Sennheiser MOMENTUM review

The MOMENTUM headphones are Sennheiser’s premier entry in the market that caters to audiophiles on the move who demand more than just excellent sound. Sporting a stylish and trim look, how does the Momentum compare to what we’re used to from Sennheiser?

It’s worth pointing out that Sennheiser has long been a favorite of ours when it comes to providing top quality headphones, and it’s no wonder that they were the ones we talked to when we dove into of the technology behind some of their gaming audio a few years ago. At the same time though, we’ve also seen Sennheiser as top audio engineers and as not audio designers – and we mean that in the best way possible. Their strength has always been to provide a top notch auditory experience, with a design that is more functional than trendy. As we’ve come to expect great sound from Sennheiser, we focussed first and foremost on the design of the Momentum.

With a headband combining a thin layer of steel and a leather band, the momentum immediately looks different than what we’re used to from (the high end models within) Sennheiser’s HD range – even though the Momentum is still a premium product. The earcups are padded with soft leather cushions, making the headset look as well as feel lightweight. However, despite being designed for people on the go, the Momentum doesn’t allow you to fold it up for easy storage. Instead, the box comes with a rather bulky but strong carry case. Sennheiser also provides two different cables – with and without inline audio controls (which is only really a choice if you have an iOS device).

Taking a more in-depth look at some of the design choices that Sennheiser made with their Momentum, we noticed mixed experiences between our testers. While one pointed out high levels of comfort when wearing the momentum (even over long periods of time), another tester couldn’t help but feel like the earcups were too small for his ears and thus not nearly as comfortable as other headphones. Putting this to the test while writing up this review based on their findings, I have to agree that the earcups are on the small side for those with even just slightly larger than average ears. If you’re not in that group, the Momentum sits snugly around your ears and as such does a good job in isolating outside noise through some good passive noise cancellation.

Looking past our disappointment in terms of how high levels of comfort were not universally experienced, we turned towards the audio performance. Luckily, it came as no surprise that Sennheiser once again delivers on this front. Always keen to deliver a ‘pure’ sound, we were glad that Sennheiser did not opt for a deep and bass-heavy sound with their Momentum. This is what sets this set of headphones apart from other products battling for the same target demographic, and is a definite plus in our book. While a set of Beats headphones aren’t made for vocal or classical tracks, the Momentum deliver a full, almost spatial sound for a large variety of musical styles.

What we were left with is a set of mixed feelings. This is a great set of headphones, but not one we can recommend to everyone despite having a sound that supports almost every taste in music you can imagine. If you’re in doubt as to whether the Momentum will (literally) fit you, try before you buy. If it fits, you’re in for a treat.