- Comfortable
- Big, replaceable battery
- Warm, mellow sound
- Controls are annoying
- Expensive
- ANC is good, but not the best
The Momentum 5 might look almost identical to the pricier Sennheiser HDB 630 ($999.95) yet, other than battery life, that’s about as far as the similarities go. And while these two headphones both excel in their own areas, the Momentum 5 will likely have wider appeal outside the hi-fi enthusiast community.
They’re cheaper, more comfortable, more portable, and (subjectively) easier on the eyes. Like the HDB 630, they have great battery life, but the Momentum 5's battery can be replaced by the user with just a small Phillips head screwdriver, potentially stretching its lifespan by years. The warmer sound profile might also appeal to more people, though this is one area where you need to take your music taste into account.
But the Momentum 5 aren't just up against their Sennheiser siblings and, at this price point, the competition is steep. The most popular contenders are the Sony WH-1000XM6 ($599.95) and Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2 ($528.95), both of which are cheaper thanks in part to recent price drops. But we should also compare against the JBL Tour One M3 (starting at $449.95), thanks to their great value in terms of audio and ANC.
Design, comfort, and portability
I criticised the HDB 630 for an all-plastic design that wasn't in suiting with its price tag. And that’s still a factor here. In the hand, the Momentum 5 don’t feel like $750, but they're still a marked improvement thanks to some subtle tweaks.
There’s a slightly different texture to the plastic that doesn’t scream “cheap” quite as immediately as the HDB 630. Sennheiser also removed a small channel around the outside of the cups, which better suits the minimalist aesthetic and reinforces the sharp contrast between the curved perimeter and inner plateau.
If our blue and grey model isn’t to your liking, there’s also a light grey (close to white) and, notably, the black version doesn’t have silver yokes as part of a misplaced attempt to affect a metallic design.
Comfort is another virtue. Once again, compared to the HDB 630, I don’t get pressure building up on the top of my head. The pads are also deep enough to house my ears, though they're unfortunately the same width Sennheiser’s been using for years, which does squish my ears inward a little – not enough to cause a problem, but it’s occasionally distracting.
They’re also pretty light, coming in just under 300g. This is the one major benefit of an all-plastic design and not only helps with comfort, but portability, which is a surprisingly strong suit.
Sennheiser’s premium headphones aren’t historically known for being easy to cart around. While the earcups can swivel in two directions, they don’t hinge inwards to lessen the overall footprint when in a case. To address this, Sennheiser opted to change its case design, rather than the headphones. And it worked pretty well.
The case is still as rigid as previous iterations, but is significantly thinner. On top of that, Sennheiser turned the dead space within the headband into a carry handle, which also further reduces the overall volume. This is a big improvement versus previous generations and a point in the Momentum 5's favour. Where the competition from Bose and Sony can scrunch into a smaller footprint, the Momentum 5's case has a slimmer profile, which I found easier to slot into a backpack or satchel.
Controls, battery, and ANC
I’m not a fan of Sennheiser’s go-to approach to headphone controls. There’s a single button that doubles as on/off and Bluetooth pairing, which by itself is a confounding decision given switches and toggles exist. Everything other command – and there are a lot – is handled via touch input on the right earcup. And you can’t customise any of it.
- Tap once = play/pause
- Tap twice = transparency
- Swipe front/back = Skip forward/back
- Swipe front/back and hold = fastforward/rewind
- Swipe up/down = volume
- Spread two fingers = increase transparency
- Pinch = decrease transparency
Thankfully, the control pad is a little less finicky than on previous models. It's not as prone to activating when you wear the headphones around your neck (though it's still a problem), and it feels a bit more responsive. But I'm holding out hope for a day when Sennheiser gives up its touchpad fixation and adds a few physical controls back into the mix.
The battery is outstanding. Sennheiser claims up to 57 hours of playtime versus the up to 30 hours of the Sony WH-1000XM6 and up to 30 hours of the Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2.
