Sennheiser Momentum 4 review: Sony Contest

If we look at the headphone market, we see an incredibly large selection. However, its core revolves primarily around three major audio brands: Sennheiser and Sony & Bose. Sennheiser has been doing this for years with Momentum, Sony with WH-XM, and Bose with QuietComfort. All these headphones cost about 300 euros and have almost the same features. There are of course some brands that we haven’t mentioned here, but these are often more expensive models like Bowers & Wilkins. Earlier this year, Sony released a brand new WH-1000XM5 After the release of WH-XM3 and WH-XM4. Bose released a version Quiet rest 45 And this summer, Sennheiser came up with a successor to the Momentum Wireless 3.0.

Specifications

Before we continue with the review, we want to give you an overview of all the features on board the Momenum 4:

1. technology: Customizable audio, ANC, Transparency mode, Bluetooth 5.2

2. Coding: Adapt SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX

3. Dimensions:

4. battery: 60 hours with active ANC according to Sennheiser

5. Weight: 293 grams

6. Recommended price: €349

the design

At TechPulse, we love minimalist-looking headphones. Since the apple AirPods Max It seems as if other manufacturers have also stopped on this train. This also applies to the Sennheiser Momentum 4. The headphones have a great new design that is completely separate from the one Sennheiser has used in recent years. This was a more industrial design. So Sennheiser got rid of that for headphones, the earbuds still have that “old” design.

Therefore, Momentum 4 has a modern look that I really like. The headband is finished with a separate fabric, and the ear cushions are well supplied, so you can easily wear the Momentum 4 for a few hours. The ear cups are made of matte black or white matte material. The design of the Momentum 4 has only one drawback: the headphones cannot be folded in such a way that you can easily store them in a backpack. For some, it is a presentation tool, for others it is not important at all.

You can operate the Momentum 4 either via the free Smart Control app on your smartphone, or via the touch buttons on the ear cups. Just like with other brands of headphones, you can also choose which action is behind i.e. swipe or button.

My voice

The nice thing about Smart Control is that you can completely customize the audio file for your headphones. Both volume and noise reduction are fully adjustable. If you ask us about the sound quality of these headphones, we can honestly say that the Momentum 4’s score is pretty high, if you’re familiar with Sennheiser you know what to expect. Those unfamiliar with Sennheiser headphones or earbuds can expect crystal-clear audio. The bass is deeply controlled, and no song can confuse this control. As a result, you rarely tend to turn the volume down on some songs, and the headphones themselves have plenty on hand and you’ll notice. It reminds us a little of the Apple AirPods Max that does this as well.

Nowadays, noise reduction is one of the primary features that manufacturers are decompressing. You know, Sony has been at the forefront of this for years. Companies like Apple, Bose or Sennheiser are trying to get to that level or do a better job. About Momentum 4 we can conclude that the noise reduction is strong but less than we expected. We’ve tried the headphones in different “urban” situations and often some ambient noise still comes through. However, Momentum 4 does not do bad at all, on the contrary, we think that the difference with the Sony WH-XM series is getting smaller and smaller, but Sony is still the uncrowned king.

battery

The second essential feature that manufacturers are trying to make a difference nowadays is battery life. According to Sennheiser, you have 60 hours of listening enjoyment while reducing noise with the Momentum 4. This battery life is unprecedented and even makes you doubt. In comparison: Sony offers the WH-XM5 with a battery life of up to 30 hours. We can fully confirm Sennheiser’s claim as we only had to charge the headphones once. Huge addition.

something for you?

The question is, of course, whether you want to buy this Sennheiser. You might be comparing with some other models and wondering why Momentum 4 would be a better choice. However, our answer to that question is pretty straightforward: Sennheiser’s Momentum 4 fits right into the slate next to the top hats from Bose, Apple or Sony. If you are an Android user, you can actually delete AirPods Max from Apple. Bose’s QuietComfort 45 and Sony’s WH-XM5 remain the main competitors. Do you really want the most powerful noise cancellation? Then we recommend Sony, if you want to opt for solid materials and a nice finish, the Sennheiser Momentum 4 is a slightly better choice. Finally, it’s also important to consider the Momentum 4’s massive battery life, 60 hours that you won’t find anywhere else.