Sennheiser has announced the Momentum 5 Wireless headphones with improved ANC, four microphones per side, Hi-Res Audio certification, and support for AptX Lossless—plus a battery users can replace. The Momentum 5 Wireless goes on sale June 30 for $399.99.
The Momentum 5 Wireless looks like it could’ve rolled off the same design line as the Momentum 4—big ear cups. a familiar silhouette. and a look that doesn’t try to shout over the crowd. But the difference shows up when the ANC turns on and when you start thinking about what happens after a couple of years of everyday charging.
Sennheiser’s new Momentum 5 Wireless headphones are launching nearly four years after the last Momentum redesign. The company says the Momentum 5 brings upgraded active noise cancellation and. for the first time in this lineup. a user-replaceable battery intended to extend the life of the headphones.
The Momentum 5 Wireless will be available starting on June 30 for $399.99—$50 more than the Momentum 4. Sennheiser is keeping the same 42mm drivers used in the Momentum 3 and 4. but it’s updating the audio and wireless stack. There’s “Hi-Res Audio certification,” and broader Bluetooth codec support that now includes AptX Lossless.
With AptX Lossless, the Momentum 5 can stream 16-bit/44.1kHz CD-quality sound. There’s a catch: it only works with devices that have a Qualcomm processor supporting that codec through the Snapdragon Sound platform. Sennheiser says smartphones from Sony and Motorola should be compatible, while Samsung, Google, and Apple devices won’t be.
ANC is getting a more direct upgrade, too. Sennheiser doubled the microphone count. putting four microphones on each side to improve noise cancellation and strengthen call quality—both for picking up your own voice and for making sure you can hear the person you’re talking to. The company claims the new ANC is up to three times more effective at reducing voice chatter and the drone experienced in airplane cabins.
Battery life is rated at up to 57 hours. That’s a modest drop from the Momentum 4’s 60 hours, but it still lands far ahead of the Sony WH-1000XM6, which can deliver up to 30 hours with ANC turned on. The Momentum 5 also gets a new carrying case that’s 20 percent smaller.
Sennheiser is adding immersive audio features as well, with support for Dolby Atmos and spatial audio with head tracking. The headphones also support an upgrade path for wireless standards: they can upgrade from Bluetooth 5.4 to Bluetooth 6.0 through a future firmware update. though Sennheiser didn’t share a timeline.
The replaceable battery is the change that feels most personal. If you’ve ever watched battery performance decline faster than the rest of a premium headphone’s life, the Momentum 5’s design choice is meant to fight that timeline—one that usually gets shorter every year.
Sennheiser Momentum 5 ANC AptX Lossless Bluetooth 6.0 Snapdragon Sound Dolby Atmos spatial audio replaceable battery headphones
So basically they fixed the battery by letting you replace it? Cool but $399 is still a lot…
AptX Lossless only works with Qualcomm devices? That’s gonna be like half the phones then. Apple users always get shafted again. Why even mention it.
Wait, does the battery being replaceable mean you can just pop it out like AA batteries? I feel like they’re saying that but it’s probably harder than it sounds. Also “up to 57 hours” is way less than 60 so why hype it lol.
ANC 3 times better at drone noise? I don’t know if I buy it, like most headphones advertise that stuff and then it’s still loud on the plane. The smaller case is neat though, my case is always in the bottom of my bag like a mystery. Also the Bluetooth 6.0 upgrade… when? never? firmware updates always take forever.