INTRODUCTION

    Wired vs wireless connectivity is always a hot topic, especially when it comes to audio. My solution/opinion on that has always been pretty straightforward, wired headphones while at home or the office (rare exception is using wireless headsets while playing) and wireless while on foot (public transportation included). Yes, some wired models are far superior to anything wireless, but that gap keeps getting narrower and so even demanding users (audiophiles) should have no issue using a Bluetooth model. Sennheiser released the MOMENTUM 4 Wireless roughly 3 years ago but since some of you asked for the past month I've been testing the Copper Special Edition version.

    We live and breathe audio. We are driven by the passion to create audio solutions that make a difference. Building the future of audio and bringing remarkable sound experiences to our customers – this is what the Sennheiser brand has represented for more than 75 years. While professional audio solutions such as microphones, meeting solutions, streaming technologies and monitoring systems are part of the business of Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG, the business with consumer devices such as headphones, soundbars and speech-enhanced hearables became part of the Sonova Holding AG group of companies in 2022, who have licensed the Sennheiser trademark for this purpose.

    The MOMENTUM 4 Wireless are currently available in 7 different color combinations (black, graphite gray, white, denim, copper, 80th anniversary edition and pride) and are based on Sennheiser's audiophile-inspired 42mm dynamic drivers which allow them to produce a frequency response of 6Hz-22kHz with 106dB sensitivity and 470 Ohms active impedance (60 Ohms passive). The MOMENTUM 4 also feature hybrid ANC (adaptive noise cancellation with transparency mode), four MEMS microphones with beamforming support (2 on each earcup, 50Hz-10kHz frequency response), Bluetooth v5.2 with multipoint (2 simultaneous connections) and support for the AAC, SBC and aptX Adaptive audio codecs, auto on/off (on-head detection), auto answer incoming calls, voice prompts, 700mAh lithium-ion battery pack (up to 60 hours with ANC on), touch pad controls and foldable earcups.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The MOMENTUM 4 wireless gets shipped inside a plain cardboard box that has a product drawing at the front along with the company logo and name.

Several certifications and warnings are printed at the rear of the box.

Placed inside the box is a hard carrying/storage case containing the entire bundle.

Inside the carrying/storage case Sennheiser has placed the MOMENTUM 4 wireless, aircraft adapter, USB-A to USB-C cable, 3.5mm cable, quick start guide, compliance information and safety instructions.

THE MOMENTUM 4 WIRELESS

The carrying/storage case is big enough to contain the MOMENTUM 4 wireless, their bundle and a few more things if needed.

Plastic, aluminum, fabric and rubber are just some of the materials used with the 293g heavy MOMENTUM 4 wireless.

Just like many similar Bluetooth models the MOMENTUM 4 wireless are clearly medium sized.

On the exterior of both earcups Sennheiser has placed a plastic plate, however the right side also includes touch/gesture controls (volume up/down, play/pause, previous/next track, answer/reject/hang up call, mute microphone, ANC/transparency).

Sennheiser has also placed their logo on both ends of the headband as seen above.

One of the microphones on each earcup is located on the lower front but on the right earcup we also find the 3.5mm and USB-C ports and the 5 activity LEDs and the power on/off button (manual).

The earpads are sufficient in size and as you can see they have left and right markings inside.

The headpad may not be very plush but it's quite comfortable.

A good surprise was that the earcups can rotate 90 degrees on either side (easier to store).

The headband extends up to 37mm on either side (74mm in total).

Here you can see an exposed picture of one of the earcups (marketing material).

SMART CONTROL PLUS APP

For complete control over the MOMENTUM 4 wireless, you should download the smart control plus app by Sennheiser.

Once you install the app and turn Bluetooth on it will search for nearby Sennheiser devices.

The first thing you'll notice on the main tab is whether or not a new firmware version is available (this review was done with v2.13.28).

From the main tab you can also adjust the ANC settings, use one of the 8 available EQ modes (or create your very own), enable/disable bass boost and podcast modes, use the personalization feature and change the touch/gesture controls.

There are also secondary features available like creating sound zones (different settings automatically loaded for each) and find your headphones.

From the settings tab you can enable high-resolution audio (aptX adaptive - off by default), enable/disable on-head detection, smart pause, auto answer calls, auto power off and comfort calls, enable/disable tone and voice prompts, reset the headphones to their factory settings and check/perform firmware updates.

Unfortunately, sound personalization doesn't work when aptX adaptive is enabled.

CONCLUSION

    I ended up using/testing the MOMENTUM 4 wireless by Sennheiser for roughly a full month and well, a comparison with the much newer Aventho 300 by beyerdynamic was unavoidable (I did test them just a month before). The good news is that they both exchange blows when it comes to audio quality with the MOMENTUM 4 wireless surpassing the Aventho 300 in mids and highs and the Aventho 300 surpassing the MOMENTUM 4 wireless in bass, soundstage depth and vocals. Overall, the audio signature of the MOMENTUM 4 wireless just lacks bass (the bass boost feature may improve lows but at the cost of detail), mids and highs are crisp and accurate, and the soundstage is quite wide and detailed. But these headsets exchange blows in other things aside audio quality/performance such as features and so even though the MOMENTUM 4 wireless lacks the Dolby Atmos head tracking feature found in the Aventho 300 it did surpass it in battery life since I consistently recorded around 53 hours with ANC enabled. When it comes to ANC the MOMENTUM 4 wireless does a very good job and for the most part slightly better compared to the Aventho 300 so if you find yourself in very noisy environments Sennheiser has your back (still, I did find the Aventho 300 to do better with phone calls). Both models lack support for lossless audio codecs like aptX lossless or LDAC but aptX HD (adaptive) should still be sufficient for most users. Finally in terms of build quality and comfort I really had no issues with either of these headsets (touch controls sensitivity however could be better for both models) so at least for me it’s a clear tie.

    The MOMENTUM 4 Wireless currently retail for USD349.76 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and 220.91Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) and so they are priced well, at least over here. Needless to say, price varies depending on the model/color but that’s not something new (for example the copper version I reviewed today is priced higher). At the end of the day if the MOMENTUM 4 Wireless may already count roughly 3 years in the global market but thanks to its audio performance, build quality, battery life and available colors it’s still a valid contender and for that it gets the Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Audio Performance
- Available Features (Adaptive ANC / aptX HD / On Head Detection)
- Battery Life (Up To Over 50 Hours)
- 4 MEMS Microphones
- Touch Pad Controls
- Earcups Swivel
- Comfort Levels
- Available Colors
- Smart Control Plus App
- Price (EU)

CONS

- Lack Of Lossless Wireless Codec Support
- Touch Pad Sensitivity
- Price (USA)