Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless

Back Story: So, it’s here, the Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless Headphones! I was looking forward to buying and reviewing this wireless set of headphones, after experiencing the Sennheiser HDB 630. They have been my morning daily driver for the past few weeks and I haven’t been disappointed. Not that I can say that for the earbud version of the Momentum 5, which is the subject of my last review, here on Product Review.

I was hoping the Momentum 5 was going to be a wireless version of the Sennheiser HD 650 wired headphones and I was not far wrong.

JB Hi-Fi Ringwood Strikes Again:

As promised, I again thank Alina at JB Hi-Fi Ringwood Eastland store for a great deal on the Momentum 5, which I got with the earbud version.

Unboxing:

The Momentum 5 came well packaged in a relatively slimline box, which has a nice picture and is made of slim but rather stiff cardboard.

Inside the box, you will find the Momentum 5 inside their dark grey material case, with a welcome card sitting on top.

Once you take the case out of the box, you find the welcome documents pack underneath, neatly inserted in a false base.

The case:

Compared to the HDB 630 case, the Momentum 5 case is the same shape but half as thick. It also has a well thought out hand grip indentation in the rear of the case, making it easy to pick the case up.

Opening the Case:

Opening the case is a bit of an event with items on both the top and bottom of the case.

On the lid you have the USB C cable neatly wound and inserted in its own elasticated band. Below that you have a webbed pocket that houses the quick start guide.

On the base you have the headphones and the analog audio Cable: A 3.5mm to 2.5mm jack audio cable for wired listening or connecting to in-flight entertainment systems.

Taking the Momentum 5 Out of the case:

The Momentum 5 is not a foldable set of headphones, like their big brother, the HDB 630 and taking the Momentum 5 out of the case reveals a nice-looking set. I have the black version. There are the same metal machined logos at the end of each side of the headband, near each ear cup.

There are also shiny silver metal accents, with the ‘MOMENTUM 5’ name on the bottom-front of the left ear cup and the ‘SENNHEISER’ name on the bottom-front of the right ear cup, each next to a microphone.

There are silver-coloured accented microphones on the rear and top of each ear cup.

Each ear cup is clearly marked ‘L’ and ‘R’.

The Materials Feel Nice:

The Momentum 5 are built primarily from lightweight, high-quality synthetic materials and the look is refined and minimalist.

Material Breakdown

• Earcups & Frame: Constructed from high-quality ABS plastic with a matte finish and subtle metal accents. This keeps the headphones lightweight at approximately 290 grams.

• Headband Top: Clad in a premium, textured fabric-woven material.

• Headband Cushion: The underside utilizes a soft silicone layer to reduce top-of-head pressure.

• Earpads: Made from plush memory foam wrapped in soft synthetic leather (pleather) for a comfortable, isolating seal around the ears.

The Ear Cup Pads:

The ear cup pads are lovely to touch and feel amazing when you put the headphones on. The only thing, like with the HDB 630, is that I had to stretch them out a bit, as the inner part of the pad is a bit tight against my ears. Once they have stretched a bit they fit perfectly and give a much better seal for passive and ANC noise reduction but also keeps the sound in the ear cups better.

Textured Fabric Woven Material:

I am in two minds regarding the textured material on the top of the headband and the outside of the case. It is nice but over time will get bally/furry, stain and discolour but for now, it feels quite luxurious.

Setting Up via the Sennheiser App:

As with the HDB 630, setting up the Momentum 5 was easy via the dedicated Sennheiser app.

I checked out the stock tuning and then set my own EQ via the 8-band EQ.

Controls on the Momentum 5:

The Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 Wireless headphones utilise a combination of a capacitive touch pad on the right ear cup for fluid, gesture-based actions and a multi-function physical button for fundamental power and pairing tasks.

