Keep going.
That's a momentum pun.
Anyway, it only seems like five minutes since we were reviewing the
PXC 550 headphones from Sennheiser, and now we're back once again in
very familiar territory. However, there's no over-the-head,
noise-cancelling, heavy-duty, super-duper headphones for us today, as
we've been testing Sennheiser's latest attempt to make listening to
music as light and as easy as possible. We check out the Sennheiser
MOMENTUM In-Ear Wireless Headphones.
These headphones are of
the 'back of the neck' type, where the main body of the unit, where
the battery and Bluetooth connection bits live, sit comfortably at
the base of your neck. It is a design which seems to be becoming
increasing popular, and one we're starting to favour as well. Other
examples can be found here and here.
But don't dwell of
those, dwell on this. The Sennheiser MOMENTUM In-Ear Wireless
Headphones stand out from the crowd first of all because of the
materials used. The neck band is uniquely wrapped in leather with
thick stitching running along the top edge, while the ear buds
themselves are shiny chrome. As you'd expect from any Sennheiser
product, they feel sturdy and tough in the hand, while also being
reassuringly flexible.
The Sennheiser MOMENTUMIn-Ear Wireless Headphones feature Bluetooth 4.1 and boast the apt-X
profile compatibility for zero latency (so great for using them while
watching a show on your phone or tablet). They also feature one-touch
NFC pairing, which is also quite unique for headphones of this size.
Needless to say, connecting them to a music device was a total
doddle.
The earbuds some with
four different sizes of gels, so you should be able to find a snug
fit. As the wires for the monitors sprout from toward the ends of
either side of the neck band, they are a tad longer than other
headphones we've reviewed like this. That isn't a problem, but if
you're a smaller person with a shorter distance between your
collarbone and your ears, you might be left with a lot of excess wire
flapping around. Each to their own, but we've always preferred
headphones like these to have wires that come from the back, on the
band itself, as it just seems to make a bit more sense.
But despite that one
design quibble, we all actually thought that they were comfortable to
wear for prolonged periods – and that is something you might do.
The Sennheiser MOMENTUM In-Ear Wireless Headphones comes with a very
good mic built in, and as they vibrate when you receive a call
(providing they're paired with your phone) you can easily pick it up
and start talking immediately. The controls for calls and volume are
right on the neck band and are easy to find even without looking. So
as a Bluetooth headset that doesn't have to hang from your ear and
make you look like an arse, they're great.
And the sound?
Brilliant. You really can tell that these are Bluetooth 4 headphones,
and that they employ some decent materials in their construction, as
you feel a little more connected to your music device. Everything
sounds sharper, more apparent, and stronger in both clarity and
depth. You'll never feel the same immersive quality you get from the
likes of the PXC 550, but the reproduction is still impressive for
headphones of this size. All genres sounded good, and even tracks
with heavy bass came out with a forceful resonance without having to
crank up the volume.
So an exceptionally
good pair of wireless headphones. The style will turn heads, and
although the placement of the wires left us wanting slightly, the
comfort and sound quality more than made up for it.
£149.99