Sennheiser - MOMENTUM 5 Bluetooth Wireless Adaptive Noise-Canceling Over-The-Ear Headphones - Denim

I have owned (and currently own) several competitive headphones from Bose (Ultra), AirPods Max 2, and Sony (XM6) and while each of these have their strong points, if sound quality is your number one priority - then the Momentum 5 IMO is the best choice. In fact, the M5 IMO is overall the best choice for most. Connectivity, comfort, app functionality, carrying case, and battery life of the M5s are the very best. The M5s have a sound personalization mode to assist the user in finding the best sound setting - and it is the best I have ever used - allowing for better sound quality than using the manual 10 band equalizer option. ANC is not as strong as the Bose, Sony or Apple - but it’s close (maybe within 10%). Same is true of the Transparency mode - although Apple is clearly the best in this area, And about the battery life - it’s really amazing! The 60 hour claim with ANC on is real!!! The AirPods Max 2 battery life was really bad as you can not turn then off and battery drain when in the pouch was about 10% loss overnight (I returned these recently because this battery drain was unacceptable). Bottom Line: The M5s are the ones I would keep if I only could keep one set. The sound quality is really top notch and so many other features of this headphone are also top in this class. A major thumbs up to anyone considering purchasing a set of headphones in this price range!!! Highly recommended.

With the abundance of excellent noise cancelling wireless headphones available, making the “right” choice is daunting. I think the Sennheiser Momentum 5 makes this task a bit easier though. It has just about everything higher-end headphone should; clean audio, solid noise cancellation, adequate comfort and other interesting features. I’m fond of its understated design too. The kicker is the Momentum 5’s battery is user replaceable so the headphones can remain useful well past its essentially disposable and more expensive competitors. That’s good for the wallet and reduces e-waste. MOMENTUM 5 OR HDB 630? Technically, the Momentum 5 falls in the middle of Sennheiser’s wireless NC line up, but it’s really a unique product rather than a hobbled underling. The Momentum 5 even has features and codecs absent in the 630. So, if you are wondering which model best suits you, understand it’s not the usual “better,” “best” comparison. It really comes down to use case. I’m fortunate to own the 630 too and with months experience to understand the key distinctions between the two models. Surprisingly, the price gap isn’t that large. I think it’s because the sound difference between the two is narrow except if listening critically, which is the 630’s forte. The two really cater to different uses. I can’t go over all the differences here, but here’s a few of my key deciders. Where the 630 is authentically neutral out of the box the Momentum 5 comes ready to rock. The 630’s 5-band parametric equalizer helps users precisely adjust frequencies for critically listening. Momentum users get a more user friendly 8-band dynamic equalizer aimed at casual listening. There’re other ways to tweak the Momentum 5’s sound too, which I’ll note in the “App” section below, but nothing that can micro adjust like the 630 has. The flagship 630 includes Sennheiser’s BTD 700 Bluetooth dongle, giving wireless lossless audio capability to devices, like the iPhone, that natively are wireless lossy only. That’s not included with Momentum 5. Fortunately, the BTD 700 is sold separately and Momentum 5 compatible, so it’s an option. It’s been transformative in my in-home listening, but I’ve yet to use the BTD 700 with the Momentum 5 simply because I wear them during travel and walking around town and I find a dongle inconvenient in those situations. Then there’s the comfort factor. The Momentum 5 is comfortable to point but its compactness has a negative impact here, and I’ll detail in the “Fit” section below. For me, it does not compare to luxuriousness of the 630 with its bigger ear cups. The 630’s plushness has a cost in its scaled-up footprint. Its larger size looks goofy on my small head and bulky to wear in public or pack for travel. In sum, the Momentum 5 is an excellent “all around” headphone. It’s terrific for walking around and travel, and home too if it will be your only pair of headphones. The 630 shines at home when you want to enjoy each music note exactly as the artist intended. BUILD QUALITY AND DESIGN Construction materials differ between the two, but both have suburb build quality. They also share a similar design, with the Momentum 5 being more compact. I really dig my Momentum 5’s metallic Navy Blue “Denim” color with gray ear pads. It’s a dose of eye candy that sets the stage for the ear candy I’m about to experience. Blue is my favorite color so I’m biased here. The headband’s topside is knit fabric rather than faux leather. On the Denim Momentum it’s a fun, but stylish, black and blue pattern. I suspect the textured fabric is more difficult to clean. Smartly, the earpads and bottom of the headband is vinyl. The rest of the Momentum 5 is plastic, I’m guessing ABS. Overall it’s a joyful colorway. Pricier headphones employ plastic too so I can’t fault the Momentum 5 for matching industry standards here. The supplied zippered case is covered in a matching fabric. The Momentum 5 drops into place, no origami needed. This may seem like a minor point until you are in a rush and can’t remember which direction to fold a convolutedly designed headphone to get them to fit in the case. Included in the case are USB and 3.5mm headphone cables, each in their