The Sennheiser Momentum 4 are four years old, but are nevertheless a fantastic example of how age doesn’t matter. Especially not when it comes to quality and sound experience.
Since 2022, Sennheiser has not updated its flagship when it comes to wireless bluetooth headsets. When we test the Momentum 4 today, however, we clearly see that age usually does not play a big role when it comes to headphones in particular.
while Sony and Bose update every now and then, it can easily seem that Sennheiser has simply settled down with the Momentum 4 and feels that they are good enough. The interesting thing, however, is that they actually do it despite the fact that today they are considered “old” when we talk about technology.
Sennheiser Momentum 4
+ High comfort.
+ Excellent sound quality.
+ Battery life.
– Somewhat plastic feeling with covers that like to attract finger grease and dust.– Sennheiser preset EQ modes.
– The supplied ear cushions can easily get warm around the ears.
Lowest price right now: SEK 1,991.
Who should buy the Sennheiser Momentum 4?
In short, the Sennheiser Momentum 4 is still a fantastic headset. The price tag of SEK 2,000 – 2,300 is very hard to beat considering what you get. Other competitors in this segment we have yet to test include the Bose QuietComfort SC and Ultra and the Sony WH1000XM5. These have slightly higher price tags than the Momentum 4 but on the other hand are newer models and can undoubtedly be worth looking at before buying. However, the Sennheiser Momentum 4 is clearly a good choice for the money.
If you are looking for an over-ear headset for the phone with excellent noise reduction and a sound profile that suits most things, we can strongly recommend the Momentum 4. They handle more or less every genre, are very comfortable for a long time and the battery life is fantastic. According to Sennheiser, the Momentum 4 should offer up to 60 hours of battery life. Something we stand behind as I often watched and thought “the battery must run out soon right?” and is met by the fact that the headphones have more than enough battery left for a full day’s use.
If you’re looking for a pair of proven headphones for commuting, walking or listening at home, you won’t be disappointed with the Sennheiser Momentum 4.
How we test
Before I get into what it’s like to live with the Sennheiser Momentum 4, I want to explain how we test headphones and headsets. We use the headphones everyday for a couple of weeks to feel how they perform “in the real world”. Instead of advanced rigs that test range, we use our own ears and instead of specific “test sounds” and songs, we have our own playlists that try to cover as many genres as possible. A simple but still deep and demanding test of what we want on or in our ears.
The software
Few products today come without a dedicated app or program to be customized. Sennheiser calls its SmartControlPlus and offers more or less everything you need in a neat and simple way. It’s quick and easy to change EQ profiles, adjust how much sound the active noise reduction lets through, or change how you control the headphones when they’re on your head.
Speaking of which, we have motion controls on the right cowl’s outer panel. Via these you can adjust volume, ANC, change songs or manage calls. Extremely smooth for the most part. On the other hand, the controls are very sensitive, so anyone with slightly longer hair or who happens to fumble with their fingers when adjusting the headphones on their head can easily access something by mistake. Not the whole world and it’s still smoother than actual buttons on the headphones. Just something to keep in mind.
Build quality and comfort for long sessions
Sennheiser has opted for a plastic construction for the Momentum 4. This is not necessarily a bad thing. A weight of 293 grams means that they are barely felt on the head and use during longer sessions is not tiring on the head at all. The longest I’ve worn the headphones is around four hours and then I only took them off to go to bed, not because they no longer felt comfortable.
The plastic is not too hard either. If you’re afraid of breaking the headband when handling them, I can assure you that you need to be really heavy-handed or deliberately looking to destroy to get the Momentum 4 to yield. However, the plastic construction causes the overall impression to drop somewhat.
The ear pads are good for being something that should fit most users. It has a somewhat leather-like feel which can become a bit sticky and uncomfortable in the heat and even though the foam is soft, it is not memory foam. Having said that, we see no problem with using these for longer periods such as when traveling on public transport, out for a walk or running errands. They are certainly approved but those who practically live with their headphones on will probably be looking for replacements relatively quickly.
Is the sound quality good enough?
When I sat down to listen through my specific playlist, I quickly realized that the Sennheiser Momentum 4 offers an impressively detailed sound with excellent separation of various musical instruments and vocals.
Looking at heavier songs like Blackbraid – Wardrums at Dawn of the Day of my Death, the Momentum 4 manages to keep up without any problems at all. If we have the app’s neutral EQ activated, the brutal clatter of the bass guitar is felt without anything else having to give up its place. Even other black metal like Naglfar – 12th Rising sounds fantastic and clear. After all, it is “new” black metal that doesn’t necessarily stick to the fact that it has to sound like it was recorded on an old dictaphone.
The headphones keep up with heavier music such as Blackbraid, Naglfar, Orbit Culture or Lamb of God. Hip-hop such as Aesop Rock, Atmosphere or Terror Reid feels heavy and rocking as it should be. As long as we don’t switch to any of the preset EQ modes. These, in my opinion, don’t fit anything at all, not even the genres they were supposed to be designed for. Either we get rid of almost all the bass in the rock mode or the bass becomes so heavy that it feels like the eardrums are being hockey tackled in the hip-hop mode. However, this is not entirely surprising as preset EQ modes are often very exaggerated and half-baked.
I can agree that the EQ mode “Jazz” has its place in the world. The ghost notes of the snare drum in Alfa Mist – Hold On are heard much more clearly and the nuances in Grace Kelly – Trying to Figure It Out become clearer with this mode than the neutral. Not that the headphones can’t jazz up without EQ but with the adjustment I feel I get more out of that genre than otherwise.
Microphone, ANC and everyday life
If we look at the other aspects that are not purely music listening, the Momentum 4 continues to maintain really high quality. The microphone is clear and clear even during conversations outdoors in noisy environments and the active noise reduction can either shut out the outside world completely or allow you to keep an eye on your surroundings even with music or calls going on.
With the headphones’ ANC set to very transparent, I never feel like I’m too cut off from the outside world when I’m out and about in traffic. If the ANC is at full blast, however, it is important to keep an extra eye open as you easily end up in your own little bubble. The noise reduction thus does exactly what you want it to do in all the good ways.
