Sennheiser momentum 3 wireless headphones
Design
Fashion is cyclical. Unfortunately, the latest cycle seems to involve the worst parts of the ’90s. However, tastes for something a little “old school” never die away, which is why there’s something very refreshing about the design of the momentum headphones.
Sennheiser hasn’t tried to create the headphones of the future, with indiscernible joints, a chrome finish and a voucher for a free hoverboard. The brand knows what it does well, and has stuck to it: these are the sort of headphones that you know and love. They’d look as much at home in a 1980s recording studio as they would connected to your phone on the morning commute.
They’re supremely comfortable – the over-ear cups nestle nicely, while the stainless steel headband is cushioned perfectly to rest lightly on your head. The padding on the cups serves to give you a comfortable listening experience both physically and when it comes to some slight passive noise cancelling, due to its encompassing design. The cans fold up for better space economy, and the circular fabric case protects against errant drinks, acts as a nice presentation box and gives the headphones a bit of structural protection.
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Despite the look, the tech included with the momentum 3 is anything but retro. The accompanying app is simple and clean, letting you adjust EQ levels and switch between three noise cancelling modes with varying levels of intensity and suction effect.
Moving on to the headphones themselves, a range of buttons on the ear cups control play/pause, hands-free calls, volume and noise cancellation. It’s all very easy to use, intuitive and sleek.
The momentum 3 have voice assistant capability, with the big three of Google Assistant, Alexa and Siri supported via various devices, and sensors pick up when you’ve taken the headphones off, pausing the music when you do. Tile, an app that tracks your prized possessions is also supported, which makes sure you’ll never lose another pair of expensive headphones again.
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The fact that Sennheiser has packed all these features in means that the battery life comes in at around 17 hours – a little unambitious compared to the 20 hours promised by the Bose noise cancelling headphones 700 and 30 hours of the Sony WH-1000XM4. However, it’s still enough for a long-haul flight or whiling away the day at home.
Sound
Sennheiser is one of the most reputable sound specialists in the world, regularly producing award-winning audio products. The momentum 3 only serve to further this golden reputation. The noise cancellation on show here is among the best you can get on the market, and with some headphones, stopping sound coming in can impact the most important aspect: the sound coming out.
There seems to be no discernible effect on the momentum 3’s output at all, and the ANC (active noise cancellation) enhances aspects of each track. Bass-heavy songs give a deeper rumble, treble-filled specials are picked up crisply, and mids aren’t overpowered by either. The momentum 3 are as comfortable playing Childish Gambino as they are Mendelssohn, with AC/DC thrown in the middle: the clarity is astounding.
As mentioned, the app lets you tweak levels to your liking, but also flick between noise cancellation modes. Max is, unsurprisingly, ANC at its most powerful, blocking out pretty much anything you could think of. “Anti wind” is a slight reduction of noise, making sure sounds like the wind don’t get in the way of your listening. Importantly, “anti pressure” has also been included: many listeners can feel uncomfortable with the vacuum effect ANC headphones can sometimes present. This mode provides a comfortable noise reduction without any pressure in your ears. A clever element to include, even to use as a quick break from the heavy ANC artillery also on offer.
Sennheiser has decided to include transparent mode in the momentum 3, allowing you to enjoy the benefits of ANC while still being able to hear the doorbell for your third impulse-buy delivery of the day – the microphones actually make it even easier to hear your surroundings than when you have ANC turned off.