The Sennheiser Momentum 2 On-Ear Wi-fi headphones are wi-fi Bluetooth headphones made utilizing fancy supplies and loaded with options that should not be confused with the full-size Momentum Wireless headphones. These ones have pads that sit in your ears slightly than cups that match round them, making them a extra compact – and moveable – pair of cans.
Their attractiveness, respectable sound and lively noise cancellation would make them a fantastic alternative if it wasn’t for one factor: their higher-than-expected worth.
Once they launched, they got here in at $399/£300/AU$238 – which was damning. Less expensive headphones sound about nearly as good, and when the lively noise cancellation isn’t near that supplied by the Bose QuietComfort 35 by way of sheer noise-zapping effectiveness, it was onerous to justify that worth.
Now that the value has dropped some, these have gotten a greater discount. They’re nonetheless not the top-tier performers – for that it is best to take a look at the brand new Sony WH-1000XM2 -but they seem to be a respectable various for those who solely have about $230/£200 to spend and wish one thing with noise-cancellation.
Design and luxury
The Momentum 2 On-Ear Wi-fi headphones appear and feel loads like the unique Momentum On-Ears. That’s no dangerous factor – they’ve a trendy look that is much less overtly ‘younger and aggressive’ than one thing just like the Beats Solo 3 Wireless.
A core attraction of the entire Momentum vary is that its headphones use higher-grade materials than most. On the full-size Momentum Wi-fi cans you get actual leather-based; right here, Sennheiser makes use of Alcantara on the pads and headband.
Alcantara is a really hard-wearing artificial various to suede. It feels mushy, and doesn’t have the clearly pretend really feel of many manmade materials. It appears to be like, feels and is costly.
The Sennheiser Momentum 2 On-Ear Wi-fi headphones even have a metal headband with a really sturdy hinge that allows you to fold them up to slot in the neat included carry case. These headphones aren’t precisely flashy, although; they need to look regular. The outer of the cups is plastic, and the showiest half is maybe the actual stitching on the headscarf.
As with most on-ear headphones, the match of the Sennheiser Momentum 2s gained’t please everybody. The pads are pretty agency, and don’t really feel all that mushy when your first put them on.
Nonetheless, they don’t regularly begin torturing you ears like some on-ear pairs. The headscarf is designed to ensure the stress is distributed evenly throughout the pads – it’s when this stress isn’t distributed evenly that on-ear headphones can get very uncomfortable, inflicting stress factors on, usually, the highest or backside.
In comparison with the outdated, wired model of the Momentum On-Ears, one change is that Sennheiser has bulked up the cables that be part of the cups to the headscarf. It’s a welcome tweak, as our unique pair of Momentum On-Ears really failed at this level, leaving us with one working earpiece; these ought to maintain up higher.
The Momentum 2 On-Ears are available in two colours – the ‘black’ model really has very darkish metallic gray cups, and there’s an off-white choice too.
Options and wi-fi
Different Momentum units are available in a wider alternative of colours, however the elevated value attributable to the broad array of options within the Sennheiser Momentum 2 On-Ear Wi-fi headphones pushes them right into a little bit of a distinct segment. These headphones have Bluetooth wi-fi, NFC, aptX and Sennheiser’s NoiseGard lively noise cancellation.
Each of the highlights – noise cancellation and wi-fi – are simply okay slightly than stellar, although. Utilizing them out and about in London, the Sennheiser Momentum 2 On-Ear Wi-fi don’t have the rock-solid connection of pairs just like the Beats Solo Three Wi-fi and Sony MDR-100ABN.
Wi-fi reliability isn’t poor; over the area of a few hours you would possibly hear a handful of little blips. Nonetheless, now that even low cost pairs just like the SoundMagic E10BTs have excellent wi-fi expertise we’ve a proper to anticipate nice, slightly than merely good outcomes from a $399/£300/AU$238 set.
The NoiseGard lively noise cancellation is a blended bag too. It’s welcome as a result of one of many weak spots of the wired Momentum On-Ears is poor noise isolation. By slicing down the incursion of ambient noise a bit this difficulty is solved, however in comparison with the most recent ANC from Sony and Bose, it’s gentle stuff.
