Sennheiser’s Momentum 4 Wireless headphones keep going and going

When images of the Momentum 4 Wireless headphones first landed in my inbox, I was certain Sennheiser was chasing that ultra-premium Apple AirPod Max audience. After seeing them in the flesh, it’s obvious that Apple isn’t the real target here. Not only are the Momentum 4 Wireless headphones priced to match Sony’s WH-1000 XM5s, they also try to achieve the sleek primo look without the expensive, and honestly uncomfortable, materials of the AirPods Max. Instead, what we have here is a phenomenal pair of noise-cancelling headphones that will last you multiple days (possibly weeks) without needing a charge.

When you see a radical redesign from the big players in the wireless headphone space, your first question should always be “how much are they stinging me for this makeover?” It’s a fair response to a rising tide of premium-priced consumer headphones. Here in Australia, the Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless headphones will set you back $549 at the recommended retail price. That just so happens to be almost the exact same price as the Sony WH-1000 XM5 headphones– though both models can be found at a generous discount.

Here are a few deals we managed to dig up for the Momentum 4 Wireless.

The marquee feature of the Momentum 4 Wireless is its insane 60-hour battery life with ANC switched on, around double that of its main competitors in the space. The Bose 700s and Apple AirPods Max will get you up 20 hours on a single charge while the Sony WH-1000 XM5s can manage up to 30 hours with constant ANC and 40 hours without. These brands don’t even come close to Momentum 4 Wireless. With noise-cancellation a tight race these days, and audio performance a matter of preference (at least when it comes to premium headphones), longer battery life is becoming the metric to strive for and Sennheiser has knocked it so far out of the park, it’s crossed two state borders and landed in the ocean.

Unfortunately, the one major criticism we can level at the Momentum 4 Wireless headphones impacts their greatest feature. Sennheiser’s 60-hour battery is bliss when it works; days— sometimes weeks— can go by without needing a charge, and in a pinch, a quick 10-minute charge will get you roughly six hours of listening time. But this is occasionally undone by the Momentum 4s’ inconsistent software and occasional bugs. Smart Pause, for example, is meant to pause your music once the headphones are removed, and enter a battery-saving standby mode. But often I’d return to my desk to the faint hum of music playing through the Momentum 4s. This would, of course, run the battery down much faster, making it tough for me to test the full 60-hour endurance at first.

At its worst, this would create a truly bizarre issue where putting the headphones back on would actually pause the music, or boot my audio on a Zoom call. It was, at times, incredibly frustrating. The last software update I ran on the Momentum 4s improved stability, but didn’t remove the issue entirely.

Thankfully, the Momentum 4 Wireless headphones work more often than they don’t, and a simple power cycle always fixes the issues immediately. Besides those few grievances, the Momentum 4s are a sturdy companion for those who always need a pair of wireless headphones at the ready.

Sennheiser’s latest over-ear cans signal a serious shift in design philosophy from the over-ear Momentums of the past, and the beloved PXC 550 headset. Rather than the oblique ear cups or industrial headband of previous Momentums, Sennheiser has attempted to consolidate the design of its latest flagship over-ear headphones with that of its popular wireless earbud range. The result is a fairly subdued design in comparison, but if, like me, you love the textured fabric wrap on the Momentum earbuds, you’ll appreciate the cosy simplicity of the Momentum 4 Wireless headphones.

And the cosiness extends beyond the comfortable texture of the headband. The Momentum 4s are the most comfortable set of wireless over-ear headphones I’ve reviewed in a while. Whether they are hanging around your neck or perched on top of your noggin, they’re so light it’s easy to forget you’re wearing them at all. The hinges and flat-fold design offer a frictionless transition from wearing them on your head to around your neck and the cushioned earpads are deep and offer enough give that they don’t feel like they’re squeezing your head.

Part of that comfort comes down to the overall weight of the headset. The Momentum 4s weigh in at 290g, a little heavier than the Sony WH-1000 XM5s but about 100g lighter than the Apple AirPods Max. Apple’s stainless steel frame may give a premium feel but it ultimately adds a level of discomfort you won’t find in the Momentum 4s.

If it weren’t for the Momentum 4’s long-lasting battery life, the headline feature here would be its superb active noise-cancelling. In my experience, it doesn’t quite live up to Sony in that regard, but it does offer better cancellation than the AirPods Max and is roughly in the same league as the Bose QuietComfort 45s.

Sony’s cans eliminate more external chatter but its adaptive qualities are more refined too; Sennheiser has flexible in-app settings that let you tailor your preferences, but Sony’s headphones do a better job of automatically adjusting to different environments on the fly. Another neat Momentum 4 feature is the ability to adjust the level of noise-cancellation with a pinching gesture on the right earcup.

Out of the box, the Momentum 4s gave just the right amount of depth to the persistent sub-bass in Childish Gambino’s “3005”; powerful and resonant without distorting the lows and mids of the track. There was a little detail lost in busier tracks like Deftones’ “Swerve City”— the rhythm guitar slightly overpowered by the increased lows— and the distant guitar riffs in The Beatles’ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” was difficult to nail down. Both of these tracks benefited greatly from switching back to the default EQ settings but I’m a slave to that heavy bass.

As mentioned above, the Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless app delivers a tremendous amount of EQ customisation if you want to tweak the out-of-the-box settings. The app even has a Sound Check feature that tunes your audio by asking you to rate a series of audio samples; great for those of us who aren’t fluent in audiophile jargon.

Still, the preset profile is quite nice on its own. I gave the bass a little boost but the more naturally balanced preset will be most people’s cup of tea.

The Momentum 4 Wireless don't exactly break new ground in the microphone space.  They rock two beamforming mics on each earcup (four in total) which help deliver decent noise-reduction during calls.

The quality of the audio itself is nothing special but it gets the job done; loud enough and clear enough with a touch of distortion. They don't compete with the natural, crystal-clear audio from the AirPods Pro microphone, but then again, not many headphones do. 

Follow the link below to compare more microphone samples.