Quality
The active noise cancellation of the Momentum 4s is good, but I am not yet ready to say that it is great. It mutes any noises coming from fans, HVACs, dishwashers, or the like without causing a drastic shift in the EQ. Not many headphones can manage that. Another big plus is that the ANC doesn’t create that odd, and sometimes unpleasant, sense of pressure on one’s ears. Granted, this could prove to be due to the ANC not being very strong; time and further testing will tell.
The Momentum 4s needs to be considered from both the Bluetooth and the wired-USB connectivity standpoints. I’ll spare you the dry details, but there is a significant difference in how audio is rendered by the Momentum 4s across these two modes.
The Momentum 4s sound good when used via Bluetooth, but they sound very good when connected via USB. I’ve done some quick testing of both with a few high-resolution (Max) tracks on Tidal. When using Bluetooth, the audio quality these headphones produce is not much different than what I get on my $60 Soundcore true wireless buds. That is expected given that the Bluetooth codec used is the common constraint between these two.
When I listen to the same tracks over a wired USB connection, then the Momentum 4s easily become the best sounding headphones that I own. That also is expected since my current collection of critical listening headphones is limited to items priced under $100.
Next Steps
I am going to put the Momentum 4s through their paces for a few more days before making a final decision on whether to keep and/or recommend them.
In the meantime, do you have any experience with the Momentum 4s? Or any other device in the Momentum series? If so, then I would love to hear your feedback in the comments!