own compartment for a clutter-free experience. FAIR-ISH FIT & COMFORT My head is oval and small. I wear a size 6 7/8 or 7 baseball cap and only needed to slightly raise the Momentum 5’s yokes for a no-slip fit. They have plenty of extension. I measured a bit more than 1.25” per side. Widthwise, max spread from edge of the left cup to the edge of the right is about 6”. The headband is comfortable, but I’d prefer more padding. Clamping force is gentle; my head doesn’t feel like an orange being squeezed. During walks, workouts, or even a happy dance there’s little movement. However, they might shift during a run. They also are neither water nor sweat resistant. Any discomfort comes from heavy-ishness of the ear cups. I always know they are on. Fit and comfort is subjective though since everyone’s head and ears are different. This is my experience. While head is small, my ears didn’t get the bulletin. They stick out like Alfred E. Neuman’s. As such, my ears fit like they “just” fit. They aren’t used to such a cozy interior space. It not a deal killer but maybe don’t expect ultimate comfort here. I received the Momentum 5’s in the middle of heatwave and took them for a leisurely three mile walk in 93-degree heat, 80% humidity. Minutes after being outside my ears heated up ahead of the rest of my body and stayed warmer for the entire walk. It never became unbearable, but there is appreciable heat retention. I can’t wait to wear them in winter. CONTROLS AND USE Headphones are one device I detest touch controls. Unfortunately, that’s what the Momentum 5 offers, except for a single physical “multi-use” button for power, summoning a device’s voice assistant, and hear the battery level. There is also an LED battery indicator on the right earpad. All transport controls are by tap and gesture. My 630 works similarly, and Sennheiser did a laudable job. The gestures are all intuitive. For example, swipe up to increase volume or down to decrease. Incidental touching, like when I adjust the headband or lift the earpads to wipe some sweat, can trigger unexpected actions, but usually it just “beeps,” nothing more. Activating a voice assistant, like Siri is on par with my other non-Apple headphones/buds. There is a 10-20 second delay between pressing the multi-use button and hearing the Siri tone. After that Siri works like Siri. I have not come across an auto-pause setting. Music continues when I remove the headphones. However, when I set them down it does automatically power off. BATTERY The 57 hours battery life is impressive because it includes noise cancellation. Many headphones boast incredible battery life with a “noise cancelling off” asterisk. No hiding the ball here. I quasi-tested performance myself by letting it play for a day to see where the battery indicator would line up afterwards. No surprise it was near the middle. Of course, it’s not scientific proof, but I’m confident it’s accurate enough. Replacing the battery is child’s play. I tried it and if you can use a screwdriver, you have the skills to replace the battery. It literally involves pulling off the ear pad and removing four screws. It takes minutes. I posted a pic to give a visual of the replacement process. INITIAL SETUP Bluetooth pairing to my iPhone was no different than other Bluetooth devices. The SmartControlPlus app is not required for installation, so bonus points for that. I do recommend installing it though. It’s packed with useful features, not a portal for advertising and personal data. My Momentum 5 arrived with Bluetooth 5.4 installed. However, Sennheiser says Bluetooth 6.0 is coming in a future firmware update. Coupled with the replaceable battery, this makes it even more “future proof.” Multipoint pairing is supported to connect two devices. APP AND AUDIO QUALITY To my ears, the out of the box sound has slightly elevated bass and treble tuned for pop/rock music. It’s not “boomy” or over bright, so if you are looking for exaggeration, it might not suit you. It’s even hard to simulate the signature glass breaking bass of some other brands using the equalizer. But if you are looking for clean, tight bass, clear vocals, detailed string instruments with noticeable separation keep reading. That is how I’d characterize the Momentum 5’s native profile and app’s “Neutral” preset. It’s not “Neutral” in an audiophile sense, but a marker to return to the default sound. The 8-band dynamic equalizer allows customization from the default sound within limits. It’s an invigorating Sunday walk rather a risky adventure. A customization can be saved as a preset. For non-DIY people there’s presets for most genres along with a neat custom sound helper Sound Personalization that guides the user to an individual sound. There’s lots more but word count limits me. In short, the Momentum 5 + app makes customization easy, both in finding the right frequency levels and general functions. Lossy ACC files from my iPhone are enjoyable and some Android phones can take advantage of the 5’s Lossless codecs. While many devices, like the iPhone, don’t support wireless lossless playback it is available wired, using the supplied USB cable or wirelessly with the optional BTD 700 dongle. NOISE CANCELLATION & TRANSPARENCY MODE I’m no technician, but anecdotally, with noise cancellation at 100%, volume at 40%, virtually all outside sound is imperceptible. Only a jackhammer, church bel or overhead jet penetrated and then it was slight. Audio remains clean and appropriately vibrant to the song. There’s no artificial white noise permeating quieter sections or gaps being songs. Noise cancellation and transparency are customizable. An alternative automatic mode is also available.

