Few headphones have such contradictory reviews on their release as the new generation of wireless flagship Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless . While “ordinary mortals” compared them to Sony’s competitors, and wrote favorable reviews, gray-haired audiophiles pursed their lips and wrote devastating reviews, not understanding the simple fact: they are not the target audience of the new model.
So, in the 3rd version, Sennheiser tried to flirt with the “gourmet” segment, using “premium” materials such as iron, leather and the like. It is not known how successful it was, but the fact that the company sold the headphone business speaks for itself. Therefore, this time it was decided to see “what the competitors have”.
So what does the buyer get? By the way, the price of the model has been slightly revised downwards in order to differ from Sony at an even lower price.
Design, equipment
The box is quite standard, cardboard in the white and blue corporate colors, inside is a traditional case, it contains headphones, USB and audio cables, and an airplane adapter. I wonder who needs it anyway? Those who travel often have it, obviously. And I have already accumulated more than half a hundred of them.
The headphones themselves have taken a step towards simplified materials, the body is made mainly of plastic, there is a black and milky white version to choose from. The overall quality of assembly is normal, but the comfort, in my opinion, has become a little better, and the ability to turn the “cups” of the headphones horizontally for comfortable wearing around the neck has also been added. The headband distributes the weight well, the compression force is selected very intelligently, so the only problem that arises during long listening sessions is “overheating” of the ears, but this is a problem of all closed models.
Functional
Long sessions are also facilitated by the improved operating time, if the Sennheiser Momentum M3 was offered up to 17 hours, then the new product works up to 60, and this is with the noise canceler on. Of course, the actual numbers may be lower and depend on the volume, but I got about 40 hours of use during the test, and they still haven’t died. Taking into account the full charging time of 2 hours, we have one of the best models for a long time outside the area of availability of electrical networks.
Headphone control is now mostly touch-based, instead of several buttons for all occasions, you can now use “swipes” on the outside of the headphone.
Finished work in the company and made a noise. It is still a little short of the best representatives of the technology, but active noise reduction has become more effective, especially on “sudden” noises. Also, in the mode with noise reduction and “transparency”, the effect of “pressure on the ears” is now less noticeable.
There is an application for Momentum 4 that allows you to change the settings of many parameters such as noise reduction, adaptive transparency, or even change the sound using a simple equalizer. There is also an option to configure automatic switching of profiles based on geolocation, but, frankly, I doubt that many people will use it.
From wireless codecs, the model supports SBC, AAC and the entire aptX family, including aptX Adaptive. I think the reason for the absence of LDAC here is completely understandable from the point of view of who owns this standard. The model maintains the connection very well, the only place where I encountered small problems was large shopping centers with many WiFi networks and people with phones. Well, there was another time when an old UAZ drove past me (I have no idea why it was such a source of electromagnetic interference).
The sound of the built-in microphones in a noisy environment also improved a little. Of course, as with most headphones with microphones in the cups, it is not perfect, but at a normal level of noise you will be heard normally, and at a high level in most cases you will still be able to convey the idea to the interlocutor.
Sound
As for the sound, there have also been some changes here. I will say right away that the main mode in which I tested them is via Bluetooth using aptX Adaptive. They can also be connected via USB Type-C (the result is almost the same as in BT, probably because the same digital signal processor works), and via a regular audio cable. Although the latter, in my opinion, is a more “emergency” option if the battery is discharged after all, and there is no opportunity to recharge it. The sound through the audio cable becomes more monitor-like and is perceived as more “boring”.
The effect of DSP is noticeable in the presentation of headphones, because they reproduce the edges of the range better than conventional wireless models, that is, the bass here is a little deeper, and the treble is longer than the aptX codec “allows”. The presentation is generally balanced, but a moderate addition of “energy” is noticeable in order to make the sound “tastier”. The bass is very springy, delivered with a slight boost in volume, and pleases with both detail and depth (of course, all this is adjusted for wireless). The midrange is detailed, but not overly so, nicely highlighting the emotions and nuances of the instruments. HF, of course, does not reach wired models, but as for Bluetooth, they have a good range and a very good saturation of overtones. In general, the presentation is not “audiophile” at all, it is more designed for an ordinary music lover who wants better quality sound and emotionality.
Pros
- Sound
- Battery
- Comfort
- Management
Cons
- Simplified design compared to version 3
- ANC and transparency can still be improved
