Embracing aptX Lossless, the Sennheiser Momentum 5 headphones take things to the next level.
The Momentum 4 were Sennheiser’s flagship over-ear noise-cancelling headphones since 2022, but the audio giant shook things up last year when it unleashed the $999 Sennheiser HDB 630 aimed squarely at well-heeled audiophiles.
That leaves this year’s new $750 Sennheiser Momentum 5 headphones in an awkward position, being $170 more expensive than their predecessors yet still not the best that Sennheiser has to offer those with deep pockets and an ear for quality.
The flagship Sennheiser HDB 630 is battling it out with the likes of the Sony WH-1000XM6, Apple AirPods Max 2 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra. Yet, the Momentum 5 actually gains a few new features not included in the HDB 630 – so which Sennheiser headphones deserve top billing comes down to where your priorities lie.
Table of contents
- First impressions
- Specifications and price
- Features
- Quality
- Who are the Sennheiser Momentum 5 headphones for?
First impressions
The Sennheiser Momentum 5 headphones come in a surprisingly thin carry case, not just because the cans fold flat but also because they’re a bit thinner than what you might expect from high-quality over-ear headphones.
The headphone’s slender design helps keep the weight down to 290 g, which admittedly is still a little heavy compared to its competitors. Even so, a slightly off-centre padded headband and a clamping force that isn’t too oppressive ensure that the Momentum 5 headphones are comfortable to wear for extended periods, even when wearing glasses. They get a little warm on the ears after a while, but certainly not as bad as some over-ear headphones.
The slender design is impressive considering that Sennheiser has doubled the number of microphones to four per can. It’s an even more impressive feat considering there is now a user-replaceable 700 mAh battery to help extend their lifespan. User-replaceable batteries have become rare in the push to make thinner gadgets, because the trade-off is usually a thicker device.
On the outside, the Momentum 5 sticks with Sennheiser’s typically understated aesthetics, with a matte plastic on the back of the cans and braided cloth on the exterior of the headband.
There’s a subtle power button on the bottom of the right can, alongside the USB-C and 2.5 mm audio ports. You miss out on a dedicated button for summoning your phone’s smart assistant.
You’ll also find touch controls on the back of the right can, including a handy double-tap passthrough that disables noise-cancelling and lets in the outside world when you need to talk to someone. There’s no conversation mode to automatically engage transparency mode when talking, but they do automatically pause your audio when you take them off.
Inside the carry case, you’ll find much-appreciated straps to hold the supplied USB-C and 2.5-to-3.5 mm audio cables, plus a pouch for extra accessories you might invest in. Unfortunately, Sennheiser doesn’t include a dual-pronged airline adaptor for jetsetters.
Sennheiser Momentum 5 specifications and price
| Drivers | 42 mm |
| Response frequency | USB & Bluetooth: 6 Hz to 40 kHz Analog Line-In: 6 Hz to 22 kHz |
| Sensitivity | 108 dB SPL (1 kHz / 0 dB FS) |
| Impedence | Active 520 ohms |
| Noise cancellation | Hybrid Adaptive ANC |
| Microphones | Four per can (beamforming for noise reduction) |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.4 USB-C 2.5 mm jack |
| Profiles | A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP, GATT |
| Codecs | SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless |
| Charging | USB-C 2 hrs for full charge, 10 min charging for up to 7 hrs playtime |
| Battery | 700 mAh, up to 57 hours with ANC |
| Ruggedness | No IP rating |
| Dimensions | 180 x 197 x 47 mm (folded flat) |
| Weight | 290 g |
| Colours | Black, White, Denim |
| Price (RRP) | $749 |
| Warranty | One year |
| Official website | Sennheiser Australia |
Features
The Sennheiser Momentum 5 headphones are designed for hi-res lossless wireless listening, breaking new ground even compared to Sennheiser’s top-shelf HDB 630.
For starters, the Momentum 5 are Bluetooth 5.4 wireless headphones with multi-point support for fast switching between two devices. It’s a step up from Bluetooth 5.2 on the Momentum 4 and HDB 630. Sennheiser says the Momentum 5 will be upgraded to Bluetooth 6.0 in a future firmware update.
The Momentum 5 (and 4) is also compatible with Sennheiser’s $80 BTD 700 Bluetooth USB dongle, which is thrown in for free with the HDB 630.
When it comes to sound quality, the Momentum 5 naturally supports the SBC and Apple-friendly AAC codecs, plus Qualcomm’s aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive and aptX Lossless. The standout is aptX Lossless (CD quality 16-bit, 44.1kHz), which is still only supported by a handful of Android handsets. All of this gives the headphones Qualcomm’s “Snapdragon Sound” seal of approval, but in return, you miss out on Sony’s rival LDAC hi-res codec.