The Sennheiser Momentum 5 headphones are the successor to the excellent Momentum 4 headphones that I’d been using previously. The design, size and features are mostly the same between the two with a few aesthetic and performance related changes on the M5. The Momentum 5 comes in three color options: black, white and denim. I’m reviewing the denim option. The most noticeable visual difference structurally between the Momentum 4 and 5 other than color option is the new microphone design on the 5’s earcups. Otherwise, the two are mostly similar in design. The multifunction button and five white status LEDs are the same. The Momentum 5 ships with a 1.2-meter charging cable and similar length 3.5/2.5mm aux cable. When the aux input for wired connections is used, it automatically disables Bluetooth to put the headphones in airplane mode. The airplane adapter that was previously included with the Momentum 4 is no longer bundled with the Momentum 5. The headphones fit me comfortably. They aren’t bulky nor heavy and I don’t feel any pressure on the top or sides of my head. The leatherette ear cups are soft and welcoming to my ears. They cover the ears completely without feeling tight or squeezing against the outer ear edges. There is sufficient interior clearance and my ears don’t touch against the drivers. The cups do not get uncomfortably warm nor hot during extended listening. The headband is also a soft leatherette material that doesn’t feel tight or constricting. I barely notice it during wear. The right cup contains the hardware and touch sensitive controls. The touch sensitive controls allow call management, music/volume control, and toggling ANC and transparency through tap and swipe gestures. The touch controls have sufficient responsiveness and although not overly sensitive, an errant touch can still have unintended consequences. I disabled the touch controls on both the M4 and the M5 because I personally prefer to use the controls within the app and on my device. I also have a tendency to accidentally pause or skip my music whenever I touch the right cup the wrong way. That’s just my personal preference. The touch controls are a convenient and useful option if desired, particularly for those less clumsy than me. The Momentum 5 is powered on/off and paired via the multi-function button on the cup. It powers off automatically when placed into the case and also powers off automatically after an adjustable preset time period if not used. The Momentum 4 automatically powers on and connects to Bluetooth when taken out of the case and placed on my head. I noticed that the auto power-on feature is no longer present on the Momentum 5. They power off automatically, but I must use the power button to power them on whenever I remove them from the case. From what I was able to research online, I read that the feature was removed to improve Bluetooth reliability. As far as sound quality, the headphones sound fantastic across multiple genres of music. Whether listening to bass heavy music like hip hop or more evenly balanced pop, rock or jazz, they cover the entire sound field excellently with good separation between different frequencies and a well-balanced sound overall. No sounds step on or bleed into others. Vocals are clear, even in more complex musical arrangements. I can hear different instruments without any overpowering others. The bass, even when set to high and with bass boost active, is never overwhelming, muddy or sloppy sounding. It’s tight, punchy and clean sounding while offering enough impact to please. Really deep bass lovers might prefer a more bass heavy headset, but for tight, controlled clean sounding bass, these deliver and should satisfy most. I haven’t found a song yet where I was dissatisfied with the bass and I listen to a lot of bass heavy music. Sound enhancements available in the app include eight music presets, eight-band graphic equalizer, bass boost, Dolby Atmos powered immersive audio with head tracking, and sound zones that utilize geotracking to automatically activate pre-designated sound profiles depending on location. I seldom use headphones like these for calls or online communication, instead opting for buds or gaming headsets for those purposes. However, I did test the call capability on a few calls and found it adequate. I was told I sounded clear and decipherable, even with intentional background noise. The callers on the other end sounded clear to me as well. The active noise cancellation works well and is largely effective for most of my usage scenarios. Like most ANC enabled headphones, they aren’t completely perfect and some louder sounds do occasionally bleed through, particularly certain higher frequencies. However, I seldom hear all but the loudest external sounds when music is playing. The headphones also sufficiently block external noise during calls and communications. The adjustable ANC can be set to automatically enable transparency during calls and has wind noise reduction. The headphones