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Sennheiser has been refining its flagship Momentum headphones for nearly 15 years, receiving praise for its minimalist design, marathon battery life, and clear, natural sound profile. The company’s Momentum 4 from 2022 also received similar praise, but the competition in the noise-canceling category was much stronger than years ago, leading to a major loss for Sennheiser’s headphones.
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However, Sennheiser has returned with the fifth installment of its flagship headphones, and momentum 5 Comes at the right time, with the right generational adjustment for competition. The Momentum 5 retains the line’s hallmark minimalist, sleek design, 42mm transducer and long-lasting playtime, while introducing Dolby Atmos support, advanced noise cancellation and audio personalization features.
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sound
Sennheiser’s strength has long been in providing high-fidelity sound at a competitive price in its consumer headphones. This strength remains true in the Momentum 5. Their soundstage is wider than competitors from Sony, Apple and Bose, with noticeable instrument and vocal separation, bright highs and accurate mid-low to low frequencies.
Like all consumer headphones, the Sennheiser places a slight emphasis on bass, but not as much as the Bose, which can get a little muddy at louder volumes. The low frequencies of the Sennheiser are punchy and tight, while the mid-low frequencies provide that nice rumble that you can feel deep in your ear. The Momentum 5’s high-frequency reproduction isn’t as bright as the Sony’s, but it’s sharper and more accurate, which helps avoid listening fatigue.
The head-banging bass in trap bangers like Future’s “March Madness” doesn’t overpower the rapper’s vocals and ad-libs. On the other hand, the sparkling piano tune in Bruce Hornsby and The Range’s contemporary rock song “The Way It Is” has minimal harshness and a touch of sparkle.
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If you prefer boomier bass, you’ll need to make some touch-ups to the companion app’s EQ. I turned on the Bass Boost setting because the Momentum 5’s sound is on the neutral side. Overall, I think those who appreciate a less “consumer” sound will appreciate the sound of the Momentum 5, as some of the sonic details go unnoticed.
The Momentum 5 supports wired listening via USB-C and 3.5mm jack, and supports multiple aptX codecs, including aptX Adaptive, HD, and lossless, for high-quality wireless audio.
Let’s talk about audio features
The Momentum 5 launches with Dolby Atmos support, just like the Sonos Ace. If you have a subscription to a music streaming service that supports Atmos formats, it will technically work with any headphones, since the audio encoding happens on your source device. It seems that Sennheiser licensed Atmos to build a Dolby-approved virtual 3D upmixer for stereo content for the headphones, rather than using an in-house-built one, like JBL and Bose.
So, I believe Sennheiser’s Dolby Atmos licensing means users can listen to virtually any content and access head-tracking. According to Sennheiser, head-tracking is wrapped up in a “day one update” and I received these headphones before their release, so I wasn’t able to test it.
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It’s already difficult to get Dolby Atmos into headphones properly, although I believe the head-tracking feature would make a noticeable difference. Sennheiser is teasing consumers with a future Bluetooth 6.0 firmware update, potentially for better device tracking and LE audio activation, though it’s unclear when that update will arrive. I would love to see these features at launch.
Better noise cancellation than ever before
Sennheiser has made long strides in improving the noise-canceling capabilities of its headphones, partly by increasing the number of noise-processing microphones. The Momentum 5 has four microphones per ear cup, while the Momentum 4 has two.
The noise cancellation of the Momentum 5 is significantly stronger than the previous generation, with improved mid- and low-frequency noise. Additionally, the Sennheiser’s transparency mode is much more natural than the Momentum 4’s.
I really appreciate that you can adjust the Momentum 5’s noise reduction level on a sliding scale rather than a preset mode. This level of customization makes it easy to filter environmental noise to your liking. There’s still a capable Adaptive ANC mode if you want the headphones to filter out noise based on your surroundings.
I wore the Momentum 5 to the gym and to a busy grocery store on a Saturday afternoon. They worked great in a moderately busy gym, but struggled more in a livelier store. These headphones aren’t as strong at noise canceling as Sony or Bose, but they’re on par with Sonos, which is still good.
Sennheiser is a strong leader in terms of battery capacity, as the Momentum 4 offers 60 hours of playtime. The Momentum 5 shaves off three hours and promises 57 hours of playtime with ANC on, which is still impressive. I am not bothered by this small flaw; Even with 57 hours, Sennheiser promises 27 hours more than Sony’s WH-1000XM6, 37 more than Apple’s AirPods Max 2, and 27 more than Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra 2.
I believe Sennheiser’s improved noise-reduction algorithm and advanced digital signal processor are responsible for the difference in battery life. However, this means they are consuming more power to accommodate more advanced systems.
App Support and Design
The Sennheiser Smart Control Plus app is a solid companion app: simple, clean, and useful. Here, you can adjust noise reduction levels and audio modes, tweak an advanced eight-band equalizer, see where your headphones were last connected to your device, and create sound zones similar to Sony’s Adaptive Sound Control.
Sennheiser didn’t stray too far from the design of the Momentum 4; The Momentum 5 has clean lines and a nondescript look. Apart from a few more metallic accents here and there, the Momentum 5 looks almost identical to the previous generation.
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Sennheiser prefers touch controls on the right ear cup rather than multifunction buttons, and although the company’s implementation is simple to understand and reliable, they are very sensitive. Sometimes, a small adjustment of my hair or ear cups can trigger an accidental response, so I opt to turn off the touch controls and use my phone instead.
On the comfort front, the Momentum 5 have supple earpads with ample cushion, and they were more comfortable for me to wear for hours. Sennheiser’s flagship headphones have a more comfortable clamping force than its midrange Accentum line. However, the earcups are on the small side, so if you have a larger head or ears, you may have a problem.
ZDNET’s shopping advice
Sennheiser Momentum 5 Starting with several worthwhile upgrades, including improved audio processing that delivers better sound and noise cancellation, as well as minor design changes that help it stand out against the industry giants.
The Momentum 5’s competitive $400 price makes them cheaper than flagship headphones from Sony and Bose, though I think the $50-$60 difference accurately reflects the difference in noise-canceling performance. However, if you’re willing to exchange better features and stronger noise cancellation for a refined sound profile, go with the Momentum 5.
