Sennheiser Momentum 5 evaluate: Nice sound, unimaginable battery life, and few compromises

There are a whole lot of $300-$400 headphones in the marketplace proper now, and most of them blur collectively. I spent the previous couple of weeks with the Sennheiser Momentum 5 to find out if this pair really stands out, testing all the things from sound high quality and noise cancellation to consolation and battery life. 

At $399.99, the Momentum 5 sit proper in the midst of the premium headphone market. That places them up towards the pricier Sony WH-1000XM6 and Apple AirPods Max 2, whereas providing a extra reasonably priced possibility for anybody on the lookout for high-end headphones.

Starting with sound, vocals sound pure and the bass is powerful with out taking up. The headphones let you begin noticing little issues in music, like a background concord or a guitar string that cheaper headphones usually are likely to miss. If I needed to describe the sound in a single phrase, it’d be balanced.  

The headphones help Dolby Atmos, which basically signifies that music or motion pictures sound like they’re coming from throughout you rather than simply left and proper. 

With this era, Sennheiser doubled the microphone rely to eight to enhance the energetic noise cancellation (ANC). Voices and close by chatter, that are normally the sort of sounds that may minimize by way of weaker ANC, are noticeably quieter. Sennheiser claims this pair is as much as 3 times more practical than the earlier era at blocking this kind of noise.

Of course, it’s not fairly on the degree of blocking out all the things like a airplane’s engine, nevertheless it does the job successfully with out making your ears really feel weirdly pressurized as may be the case with some ANC headphones. 

As for consolation, the headphones aren’t as premium-feeling as Apple or Sony headphones that I’ve tried previously, however provided that the Momentum 5 value lower than its opponents, it’s a trade-off that’s arduous to complain about. 

The battery life is genuinely spectacular. It’s rated for as much as 57 hours, and that determine held up in my testing. For context, that’s roughly twice the battery lifetime of the Sony WH-1000XM6 and almost 3 times that of the AirPods Max 2. 

And when the battery does run out, a 10-minute cost will get you as much as seven hours of playback, whereas a full cost takes about two hours. 

A notable distinction that the Momentum 5 gives that its opponents don’t is a user-replaceable cell, which suggests you may swap out the battery as soon as it degrades as a substitute of getting to purchase an entire new pair.

What I wasn’t anticipating, however discovered surprisingly helpful, was how skinny the carrying case is. I’ve by no means actually been capable of match a pair of headphones into my medium-sized purses, however the Momentum 5 match completely. It’s additionally a giant plus when touring, for the reason that case doesn’t take up a lot area in your baggage.

With the headphones’ companion app, Smart Control Plus, you may regulate a bunch of various settings. There’s an 8-band EQ that allows you to tune the sound your self or select from one in all Sennheiser’s presets. The app additionally permits you to regulate the extent of ANC relatively than simply switching it on or off, and there’s an anti-wind mode you may entry there too. The “Sound Personalization” characteristic walks you thru a listening check and creates a sound profile tailor-made to your listening to preferences. 

The app provides you an honest quantity of management over the Momentum 5, and I discovered it fairly simple to navigate as many of the settings are fairly simple. 

Overall, the Sennheiser Momentum 5 is a strong possibility at this value. They provide nice sound, the battery life is superb, and the downsides are fairly minor. They’re heavier than the Sony WH-1000XM6, and aren’t as comfy as some Sony or Apple choices, however at $399.99, they’re cheaper than each whereas nonetheless delivering the place it issues.