Sennheiser's $350 Momentum 4 ANC Headphones Boast 60-Hour Battery Life

Sennheiser will begin shipping its fourth-generation Momentum wireless noise-canceling cans this week, throwing down the gauntlet to Apple, Bose, and Sony in the hotly-contested premium ANC headphones market.

sennheiser momentum 4
The Momentum 4's boast a headline-grabbing 60 hours of listening time on a single charge, and also introduce a complete redesign of the company's flagship Momentum line for better comfort and less "clamping," says Sennheiser.

The visible cables have gone, while the metal hinge and leather exterior have been replaced by a simpler plastic design with ear cups that rotate flat when stowed. Many of the physical controls have also been removed in favor of a touch panel on the right cup that responds to gestures.

Sennheiser says the headphones feature a transparency mode and improved adaptive noise canceling (the stated 60-hour battery life is with ANC on). There's a quick charge feature that provides six hours of use in 10 minutes, and the headphones are also equipped with an automatic power off feature that kicks in when the cans are removed, ready to turn back on when you pick them up.

Sennheiser says the new 42mm transducer system inside delivers "brilliant dynamics, clarity and musicality," while users can tailor their audio experience using the built-in EQ, presets, sounds modes, and a new Sound Personalization feature. Meanwhile, multipoint on the Momentum 4's connects two devices at the same time, such as an iPhone for music and Mac for video calls, and the headphones come in a redesigned hardshell case.

Sennheiser's Momentum 4 headphones are available in cream and black colors, and can be pre-ordered now from the company's website for $349.95 ($50 less than the Momentum 3's were at launch) with shipping scheduled to begin on Tuesday. They will go up against Apple's AirPods Max ($549), Sony's WH-1000XM5 ($399), and Bose's 700 headphones ($399).

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Top Rated Comments

HappyDude20 Avatar
42 months ago
[HEADING=1]Sennheiser sound quality is leagues above anything Apple has ever shipped. [/HEADING]
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MajorFubar Avatar
42 months ago

Many of the physical controls have also been removed in favor of a touch panel on the right cup that responds to gestures.
Shame, that's a guaranteed hard-pass from me then. I've had my fill of stupid 'touch sensitive' headphones that have a spasm when I put my hood up in the rain. Context: as a non-driver I walk almost everywhere, including a daily three mile commute to/from work, and this being NW England, raining is the norm for 8-10 months of the year. Some kind of physical buttons are a complete must.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AhRiHmAn Avatar
42 months ago


[HEADING=1]Sennheiser sound quality is leagues above anything Apple has ever shipped. [/HEADING]
Why writing like that?
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
wanha Avatar
42 months ago


[HEADING=1]Sennheiser sound quality is leagues above anything Apple has ever shipped. [/HEADING]
If a random anonymous guy on the internet says it, it must be true
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HappyDude20 Avatar
42 months ago

I don't know why Apple sound gears always get dissed. HomePods, AirPods and AirPods Max sound great. Sennheiser sound isn't that much better, if not worse.
They get dissed because although Apple ships the most amount of little speakers in the world, a handful of other companies focus on audio quality so much more than they do.

Apple’s earphones, in whatever form factor do have incredible connectivity and back and forth communication with each other, like Siri usage for example.

But for people that truly want to listen to their music in the absolute best quality, well then, Apple misses the mark when compared to a company like Sennheiser.

It’s just the way it is.

Although I personally believe Apple was going to blow us all out of the water when AirPods Pro Max or whatever they’re called came out and at the $449 price point it was flat out disrespectful at the quality of the sound.

Even non-true audiophiles know even wired headphones with an audio dac is better.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JanoschR Avatar
42 months ago
All fine and good but I stopped caring about those since Apple introduced the W1 chip and all my AirPods connect automatically to the right device. It changed the game and there is no going back.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)