A bit of lower-frequency noise is taken away, however the impact isn’t notably dramatic; noise is shaved down slightly than decimated. One good thing about this model is that the Sennheiser Momentum 2 On-Ear Wi-fi headphones don’t create the unusual impression of in-ear stress that different noise-cancelling units can.
Regardless of its low-level results, although, the ANC nonetheless causes somewhat fizzy noise that turns into pretty apparent in very quiet elements of tracks for those who’re listening in a quiet-ish surroundings – the perfect ANC units knocked out this kind of noise mattress some time again. And there’s no technique to swap off NoiseGard so far as we are able to see – when the Momentum 2 On-Ears are switched on, so is ANC.
One potential annoyance is that you need to bear in mind to show these headphones off after use, the place plenty of Bluetooth headphones mechanically fall asleep after a interval of inactivity. Nonetheless, the battery lasts for a good ‘as much as 22 hours’, and you may examine on the cost with a triple press of one of many buttons on the cup, which fires up a voice immediate telling you roughly what number of hours are left within the tank. There’s a cable with a Three-button distant included for whenever you run out of juice.
The on-cup controls work pretty nicely too. There’s an influence button, and somewhat joystick that acts as each play/pause management and observe changer. Mix these controls with the clear mic grilles on the opposite cup and the headphones look a bit nerdy or tech-packed up shut, however few would discover once they’re in your head.
Sound high quality
Our unique pair of Momentum On-Ears might have nearly bitten the mud, however they nonetheless work nicely sufficient to inform us that Sennheiser hasn’t tried too onerous to alter the vary’s sound signature on this newer wi-fi set. These are nice-sounding headphones that most individuals could be pleased to make use of every day.
The issue is whether or not that sound is actually ok in a $399/£300/AU$238 set of headphones, whatever the tech that is packed in.
It’s a enjoyable sound, with large bass matched with pronounced-but-not-sharp treble and mid-range chunkiness much like what you hear within the Sennheiser Momentum In-Ears or Sennheiser IE 5.00s. The character is daring and full, not too severe.
The Sennheiser Momentum 2 On-Ears don’t have the next-level constancy you get with the full-size Momentum headphones, although. This pair’s soundstage is much less huge, and the method to bass thrills much less nuanced.
The place their large brothers have highly effective sub-bass however are somewhat extra reserved greater up the bass frequency register to keep away from any sense of low-end bloat, the Sennheiser Momentum 2 On-Ear Wi-fi headphones are extra bullish. Bass is fulfilling however not solely nicely managed.
In an analogous vein, the higher mids and treble have a much less pure, much less subtle tonality than the larger Momentums. They appear ‘formed’, pushed into the contours required to stability the carefree bass. Once more, it’s one thing you’ll hear in Sennheiser’s mid-range in-ear pairs.
There’s nothing to significantly offend within the sound from the Momentum 2 On-Ear Wi-fi headphones. Nevertheless it’s actual mid-range fodder, with nearly not one of the high-end traits you would possibly anticipate to listen to in headphones at this worth. Separation of devices is poor for the value, and the width of the stereo picture nothing like that of the larger Momentums.
To place this into context past Sennheiser’s vary, the Momentum 2 On-Ear Wi-fi headphones do not sound dramatically higher than the superb $99 Urbanista Seattles or $150 AKG Y50BTs. After we listened to this sound signature as a part of a nice-looking $100 or $150 pair of headphones, it made sense. However in a $400 set? That’s a bit tougher to simply accept.
Verdict
The Momentum 2 On-Ear Wi-fi headphones undergo from Sennheiser’s customary overpricing of Bluetooth headphones. They value greater than the Bose QC35s however have barely worse wi-fi efficiency, and far worse lively noise cancellation.
This leaves you with large expectations for the sound – and fulfilling as this can be, these headphones haven’t any of the higher-end traits you’d hope to listen to in such an costly set.
We might be pleased to make use of the Sennheiser Momentum 2 On-Ear Wi-fi headphones on daily basis – we simply wouldn’t be prepared to pay for them.