Sennheiser Momentum 5 review: warm sound, solid but not top-tier noise cancelling
Wired reviewed Sennheiser's new Momentum 5 wireless headphones, praising their sound quality while noting the noise cancelling falls slightly short of rivals like Sony and Bose. The headphones cost $399.
Wired has published a review of Sennheiser's new Momentum 5 wireless headphones, priced at $399.
Controls and features
The headphones are managed through the Sennheiser Smart Control Plus app, which allows users to adjust active noise cancellation (ANC) levels, transparency mode, an eight-band equalizer, connection preferences, and Dolby Atmos settings. The app also lets users save location-based sound profiles, such as automatically maximizing ANC upon arriving at the office. Physical controls are handled via touch controls on the right ear cup: a tap pauses music, swipes adjust volume and skip tracks, and a double tap switches between ANC and transparency modes.
Noise cancellation and sound quality
Active noise cancellation is powered by eight microphones and performs well, described as verging on great — effective on public transport, in cafés, and in shared offices. However, the reviewer notes that users switching from Sony or Bose headphones may find the noise cancelling slightly less immersive than models like the Sony WH-1000XM6 or Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen), though the difference is described as small. Call quality was also rated positively, aided by wind-reducing microphones.
The headphones were tested across multiple sources, including Spotify's lowest and highest streaming resolutions, Qobuz hi-resolution recordings, and a personal digital music library. In every case, the review found the sound smooth and expressive, though not strictly "high-fidelity," since the extreme details of recordings aren't fully exposed. The overall sound profile is described as warm and relaxed rather than neutral, making a wide range of music genres enjoyable to listen to.
