Currently, there are many headphones on the market with prices ranging from $300 to $400, and most of them seem similar. In the past few weeks, I have been using the Sennheiser Momentum 5 to see if this pair of headphones is truly different from the others, and I conducted tests in terms of sound quality, noise cancellation, comfort, and battery life.
The price of the Momentum 5 is $399.99, which places it right in the middle of the high-end headphone market. This means they have to compete with more expensive models such as Sony's WH-1000XM6 and Apple AirPods Max 2, but at the same time, it also provides a more affordable option for those who are looking for high-end headphones.
Let's start with sound quality. The vocals sound natural, and the bass is strong without being overwhelming. These headphones allow you to notice the details in the music, such as background harmonies or guitar strings, which are often overlooked by cheaper headphones. If I had to describe their sound in one word, it would be "balanced."
These headphones support Dolby Atmos, which basically means that music or movies sound as if they are coming from all directions, not just from the left and right.
In this generation of products, Sennheiser has doubled the number of microphones to 8 in order to enhance the active noise cancellation (ANC) effect. Voices and nearby conversations are usually types of noise that are more likely to penetrate into noise-cancelling headphones, but with these headphones, these sounds are significantly quieter. Sennheiser claims that the effectiveness of blocking such noise in this generation can be up to three times that of the previous generation.
Of course, it hasn't yet achieved the level of completely isolating all noises such as airplane engine sounds, but it does work effectively, and it doesn't cause a strange sense of pressure in the ears like some noise-cancelling headphones do.
As for comfort, the quality of these headphones is not as premium as that of the Apple or Sony headphones I’ve tried before. However, considering that the price of Momentum 5 is lower than that of its competitors, this trade-off is not really something to complain about.
The battery life is indeed impressive. The official claim is up to 57 hours, and my test results confirm this. For comparison, this is approximately twice that of the Sony WH-1000XM6, and nearly three times that of the AirPods Max.
And when the battery is depleted, a 10-minute charge can provide up to 7 hours of playback time, while a full charge takes about 2 hours.
Momentum One notable feature that its competitors do not have is that the battery can be replaced by the user themselves. This means that when the battery wears out, you can simply replace it without having to buy a whole new pair of headphones.
One thing I didn’t expect at first, but later found to be very practical, is that its storage box is extremely thin. I’ve hardly ever been able to fit a pair of headphones into my medium-sized handbag before, but the Momentum 5 can fit perfectly. This is also a great advantage when traveling, as the storage box doesn’t take up much space in luggage.
Through the headset companion app Smart Control Plus, you can adjust many different settings. The app includes an 8-band equalizer that allows you to tune the sound yourself, or you can choose one of the Sennheiser preset settings. The app also lets you adjust the intensity of ANC beyond just turning it on or off; there's also a windproof mode available. The “Sound Personalization” feature will guide you through a hearing test and create a sound profile that suits your auditory preferences.
Overall, the Sennheiser Momentum 5 is a safe choice at this price point. They offer excellent sound quality and outstanding battery life, with fairly limited drawbacks. Compared to the Sony WH-1000XM6, they are a bit heavier and not as comfortable as some Sony or Apple models, but for $399.99, they are cheaper than both of them, and their performance in key areas is not inferior.