Touch Pad Gestures (Right Ear Cup)

The flat outer surface of the right ear cup registers multi-directional swipes and multi-finger pinches:

• Media Playback:

o Play / Pause: Tap once.

o Next Track: Swipe forward.

o Previous Track: Swipe backward.

o Fast-Forward / Rewind: Swipe forward or backward and hold.

• Volume Adjustment:

o Volume Up: Swipe up.

o Volume Down: Swipe down.

• Noise Control (ANC & Transparency):

o Toggle ANC / Transparency Mode: Double-tap.

o Adjust Transparency Levels: Pinch your fingers together to decrease ambient sound, or spread them apart to let more of the environment in.

My experience with the right ear cup control touch pad has been simply great. I really enjoy using the controls and they never jump too loud or too soft in the volume and always move one track forward and back when swiped. It is a well-refined touch pad. • Call Management:

o Accept / End Call: Swipe forward to accept or tap once to handle call states. Swipe backward to end an active call.

o Reject Call: Press and hold.

Physical Multi-Function Button

A physical button handles utility operations:

• Power On / Off: Press and hold for 3 seconds.

• Bluetooth Pairing: Press and hold for 5 seconds from a powered state.

• Voice Assistant: Tap once while connected to activate your smartphone's default assistant.

Smart Automation & Companion App

• Smart Pause: Built-in optical sensors detect when you take the headphones off your ears to automatically freeze playback, immediately resuming when you put them back on.

• Customisation: Through the Sennheiser Smart Control Plus App, you can remap specific gestures, tweak the intensity of the touch sensitivity, or disable touch inputs entirely to avoid accidental adjustments.

A Breakdown of What the Momentum 5 Sound Like:

The Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 Wireless headphones deliver a warm, rich, and highly musical sound signature. Instead of a strictly flat studio reference tuning, they are engineered for long, fatigue-free consumer listening with an emphasized low-end and clear vocals.

The sound profile breaks down across frequencies as follows:

The Low-End (Bass)

• Sub-Bass Shelf: The sub-bass is deeply extended and heavily elevated (featuring a distinct shelf). This creates a fun, physical rumble that gives electronic tracks, modern pop, and movies a massive sense of scale.

• Mid-Bass Character: The mid-bass provides a thick, warm punch. While this gives acoustic instruments a satisfying body, audio purists note that it can occasionally cross into being slightly "boomy" or bleeding marginally into the lower mids.

The Mid-Range (Vocals & Instruments)

• Warm and Fulfilling: The lower mid-range inherits the low-end warmth, making male vocals, acoustic guitars, and cellos sound rich and dense.

• Upper-Mids Attack: There is a slight push forward in the upper mid-range (around 2–3 kHz). This helps female vocals and lead instruments cut through the thick bass, ensuring they remain prominent rather than buried.

The High-End (Treble)

• Smooth and Relaxed: The treble response is safe, smooth, and deliberately rolled back to avoid sharpness.

• Zero Fatigue: This dark, consumer-friendly treble means you can listen for hours at higher volumes without suffering from the ear-piercing fatigue caused by cymbals or sharp "S" sounds. However, it does trade away some micro-detail and "sparkle".

Technical Presentation

• Soundstage: Because of the closed-back design and active digital processing, the soundstage feels intimate and well-contained rather than massive or wide open.

• Instrument Separation: Despite the heavy bass, the 42mm dynamic drivers do a commendable job of separating complex rock or classical tracks without allowing the audio to turn into a muddy sludge.

• Codec & Source Impact: If you pair them with a Snapdragon Sound device using aptX Lossless, or listen wired via USB-C, the texture and overall audio resolution noticeably tighten up compared to listening via standard Bluetooth on an iPhone (AAC).

Customisation Tool

If the stock sound is too bass-heavy or dark for your taste, the companion app features a custom 8-band graphic EQ. This gives you the flexibility to easily dial down the bass shelf or push up the treble sliders to achieve a sharper, more analytical balance.

