Customer Ratings & Reviews

The Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless enters a crowded premium headphone market, but it manages to stand out by focusing on what matters most: exceptional sound quality, comfort, and extensive personalization. As someone who already considers the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 to be one of the finest wireless headphones available, I was impressed by how close Sennheiser comes while offering a slightly different listening experience. The Momentum 5 delivers a warm, expansive soundstage with excellent instrument separation and impressive battery life, making it an outstanding choice for long listening sessions at home, in the office, or while traveling. Out of the box, the Bowers & Wilkins still has the edge in refinement and natural tuning, but the Sennheiser offers enough flexibility to narrow that gap considerably. One thing that quickly became clear is that downloading the companion app isn't optional—it's essential. Sennheiser's Smart Control app unlocks customizable EQ settings, Sound Personalization, adaptive noise cancellation controls, and listening profiles that dramatically improve the overall experience. Likewise, the Bowers & Wilkins Music app allows owners of the Px7 S3 to fine-tune the five-band EQ and optimize playback to match personal preferences. If you're spending several hundred dollars on premium headphones, taking a few minutes to customize them transforms good audio into something truly exceptional. I had to review some of the marketing terms each company uses to make sure to compare these headphones mirroring features. Comparing the two, the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 still earns my vote for absolute sound quality. It produces a more natural, balanced presentation with incredible clarity that makes acoustic recordings, orchestral music, and vocals feel effortless and lifelike. The Momentum 5 counters with deeper customization, noticeably longer battery life, and a more energetic presentation that many listeners will enjoy for modern genres like pop, rock, hip-hop, and electronic music. Rather than trying to replace the Px7 S3, the Momentum 5 offers an equally premium alternative for listeners who value versatility and the ability to tailor their sound signature. One item to discuss is portability and sound canceling. The Momentum 5’s fold down in the slimmest rigid case I have seen for premium headphones, something that comes in handy for frequent travels. It's easily half the size of the Px7 case. Additionally, the expectation of being able to offer a seamless noise canceling feature is backed up with how well these perform. Airplane noise is all but eliminated and these are wicked comfortable when wearing these for longer periods of time. Pair that with outstanding battery life and these will be ready to offer premium audio for extended periods of time. If you're shopping for flagship wireless headphones and sound quality is your top priority, both models belong near the top of the list. The Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 remains my benchmark for pure audio performance, but the Sennheiser Momentum 5 proves that with the right tuning and app customization, it delivers a listening experience that can satisfy even demanding audiophiles. Either way, these are headphones you'll look forward to putting on every day—not just for the music, but for the immersive experience they create.

These are some excellent Sennheiser headphones and if you are looking for a premium set, I would highly advise to take a closer look at Momentum 5. After spending a week with the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5, I can confidently say these headphones are built for people who care about sound first and everything else second. They feel like a true evolution of the Momentum line, more refined, more immersive and far more future‑proof. I know we all care about how our pricey headphones will sound, so let me spare you some time and share my experience with these. Let's talk about the "elephant" in the room: sound quality. I have a great collection of SACDs (Super Audio CDs), a few high fidelity streaming services and your usual Spotify and Apple Music subscriptions, so I decided to use these headphones with all these various music offerings. I came to the conclusion that the Sennheiser’s 42mm drivers deliver an exceptional audio experience, it definitely serves as the standout feature. When listening to soft rock, classical music or Kenny G they provided a warm, full-bodied sound signature featuring deep yet controlled bass, beautifully placed vocals and crisp highs that avoid being harsh. Thanks to aptX Lossless support, wireless listening no longer feels like a compromise. Ultimately, these headphones make everyday audio feel richer and truly reward high-quality recordings like my SACDs. If you are into Spatial Audio, I have something to say about it too. I have a few tracks with Dolby Atmos (with head‑tracking) and I found out they were surprisingly immersive. I also decided to pair it with my VR set and see how watching a movie and playing games would sound and they felt definitely more dimensional, and Atmos‑encoded music has a sense of space that regular stereo just can’t match. It’s finally not a gimmick, it genuinely adds something you have to experience for yourself. Let's talk about Noise Cancellation in these headphones. ANC (Active Noise Cancelling) is good, but not the best. It handles low rumbles and background noise well, but my other brand I own still edge it out in busy environments. Transparency mode, however, is excellent and sounds more natural to me compared to my other set. Comfort is very important to me, I want to make sure that I not only enjoy music but also wearing what delivers that music is comfortable. So in terms of comfort, these Sennheiser headphones are absolutely top-tier, featuring a gentle clamp force, plush ear cushions, and a fabric wrapped headband that provides a premium feel without being overly flashy. Sennheiser Momentum 5 last a long time and I mean it, when my son saw the battery life specification, he could not believe his eyes compared to his big brand he just bought. The battery performance is truly exceptional, easily lasting for days on a single charge without dropping to zero. A major advantage is the user‑replaceable battery design, a rare feature in high-end headphones that ensures the device remains usable long after the initial battery cycle degrades. Good move, Sennheiser! Here is my verdict: these are for listeners seeking future-proof wireless technology, outstanding audio quality, and enduring comfort, the MOMENTUM 5 simply delivers. While the touch controls could be improved (occasionally misinterpret swipes or taps) and the ANC needs some fine tuning, its exceptional battery life and audio performance ensure these headphones represent a premium, durable investment.

