After years of using el-cheapo headphones, I've come to the realization that a good pair of headphones with excellent noise-cancellation can turn a grueling 10-hour journey into an acceptable, and at times, almost enjoyable experience. Needless to say, a session of chilling in a more comfortable location is also enhanced greatly by listening to music on quality equipment. This brings me to the premium Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless over-ear headphones that ooze style and that are also very easy on the ears. Packing USB-C charging, support for Google Assistant or Apple's Siri, and Tile integration, it would be fair to say that the Momentum 3 headphones are rich in features. But…
They aren't quite perfect, as no device ever truly is. Thanks to the $399/£349 price tag (RRP), expectations are high and tolerance for quirks is low, so join us after the break to for our review of the Momentum 3 headphones from Sennheiser.
Design
At the very first glance, you can appreciate the industrial design of the Momentum 3 headphones from the stainless steel sliders to the sheepskin leather earpads. You can't help but appreciate the elegant style of the well-balanced Sennheisers and its big oval-shaped earcups are soft and comfortable to wear for hours. They aren't the smallest headphones around, but the size and build quality are reassuring.
The only thing about the design that irks me is the stretch of cable between the earcups and the headpiece that makes me worry about damaging them by entangling them on something. Without the cables, the headphones would have had a much cleaner design although that would likely have involved tweaking the overall aesthetic.
The earpieces fold in towards themselves so as to minimize the space they take up and you can store them in the travel case that comes in the box with them. At this price point, I would have perhaps expected the travel case to be made of leather rather than the soft cloth material, although it does protect the headphones just fine.
The right-hand cup houses the 3.5mm audio jack with the USB-C charging port just above. Next are the controls, the first of which is a button that summons your chosen virtual assistant when pressed and also responsible for pairing with your phone when long-pressed. Following them are the volume buttons and play/pause control, with the noise cancelation toggle just above but below the LED that tells you when the headphones are on and connected.
Battery
Sennheiser claims a battery life of around 17 hours for the Momentum 3 wireless headphones, which in itself is much less than the 30 hours claimed by Sony's impressive WH-1000MX3 headphones. In my experience, I was probably getting anywhere between 12-15 hours of use, partly because of my chosen level of ANC and also because the headphones would switch on and connect to the previously paired device accidentally. How? Well, because there is no actual power button on the Momentum 3, the headphones switch off when you close them up. Unfortunately, they also switch on when they open up by a short distance which means you lose some battery life if you aren't diligent. You also need to remember to close in the right earcup first to minimize the chances of it powering the headphones up accidentally.
Performance
The Momentum 3 has a bunch of features but let's pare it back to its basic purpose – listening to music. There's a serious level of bass which you can adjust from the equalizer within the accompanying Sennheiser app, I used the default setting for the majority of my time with the Momentum 3 headphones. In general, the sound was pretty incredible, vocals were crystal clear, the bass and treble levels were well-balanced, and the mid-range was powerful.
I found that the default equalizer setting resulted in a natural sound that could soothe or rock your ears depending on your choice of music, with each instrument able to be heard playing its part.
There's a built-in microphone that offers crisp sounds although there were some slight distortions, possibly from the Bluetooth connection with the phone. I wouldn't recommend recording your song vocals for your X-Factor audition but for phone calls, it's more than acceptable and no one will have trouble hearing you.
The Momentum 3 headphones support a ton of acronyms including aptX, AAC, aptX Low Latency, as well as Bluetooth 5 that allows for multi-connect and fast auto-connect to devices. You can also connect the headphones to the Tile app via the Sennheiser Smart Control app on your smartphone (iOS or Android).
Noise Canceling
The Momentum 3 has multiple levels of noise cancelation ranging from Max, Anti-Wind, Anti-pressure, and Transparent Hearing Mode, that all offer something different.
As you might expect, Max brings about the maximum level of noise cancelation that heavily reduces background noises like a jet engine or air conditioners, although you can hear people talking nearby. There is a tiny amount of background hiss when you turn noise-cancellation on, it's noticeable to the ear when you put the headphones on but it is very faint. Something else that is noticeable when noise cancelation is on is the effect it has on the audio, the bass sounds ever-so-slightly shallower than when ANC is turned off entirely.
The Anti-Wind setting allows for some background noise to filter in while Anti-Pressure is the least aggressive of all the ANC options.
Transparent mode allows you to make conversation without needing to remove the headphones, which is pretty handy when you are surprised by a flight attendant asking if you want a drink.
Conclusion
Sennheiser's Momentum 3 Wireless headphones offer a joyous audio experience with brilliant levels of detail, highs, and bass and yet still manages to sound perfectly natural. They look great on or off your head and are comfortable to wear for extended periods, which is important when traveling. Noise cancelation is good, with a bunch of useful options to choose from. By selling replacement earpads on its site, you should expect to get years of usage out of Sennheiser's Momentum 3 Wireless headphones.
If there is one thing we wished were different, it's that we would have liked a few more hours battery life, it's the one area where the headphones don't match up to competitors such as Sony's WH-1000MX3's. In terms of audio, the Momentum 3 Wireless headphones confirm Sennheisers position as a premium brand with epic sound quality, your ears will love you for the experience, even if your wallet doesn't.
Buy it Now: Amazon
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