The Big Selling Point: User-Replaceable Battery:

One of the most praised design choices for the Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless is its user-replaceable battery. This sets it apart from major flagships like Sony, Bose, or Apple, whose sealed batteries effectively make the headphones disposable once the cell degrades.

Key Battery Specs & Longevity

• Capacity & Lifespan: The headphones use a 700 mAh rechargeable battery (Official part: Sennheiser BA 500).

• Run Time: It delivers up to 57 hours of playback with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) turned on.

• No Adhesive: Unlike many modern electronics, Sennheiser designed this model without heavy glue inside the ear cup, ensuring a clean and eco-friendly swap.

How the Replacement Works

You do not need to send the headphones to a specialized repair centre. The replacement process is intentionally user-friendly and takes just a few minutes:

1. Location: The battery is housed inside the left ear cup.

2. Access: You pull off the magnetic/snap-on ear pad with a firm tug.

3. Unscrew: Use a standard Phillips PH0 screwdriver to remove four small screws holding down the driver baffle.

4. Swap: Gently lift the baffle assembly, unplug the old battery connector, slide the old cell out, and plug the new BA 500 battery in.

Daily Use:

Putting the Momentum 5 in and out of the case for daily use is simply great. The case unzips easily and the headphones lift out easily. You then turn them on via the ear cup button, extend each ear cup arm from the headband and put them on.

I find I don’t need to adjust them at all once on. They make a great seal every time. All is left; is to hit play of your music source.

Call tests:

I recorded the following via calling myself on my own phone.

• In Office: Excellent. Very black background. Voice very clear. • Fan-Wind: Voice sound relatively clear. Can hear a bit of wind noise by way of a low hiss sound. • Walking into a head wind: Can hear the wind move around the outer shell of the ear cups but not loud. • Plane sound via PC (YouTube): Voice is relatively clear, slightly weaker than the office test with a slightly garbled trailing edge of the voice. • Restaurant sound via PC (YouTube): Can hear a slight garbled hiss background sound when the person speaks but is completely silent between words. • Road Traffic Noise: Voice is lower and quite garbled. Road noise is a low hiss. The sound is silent between speech.

Train travel:

I’ve been using the Momentum 5 on the train for the past few weeks and have grown to like them. They don’t have Bose or Sony standard ANC, but they are quite close and for some reason, have a got a little better as time has gone on. I think this may be due to the ear pads settling around my ears better.

The musicality of these headphones comes through during train travel and with a combination of good ear seal and passive noise cancellation, ANC and a very nice sound signature, they are very pleasurable to travel with.

Weight-wise:

Part of the overall comfort of the Momentum 5 is its well-balanced weight. They sit in the lighter end of my headphones:

• Sennheiser Momentum 5: 290 grams • Sennheiser HDB 630: 311 grams • Bose QC Ultra 2: 263-265 grams • Soundpeats Cove Pro: 250 grams

Thoughts:

There is a lot to like about the Sennheiser Momentum 5.

They are a nice, solid allrounder of a wireless headphone that you can take and do all the things you need to do, wired or wirelessly.

They do well playing all genres and if you find them a little too much in the bass or the highs, you can EQ them to taste.

The sound signature is what I expected, and I would put these headphones down as a classic Sennheiser.

Last Word:

For the average price point of RRP $749.00 AUD, you get a decent set of headphones. However, I think a better deal for 100-200 dollars would sit these headphones as a great buy, with Amazon currently selling them at $674.00 AUD.

These could be a nice daily driver set of headphones, for home, work and travel.

The software app is very good and very usable, from initial setup to EQ-ing.

If I were to score the Sennheiser Momentum 5 out of 100, I would give it 90.

These are not audiophile headphones; they are just good and solid at most of what they do and nice to use and handle doing it.

There is no ‘Wow’ factor here but an appreciation of a set of modern wireless headphones that can pretty much do it all and in a bit of comfort and style.

This has been another Ant review.

I hope you have enjoyed reading it, as much as I have had in compiling it.