The HDB 630 offer a similar 50 to 60 hours, but the Momentum 5's battery is replaceable by the user. All you have to do is pull off the left ear pad and undo four mini Phillips head screws. This by itself can boost the life of your headphones by years, which in the long run could make up for the difference in RRP between the Momentum 5 and its competitors from Sony and Bose.
ANC is a big improvement over Sennheiser's previous headphones, for which it was one of the biggest weak points. Noise is dampened across most of the spectrum, though the focus is less on the lower frequencies. Even so, I'd rate performance as closer to "good" than "great". If top-tier ANC is a priority for you, the Sony WH-1000XM6, Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2, and JBL Tour One M3 are better options.
But if ANC is just one checkbox on your list, this is possibly the first time a Sennheiser product's ANC isn't an immediate deal breaker. If this keeps up, we might see the Momentum line become a bigger competitor in the mainstream wireless headphone space.
Audio
The Momentum 5’s audio is heavily tuned towards the bass end of the spectrum, but without creating the muddiness suffered by some other wireless headphones (particularly the WH-1000XM6).
While the bass is overall warm and smooth, it’s definitely looser than on other headphones. This isn’t strictly a bad thing, but combined with the bass-forward profile, it makes these headphones better suited to mellow music and all-round chill vibes.
They’re downright fantastic if you love the consuming sub-bass of dub and most of its sub-genres. For example, "Sunshine Dub" by Augustus Pablo makes you want to smile the afternoon away, and Space Echo's "Rainbow Power" is all but guaranteed to add a little bounce to your step.
But more energetic tracks lack some of the emotion you’d get from the HDB 630 and JBL Tour One M3, or even the Bose QC Ultra 2. Performance for this type of music isn't terrible, but it's not what you might call a core competency.
For example, the intro to "Swerve City" by Deftones fails to convey its usual angst, and the tight bass drum kicks in Opeth's "The Funeral Portrait" lack punch. And what gravitas the boosted bass adds to classic rock like AC/DC's "Thunderstruck" is undone by the overall looser experience.
Mids are a little overshadowed, but are still clear and can be resonant, particularly if you like jazz, blues, or the good old-fashioned singer-songwriter with their trusty acoustic guitar. Nina Simone's rendition of "Feeling Good" is still a delight, as is Melanie's "People in the Front Row". And I personally enjoy the darker feeling the Momentum 5 lend to jazz classics like "Take Five" by the Dave Brubeck Quartet.
Trebles and higher frequencies still manage to poke their way through the bass, thanks to being a bit boosted themselves. They lack a certain plink or bounce but aren’t washed out, as they can be with the WH-1000XM6.
Last, hi-fi enthusiasts should note the Momentum 5 don’t have the same full parametric EQ as the HDB 630. Instead, there’s an eight-channel graphic EQ. This is still more than you get from Sony and Bose (though Bose’s auto-tuning feature largely sidesteps this) and the average person won’t care about this in the slightest. But for those that do, it might be a crucial factor.
Sennheiser Momentum 5 - Final Thoughts
There's a lot to like about the Sennheiser Momentum 5. They're comfortable, attractive, easily portable, have viable ANC, and boast great battery life. And, while they cost at least $150 more than two of the main competitors, the user-replaceable battery could ultimately make them better value in the long run.
Audio is great for wireless headphones, but I'd downgrade that to good, depending on your preferences. If your go-to tunes are mellow, warm, or bassy, the Momentum 5 should have you covered.
For rock or, really, anything energetic, I’d instead recommend the JBL Tour One M3, HDB 630, or even Bose QC Ultra 2. (Those first two also have fantastic battery life.) The same goes for classical – though I’d cut the Bose out of your list for this. But to be clear, the Momentum 5 can still deliver in these areas, so don't let it be a dealbreaker if their other qualities have caught your eye.
The drawbacks aren't dire, but they're there. While ANC is good, it's still not the best on the market. There's also Sennheiser's stubborn adherence to its all-touch control scheme. And you might prefer your headphones to look and feel a little more high-end for that $749.95 asking price, but that's entirely up to you.
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Alex Angove-Plumb
Digital Content Editor
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