These are probably the best headphones you can get for the price. While they are not cheap, I have much more expensive headphones that don’t sound nearly as good. Sound Quality: This is what it is all about and they sound great. The entire frequency range sounds very distinct and crystal clear. I can’t emphasize this enough. The only thing I did notice is that it lacks some deep base if you listen carefully. But honestly, it sounds so good that I didn’t even notice. There is an equalizer and bass boost setting but they really don’t do much. I’ve switched to these from my other headphones that cost twice as much. Fit: This is the lightest weight I’ve seen and don’t squeeze your head at all so they can be worn an entire day. And that’s what I do in the office. The ear cushions are very soft and don’t make your ears feel hot. Now, the downside is that these feel a little cheap in your hands. Just the feel of them is something I would expect from headphones half the price. But once they are on your head and feel comfortable, I guess it doesn’t matter. Case: It comes with a hard case which they fit perfectly in along with the supplied cables. The case is also rather small as everything fits in very slim. My gripe about the case is how much I struggle with the zipper. It seems to always get caught up in the lining of the case and requires finagling every time I try to close it. Controls: There is a single button that when you quickly press it, it turns on with a voice prompt that says when it is on and connected. Strangely, to turn it off, you must hold it down for a few seconds and it feels like a long time. Quickly pressing the button while on brings up the voice assistant. Took me some time to figure this out. On the right earcup, there are touch controls. Quickly pressing the center plays and pauses the music. Speaking of pausing the music, it will automatically pause when you take them off, and this works reliably every time. Sliding the touch control up and down changes the volume. One thing that annoys me about this is that it changes the volume by a lot for each swipe, so I usually must use my phone to fine tune the volume as the control is just too much. Swiping left and right advances or replays the track. Finally, using the touch control causes an audible click sound, which gives me confirmation about using the touch control successfully. Battery: It takes a couple of hours to change. Now I can’t say yet how long it lasts but I’ve worn them all day for four days and it is at 70%. There are five indicators that show how far along it is being changed and how much charge is left. There is also a limiter that prevents charging them more than 80%. Connection: To pair these, you must do it in the traditional Bluetooth settings on your phone. The app will not help you pair these. I had no problems pairing them and it worked right away with no fuss. And every time I turn on the headphones, they connect reliably and within a couple of seconds. Now one thing that is strange about these that I can’t understand. When listening to Apple Music, occasionally the music will cut out for a second. Doesn’t happen often though. When I listen to Amazon music, the sound never cuts out. When I use my other headphones, the sound never cuts out with either service. Very strange. Noise Cancellation: This is best in class. I work in a noisy lab with a hundred computers. While my other headphones cancellation works well and keeps most of the noise out, these cancel out almost everything. The App: There is a Sennheiser app that you download onto your phone to control some functionality of the headphones. Assuming you have already paired them to your phone, and you should do that first, when starting the app the first time, it found the headphones right away with no problems. It has a nice app that is laid out well and makes sense. It has all sorts of controls. • Battery remaining • Enables multipoint connection • Noise control: Set to off or adaptive, or custom enables wind setting, and controls the amount of transparency mode • Enable anti-wind • Adjust the amount of ANC • Enable Dolby Atmos • Bass boost • Eight EQ presets • EQ band settings • Find headphones • Shows you the touch controls although there doesn’t appear to be a way to change them • Update firmware • Audio mode priority select • Codec select • Enable smart pause that pauses the music when the headphones are taken off • Enable auto answer calls • Enable comfort call to give a more natural sound • Enable battery protection to prevent charging over 80% Now, one thing that must be mentioned is that although it has bass boost (which would be helpful), EQ presets, and EQ band settings, these all have very little effect on the sound, I’m happy with the normal sound, but those looking to hear a dramatic difference may be disappointed. Conclusion: These may be some of the best headphones I have listened to, even better than headphones twice the price. I do wish build quality were better, and it had deeper base, but other than that, they are close to perfect. If you are looking for less expensive headphones, find a way to invest in these. If you are looking for higher tear headphones for twice the price, please don’t pass these by.

