StereoNET: Sennheiser Momentum Wireless Headphones Review

JUNE 2017

SENNHEISER

MOMENTUM WIRELESS IN-EAR HEADPHONES

REVIEW / SENNHEISER / MOMENTUM WIRELESS IN-EAR HEADPHONES

SENNHEISER

MOMENTUM WIRELESS IN-EAR HEADPHONES $299.95 RRP

Founded in 1945, Sennheiser is one of the

The Momentum line comes in a variety of

largest headphone manufacturers in the world.

formats: In-Ear, On-Ear and Over-Ear – and

Their headphones and microphones alike are highly regarded for their sonic qualities and

more recently Sennheiser have been releasing wireless versions of each.

versatility, and their products can be found

The cabled version of the Momentum In-Ear

in multiple categories including professional

has proven to be a success for Sennheiser

use in aviation and marine communications,

so far, with generally positive reviews and a

through to domestic headphones.

reasonable price tag at just $169.95.

When Sennheiser first released their stylish

Sennheiser have now released a wireless

“Momentum” headphone range in 2012, many

version of the In-Ear and coming in at

interpreted this as an exercise in muscle-

$299.95, it’s nearly double the price. This

flexing in response to the ever-increasing

could be a difficult pill for potential customers

popularity of the Beats brand.

to swallow – especially considering that this

Since then, the Momentum range has evolved and earned its stripes by its own

wireless version offers the same drivers and housings as the cabled variant.

merit. It combines the three pillars of a killer

The question is, have Sennheiser made

headphone: affordable pricing, excellent build

enough improvements to justify the

quality and outstanding sonic capabilities.

price increase?

“affordable pricing, excellent build quality and outstanding sonic capabilities�

“an absurd amount of technology employed with this release”

A Closer Look Included with the Momentum In-Ear Wireless

plastic remains visible on the assembly is

is a hard-carrying case, USB charging cable

contoured and sleek, in a flat-black paint.

and four pairs of olive-style tips.

The carrying pouch shares the same black

True to the Momentum line, Sennheiser

with red stitching theme as the neckband,

seemingly have their sights aimed firmly at the

and is very lightweight. Upon opening it for

portable luxury market. Evidence of this can

the first time, the silver coloured rear of the

be found on the neckband, which is covered

IEM housings peek out, displayed like delicate

in sheepskin leather and features bright

pieces of jewellery.

red stitching.

The overall design is classy, and the build

The IEM housings are made from stainless

quality is immaculate. There are no awkward

steel, with a clean polished finish. What little

noises or creaks when flexing the headband, and all the connectors are firm and solid.

With a closer look, you realise that there is

It’s worth noting that the included microphones

an absurd amount of technology employed

are for phone calls and voice commands only,

with this release. For starters, Bluetooth 4.1

not noise cancelling functionality.

(with A2DP + AVRCP + HSP + HFP profiles), 170mAH battery, NFC pairing, and Sennheiser have even built-in a vibration motor for notifications from your phone.

Just like the Over-Ear Sennheiser PXC 550, the USB port is not only for charging, but also for USB audio. Whilst this is a neat inclusion, it comes with a hefty trade off - this is the only product in the Momentum range that does not include a standard 3.5mm audio option.

Even with these minor drawbacks considered, the feature list here is outrageous given very few IEMs at this price come close to boasting such gadgetry.

The original cabled version of the Momentum came in both iOS and Android versions, whereas these wireless versions do not discriminate and will play nicely with both.

On the Road Delving right in for a listen it was immediately apparent that the neckband is incredibly light and flexible. It doesn’t cause any pain or discomfort even after long periods of use. There is little to no clamp, even on my relatively chunky neck.

Switching on the earphones gives a handy voice prompt indicating that the power is switched on. The voice guides you through the pairing process, and (when prompted) will conveniently give an estimate of remaining battery life (in hours).

The neckband itself transmits very little microphonic noise through the IEM housings, but sadly that’s not the case for the cables running between them. Even a slight rub on the cable is deafeningly loud and the cable is not removable (unlike KEF’s Motion One IEMs).

It’s not all bad news, however. Pairing to multiple devices is a neat surprise and I really wish more manufacturers realised how useful this is. It’s incredibly handy to be able to swap between my smartphone and my laptop without having to awkwardly force the headphones to make the change.

The vibration motor is also a unique inclusion - happily buzzing away when a phone call is received. It’s certainly an odd feeling on the neck, but trust me - you’ll certainly know when someone is trying to contact you.

The Sound In a market where manufacturers

low end – it’s deep, driving and

plenty of deep-reaching detail.

are constantly churning out

strong. There is a focus from

Thankfully, and truthful to the

juggernaut flagship IEMs with

40Hz to 125Hz, which draws

Momentum line, there wasn’t any

multiple drivers and complex

plenty of attention to the low

painful sibilance or shouty vocals.

crossover designs, Sennheiser

end. It not only gives electronic

have remained true to their

basslines plenty of kick, but

winning recipe - the full-range,

also shines plenty of body and

single dynamic driver. This same

tone to cello, tuba, and bassoon

configuration is shared across

instruments in recordings.

the range from their popular entry level CX 1.0 IEM through to their highly-esteemed flagship IE800 IEMs.

Above 200Hz is where things started to dip, with some recession in the lower midrange.

It didn’t get uncomfortably

The Momentum In-Ear

muddy, but there was a little bit

wireless uses the same driver

of a drop-off from the looming

and housing as the regular

bass, which I can’t help but feel

Momentum In-Ear, so I wouldn’t

overshines the lower mids a tad.

expect major sonic between the two. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to compare them head to head.

Soundstage is ample for an IEM, offering more than enough space between the ears, but only offering a few “out-of-head” moments.

Isolation is decent, but not too suffocating. I felt comfortable wearing these on public transport or walking around. They won’t be able to compete too strongly with much higher prices custom IEMs or noise cancelling offerings in this regard, so keep this in mind

Things start to perk back up

when selecting headphones to

again around the 2kHz mark

use with travel.

where the signature starts to

Upon hitting “play” on my Pixel

develop some steam. The mids

XL, the first thing that I noticed

and upper mids have plenty

was the explosive punch of the

of whack and sparkle, giving

Lastly, there is little to sound leakage at all, so there’s no issues using these in a quiet office environment.

Conclusion

SPECIFICATIONS

The Sennheiser Momentum

Supported Profiles

Connection

// A2DP + AVRCP + HSP + HFP

/ / Bluetooth 4.1, NFC

Ear coupling

Battery time

// Ear Canal

/ / 10 hrs (A2DP/HFP)

Transducer principle

Frequency response

// Dynamic

/ / 15Hz – 22,000Hz

Charging time

Sound pressure level (SPL)

// Approx. 1.5 hrs

/ / 112 dB (1 kHz/0 dBFS)

Paired with excellent build

Battery Specification

THD, total harmonic distortion

materials and battery life, there’s

// Rechargeable Lithium-ion Polymer

/ / <0.5% (1kHz/100dB SPL)

no doubt that Sennheiser are

(170mAh)

In-Ear Wireless edition is an incredibly well priced offering, packed full of features and technology. It has salivating levels of midbass and is great fun to listen to.

onto another winner at this price point and application.

WORDS/IMAGES: Matthew ‘Jensy’ Jens