Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless Review
Impressive all-round wireless headphones
Verdict
An excellent pair of wireless headphones that deliver a balanced, neutral presentation, long battery life and very good noise cancellation. The Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless all-round performance is excellent though the Sony WH-1000XM5 are better in most respects, and available for similar money
Pros
- Great comfort
- Clear, musical audio
- Very good noise cancellation
- Massive battery life
- Excellent wireless performance
Cons
- Functional look
- Not the best ANC at this price
- Beaten for call quality
Key Features
- Battery60 hours of battery with ANC
- Noise cancellingAdaptive noise cancellation with transparency mode
- Driver42mm transducer
Introduction
The Momentum over-ear series has long been one of our favourites, from the wired models to the wireless version, with the Momentum Wireless 3 was awarded five stars in 2019.
The fourth edition arrived in 2022 and launched at a less expensive price than the previous model, and while from an aesthetic viewpoint they’re simpler and less flashy, this model is more about function and less about style.
Sennheiser hasn’t lost its touch for making impressive headphones, but can the Momentum 4 Wireless win over their close competitors?
Design
- Less stylish than previous generations
- Only fold flat
- Sensitive touch controls
What grabs the attention about the Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless is that they’re not attention-grabbing. These headphones still look like a pair of Sennheiser headphones, but in going for a plainer look, they these could be any other pair of Sennheiser headphones.
If aesthetics are important to you, then there’s little here that steals the limelight but if what you care about are the ergonomics, then Sennheiser has delivered on that front.
The synthetic leather earpads are cushy, offering a supple contact area that makes wearing these headphones for both short and extended periods very comfortable. The oval-shaped earcups present a large space for your ears – the Momentum 4 Wireless slip on like a comfortable pair of glass slippers.
These Sennheiser headphones can only be folded flat, with the simpler design aiming to prove the headphones’ noise-cancelling performance when dealing with wind noise.
To adjust the headphones on the head, the swivelling hinges offer a degree of movement, while the headband has an adjustable slider. The headband is also wider, absorbing pressure across the head. It’s covered in a nice fabric that mimics the case of the Momentum True Wireless 4. Its underside is finished in a silicone material, with a soft centre to accommodate that slight ridge on the top of people’s skulls – a thoughtful consideration. They weigh 293g, but feel lighter than that.
There’s only one button on the right earcup for power on/off, with playback, calls and voice assistants managed through the touch controls on the right earcup. With the touch panel on the right earcup you pinch and move your fingers inwards or outwards increases the strength of the noise cancelling and Transparency modes.
It’s a clever if not the quickest mode of operation unlike the slider on Microsoft’s Surface Headphones 2 or B&O’s H95. Skipping tracks can take a few attempts too, so while it’s nice for Sennheiser to think outside of the box with regards to touch controls, they’re not always the most responsive.
Also on the right earcup is a LED indicator that shows current battery life along with USB-C charging port and a 3.5mm jack. Inside the carry case is airplane adapter alongside the rest of the accessories. The headphones come in a choice of white, black, or blue.
Features
- Very good noise cancellation
- Strong wireless performance
- Good call quality
Noise-cancelling headphones have only gotten better since 2022, so it should be no surprise that the Momentum 4 Wireless’s position has shuffled somewhat with new models hitting the market.
They weren’t as good as the Sony WH-1000XM5 out of the gates, and the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones offer the best noise-cancellation on the market. Even the Sonos Ace marginally bests the Sennheiser in terms of suppressing noise.
Which isn’t to say that the Sennheiser headphones underwhelm. They remain strong when dealing with crowd noise, hushing voices, and handling traffic on a busy day in central London, impressing in a variety of environments.
But the Bose and the Sony deliver a quieter performance with a degree of ambient noise peeking through with the Sennheiser. The clarity of the Transparency mode is very clear and detailed, up there with the best, and doesn’t affect the quality of the audio.
Wind noise is also handled well, the design of the headphones reducing the effect of the turbulent air as it passes by. The strength of the noise cancellation does tend to go up and down even when it’s not in its adaptive mode.
Battery is stated to be 60 hours and the Momentum 4 Wireless certainly have enough juice to last a few weeks with general use. I think the battery does (naturally) lose some of its charge over time, the battery drain I carried out saw them drop to 90% after three hours (which would suggest closer to 30 hours).
Charging these headphones from 0 to 100% takes just over two hours, which is in line with Sennheiser’s claims. Fast charging is supported, with five minutes delivering four hours of playback.
There are a few features for preserving power: the headphones turn off after 15 minutes if they’re not used and they resume almost instantly when picked up. The Smart Pause automatically stops and resumes music when taken off the head. This worked most of the time on lifting up an earcup, but taking the headphones off and putting them back on again delivered mixed results.
