Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless

More than just a cosmetic makeover

Sennheiser has made some huge changes for the fourth generation of their popular Momentum noise-canceling over-ear headphones. The most obvious is the look — instead of the retro styling, these headphones sport a modern industrial design. But I've auditioned them for about a week and found there are even more updates and upgrades beneath the surface.

The Momentum 4 headphones offer touch controls, stronger noise cancellation, and play music wirelessly via Bluetooth 5.2 — the latest and most reliable version of Bluetooth available. I was able to keep my phone at my home office desk and walk all around the house without an audio dropout. And thanks to their extended battery life — up to 60 hours — I haven't had to recharge them yet.

Premium build, relaxed fit

The new redesign offers some perks I could feel. Sennheiser is using lightweight, yet durable materials, and their soft ear pads hugged my ears and sunk right into place. It was a relaxed, secure fit from the start, that I appreciated even more the longer I wore them.

Sennheiser also managed to preserve a bit of the retro charm that's made Momentum franchise such a hit. The headband is smooth and soft on the inside but sports a designer fabric on the outside. It feels as pleasant as it looks and is punctuated by a small Sennheiser logo.

Smooth Sennheiser sound

There's one area where Sennheiser felt no drastic change was needed: sound quality. The 42mm drivers delivered the smooth, well-balanced tuning I expected. Bass has impact but doesn't overpower everything else. There's detail in the highs, but it never sounds harsh.

Meanwhile, the midrange occupies an interesting place in the mix. Some vocals and instruments come across laid back, like you're sitting further away. I had just finished auditioning a set of headphones with a more prominent vocal presence, so it took me a few songs to adjust. Once I did, I grew to appreciate how the relaxed presentation matched the fit and feel — it all felt so effortless.

Optional mobile app

That said, you can personalize the sound with Sennheiser's Smart Control app. It's a free download for Android and Apple, and lets you adjust the EQ manually or choose from a few presets. You can also choose the level of noise cancellation or ambient noise you allow in.

Easy controls and clear calls

You have touch control over noise cancellation, music, volume, and calls. The field next to my house is close to interstate 64, so I went over there to test the built-in mics. I called my wife and even next to the busy road, she said my sounded as clear and crisp as it does inside the house. And I heard her with no problem, too.

Stay aware when you're out and about

When you need to be aware of your surroundings, you can double tap the right earcup. This turns off the active noise cancellation and activates "Transparency" Mode. It uses the built-in mic to increase the volume of ambient sounds, so you can hear what's going on around you.

(Another nifty touch: the headphones will automatically pause your music when you remove them. Then they'll resume playing when you put them back on.)

Strong, high-quality wireless audio

Along with Bluetooth 5.2, aptX® Adaptive technology is on board. This versatile wireless audio codec automatically detects if you're in an area with competing Bluetooth signals, and it will optimize either reliability or sound quality accordingly. It can also sense when you're watching a video on, say, Netflix or YouTube, and keep latency low. So, the audio and video should be better synced up.