Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless Headphones with ANC Leak Ahead of Launch

[TheLostSwede]

After having launched the Momentum True Wireless 3 earbuds, Sennheiser is about to release a new set of wireless headphones that goes under the name of Momentum 4 Wireless. The new headphones will go up against the likes of Sony's WH-1000XM5 and Bose's QuietComfort 700 models and it looks like Sennheiser might end up with a few wins here. The Momentum 4 Wireless design could be described as a more refined version of what Sony did with the WH-1000XM5, but with a wider headband and seemingly a lot more metal. The headphones come with a travel case that has dedicated space for all the cables, as well as a travel adapter.

Spec wise, it appears that Sennheiser has gone with a Qualcomm chipset, as the Momentum 4 Wireless supports aptX and aptX Adaptive, as well as the SBC and AAC codecs. Bluetooth 5.2 is said to be supported, but it appears that Bluetooth LE audio might be missing. The headphones still feature a 3.5 mm jack, for when the 60 hour battery life isn't enough. Charging is done via USB-C, but it's unclear if this can be used for audio as well or not. Sennheiser has moved to touch based controls, something the Momentum 3 headphones lacked. ANC is of course also part of the package and Sennheiser has implemented what the company calls adaptive noise cancelling and there's also a transparency mode. There's also a four microphone array, which Sennheiser claims offers crystal-clear voice calls. Other features include automatic pausing and on/off when the headphones aren't being used. The Momentum 4 Wireless should come in both black and white colour options, but it appears that the new design isn't foldable, much like its competitors' new headphones. No word on pricing, but the Momentum 4 Wireless are expected to launch later this month.



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[Dristun]

I have my doubts that Sennheiser have managed to catch up on ANC or even get 90% close to what Sony does on WH-XM. Will probably check these in store just out of curiosity.

 

[mahirzukic2]

I have my doubts that Sennheiser have managed to catch up on ANC or even get 90% close to what Sony does on WH-XM. Will probably check these in store just out of curiosity.

I've tried both the Sony as well as my current ones Bose noise cancelling headphones 700. To be honest, the ANC was on par between them. The sound quality as well. Apparently the Bose have a better voice in the voice calls as per many of the reviewers. I will take their word for it, because I haven't had the chance to test that out with other people talking to me.

 

[Dristun]

I've tried both the Sony as well as my current ones Bose noise cancelling headphones 700. To be honest, the ANC was on par between them. The sound quality as well. Apparently the Bose have a better voice in the voice calls as per many of the reviewers. I will take their word for it, because I haven't had the chance to test that out with other people talking to me.

Yeah, Bose have world-class ANC too. It's just that others have been behind, historically. I remember trying older AKG and Sennheiser stuff with noise cancelling and it just wasn't there.
By the way, the reviewers were right - voice quality was absolutely dreadful on my XM3 to the point where I sometimes had to resort to typing messages in loud areas lol. But it improved substantially on XM5. ANC feels a notch more powerful too, thought that maybe due to earpads just being fresh and isolating better.

 

[Ivaroeines]

Think the wired connection is there mainly due to soundquality, a dedicated headphone amp should in most cases sound better than bluetooth, ANC will degrade sound in low noise enviorments. I have 2 older Momentum headphones, one wired over-ear, and a wireless on-ear, the over-ear is very good(given the retail price), the on-ear is a bit bassheavy for my taste, but i still think it is better than most headphones in the same price/feature range. One thing to note, when using wired connection you can run it passivly or actively with anc, on the latter setting your phone/ tablet will use less power.

 

[TomasK]

Think the wired connection is there mainly due to soundquality, a dedicated headphone amp should in most cases sound better than bluetooth, ANC will degrade sound in low noise enviorments. I have 2 older Momentum headphones, one wired over-ear, and a wireless on-ear, the over-ear is very good(given the retail price), the on-ear is a bit bassheavy for my taste, but i still think it is better than most headphones in the same price/feature range. One thing to note, when using wired connection you can run it passivly or actively with anc, on the latter setting your phone/ tablet will use less power.

I have the Momentum 3 and they definitely do not sound better fully passive from an amp (I have the Topping L30) than when using bluetooth. The DSP that is used when they are used active (no matter if bluetooth or active-wired) helps the sound quality a lot. Fully passive they have hollow-sounding bass and some ugly resonances in upper midrange. DSP gets rid of those problems. The best way to use them wired is via USB-C, as you are getting lossless digital audio transmission between the PC and the headphones and you are charging the battery. Using them active via the 3.5" jack drains battery and you have extra DA and AD conversion in the audio path.

I wonder how the Momentum 4 will sound. If it is a considerable upgrade from the Momentum 3 and the 4's don't cost too much over 350€, I might sell the 3's and get the 4's, even though I don't like the new design much (too close to the hyper-ugly Sony design). The 3's lack some detail in upper midrange and especially in treble, would be nice to have an upgrade in that area. I personally don't care about ANC or call quality, just want some good sound when I don't feel like messing with wires outside. Otherwise I would keep using my Shanling Q1 + Sennheiser HD25-1-II, because the HD25's sound better than the Momentum 3...

 

[[crs]]

They look very cheap. Their momentum 2 kinda looked like they were worth the cash. These 4 look like cheap £15 headsets.

 

[Ivaroeines]

I have the Momentum 3 and they definitely do not sound better fully passive from an amp (I have the Topping L30) than when using bluetooth. The DSP that is used when they are used active (no matter if bluetooth or active-wired) helps the sound quality a lot. Fully passive they have hollow-sounding bass and some ugly resonances in upper midrange. DSP gets rid of those problems. The best way to use them wired is via USB-C, as you are getting lossless digital audio transmission between the PC and the headphones and you are charging the battery. Using them active via the 3.5" jack drains battery and you have extra DA and AD conversion in the audio path.

I wonder how the Momentum 4 will sound. If it is a considerable upgrade from the Momentum 3 and the 4's don't cost too much over 350€, I might sell the 3's and get the 4's, even though I don't like the new design much (too close to the hyper-ugly Sony design). The 3's lack some detail in upper midrange and especially in treble, would be nice to have an upgrade in that area. I personally don't care about ANC or call quality, just want some good sound when I don't feel like messing with wires outside. Otherwise I would keep using my Shanling Q1 + Sennheiser HD25-1-II, because the HD25's sound better than the Momentum 3...

The ones i have are Gen 1 wired over ear and gen 2 on ear/wireless, sound quality is a subjective thing, it depends on what music you listen to, other gear and i think the Bluetooth sound specs hav improved a lot since then. The main thing is that you have the choice to use different standards and use the ones you prefer. Bluetooth on mine don't sound bad and i use it more than wired wires are a hassel.