Although Sony and Bose are presently forward of the competitors on the subject of premium wi-fi headphones with lively noise cancellation, that hasn’t stopped different headphone producers from giving the section a shot. We’ve seen high-end choices from main manufacturers together with Jabra, Skullcandy, Bowers and Wilkins, and Apple in latest months. Now, German audio specialist Sennheiser has gotten into the sport, with its newest pair of headphones, the Momentum 3 Wireless.

Also often called the Sennheiser Momentum Wireless (2019), this pair of headphones is priced at Rs. 34,990 – across the identical as what the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 goes for, and a good bit greater than the asking value of the Sony WH-1000XM3. For this a lot cash although, Sennheiser gives its traditional Momentum sequence design, and guarantees good sound with lively noise cancellation. Does this headset stay as much as these guarantees? We discover out in our overview.

Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless design and specs

The Momentum sub-brand has been profitable for Sennheiser, representing its top-end consumer-grade merchandise on the subject of design and performance. While the Momentum sequence cannot be labeled as audiophile-grade equipment, these fashions have been standard with customers for his or her mixture of sound, design, and performance. The Momentum 3 Wireless is the third wi-fi over-ear headset within the sequence, and sticks to the vary’s traditional styling and design.

The most distinct design characteristic is the scarf, which attaches to the ear cups in a novel approach that lets them slide and transfer round nearly independently of the scarf itself. This helped us get a safe and comfy match, which was significantly vital on condition that lively noise cancellation will depend on it. However, the scale of the headset meant that we often needed to modify our eyeglasses to make sure the seal was maintained.

There is plush padding across the ear cups in addition to on the underside of the scarf, for consolation in addition to passive noise isolation, and the general aesthetic is an fascinating mixture of retro and fashionable. We did nevertheless really feel that the headphones seemed too massive on the top, and so they undoubtedly invited a number of consideration. This pair of headphones is considerably much less discreet than the Sony WH-1000XM3 and Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700.

The hinges are steel whereas the ear cups are plastic, however regardless of that, the Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless undoubtedly seems and appears like a premium and fashionable pair of headphones. The ear cups are related to one another by a cable that runs by the scarf, with small elements of it uncovered close to the ends.

There are bodily buttons on the best ear cup to regulate the quantity, management playback, and set off the voice assistant in your smartphone or pill – Google Assistant, Alexa, and Siri all labored for us. The USB Type-C port and a slider change are additionally on the best; the latter is used to manage the noise cancellation and clear modes.

The headset has a mechanism that lets each ear cups fold into the scarf. The left hinge additionally controls the ability; the headphones will change on when folded outwards and off when folded inwards, with no separate energy change. An indicator gentle on the best ear cup lets you already know the ability standing of the headphones, and in addition offers visible cues for pairing and charging features.

The Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless headphones even have an auto play-pause perform that pauses music when the headphones are taken off, and resumes playback when they’re put again on. This labored effectively for probably the most half, however the pause perform was sometimes triggered even when adjusting the headphones on our head or turning our head to 1 aspect. This could be disabled utilizing the companion app – extra on that a bit later.

When it involves specs, the Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless headphones are on par with different high-end choices on this value vary. The headphones have a frequency response vary of 6-22,000Hz, and use Bluetooth 5 for connectivity with assist for Bluetooth codecs as much as aptX Low Latency. Sennheiser claims that the headphones can run for about 17 hours with noise cancellation on, and we had been capable of match this determine throughout our testing. The headphones additionally assist quick charging, with a ten-minute cost claimed to supply 90 minutes of listening time.

Sennheiser has developed an app for the Momentum 3 Wireless headphones, referred to as Sennheiser Smart Control. The app – accessible for iOS and Android – would not do so much, however it does have just a few helpful options. These embody displaying the precise battery stage, letting you set the kind of noise cancellation (most, anti-wind, and anti-pressure), controlling the clear listening to mode and equaliser settings, updating the firmware, linking the headphones to the Alexa app for improved voice management, and turning on or off the sensible pause perform.

We did not want to make use of the app a lot past the preliminary setup of the headset, however it did come in useful after we wanted to examine the exact battery stage on Android. Most helpful features could possibly be managed on the headset itself.

Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless efficiency

At Rs 34,990, the Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless is the among the many most costly pairs of headphones within the section, priced at a good bit greater than choices from Sony, Bose, Jabra, and Skullcandy. While the model and styling may assist justify the value to some extent, the vital factor right here is efficiency. Sennheiser does supply a very good general expertise, however we aren’t satisfied that this makes the headphones price such a premium.

We used the headphones with a OnePlus 7T Pro (Review) for many of this overview, with the aptX Bluetooth codec. For sources, we used Spotify, YouTube Music, our assortment of high-resolution audio tracks, and Amazon Prime Video. We additionally examined the lively noise cancellation in a wide range of environments.

Regardless of whether or not we listened to streaming music or high-resolution tracks, the Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless sounded wealthy and detailed with just about each type of style we tried. The measurement of the ear cups and the final match provides the headphones an ethereal really feel, however the soundstage wasn’t fairly as large and all-encompassing as we have skilled with different headphones on this value vary.

The interaction between the left and proper channels was spectacular although, and the headphones had been additionally very detailed and revealing; this was significantly noticeable in a high-resolution model of 9,000 Miles by Pendulum. This wealthy monitor with a full of life mixture of varied devices and digital parts sounded significantly clear and spectacular with the Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless headphones.

The sonic signature is in contrast to what we’re used to with most consumer-centric headphones, however it’s additionally typical of the Sennheiser philosophy, and we have heard this sonic character from different Momentum-branded merchandise such because the Momentum True Wireless earphones as effectively. We expectedly heard a lift within the low finish, with a slight drop within the mid-range and considerably flat highs. This suited most tracks we listened to, including a little bit of punch and drive to the sound.

Listening to the bass-heavy Traffic by Thom Yorke, the digital lows and the bass hits of the beat performed collectively effectively, giving the monitor a definite rumbling character that mixed effectively with the detailed nature of the headphones. Moving on to the way more full of life Closer by Lemaitre, we favored the laid again nature of the highs and mid-range, whereas preserving issues energetic and aggressive within the dubstep-inspired bass drop.

Noise cancellation on the Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless was spectacular in most environments. It was significantly efficient on flights, nearly solely shutting out the roar of the engines, and was equally helpful for lowering background sound in workplace and outside environments.

However, we felt that the silence was not fairly as stark and vacuum-like as it may be with the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700; it nearly bought there, however the Bose headphones do a barely higher job. We additionally observed a number of sound leakage at excessive volumes, which was a bit bothersome for individuals round us. Call high quality with the Sennheiser headphones was acceptable, however once more not fairly as much as the requirements set by the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700.

Verdict

Bose and Sony’s dominance over the high-end wi-fi noise cancelling headphones section is one thing we have began to take as a right, however it’s good to see different headphone makers providing a problem. The Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless headphones are the closest competitor we have seen this yr, and we really feel that this pair of headphones must be thought-about alongside the 2 present champions of the area. We fairly favored the Momentum 3 Wireless, largely for its design, consolation, and sound high quality.

While lively noise cancellation is nice, it did not fairly match as much as the profitable efficiency of the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700. Battery life, whereas acceptable, wasn’t as much as the extent we have seen with the Sony WH-1000XM3. However, in all different respects, the Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless matches as much as the competitors, significantly on the subject of the punchy, detailed, and fascinating sound.

Perhaps the largest weak spot of this pair of headphones is the value tag. At Rs. 34,990, the Momentum 3 Wireless is similar value because the Bose choice, and way more costly than the Sony WH-1000XM3 (though we do anticipate to see the WH-1000XM4 launched at across the identical value quickly). Sennheiser undoubtedly has the status and legacy to again its premium pricing technique, however a decrease value would have helped on this specific case.

That stated, in the event you do desire a very handsome, well-built, feature-filled pair of premium wi-fi noise cancelling headphones that sound superb, the Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless is certainly price an audition, and completely price contemplating alongside the present leaders within the section.

Price: Rs. 34,990

Pros

• Excellent design and luxury
• Convenient, easy-to-use controls
• Decent noise cancellation
• Detailed, participating sound
• Punchy lows, aggressive bass
• aptX Bluetooth codec

Cons

• Expensive
• Average battery life
• Below-average soundstage

Ratings (out of 5)

• Design/ consolation: 4.5
• Audio high quality: 4
• Battery life: 3.5
• Value for cash: 3.5
• Overall: 4

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