Sennheiser just announced the latest addition to its Momentum lineup of premium, noise-canceling headphones. Priced at $349.95, the new Momentum 4 Wireless headphones look much different than past models, with the company trading its signature retro aesthetic for a more lightweight, comfortable design. Sennheiser says the Momentum 4s offer “exceptional comfort” and superior active noise cancellation compared to the Momentum 3 Wireless. They’ll be up for preorder on August 9th and will be in stores as of August 23rd.
Aside from the revamped style, the other big selling point seems to be battery life. Sennheiser claims the Momentum 4s can achieve up to 60 hours of playback time on a single charge, far beyond the 20 to 30 hours promised by competitors like Sony’s WH-1000XM5, Bose’s QuietComfort 45, and Apple’s AirPods Max.
The already terrific sound quality of the third-generation cans seems mostly unchanged: both use 42-millimeter drivers that are tuned for “brilliant dynamics, clarity and musicality.” But the Momentum 4s should offer improved voice call performance. Sennheiser has also moved away from physical button controls and adopted the same tap and swipe gestures as other popular noise-canceling headphones. And while the new headphones can no longer fold up, they come with an improved case with hardshell protection.
Like their predecessors, the Momentum 4s support convenience features like multipoint connectivity, wired USB-C audio, and they have replaceable ear pads — now made from artificial leather instead of the genuine leather that Sennheiser used before. For Bluetooth codecs, the company’s latest headphones support AAC, SBC, aptX, and aptX Adaptive.
I’ve been testing the Momentum 4s for some time now, and you can read our full review to get a sense of whether their improved comfort makes up for the very generic design.