After having used the Momentum 3 wireless over-ear headphones for several years now, for meetings, games, and listening to music, I was especially excited to get the Momentum 5 set and experience the update in technology. The headphones are bundled in a very nice hard shell case, with a USB cable and a separate mini-jack cable included. There’s a small pocket for miscellaneous items as well, and a handy flip card that helps explain the operation of the headphones, as it is quite different. Because the case itself is trapezoidal, it does require unzipping the full way to gain access. The headphones are stored with the ear cups rotated inwards and lay flat, which necessitates a wide, yet shallow case. On the plus side, it fits much more easily into my bag for travel. My Momentum 3 set folds inwards into a compact sphere-like, fist-sized unit, which allows for more compact storing and a much easier entrance into the case. Granted, the case is much deeper than the one for the 5, but it feels more user-friendly. The zipper for the case for the 5 is also hidden behind a loop of ribbon(?), which gets in the way when I’m not looking and trying to get it open. Finally, because the headphones lay flat in the case, I always have to contract the headband instead of being able to leave it where it’s most comfortable. This translates to needing to get it just right each time I take it out of the case. The 5s are also extremely modern and sleek. I got the blue set, which is a change from the usual black/chrome combo I usually pick, and it’s a very nice shade, especially with the grayish-tan padding and case interior. They are very light compared to my 3s, too. I’m not a fan of how they sit on my ears, though. The 3s are a true over-ear headphone, with a very nice cushion on the ear cups. These feel like they tend towards an on-ear / over-ear combo, somehow, and I’m not confident that they are sealing correctly. The cushions are still very soft and comfortable, and I don’t feel physical fatigue on my ears after hours of use. Initial setup is very straightforward. I let the set charge overnight, which, depending on use, allows for a ridiculous amount of play time before it needs to be charged again. I’ve used it for about 2 weeks already, and it’s still going strong. Again, it’s a mix between taking meetings over Zoom, listening to music whilst I work, and playing games. The app is also very easy to use, with a lot of personalization to suit my preferences. I hate to admit it, but the options to set the sound based on age and use definitely improved my experience. Operation of the headphones are from another world. Because the majority of the controls are operated via sliding your fingers on the outside of the cups, it takes a moment to figure out, and remember, the various combinations. This is where the cheat card inside the case comes in handy. However, once you get it down, it’s extremely handy and easy to manipulate volume, tracks, the sound, transparency, and other metrics for music and calls. There is some noticeable noise from the friction of your finger across the plastic part of the cups, so it’s not a true audiophilic experience, but it’s close. I did find it easier to use the app to control the functions at first, then slowly transition to finger motions. The only issue I’ve noticed so far with actually using the set is during meetings. At least once per meeting, the sound will drop completely, which means I’m missing part of the discussion. It eventually comes back, but it’s long enough and distracting enough that I’m now focusing on whether or not I need to troubleshoot my connection and audio settings rather than listening to what’s going on. Finally, the biggest complaint I have is how they connect to my different devices and how power management works. Just like my 3s, I have them paired to both my laptop and my phone, a feature which comes in ridiculously handy. However, my 3s are set up so that as soon as I open them back up, i.e., “unroll” them, I immediately get the notification in my ear that they are paired to one device or the other, or both, and I’m good to go. With the 5s, I always have to turn them on manually. The app offers an “on / off head” option to allow it to detect as to whether or not I’m wearing them, but it doesn’t seem to do anything. If I take them off my head, the connection persists, and I either have to disconnect Bluetooth or turn off the set in order to stop playback via the headphones. My ideal experience would be to mimic the 3s in that there is a much higher level of power management, such as automatically switching playback to the appropriate device when they are taken off and turning the power off when I rotate the cups to being flat, similar to “closing” them. Instead, I haven’t yet figured out when I need to turn them back on after taking a break, when I need to reconnect, or similar boot processes. When I do turn them on, there is a single notification, “connected”, and that’s it. I’m not sure which device it’s connected to, and I don’t have the confidence that it actually is connected, so I have to spend time checking to make sure. After years of fantastic use of my old Momentum 3 set, I was looking forward to the next generation of the Momentum series, but it somehow falls short. The sound is everything you’d expect from Sennheiser, and the operation via finger gestures is truly futuristic, but it’s the overall experience that leaves me wanting more. I’d like to be able to store my headphones without having to reset them every time. I want to be able to take them off, lay them on my desk, and, depending on their configuration when I laid them down, come back at any time with the assurance that they’ll be on, connected, and ready to go. It feels small in the grand scheme of headphone operation, but it’s enough that I think about it every time I use them. Is this a good set? Yes; absolutely. Is it a great set? No; a great set addresses every part of the experience, and these aren’t there yet. I’ll look forward to the Momentum 7s!

