Sennheiser Momentum 5 review: Brings together the features that matter most
New Delhi: Sennheiser’s new flagship over-ear headphone, the Momentum 5 Wireless, has arrived as an update to the highly popular Momentum 4, focusing on features that matter most for everyday use rather than a complete reinvention.
Priced at $399.99 / Rs. 29,990 in India, the Momentum 5 was released on June 30, 2026, with pre-orders starting September 24 and sales from October 1.
The headphone carries a 42mm dynamic driver, with Bluetooth 5.4 that is upgradable to 6.0 via firmware. It supports a full codec suite including SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless and Snapdragon Sound, along with Dolby Atmos with head tracking and USB-C audio up to 24-bit/96kHz.
A major highlight is battery life and repairability. The Momentum 5 is rated for up to 57 hours with ANC on, almost double that of Sony WH-1000XM6 and Apple AirPods Max 2. A 10-minute quick charge provides up to 7 hours of playback. The battery is user-replaceable – owners can remove ear cushions, unscrew four Phillips-head screws and swap the 700mAh cell themselves, a move ahead of the EU directive from mid-February 2027 mandating replaceable batteries in headphones.
For noise cancellation, Sennheiser has moved to an 8-microphone adaptive hybrid ANC setup, claiming a three-fold improvement over the previous generation, with automatic anti-wind mode and natural transparency mode.
The new Smart Control Plus app brings an 8-band EQ with presets, sound personalization via Sound Check, and Sound Zones that automatically apply sound profiles and ANC settings when you enter predefined locations. Other features include beamforming mics with voice detection for calls and QR-code sharing of settings.
Reviewers note a clean design in Black, White and Denim colours, weighing 291g, with a fabric-covered headband and faux-leather ear cups that are comfortable for all-day wear. While the mostly plastic build does not feel as premium as metal rivals, the slim carrying case is more portable than before, though the headphones do not fully fold flat.
Sound is described as warm and full-bodied out of the box, with decent bass and good soundstage, but with room to polish the default tuning for higher mids and treble via EQ – a fix made easy by powerful personalization tools.
