By Rarely do we get to review multiple evolutions of an already great audiophile product but, when it happens, it is fun to see how things improve over time. Sennheiser headphones are a very well-known German brand of top-performing headphones, and their MOMENTUM headphones are in the ultra-competitive world of somewhat upmarket (but still offering mainstream affordability) wireless over-the-ear headphones. Their $399.99 price point puts them in the conversation with the likes of Sony, Apple, Bowers & Wilkins, and even Bose. While this comment will make audiophile traditionalists consider rolling over in their graves, but headphones at this level are an affordable place for a young audiophile to start in the hobby. All you need is a love of music and a smartphone, and you are on your way.
The latest version of the Sennheiser MOMENTUM headphones (the 5s) is significantly improved and notably refined. They are designed for everyday use. My older son just killed off a pair of much older headphones in this Sennheiser legacy product category, and that is one hell of a compliment, as they first had to take my personal use and then, after that, years of teenager abuse before understandably giving up the ghost. The value provided was many times the price paid, that’s for sure. With new improvements in play and the price remaining the same, the big question is how do the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 wireless headphones compete in this brutally competitive market segment? I’ve reviewed nearly every headphone in this space. I’m here for you, audiophile friends – don’t worry.
What Makes the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 Wireless Headphones So Special?
- The fit of the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 wireless headphones is very comfortable. Not all headphones go onto my somewhat large head (insert well-earned joke here) easily, but the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 wireless headphones were a good fit, even over long periods of time, such as on cross-country flights. On very long-haul flights (think: Los Angeles to Istanbul or London or Tokyo), I find headphones in this category can get warm on my ears but, with the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 wireless headphones, they were cool as a cucumber.
- The battery life on the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 wireless headphones is rated at an insane 57 hours. It was only a few years ago when 30 hours was a lot. Today’s advanced battery technology is even better. You charge your Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5s and do not need to charge them again until you come home. In the event that you’ve got 15 minutes near a USB-C charger, you can get the battery loaded back up. Battery life is simply not a concern with the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 wireless headphones. It just isn’t.
- The ANC (noise cancellation) is incrementally improved by doubling the number of mics from four to eight for the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 wireless headphones. It used to be that Bose and Sony dominated in the ANC world, but they’ve licensed their multi-mic technology and now everybody has some form of modern ANC. For me, noise cancellation is one of the biggest reasons why I always have a pair of modern wireless headphones with me. The Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 wireless headphones are at a level of ANC performance that is on par with the latest Sony WH-1000-XM6 (buy at Crutchfield) that I just reviewed, which should be considered a very big compliment.
- The 42-millimeter driver is a little larger than standard, and that is a good thing. The size of the driver allows for more bass, space and other sonic performance advantages. This is an over-simplistic look at things, but it is fair to say that Sennheiser didn’t skimp on the most important part in a pair of over-the-ear wireless headphones.
- The Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 wireless headphones rock the current latest Bluetooth format, which is 5.4. They pair up pretty easily and connect sonically to a phone nicely. Never are there connection issues between your device of choice and the headphones, which makes life easier. I tested my Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 wireless headphones with my 16-inch Apple MacBook Pro, two different iPad and my iPhone 16 Pro. Everything was flawless in terms of connectivity.
- Phone calls are not my main use for a pair of headphones like the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 wireless, but I did test them and they worked like champions. Zoom calls also were rocking on the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 wireless headphones. Again, this isn’t my go-to setup, as I am a music guy first, but so many people have so many varied, mainstream uses for good wireless headphones these days that it required a little out-of-the-box testing.
- Another level of complexity that I rarely seek, but is available, is a very well-designed app. The Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 wireless headphones benefit from the use of the Smart Control app, which gives EQ options, headphone-based Atmos surround options, and more. I download all the apps of the headphones that I review, but I rarely spend much time using them, as I am most concerned with how these headphones sound. There are going to be some who want to dig very deep into what the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 wireless headphones can do, and the app takes you all the way there.
- The finish of my Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 wireless headphones was slightly off-white with a tan accent. Respectfully, I am just bored to death with a stock black pair of headphones, as they are monotonous-looking. Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 wireless headphones come in a host of colors that are really appealing, something that is needed to compete in the mainstream consumer market, which the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 wireless headphones absolutely do, regardless of the 80 years of pro audio and audiophile history that Sennheiser has.
- The plastic finish is not cheap whatsoever. In fact, the plastic molding is very slick and, more importantly, very light, which is a total plus for the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 wireless headphones. Reviewer Paul Wilson made his money in the plastic and metal business, and he cites how expensive it is to make plastic moldings like those the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 wireless headphones use. There are huge advantages beyond weight, including durability.
Why Should You Care About the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 Wireless Headphones?
The best reason to care about the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 wireless headphones is that you have ears and that you are alive, because basically everybody needs good headphones in the world that we live in. You can take them to work. You can take them to the gym. They are simply fantastic to travel with. They are perfect to use at night without disturbing your partner.
The point that I made earlier is worthy of repeating, in that, for $399, you can gift a pair of headphones like this and start an audiophile journey for a young person that can last a lifetime. This is the lowest-cost way that I can think of doing this, and it is a great place to open a conversation in a form factor and with a feature set that every young person will not just understand, but will love.