I’m the first to admit that I’m not a audiophile in the sense that I don’t delve deep into the technical ins and outs of sound and base my opinions on what sounds and feels good to me which means it’s all going to be completely subjective. With that being said, having used a wide range of headphones from different brands representing basic to top of the line options I actually put the Sennheiser - MOMENTUM 5 Bluetooth Wireless Adaptive Noise-Canceling Over-The-Ear Headphones in the mix of one of the best over the ear options I have used to date. Extremely comfortable for extended wear which is one of the main things I check when opting for over the ear headphones. I didn’t experience any ear fatigue or uncomfortable heat. Sound was nice and crisp. While I wouldn’t say they were the best sounding option that I own it is in my top 3-4 for sure. The Adaptive Noise Cancelling is top notch is definitely better than a previous model I have tried from this brand. Battery life is decent although I do have at least one other brand option that definitely has better battery life (but to be fair that pair beats every brand I have ever owned or tried so far so I wasn’t surprised). I do love that this pair does allow for a user replaceable battery so potentially that alone makes these a great option for someone that wants to hold on to them and not have to replace just because the battery has met the end of it’s usefulness. Ultimately I think these are a great option for anyone on the market for a great over the ear headphone no matter how much of a sound enthusiast you may be.

I’ve owned a good number of high end headphones and I’ve got to tell you, the Momentum 5’s are among the very best. First off, the built quality is beautiful. These certainly don’t feel like they will fall apart. The comfort is amazing. I really forgot that I’m wearing them. They don’t have an overly tight fit and they don’t make your head feel out of balance from them being heavy. The blue color is a nice break from the standard black headphones you usually see. They are different yet classy. The battery life has been phenomenal. The app for the headphones is more useful than most headphone apps. This app allows you to tweak the sound but also how the headphones react when you take them on and off. Pairing them has been a breeze. Much easier than some. And most importantly, the sound is incredible! The clarity is on a level I’d expect from even higher end headphones. The bass is hard for me to describe. It has just the right punch without being overly booming. The noise cancellation works great as well. Phone call not only sound great but those I’m talking to have commented on how good the sound on their end is. Oh, and the carrying case is pretty nice as well :-) Seriously, if you are debating between the Momentum 5 headphones or a different pair, end the debate and get the Momentum 5’s.

The Sennheiser Momentum 5 headphones have honestly blown me away! They have this magic combination of functionality, comfort, versatility and sound quality that I never knew existed! The Momentum 5 are so lightweight that I can wear them for hours effortlessly. There are so many great things about these headphones, but the star of the show is absolutely the sound quality! No matter what genre, I have yet to hear any headphones that touch these for sound, and its not even close! The battery life is phenomenal as well! I used these all day at work, followed by the gym, and still had plenty battery to spare. The build quality is amazing, I am confident these will look great for years due to the high quality materials. The ANC is fantastic also, in a crowded gym with loud music playing I had great isolation of my music. The included case is a nice touch, and its also made from great material. Overall the Sennheiser Momentum 5 are definitely my go to headphones now no matter the scenario: Work, Travel, Home, Gym, these do it all!

