Sennheiser Momentum 4 review: Sounding young at 80

All controls are on the right ear cup. There is a single physical button to switch on the headphone and pair it with your smartphone. You can slide your fingers on the surface of the ear cup to adjust volume, as well as to pause and play. You can also use gestures here to skip songs and even switch to transparency mode. Everything works well. The cups feel great on your ears and you can easily wear them for house, though I would have loved something a bit more luxurious to mark the special occasion, like the Alcantra on the first Momentum headphones. 

You can slide your fingers on the surface of the ear cup to adjust volume, as well as to pause and play. (Image Credit: Nandagopal Rajan/Indian Express)

The new Smart Control+ app gives you access to the equaliser and customise the sound exactly how you like it. Sennheiser now offers a wide range of customisation options, even with noise cancelling. This is unique and very effective. The app also lets you find the earphones in case you misplace them. I could also create sound zones where your customised settings come into play automatically. 

Despite all this tech built into the headphones, it is ultimately the audio quality that matters when it comes to experience. And with a Sennheiser Momentum, the standards are already so high. To start with, the noise cancellation was impressive, and it was not the type which feels like you are being sucked into a vacuum. You do feel the ceiling fan on when you don’t have any music on, but the drone of the blades becomes more of an ambient sound. The good thing here is that you can choose to go to max noise cancelling or somewhere in between, where you are more aware of your surroundings. It is not just two ends of the spectrum, but everything in between, too. 

Playing the latest Bollywood playlist on Apple Music, Arijit Singh’s Aur Mohabbat Kitni Karoon felt like it was being played in a studio setting. And when I switched on Bass Boost, it was not overpowering, but a mellow boom that is good on the ears like some fluffy soft pillows. The headphones have the perfect polarity, and all music feels like it is playing inside your head and not in your ears.

There is a splash of yellow across the ear cups and even on the band. (Image Credit: Nandagopal Rajan/Indian Express)

With something really complex like Björk’s Hunter, you realise the edge a high-end headphone gives you. It is almost like watching a movie, though with audio characters. If Hunter was exploring the lows, then Windowlicker is the other extreme, pushing the bass and the highs equally. But still no stress for the Momentum 4. I decided it was best to keep the bass boost off, not just because that is how I like it, but also because the base levels here were good enough. 

The Momentum 4 is exceptional for those like me who love vocal-heavy numbers, for instance, the Royals by Lorde. The headphones placed the lead vocals in the middle, the chorus and instruments around it. But this prowess comes to life when you are listening to podcasts, with the preset turned on. With multiple voices in podcasts like Today Explained, it is as if you are just part of a conversation, all so natural. 

The battery life is top of the line and can last 60 hours on a full charge. For most people, that will be a full week of use. Another advantage is that Sennheiser offers the best call clarity, especially when you have wind in the surroundings. 

At Rs 34,990, the Sennheiser Momentum 4 80th anniversary edition is a premium headphone, but one that covers all the bases when it comes to your audio needs. Buy this if you want the best audio playback and call quality. Just ensure the yellow matches your style. 

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