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