The Sennheiser Momentum 5 has taken the throne within the over-ear headphone arena! I have used MANY a great headphone set before, and up to this point, only Sony has been able to consistently produce challengers to the throne in terms of pure sound quality, but these Sennheiser headphones are the purest of them all. With the touch features and the noise canceling there are just too many exceptional qualities here for anyone not to LOVE these headphones! The experience starts with in packaging these for the first time. The box reveals a hard-case with fabric exterior, fit to the shape of the headphones. Inside the case is a audio plug to connect to a standard headphone jack and a Type-C to Type-C cord for charging and data. Both cords have a dedicated strap to hold them in place, with a mesh pouch below the Type-C cord for anything else you may want to carry with you (like a jack-to- Type-C adapter, wall charger, etc.). The headphones have a memory foam type material covering the underside of the on-head bar of the headphones, with fabric material topside, making for a very comfortable fit on your head. Big plush cushions on each side of the headphones also contribute to the overall comfort. Each earphone can rotate a full 180 degrees, which should add some durability to these overall. The silver-plated microphones and noise-canceling speakers are alongside both earphones, but the one on the right does the headlvy lifting for the Type-c port and traditional phone jack port. This is also the earphone through which you use the touch features (on the back), allowing control for volume, advancing through tracks/playlists, pausing, skipping, fwd & rwd, noise cancel on/off, and disablement of touch features altogether (yes, that is a lot!). There is still a line physical button for Power on/off and Bluetooth connection to devices. Furthermore, if you prefer to control everything by way of app, you can also operate the device that way as well for all the touch-up related features. The app is also equipped with its own virtual EQ with presets and self-balanced EQ options available. And most importantly, the sound of these headphones is almost magical right out of the box at default settings. Whether by Bluetooth or by corded plug, the sound is equally amazing through both options. This is the first time that I can truly say that the quality was completely lossless between both options with no discernable difference to the naked ear. Just pure, unadulterated, full, nuanced, perfect sound quality. Unbelievable clarity, rich bass, sweeping detail, and mesmerizing blend that lets you immediately get lost in whatever you are listening to. I truly had a moment of breathtaking shock at hearing how clearly these earphones reproduce sound. once I began to play around with the different EQ presets, it was clear that these headphones were just exceptional quality. If this is not the norm for this product, then hopefully that means I got the absolute best unicorn headphone defect ever. From the sound quality, to the highly intuitive touch features (very brief learning curve), to the apps wholistic control features, to the included hard, fabric-covered storage case with included adapters/cords, to the overall aesthetic and build-quality of these phones, I would recommend to anyone and everyone without hesitation. They are truly audio perfection... If you can afford them. They are built to last, and feature-packed, but you pay for every drop of this experience. Well worth the money, but definitely not accessible to all. I will be adding Sennheiser to my list of brands to proactively seek out for quality sound equipment. I wasn't familiar with the brand before, but what an introduction!

I am writing this review for the Senheiser Momentum 5 Bluetooth Wireless Adaptive Noise-Canceling Over-The-Ear Headphones I've had the pleasure of using the Sennheiser Momentum 5 headphones for a good while now. I’ve enjoyed several rather long music and podcast sessions, and even using them while working outside. For the most part the Momentum 5’s are a spectacular addition to my headphones collection. The very first thing I want to mention is the stupid-long battery life on these things. Sennheiser rates these at 57 hours, and I have no reason to doubt it. In practice, this means battery life simply stops being something you think about. I'm not concerned about tracking a percentage in my head every time I put them on, and I'm not scrambling for a charger mid-week whenever a mechanical voice starts bugging me about a low battery. For wireless headphones, this is exactly how it should work — the technology gets out of the way and lets you just focus on listening. This means that if I listen to them every single day for 3 hours, I can go around three weeks without worrying about