Again, aptX Lossless puts the Momentum 5 at the front of the pack. It’s missing on the HDB 630, while the old Momentum 4 lacks both aptX Lossless and aptX HD.
Of course, you also need devices and content that can make the most of aptX Lossless. These days, most streaming music services offer lossless audio, at least on their premium plans, but you might need to dip into the advanced settings to enable it.
The Momentum 5 also lets you make a wired USB connection to desktop and mobile devices using the supplied USB-C cable. This wired connection handles 24-bit/96kHz audio for those who appreciate the finer things, but won’t stretch to 192kHz.
Finally, you’ve got that old-school 2.5 mm audio port, with a supplied 2.5mm-to-3.5mm cable so you can plug into devices with a headphone jack. Similar to most wireless headphones these days, they need to be powered up even when listening via the audio jack, so you can’t fall back on the cable when you run out of juice.
When it comes to immersive audio, the Momentum 5 are Sennheiser’s first to support Dolby Atmos and Spatial Audio with headtracking. Plus, they add a low lag mode for gaming.
To help block outside distractions, you’ve got hybrid active noise cancellation with easy access to transparency mode when you need to hear the outside world.
To tailor the sound, you can download the Sennheiser Smart Control Plus App, which makes it easy to customise things using the eight-band equaliser with preset sound modes. It’s set to neutral with bass boost disabled by default.
There’s also a new Sound Personalisation feature, plus you can adjust the noise cancelling or select adaptive. The app also lets you automatically switch presets depending on your location, which is handy when moving from the office to the gym.
The icing on the cake is the impressive 57 hours of playback, even with ANC enabled. If you don’t need that much juice at your disposal, you can limit recharges to 80 per cent to help extend the life of the battery.
Quality
To give the Sennheiser Momentum 5 a chance to shine, I tested them with the Motorola Edge 50, which supports aptX Lossless – taking advantage of hi-res audio on Tidal and disabling normalise volume in order to squeeze out the best sound quality.
If your handset doesn’t support aptX Lossless, it will fall back on the best version of aptX available, such as aptX Adaptive, otherwise it will opt for AAC. Even on a supported device like the Edge 50, getting aptX Lossless to work isn’t easy.
I tried installing all the latest updates, disabling Dolby Atmos in Tidal and messing around with the handset’s Bluetooth developer settings. In the end, I needed to downgrade Tidal’s Wi-Fi streaming quality from Max (24-bit/192 kHz) to High (16-bit, 44.1 kHz) before it would switch from aptX Adaptive to aptX Lossless.
Either way, the connection was understandably scaling down 24-bit audio to run over Bluetooth. The problem was that it seems to favour aptX Adaptive 48 kHz for music sources higher than 44.1 kHz. Dropping the quality to 16-bit, 44.1 kHz saw aptX Lossless kick in, which should be an improvement considering aptX Adaptive is still lossy.
Even then, things were temperamental, but I’ll admit that I struggled to hear the difference. The step up from AAC is clear but, when taking high-quality audio from Tidal, both aptX Adaptive and aptX Lossless add subtle depth and emotion to a wide soundstage – making its presence felt on tracks like David Bowie’s Space Oddity.
With a warm but balanced sound, the Sennheiser Momentum 5 headphones bring to life audiophile favourites like Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue and Norah Jones’ Come Away With Me. The default preset isn’t as bass-heavy as some headphones, but juicy bass lines still sound sweet in tracks like Macy Gray’s Why Didn’t You Call Me.
When it comes to active noise cancellation, the results are acceptable but far from best in class. Whether dealing with droning sounds and background chatter, they’re outgunned by my trusty 10-year-old Sony MDR-1000X over-ear headphones, which have served me well on countless international flights, as well as my AirPods Pro 2 earbuds.
However, the Momentum 5’s transparency mode is impressive, offering natural sound that doesn’t sound amplified or distorted.
Who are the Sennheiser Momentum 5 headphones for?
The $749 Sennheiser Momentum 5 may not be Sennheiser’s flagship over-ear headphones, but they can hold their head high even alongside the $999 Sennheiser HDB 630.
If you’d make the most of aptX Lossless and appreciate the option to replace the battery down the track, the Momentum 5 is certainly an attractive alternative. The sound quality is very impressive, although the active noise cancellation is a bit underwhelming – if that’s your highest priority, then make sure you weigh up the alternatives.
Of course, there’s some tough competition out there. If your smartphone is on Team LDAC rather than Team aptX, the similarly priced Sony WH-1000XM6 won’t disappoint.
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