Sennheiser Momentum 5 wireless review: New headphones and earbuds deliver great audiophile sound

Summary

Sennheiser's new Momentum 5 series of wireless headphones and earbuds deliver excellent audiophile sound, along with great battery life and user-replacable batteries to boot

Sennheiser almost always delivers excellent personal audio products, but I've often felt the brand is a little underappreciated. Its sound-first philosophy appeals to audio purists, but in a market crowded with high-end alternatives jostling for consumer attention, great sound alone doesn't always make you stand out.

Will this change with the new Momentum 5 series? There are two types of products to choose from in this lineup: the Momentum 5 Wireless headphones ( ₹39,990), and the Momentum True Wireless 5 earbuds ( ₹29,990). On paper, both promise the familiar Sennheiser cocktail of refined sound, capable noise cancellation and premium features. The ace up both their sleeves? User-replaceable batteries.

Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless

The Momentum 5 Wireless is the more serious-looking proposition of the two. However, Sennheiser has resisted the temptation to make a pair of premium headphones look like they belong in a recording studio, evidenced by the stylish attractive fabric exterior on the 'Denim' blue unit I tested.

The build is still mainly plastic, with metallic accents around the generously padded earcups and a comfortable headband. These make long listening sessions on the 290g headphones rather easy, especially with no perceptible clamping fatigue. Bear in mind, they swivel horizontally, but don't fold up entirely unlike some of their peers.

The large, flat earcups provide plenty of room for touch controls for volume and track skipping, all customisable (along with active noise cancellation and an eight-band equaliser) through the Smart Control Plus app. These are versatile headphones with Bluetooth 5.4 with multipoint, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive and aptX Lossless support. There is plenty of headroom for high-quality wireless listening, plus Dolby Atmos for spatial audio support.

The real party trick is the 42mm dynamic drivers, inspired by the company's audiophile-oriented HD 600 family. The result is a sound that leans towards rich, smooth and detailed. Vocals have plenty of presence, the midrange brings out the character of instruments beautifully, and there's enough low-end weight to give electronic tracks and movie soundtracks a satisfying heft. Bass is deliberately generous, though, and the presentation is more relaxed than punchy. Going wired over 3.5mm or USB-C adds further fullness and depth, bringing the midrange into sharper focus. Overall, these cans strike a satisfying balance between fun and refinement.

Noise cancellation takes a noticeable leap forward, with the new headphones using twice as many microphones to better cancel out external noise. In practice, the headphones do well to take the edge of aircraft engines, the hum of public transport, air-conditioning and general office chatter, but they're just a step short of the eerie silence delivered by some rivals. The call quality is impressive, with beamforming microphones doing a good job of keeping your voice clear and natural, even in noisy environments.

Just as impressive is the battery life at 57 hours with active noise cancellation. This renders any battery anxiety almost irrelevant even on the longest of trans-Atlantic flights. Even when the headphones run dry, a quick ten-minute charge can deliver about seven hours of playback. The battery itself is replaceable, rather than turning the headphones into expensive e-waste once the cell eventually packs up.

Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 5

Sennheiser has squeezed much of the same Momentum formula into the Momentum True Wireless 5 earbuds. They're compact, well finished (in one of five colourways), and rated IP54 for dust and splash resistance, making them considerably better suited to everyday abuse than their larger sibling. The buds' shape has been tweaked, from the bulkier squared-off design of the predecessor to a rounder, more bean-like shape, resulting in more comfortable long-term use. The case is taller and slimmer and supports both USB-C and wireless charging.

Also new is support for spatial audio with Dolby Atmos support, aptX Adaptive/Lossless codec support, and Bluetooth 6.0 with Multipoint for more efficient, low-latency transmission to multiple connected devices. All of these can be accessed or toggled via the same companion app, alongside the usual changes to the buds' sonic tuning, or dialling up/down the ANC levels.

Speaking of ANC, the eight sensors (including two bone conduction voice sensors) coupled with the in-ear noise isolation do a convincing job of pushing the outside world into the background, particularly during calls on busy commutes, with only the shrillest sounds and the occasional low frequencies penetrating through the seal. The noise cancelling is powerful, if not the stuff of legend, and should be your pick if you prefer a more natural ANC experience over that all-encompassing vacuum effect.

The sound is unmistakably Sennheiser, with the brand's signature 7mm TrueResponse dynamic drivers delivering a detailed, full-bodied presentation with enough bass to keep contemporary tracks entertaining without turning everything into a low-frequency rumble. The clean and unblemished sound reveals plenty of hitherto-undiscovered detail in familiar recordings, and the eight-band EQ in the Smart Control Plus app gives you considerably more control than simply choosing between generic presets. It's the same deft balance achieved by its over-the-ear sibling, and a strong reason to consider these buds over the more mainstream alternatives.

Battery life is respectable, given the physical limitations of earbuds, and you get up to six hours with ANC on, or up to 12 hours with ANC off, with the case taking total playback to as much as 40 hours (25 with ANC). The focus on sustainability remains with user-replaceable batteries -- a small but important touch, given how many otherwise perfectly good true wireless earbuds end up in the bin once their tiny batteries give up the ghost.

Verdict

All said, the Momentum 5 pair impress with their sound quality, feature set and user-replaceable batteries. Choose the buds for convenience and excellent everyday listening, or the headphones if you value longer battery life and the more enveloping, immersive experience. Neither feels like a compromise version of the other, but just two different routes to great sound.

Tushar Kanwar is a tech columnist and commentator, and tweets @2shar.