recharging. That’s crazy. Fit and comfort Sitting on the couch, these are comfortable, well-padded well-balanced, no complaints. But there is that barely-noticeable “pressure” that is present from the moment I first put them on. I understand the reasoning for this design as it is meant to help keep outside noise from coming in. Working in tandem with the active noise cancelling, it provides an amazingly isolated listening experience. But that ‘barely-noticeable’ pressure begins to become a bit uncomfortable after a bit. I can see where it must be quite difficult to design a pair of headphones that can fit ALL head sizes the same way, so my understanding is quite lenient in this regard. Sound Quality Senheiser is one of those companies that when you hear their name, you automatically assume quality. It’s just who they are. The Momentum 5 headphones absolutely reflect that pedigree. Putting them on straight out of the box, they sound very good. For me, the mids and highs were a bit dry, but then there is the app! To stray off subject for a minute, the app is one of the more better designed apps I have ever used as far as headphones/earphones are concerned. But where the app shines is the onboard ‘sound personalization.’ The app walks you through several steps of defining your own personal preferences, and then gives you the ability to fine-tune it using a graphic overlay that reminds you of a physicist’s map of gravity. I went through the presets first, which are fine, serviceable, nothing revolutionary. But the graphic equalizer is where this thing shines. I have used a lot of EQ software over the years, on a lot of devices, and I don't know that I've ever used one that let me dial in the sound this precisely. It's not a token feature bolted on for a marketing checkbox — it's a genuinely capable tool, and using it, I was able to correct exactly the sharpness I felt was missing out of the box. Once dialed in, the sound quality moved from "very good" to something close to perfect for my ears. Credit where it's due: Sennheiser nailed this. The Momentum 5’s come with only one button on the headphones themselves…the On/Off button. Instead of buttons, they use tap/slide controls built-in to the outer cups. The tap-and-slide controls on the earcups are a smart idea in principle. No buttons cluttering the design, gesture-based control for volume, tracks, ANC, the works. But there's a real learning curve here, and it comes with a cost. The sensitivity is the problem. If you reach up to adjust the fit, you're all but guaranteed to brush the earcup and trigger a control change you didn't want. Skip a track, kill the volume, toggle ANC off, whatever it decides you meant. It's a design that assumes you'll only ever touch these headphones intentionally, and that's not how headphones get used in the real world. The flip side is there's essentially no physical button real estate at all — save the power button. That's either minimalist elegance or a liability depending on the day you're having with them. Whatever else I'll say about these, the build quality is not in question. These feel like they're made from genuinely good materials — sturdy, dense, well-assembled. I twisted and flexed them the way you would testing any headphone, and they snap right back to shape every time. No creaking, no flex-memory, nothing that feels like it's going to fatigue or crack six months from now. This is where the German engineering reputation earns its keep. Senheiser is to me what a Bentley would be to someone seeking the perfect automobile. You expect quality, because Senheiser is all about quality. One small caveat…there's no wired option. None. And look — Bluetooth codecs in 2026 are genuinely good. I'm not going to pretend otherwise. But a compressed wireless signal, however well-engineered, is still a compressed wireless signal, and it is never going to be identical to a direct wired connection. For casual listening this doesn't matter much. But if you're chasing the absolute peak of what these drivers are capable of, the lack of a wired fallback is a ceiling you can't get around, no matter how good the DAC and codec are on the other end. Bottom Line The Momentum 5’s are a genuinely strong headphone — excellent battery life, excellent build, and an EQ system that lets you sculpt the sound quality into something close to perfection. But like I said, they do have a bit of friction present… there's mild pressure discomfort over long sessions, and the touch controls are sensitive enough to punish you for the simple act of adjusting the fit. None of these are dealbreakers on their own. Together, they keep this from being a headphone I'd call flawless — but they are so close to flawless that I will be bragging about them from now on, and urging my friends and family to buy.