worked instantly with my existing Sennheiser Smartcontrol Plus app after pairing to my phone. The app applied a firmware update immediately and provides access to the headset’s sound, noise cancellation controls, and other features. Among those features is a find headset option in the app that will show the last known location of the headphones on a map. The app manages all of my Sennheiser wireless products and does a great job of keeping each device’s custom settings stored and accessible when needed. Overall, I’m happy with the performance and features of the Momentum 5. The headphones have performed well except for one minor issue. On a few occasions the headphones wouldn’t connect to my smartphone when powered on. I’d power them on but the LEDs would go out and instead of connecting, it seemed like the headphones automatically powered back off. I went through this cycle several times before I manually re-paired the headphones to the phone which seemed to fix the issue, at least for now. If it reappears, I’ll try a full reset on the headphones next. Other than that one hiccup which now seems resolved, Bluetooth has been otherwise reliable with no random disconnects nor other connection issues. To close out on the plus side, both the ear pads and removable battery are user replaceable. The ability to replace two components most likely to wear out the fastest is useful for prolonging the lifespan of the headphones. It’s always refreshing to see a company allowing commonly worn out items to be user serviceable rather than practicing planned obsolesce.

Here comes Sennheiser with their latest noise canceling headphones we got here is the Momentum 5. this has a packs great amount of new features that you most listeners would appreciate and love. DEVICE & FEATURES So right of the box, the packaging is fairly simple. The moment you open the box you’ll see the case which inside the case you have the headphone itself, the case is about a slimmer cloth like texture to it. You also get a USB-C charging cable and 3.5 mm audio cable for wire listening and just your typical warranty inside the box. Sennheiser also claimed that this goes up to 57 hours of battery life with lossless audio, Dolby Atmos support. and Bluetooth 5.4. I love the feel of the headset case with fabric like material and it’s on a slim case with the zip goes all the way around to fully expose the headset inside. Inside the case you get the Momentum 5. i’m not sure if it’s real leather, but the leather and the cushioning of this headset feels so premium and it’s soft. At the top of the headband you get the exact same cloth like material from the main case above the headband and another support for your head that it was very comfortable to wear. The headset is fairly lightweight. It almost look identical to previous generation of the momentum for me. i have been wearing for almost a week, listening to music for hours the comfortability of this headset is undeniable. This is probably one of the most comfortable headset I’ve ever experience. I enjoyed every bit of time. I’ve listened to Spotify music while testing out the lossless music catalogue. APP: You will be required to download the Sennheiser app and once you get the app activated and connect the headset you will need to update the headset to the latest firmware, but the companion app it gives you access to self personalization, Atmos settings. Also have the ability to control your noise level, three settings, which is adaptive custom, Sennheiser also offer a setting called anti-wind in the app when turned on it helps lower wind noises during ANC mode. EXPERIENCE: my overall experience with momentum 5 has been enjoyable so far, the amount of noises that it can block wearing a headset is undeniably one of his best features. The sound stage sounds amazing, listening to all types of instrument on different music has been a great joy. You can hear a great amount of separation of each beats, the vocals was clear, you can notice even a good tiny details. I thought the bass was great as well. It’s not over too powerful for me but then again you can adjust your EQ using the app as well to make this headset even better to your preference. i want to talk about again of how comfortable this headset is to my head. I feel like it fully covers 360 around my ear that it really reduces a great amount of noise that might be leaking inside a headset for me. I did kind of felt after wearing a headset for two hours that it was starting to become a bit warm, but beyond that I feel like you can easily fix that by just like removing it on your ear. I really don’t think it’s an issue but it’s something to point out. using the momentum 5 during phone calls was great with clear audio clarity the quality of the voices are clear. So far, no issue when it comes to using his headset on calls. also, the other thing that I found out about this headset that their battery is replaceable so if in case it goes bad, you won’t have to buy another headset