Bluetooth 5.2 support comes with SBC, AAC and aptX Adaptive. I’ve used these headphones at major train stations in London, as well as in Piccadilly Circus and Soho, and I’ve found connection breakups rare. It’s been a very good performance, and better than the WH-1000XM5.
Call quality is solid, though not as good as the WH-1000XM5. Noises were suppressed well and didn’t impact the clarity of my voice; the person on the other end of the line said traffic comes across as slight rumbles. A very good performance, and the type you’d expect from an over-ear pair at this price.
The Smart Control app offers further means of customising noise cancelling with Wind ANC or pausing music automatically when the Transparency mode is activated. There’s a three-band setting to create a customised sound, Bass Boost and Podcast sound modes.
Sound Check creates a sound preset by asking the listener to play music and then providing an ABC choice of different presentations – you get to check what you’ve done before it’s saved.
Sound Zone is the same as Sony’s Adaptive Sound Control, automatically changing ANC and equalizer presets when entering or leaving geo-ringfenced locations, with the ability to create up to 20 of these Sound Zones.
Sound Quality
- Balance approach to music
- Less emphasis on bass frequencies
- Clear, detailed mid-range
At normal volume levels the Momentum 4 Wireless can sound a little reserved and within themselves, but raising the volume opens them up. Once a volume level has been found, the Sennheiser sound poised and precise.
They don’t have the richness of the WH-1000XM5, and their bass performance is more measured rather than punchy. There’s Bass Boost in the Smart Control app, which adds a little more punch and presence, but the 42mm transducer used by these headphones isn’t tuned for a big bass performance. The Momentum Wireless 3 seemed a tad more aggressive in this area.
What the Momentum 4 Wireless do is furnish music with high levels of clarity and detail, adopting a tone towards the warm side of neutrality and expansive soundstage.
The level of detail these headphones deliver is extensive from a broad sense to a more minute one, the cymbal crashes in Miles Davis’ So What (Tidal) are conveyed with impressive subtlety, the trumpets expressive in tone, the headphones producing a pleasant, cordial sound that’s easy on the ears.
The Sennheiser aren’t headphones that overplay their hand. They’re simply happy to relay the detail they find to the listener’s ears, taking on a more even-handed approach to presenting music, and although a pair such as the Beats Solo Pro carry a more neutral-sounding and cleaner presentation with music, they’re simply not as much fun to listen to as the Sennheisers.
Vocals are preserved well at the centre of the soundstage, given space to avoid other instruments and voices from encroaching on their turf. With less warmth there’s less richness on offer, making Chris Cornell’s voice on Black Hole Sun a little less soulful and far-reaching, but it is still smooth, controlled performance.
The Sennheiser headphones treat all voices with a neutral approach, and that makes for a consistent performance across all the genres to which I listen, but offers less flavour than Sony’s approach.
Their idea of dynamism isn’t as strong as the Sony either; the beats in Kanye West’s Paranoid sound stronger and more expressive on the Sony, making the Momentum 4 Wireless less energetic and vibrant in their performance.
However, this doesn’t take away from their rhythmic ability – there might not be the same level of attack and forwardness, but these headphones deliver a pacy listen with high levels of clarity and detail, moreso than a more expensive headphone such as the Sonos Ace offers. For less than £300, the Sennheisers are one of the more rewarding headphones to listen to.
Latest deals
Should you buy it?
For a clear, musical sound
The Sennheiser headphones are balanced, expressive and precise headphones that are a more entertaining listen than the likes of the Beats Solo Pro.
For best-in-class noise cancellation
I think if noise cancellation is the priority then the Bose QC Ultra Headphones and Sony WH-1000XM5 are better.
Final Thoughts
The Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless provide excellent sound; clear and detailed in their tone, with noise cancellation that blocks the majority of sounds with confidence. The wireless performance and battery life are both of high quality.
The Sennheiser isn’t as exciting as the WH-1000XM5 but or cancel noise as well as the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones, but if you’re after a well-honed approach to audio and consistent performance from comfort to ANC and call quality, these Sennheiser headphones deliver in spades.
How we test
We test every headphone we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
Tested with real world use
Battery drain carried out
Tested across several days
You might like…
FAQs
According to Sennheiser, the Momentum 4 Wireless deliver over 60 hours of battery life.
Full specs
Jargon buster
ANC
ANC (Active Noise Cancellation) uses an array of microphones in a headphone to detect the frequency of the sound coming at the listener, with the ANC chip creating an inverse wave (i.e. opposing sound) to suppress any unwanted external noises.Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a method of wireless transmission that allows for the exchange of data between devices over short distances.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