I have reviewed many over-the-ear noise canceling headphones from top brands, including the Sennheiser Momentum 3, but the Momentum 5 blows them all away! The moment I opened the package I knew I was in for something special: the fabric covered headband with supple and soft light tan leather padding on the head and cups are beautiful and comfortable. The ears, although big, fit like a glove. [They get warm, but not as sweaty as the Momentum 3.] Touch sensitive controls on the right ear are responsive, simple and logical. The material, although a bit plasticky, does not appear to be brittle or at obvious risk of cracking. Equipped with a manual on/off button [my Momentum 3 auto-powered ON when you unfolded them which often left to me leaving headphones on to inadvertently drain when I would take them off and set them on my desk] and a 5-dot battery indicator light, there are no other tactile buttons to press. All controls are touch sensitive on the right cup. There is a USB-C input on the right cup for charging. From the moment you put the headphones on and power them up, you are transformed into nearly complete silence. The noise canceling on the Momentum 5 is among the best I have experienced. Pairing was insanely easy--my laptop popped up a screen "do you want to pair with the Momentum 5 headphones" instantly and my Pixel 9 Pro needed only a "scan for new devices." After the out-of-the-box experience, if you ever need to (re-)pair the headphones, simply hold the Momentum 5 power button for 5+ seconds to enter pairing discovery mode. I always test with the same selection of music which includes 70s/80s rock (Ozzy, Boston, Van Halen), lots of grunge (Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Mudhoney and Pearl Jam), 80s hip hop and rap (Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, Midnight Star), 80s "alt" and pop (REM, Depeche Mode, New Order, INXS), modern rock (Fall Out Boy, Muse, Green Day, Foo Fighters, Weezer), modern alt (AJR, Twenty-One Pilots, Alt-J, Cage The Elephant), and metal (Metallica, Korn, Megadeth, Slipknot). OUT OF THE BOX I WAS HAPPY WITH THE DEFAULT ACROSS ALL GENRES OF MUSIC AND DID NOT, for the first time in my life, FEEL THE NEED TO CHANGE OR TWEAK THE EQ!!! Balanced. Rich. Detailed. If there was a way to give a 6th star, I would. The battery life appears to be on par with what the specs say you will get--and the battery is technically replaceable! 10 minutes of charge gets you 7 hours of life! 2 hours to full charge. The hard case for storage is a step up from the Momentum 3 and its soft zipper bag. The Sennheiser app is, well, yet another app on your phone but as much as I hate apps, this one is pretty good. I'll be stunned if I find a better pair of over-the-ear noise canceling headphones in 2026.

Sennheiser’s Momentum line has always been attractive to me for sound but other features weren’t exactly what I wanted so I have historically skipped them despite loving their sound when I tried them. I never really found the sound quality that they gave me elsewhere though and that was a bummer. So when the Momentum 5s came out with the promise of better ANC, better comfort, incredible battery life, and even better sound, I was really excited about these. They even refined the look of these and I fell for the denim colorway. So let me say these have become my new favorite over ear ANC headphones! I want to start with the ANC quality. I want something that does well with things like plane noise, fans, bus noise, etc. These have been improved in this way immensely. It is not complete sound elimination, but it’s very very good. With my portable AC on in my office, I have no problem eliminating this noise when I’m listening to something. With no source the ANC blocks out about 95% and makes it so it’s not harsh and I could definitely see myself being able to nap with these. Which moves me into comfort. I don’t enjoy too much clamping force on my head, The Momentum 5s feel light on my head, have ample cushion on the headband, and the clamping force is just right. The earcup pads are good, I am not a huge fan of headphones with a leather feel, but I know that makes them better for noise isolation, so I’m ok with it. I can say these don’t feel uncomfortable to me like some others I’ve worn and I have no problem getting my ears nestled into the earcups. These are easily an all day wear for me. Pass through mode is also very good with these so even wearing them I can hear my surroundings well and can have a conversation with no issue. There is some adjustability in the companion app which I appreciate. This comes in the form of intensity and wind blocking. I would say the wind blocking is good, but it does affect the sound for me a little so I opt for not using it usually. Microphone performance is generally fine, I don’t really use these for things like calls, so I’m not too worried about this. I will say that the mic is clear, albeit a little electronic sounding, but very usable. That brings me to sound quality. I am a Sennheiser fan for sound in general, and these are soooo good. The out of the box sound is amazing. I do downshift the bass a little because these things give you so much bass. The great thing is you can build eq profiles in the app and so for music that warrants it you can have all the bass you want, with the addition of a bass boost toggle also. The mids and highs are not at all affected by the bass which is so good, there is clarity and cleaness to the sound that I love about Sennheiser tuning. I have tinkered with the eq and made a couple profiles to give me some choices, but I’m finding that I’m sticking to the default “neutral” eq that is built in a lot. The Dolby Atmos feature is also a welcome addition and I do feel a broadness to sound when watching things like Netflix with their Atmos tracks. Even YouTube sounds great in these. Multipoint pairing is pretty great too. You can have multiple devices in your list but only two devices are active at a time. When I pause one device and play the second, it’s seamless. Going to a third device that I have registered pulls it from one of the others pretty effectively also. Overall, the combination of effective ANC, clean mic, good transparency, and amazing sound make the Momentum 5s my new go to for travel, work, and play. 100% recommend.