and you can just replace the battery but I doubt I would ever get to that point, but it’s always great to know that Sennheiser gives you the ability to do that. CONCLUSION: Honestly, after testing momentum 5 for a couple of days now I’m happy with how this headset look, its just a clean simple headset. it supports a touch control on the side of the ear cup. I didn’t think Sennheiser was trying too hard making the momentum 5 but I feel like they were focusing on what’s more important rather than making a headset a little bit too ridiculous. I love the simple design is timeless, having a great ANC is nice. They claim 57 hours of battery life it’s massive. I haven’t even got to a point where I have to charge the momentum 5. it support lossless music and Atmos. I highly recommend if you’re a Sennheiser fan or if you previously own the momentum 4, I would say you’ll get about the same experience but more refine

The Momentum 5’s are a great all around pair of headphones priced lower than comparable models from Apple, Sony, and Bose. They sound great, they’re comfortable to wear, and the battery life is excellent. There are a couple of areas where they do fall a little short comparatively, but nothing that would prevent me from recommending these to anyone. The Momentum 5’s come in white, black, and a dark blue color they call Denim. I got the Denim color, which contrasts with a stone type of color on the earcups/head band and a few silver accents. It’s simple looking, but feels sophisticated. It also comes with a color matched zip-up case. The headphones lay flat in the case and don’t fold, so the case is on the wide side, but it’s pretty thin. The case also holds the included USB-C and 3.5mm cables. The build quality is very good, though it doesn’t feel quite as ‘premium’ as some other headphones I’ve used. It’s mostly plastic, with some fabric on the outer band and some type of faux-leather material on the earcups and headband. It feels well constructed though. The band adjustment is smooth, the earcups rotate all the way flat in both directions, and I haven’t seen any worrying flexing or creaking. Comfort is great on the Momentum 5. The weight feels like it’s about middle of the road for this size of headphone and they sit comfortably on my head. I have spent a few days at my desk wearing these and they haven’t fatigued my head or ears yet. The clamping force feels like it’s a touch on the light side and if I lean my head too far back or forward they do start to slide a bit. The leather earcups can feel a bit warm on my ears depending on the day too. But overall I really enjoy wearing them. Besides the power button, there aren’t any physical buttons on the Momentum 5’s and all of the controls are handled via touching and swiping on the earcups. For the most part, this works well, though the on-ear detection has been hit and miss for me and if the headphones aren’t detected as being on my head the controls are disabled. So I end up doing this thing where I sort of swivel the earcups on my head until I hear the confirmation sound confirming the headphones have detected me. The basic controls are intuitive; swipe up and down for volume and left and right for back and forward. There are some more advanced controls like tapping with 2 fingers to enable/disable Dolby Atmos that are a little harder to remember if you’re not using them regularly. Overall it’s a good setup though and I think it could potentially be improved through a firmware update. The Momentum 5’s sound fantastic. The sound is balanced and clear and the bass comes through well without being overwhelming. I’m mostly listening to them over Bluetooth and in addition to the standard AAC/SBC codecs there is also support for AptX, AptX HD, AptX Adaptive, and AptX Lossless for higher quality audio. USB-C wired audio supports up to 96kHz/24-bit. There is also an 8-band EQ to dial in the sound further via the app. Listening over Bluetooth on my PIxel 10 Pro, they got loud enough, but only just and most of the time I had the volume at between 70-90%. There is also Dolby Atmos available as well and I can’t say that I noticed much of a difference to the audio with it, but maybe I just didn’t have the right content to test it on. The noise cancelling is as good as I’ve heard on any other high-end headphone and the transparency mode sounds very natural. The Momentum 5’s functions are controlled via the SmartControlPlus app and overall it’s a good app. All the important functions are front and center and there aren’t any extra or gimmicky things it’s trying to do that you don’t need. Battery life is rated at a whopping 57 hours and I’m at 90% after about 5 or hours of usage, so it seems to be holding up. It’s definitely not a pair of headphones you’re going to have to worry about charging very much and it should get through any long flight. Overall I think the Momentum 5’s are a really great pair of high-end headphones. They’re a step down in price, but not quality compared to others.