BEST ANC under $500? - Momentum 4 Review

Chrono takes a look at the Sennheiser Momentum 4 wireless ANC headphone. The Momentum 3 was great and is considered by many to be one of the better sounding noise cancelling headphones, so in this video we check if the new one can live up to that legacy.

Measurement Index

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How to read headphone measurements

How to EQ Headphones

The Limits of EQ

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00:00 - Intro
00:41 - Build, Comfort & Accessories
02:42 - ANC Performance & Features
04:08 - Sound Quality & Measurements
08:16 - Conclusion

[melrep]

a really underrated feature of the momentum 4s is the battery life. when i first bought them i didnt think that it would become such an important thing to me. I listen to a lot of Music and i only charge them up once every Week. Easily the greatest feature that the M4s offer aside from Soundquality.

[fourire]

I bought it 1 week ago, I just charged it for the first time. The battery is fabulous. The sound is great better than the sony m5, bose 45 .... unlike some, I have no problem with the app and the anc suits me perfectly. Less pressure on the ears than the sony. for comfort, I don't know if it's that I'm not used to this type of headphone but after a couple of hours, I get tired of wearing it but overall I'm very satisfied.

[VeitLehmann]

Awesome review, I have been waiting for this! I recently got a Momentum 4 and I was curious about your opinion on these! I really enjoy them, but they're not perfect for sure. But your tip of engaging Podcast mode is gold! I really didn't expect this to improve the sound for music, but it turns out that this might just be the missing piece! I have to try it with some more tracks, but it basically does what I was trying to achieve with the EQ:

Sometimes the mids around 1kHz get a little honky/resonant. If this was the case, I turned down the mids by 2db which fixes that to some extend, but also makes the mids a little too recessed. Also, sometimes the bass is just too present, so I created another EQ preset with the bass tuned down by 2db. But this pronounces the mid honk again, so I turned the treble up by 3db. Because of the way the EQ works, this actually creates a sound similar to Podcast mode, because the upper mids are also boosted then. But the treble can be a little too sizzling then.

Seems like the Podcast mode does exactly what I need sometimes: Tame the bass to be more Harman target like, and fill up the upper mids, which also masks the 1kHz resonance. All without boosting the treble too much.

[orthosympa]

I bought the Momentum 4 during black friday sales and while the technical performance is a big step up compared to my sony XM3, the ANC is absolutely terrible, especially on subways.

[antonristo]

A good review, but if you're going to show us some measurements, why wouldn't you show how the EQ in the app affects the frequency response? Or how do the headphones measure with the preset settings or the podcast setting on? I have seen this problem with many reviews that show measurements only with the stock tuning, even though there is potentially an EQ setting to make the sound more preferable.

[matiasferrer]

Just picked up the B&W PX8…and I’m in the process of returning it. For $700 I was sadly disappointed. Sonically it just didn’t quite lived up to the hype. My old M3 sounded more engaging and more importantly, enjoyable to listen to for hours. Needless to say, I’ll be checking these M4 for a possible upgrade. Thnk u for the review.

[TheLeftistOwl]

Got these during Canjam and couldn't be happier. Very pleasant, detailed sound with some slam. Absolutely great for the price.

[cerise]

Love them! Best in it‘s price range! Sound personalization is an awesome feature! ❤

[JustLearning]

I bought the Momentum4 but returned them as they were not loud enough for me and did not sound dynamic. I even played with the app with no success. I since bought the Focal Elegia and the Focal Bathys which sound more to my liking.

[Viewer]

6:17 I don't get why all reviewers say you can simply adjust the bass with the app's EQ. I tried it and if you do +/- 1 or 2, it barely affects anything. If you go far enough like 4+, then it sounds wonky and affects the other FR. The app's EQ is (near) useless. I found some difference with the Classical preset, but it was so minor that I just stuck with the default, because the EQ app does mess with the other frequencies a bit. It's very different from the Sony (TWS version) XM4 EQ which totally can fix the sound signature.

[oleksandrk]

Just got them for $150 new, sound awesome!

[MrWebon]

I know it’s not for comparison, but I’m between this and the airpods pro 2. Can’t decide

[aristisimon]

I have the Sony's XM3... And even though I love them because of the practicity, I think the sound is awful. Is just too much bass... Now, I tried the xm4, xm5, airpod max, bose, Momentums... All of them has a crappy overpowered bass... Is there any ANC headphones with fairly neutral sound? I have the Sennheiser HD560s and I feel a relief when I can use them, but those are pretty useless out of the room. Are there any ANCs that don't have such a stupid overpowered bass?

[brothatwasepic]

Hey guys is there any chance that our Momentum 4's will get a firmware update for the Aptx LOSSLESS vodec or is that impossible?

[booma_]

After 3 months my momentum 4 creak alot sprayed ptfe in the joints and for now its fixed the problem. Next thing is that you can't turn off anc very annoying on windy days.

[renatosantos]

I got these M4 for Christmas and really like the sound quality. I tested Bathys but could not justify the price. Went on a trip to Europe and had issues with Bluetooth dropping randomly while on the plane or in a metro train. I also thought the ANC to transparency mode switch was too sensitive and it would go from full ANC to full transparency if I turned my head too far and it touched the headrest of the plane seat. When we came back home, I had the same issues of connection drop out at home. Sometimes connection would be great for hours and other times the Bluetooth would drop multiple times in a just a few minutes. (Never had this issue with my AirPods Pro). I returned and got a new copy. So far seems to be better with only one dropped connection over the past week. Anyone else seeing this issue? Any solutions out there?

[DanDhaniels]

The most important part of the Momentum series for me is gone: the retro looks. Those were so beautiful! Look at these bland new ones, though 🤦🏽‍♂️

[GoufinAround_]

This might become my new plane anc headphone to replace my xm3's. I only need the anc from an overear for planes specifically so as long as it performs well in those situations, I'm totally good

[nikosmixas]

Great review! Can the momentum 4 connect wirelessly with bluetooth to MacBook devices?

[VicharB]

Planning to get this one as an upgrade for my Sennheiser PXC 550-II, which I really liked. I really liked the previous style but then the compactness of the new one is really good, though wish it had some more design; but then what matters is sound.