I’ve been asked for a long time to make more reviews of over-ear models, more reviews of wireless models, and more reviews of better-known brands. Well, seems I have nailed it. Here I’ve got the third revision of Sennheiser Momentum — the flagship Bluetooth headphones of the well-known company. Let’s find out what’s up with them.
If I’m not mistaken, this is the recent model and the update has been made last year on iFA. Given the life cycle of Sennheiser products, I can say they are in the very beginning of their life, but it’s of course a mere guess. Apart from great design (yes, it’s flagship), the headphones have received the ANC system, ability to connect wired (3.5mm and USB-C, which is great for smartphones who lack 3.5mm output) and wirelessly. Bluetooth version is recent — the 5th, and codecs are limited to aptX and apX LL (rejoice, lovers of games and videos). For iPhone users there is AAC support.
The price tag has remained on previous model level — you can buy Sennheiser Momentum 3 for around 400 USD with corrections for local taxes. On the one hand it’s rather large sum, on the other — not as large as it could be.
Specifications
- Transducer type: dynamic
- Frequency range: 6 Hz – 22 kHz
- Bluetooth version: 5.0
- Supported codecs: SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX LL
- : 330 mAh
- Playback time (Bluetooth + ANC): ~17 hours
- Additional inputs: 3.5 mm, USB-C
- Weight: ~300 g.
Accessories and packaging
Well, it’s a good example of German strictness and everything screams strict and minimalist — the cardboard box, neat printing, no screaming colors or abundance of anything. Inside you will found a round fabric zipped pouch that is protected by a thick layer of foam.
Inside the pouch there are headphones, audio cable with 3.5mm connectors, USB-C cable and adapter from USB-C to USB-A. That’s all you need to use the headphones.
Design
The appearance shows continuing development process and inheriting. It looks really good with steel, leather and unusual fasteners. Smallest nuances are well thought over.
The headband is made of springy steel covered with natural leather. The inner part has a special cut that makes you less tired over time. Of course the pressure level is such that it ensures the headphones stay on your head and have no additional pressure on head at the same time. For transportation convenience the headphones can be folded and they turn off automatically the very moment you do so, while unfolding turns them on. If you want to unfold them without turning on, just hold the middle control button. You cannot rotate the earcups horizontally but the headphones still sit very convenient on the neck.
The earcups are made of durable plastic and are held by brand fasteners that give them ability to move in two-axis which brings additional comfort. Even more, you can more the earcups up and down to control the size. This module makes the headphones distinctive and it is a recognizable sign of the brand.
The earpads are soft and comfy, most users won’t experience any problems with fit apart from usual “heating” for any closed-backs. It’s a price you have to pay for having passive noise cancelling, which is by the way rather good, since even without ANC enabled the headphones block external sound rather well and do not allow sound leakage which makes them good for everyday outdoor use (of course if you find it suitable). Also the earpads can be substituted and you can easily find spare ones in official internet-stores so you shouldn’t bother about their wearing down.
Controls
All control elements are situated on the right ear cup. On the bottom there are 3.5mm input for wired connection and USB-C for charging that can also be used with digital sources. Of course in the latter case the inner headphone DAC will be activated, so this variant is very good for those people who don’t have regular 3.5mm output in their smartphones. The playback time is closed to announced. In Bluetooth mode with ANC enabled the headphones work for approximately 15 hours, however, the certain number depends on volume level.
Slightly above there is a button for voice assistants. If you hold it for 5 seconds the headphones go to pairing mode. After this button we see traditional playback controls that regulate volume, track navigation, playback start/stop and ability to receive and answer calls. The headphones can pause the playback when you take them off and resume it when you put them back on, it’s very convenient.
After that we get a 3-position switch. The upper position turns ANC off, while the middle turns it on. The bottom position enables “surrounding sound” feature with which you can easily hear the outer sound without having to take the headphones off. Above the switch there is a LED but it turns on only when the headphones want to tell you something, so it stays off for most of times.
As for active ANC, it’s rather effective here. Of course, Bose and Sony are still the leaders in this segment, but not only Sennheiser have developed an effective ANC solution, but they constantly enhance and update it. Of course ANC is the best with a monotonous low-spectre sounds: talks in office, conditioner, turbine and motor roar — those are the typical scenarios where it really shines. Neighbour drills are blocked slightly worse but still ANC makes things better. Using app you can regulate the ANC level, so if your ears are uncomfortable with current level you can make the effect milder. The “transparent” mode is very convenient as well and you can also choose whether to pause the music upon activating it or just decrease volume.
As well as all modern headphones Momentum 3 has a companion app that allows to upgrade headphone firmware (its main function) and to change some parameters, such as equalizer and ANC level. Equalizer is rather unusual — instead of moving multiple sliders you just have to adjust only one point that chooses needed frequency range part and effect you want applied (increase or decrease). Of course it’s not as flexible as typical equalizer but it’s enough for most tasks and can be easier understood by beginners. Additionally you can turn auto-pause on or change the language for voice over messages or switch them off completely.
