With the Momentum 3 Wireless, Sennheiser continues to enhance its high-end noise-cancelling headphone options, and it's no surprise that they're the best pair in the series. They have a sound characteristic that provides realistic bass depth and high-frequency clarity, as well as good (if not best-in-class) active noise cancellation (ANC). There's a lot to appreciate here in general, but at $399.95, the Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless are priced exactly the same as the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700, which give the greatest ANC money can buy.
Design
The black Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless circumaural (over-ear) headphones have a soft-touch surface on the outer earcup panels and leather and metal elements on the huge, eye-catching headband adjustor. Underneath the leather, the earpads are adequately padded with memory foam, and the overall fit is really pleasant once you establish the proper tension on the headband.
The two provided cables—a USB-C connector for charging and a 3.5mm headphone jack for wired audio—are connected along the side panel of the right earcup. Although there is no internal remote or microphone on the audio wire, it may be utilised with ANC or in passive mode with the headphones turned off. The headphones come with a nice grey clothbound zip-up case that they fold down inside, in addition to the charging and audio wires.
A switch that turns ANC on or off or switches to transparent listening mode can be found next to the charging and 3.5mm connections, as can a voice assistant button that works with Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri, and Google Assistant; and a three-button array with a multifunction button that handles playback, track navigation, and call management, as well as two dedicated volume buttons. This location also serves as an NFC pairing area.
Tile, the device-location service, is integrated into Sennheiser's Smart Control app (for Android and iOS). Aside from that, the app includes firmware updates, ANC and transparent listening mode on/off control, and a user-adjustable EQ that's a little more complicated than it needs to be. We had trouble upgrading the firmware since the headphones shut off throughout the process, thus the app might use some improvement.
The voice assistant button will default to whatever your phone uses if you don't set it up. It's as simple as going into the Amazon Alexa app and connecting from there if you wish to utilise Alexa. Battery life is estimated to be around 17 hours by Sennheiser, however your results will vary depending on your volume levels and ANC usage mix.
Performance
Active noise cancelling is provided via the headphones. It performs an excellent job at reducing lows, mids, and highs. Low-frequency rumbling, such as that heard on an aircraft or train, is considerably reduced, as are higher-frequency noises like as AC or fan buzz. When it comes to office noises like noisy keyboard typing or surrounding chatting, the ANC is less effective, but it still does a good job of lowering the overall noise level. The Momentum Wireless, like many ANC headphones, has a small amount of high-frequency hiss—not it's terrible, but it's detectable (think very faint white noise). The transparent listening option works well, allowing you to chat without having to take off your headphones.
The effect the ANC has on the audio when it's turned on is one thing that hinders it from being completely excellent. When the ANC is turned on, the bass depth is broader and richer—it doesn't sound horrible, but the audio shouldn't be modified by the ANC at all. It's not a major issue, but it is an unintentional consequence.
Bluetooth 5.0 is used, and the headphones support the AptX and AAC Bluetooth codecs. 42mm dynamic speakers produce a frequency range of 6Hz to 22kHz internally. We tested audio performance with the ANC turned off, and on tracks with a lot of sub-bass material, such The Knife's "Silent Shout," the headphones produce a lot of thud that bass fans will like. The highs are well-balanced as well, but this is a sculpted, enhanced sound character.
"Drover" by Bill Callahan, which has significantly less deep bass in the mix, provides us a clearer idea of the overall sound character. The drums on this track get a substantial boost in thump, but they never feel artificially thunderous—rather, they sound full and vast, and we get a good sense of the type of space they're in. Callahan's baritone voice have a richness in the low-mid range that is well matched by a sharpness in the high-mid range. The higher percussion beats and acoustic strums have a nice, detailed high-frequency presence. Although the sound characteristic isn't completely true, the sculpting is well-balanced, and the overall presentation is rich and vibrant.
The kick drum loop on Jay-Z and Kanye West's "No Church in the Wild" has enough high-mid presence to keep its snappy edge, but the lows are amped up enough to give the loop's sustain some more heaviness. The sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the rhythm are energetic, but they don't overrun the mix—in fact, the drum loop's lows seem to be more strong here, which isn't typically the case. On this track, the voices are presented with great clarity and no sibilance.
Orchestral tracks, such as the opening scene from John Adams' The Gospel According to the Other Mary, get a layer of bass depth that purists may not appreciate. The mix pushes the lower-register instruments forward, but not to ridiculous proportions. Nothing feels imbalanced, merely amplified, as the higher-register brass, strings, and voices maintain their sparkling presence. It's a sound profile that appeals to a wide range of listeners, combining deep bass with exceptional high-frequency clarity.
The microphone has above-average intelligibility. We detected lots of Bluetooth audio distortions using the Voice Memos app on an iPhone 8, so things may still sound little fuzzy or distorted. The mic signal, on the other hand, is pretty strong, background noise is reduced to a minimum, and the sound is clear. Although we've heard clearer Bluetooth headphone mics, this one performs a good enough job that no one will be able to hear you.
Conclusions
It's a great moment to buy wireless ANC headphones since there are more high-quality alternatives than ever before. The Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 have the best ANC performance (as well as hands-free voice assistant integration), but there are plenty of reasons to consider Sennheiser's Momentum 3 Wireless. They, along with the Bowers & Wilkins PX7 and the AKG N700 NCM2 Wireless, provide a greater sound experience than the Bose model while maintaining robust ANC. If you're looking for an in-ear solution, the true wireless Apple AirPods Pro offer excellent noise cancellation for $250.
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