Some Things You May Not Like About the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 Wireless Headphones
- Many wireless headphones allow for gestures (think: swipe right on a dating site) to control their headphones. I’ve never encountered a pair of headphones that do more this way than the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 wireless headphones and, for me, that wasn’t a good thing. I could mess up my musical vibe with gestures just walking down the street. If there is a way to turn these off, I would, but this may be a reason why people love the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 wireless headphones, so personal preference is in play. I later learned that you can turn off the gestures (or touch control) in the app.
- I like the plastic parts on the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 wireless headphones, but they aren’t tremendously luxurious as much as they are lightweight. More expensive headphones come with more expensive materials. Perhaps that is a somewhat unfair point, but the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 wireless headphones are just not going to have the fit and finish that you get from, say, a Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 ($799, buy at Crutchfield).
Listening to the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 Wireless Headphones
This review is being written by the water in the summer in sunny California, so my first seasonally appropriate musical example is “Surfer Girl” (AIFF 1440 CD ripped file) from The Beach Boys. Did you watch the documentary on Apple about The Beach Boys? I never knew what big much fans Lennon and McCartney were of the non-surfing boy band (The Beatles were a boy band, too, in their early days, if we are honest), which adds to my vast vault of useless musical trivia. The documentary is well worth your time if you like The Beach Boys. The vintage, reverberating sound on this track wasn’t audiophile quality (because of the recording – not the headphones), but it is sounded dynamic, lively and open when playing it back on the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 wireless headphones from my iPad. As a newly-minted single man, I found myself walking by the yachts of Marina del Rey trying to manifest a little surfer girl to come my way. I will report back on that project when I have an update, but at least I looked (and sounded) good while I was trying to manifest my most positive vibes.
One thing that I loved about the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 wireless headphones was the amount of gain, as these headphones can play a little bit more loudly than, say, my reference (now discontinued) Mark Levinson No. 5909 headphones (read the review). This is a dangerous concept, in that we all need to be mindful to avoid having the headphones set too loud in order not to damage our ears but, in noisy spaces, it can be fun to crank your jams up a little bit – just remember to turn them back down periodically. On the iconic German metal anthem “Du Hast” by Rammstein (I have no idea what they are singing about, and I am almost scared to ask or even translate, but it sure sounds cool) in AIFF format, the sound was righteous. The burning guitars had a zip to them that was engaging. The banging beats of the kick drums in the intro had heft. The highs were a little bit bright without any app EQ, but not any different than comparable Sony or Bose options.
Trips to luxury grocery store Bristol Farms are not as much fun knowing that there is no chance now that I will bump into Ozzy Osbourne. He and Sharon used to be frequent customers at the Beverly Hills location, thus giving this music student and audiophile a chance to chat it up with The Prince of Darkness from time to time. Somehow the song “Mama, I’m Coming Home” has become one that I’ve used to evaluate many headphones in this category. The acoustic guitar opening showed good air and space on the MOMENTUM 5s. The bass mixed into the opening verse stood out as tight but suitably extended. Zakk Wylde’s scorching guitar chops sounded coherent and metal-tastic in a more wave-your-lighter-in-the-air type ballad. In the outro, the vastly overdubbed vocal sounded well-layered, detailed and resolved.
Will the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 Wireless Headphones Hold Their Value?
No, they will not, and it simply doesn’t matter. Remember those older Sennheisers that I gave to my son? At one point recently, he put Band-Aids on the ear cups to keep them from falling apart, but to suggest that we didn’t get tremendous value from these headphones is absurd. $400 is less than what a ticket to see Rush costs this summer. To have that same amount of money buy you a musical window onto the world is beyond fair. When they are spent, take them to the E-Cycling place and call it a win. It is important to note that is the battery is the issue that a user can replace the battery and give older headphones new life. What my kid did to these headphones can’t be fixed by any user, but I digress.
What is the Competition for the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 Wireless Headphones?
Oh, boy. I could do 2,000 words on this section alone, as there are so many players in the $400 wireless over-the-ear headphone market, as this is the sweet spot for the mainstream consumer electronics business for good cans.
Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 ($479, buy at Crutchfield) comes to mind first. I like the fit and finish of these U.K.-designed headphones as the best of the category. Earlier versions didn’t sound as good as the Sennheisers but, today, the sound on both are in the same ballpark. Fashion-forward finishes make the Bowers very appealing. Bowers & Wilkins (read my review) and Sennheiser have lots of audiophile credibility and a long legacy of making excellent speakers, so donning their headphones is a fully audiophile-approved move.
Sony WH-1000XM6 ($398 buy at Crutchfield) headphones saved my trip to Europe in June this year when my Mark Levinson headphones finally and understandably gave up the ghost when in Tuscany (hint: don’t take your $999 headphones into the spa). The fancy plastic molding resulting in high durability and light weight is very comparable. The ANC on the Sonys might be the best in the space, but the Sennheisers are right there.
There are so many more places that you can go in terms of comparisons, including but not limited to Bose, Apple, Dali, Audio-Technica or even Monoprice, and find respectable wireless headphones this product category.
Final Thoughts on the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 Wireless Headphones …
The wireless over-the-ear headphone category is a very evolved one, and the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 wireless headphones are a great case study in such positive changes. The performance difference from Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4s to Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5s is real, yet the price difference is nil. In a wildly inflationary economy, this is a rarity that we all can applaud.
The Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 wireless headphones are rock-solid, sonically capable and stylish headphones that are loaded with technology, comfortable to wear and can go without charging for a week-plus. Features aside, the sound is a resolved, open and engaging one that appeals to my ears, and I’ve heard them all in this price class. That’s pretty compelling for $399.