The microphone quality is good and you will be easily heard if you are in a calm place, however there might be some problems in noisy environment.
Momentum Wireless 3 hold the connection well, with 10 meters and walls being not a problem. If you have a lot of electromagnetic waves in-house, the sound may become intermittent, but in regular use there are no problems. AptX LL will be welcome for those who love movies and games on sources that support it. The latency is minimal, indeed.
Sound
I have used FiiO M11 Pro as a transport, Yulong DA10 as DAC/amp for wired connection.
As well as many similar models, Momentum 3 offer several variants of connection but we will speak mainly about Bluetooth connection, since it’s the main usage scenario.
The sound screams experience and shows that Sennheiser engineers can really tune their products. For M3 they have been able to provide detailed and non-dull presentation at the same time and satisfy general user and more demanding audience. I think that some DSP is used inside and it allows to achieve non-typical results for Bluetooth headphones.
The first achievement of this DSP are the lows. They go much deeper than aptX allows and it seems that Momentum 3 add the missing data and cope with the task very well — the bass is really striking. It also lacks usual bump for non-audiophile models which is unusual. Lows are almost linear, but due to their depth and springiness they sound weighty and slammy. Of course resolution and textures are not on par with wired models, but they are very good for Bluetooth. The lows sound lively and cope with natural and synthesized instruments very well.
The mids also stand out due to their presentation. They are not laid back, so you won’t hear a typical V-shape here. This makes the sound lively and universal. The resolution is limited due to wireless codec but the presentation masks it. Of course these are not technical isodynamic model with high micro-details level, but thye are still one of most technical and natural headphones in their segment. Apart from that engineers have provided an accent on macro-details that brings out emotions and the sound becomes even more involving. This can be a downside for those who love neutrality, but still Bluetooth is not the best choice for monitor listening. The soundstage is average in width and depth and it’s a really good result for closed wireless headphones.
The highs can boast above average length, but here DSP copes slightly worse due to obvious reasons. However, even slight enhancement in this range is better than nothing and the presentation of headphones gets additional realism and volume. The highs are rather balanced, they are not condensed and not laid back, but still they are slightly diminished in the 5kHz area since this very peak usually makes sound “metallic”. Of course you can’t expect great level of details, layering and overtones as in the best wired models, but in general the resolution and technicality are on good level.
If you connect headphones to USB-C the level of details and length of highs will be slightly increased.
Wired 3.5mm connection also enhances those things but you can also expect other presentation changes that depend on source more. M3 have high impedance according to specifications but it is compensated with high sensitivity and you shouldn’t have problems with source choice.
Comparisons
I sill assess the idea to get more wireless models for better comparisons but due to obvious reasons I have to postpone this solution, so I have only one model to mention here — FiiO EH3NC.
Of course if you take price/quality ratio into account, FiiO model will be the leader as it has twice lower price tag. Part of costs go to Sennheiser design, premium materials and effective ANC solution. FiiO has a benefit in LDAC that gives better resolution on lows and mids. Their only drawback are the laid back highs that make them sound more simple. However if we put the headphones in similar conditions and use aptX codec, M3 sound will be more involving and organic due to better work with frequency range edges and more accent on macro details.
Example tracks
Dua Lipa — Break My Heart For a girl who is born in Albanian immigrant family from Kosovo, the Dua Lipa career is a dream: leading position in charts, awards, glory and popularity… For us the track is interesting because of meaty bassline and good mastering (why is pop-music better mastered in 90% cases than rock?), and it allows Momentum to show their positive sides.
Kandace Springs, Norah Jones — Angel Eyes Let’s try something more complex than typical pop-music. Here we have a fresh album of young jazz star that brings joy not only with her vocals, but also with her piano play. This track is double enjoying since we have two stars here. Of course you will need something wired and more expensive to show full potential, but M3 still cope with it well with vocals and accompanying music sounding enjoyable and emotional, keeping peculiar track atmosphere.
Pearl Jam — Dance of Clairvoyants This track is taken from fresh rock legends album. I cannot say I’m a fan but I have to admit the material is good, commercial enough, rebel enough — the way it should be with rock group that thinks about sales. Momentum 3 Wireless does not have a single problem with this track. Neutral and massive bass does justice to rhythm-section and good resolution on mids and lower highs allows to trasmit all guitar nuances.
Conclusions
I want to avoid usual words, but I can’t since Sennheiser show who is who on the wireless market. Their model is not audiophile targeted — they have other solutions. However even for demanding user the headphones sound quite good. For mass market and users who want to upgrade their wireless experience, it’s 10 out of 10: design, functions, involving presentation — everything is here.
Translated by: Vadim Kolchev
