The premium wireless noise-cancelling headphone market is dominated by a few brands and Sennheiser is surely one of them. The company's Momentum series has been consumer-favourite and both first-gen and second-gen Momentum Wireless have been well-liked by consumers and critics alike. Now, it's time for the Momentum 3 Wireless to shine and there's no stopping.
Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless compete against the likes of Bose NC Headphones 700 and Sony 1000XM3. For what it's worth, the Momentum 3 have their signature look and form-factor that's hard to turn away from. They are priced to match a high budget, but the headphones find many ways to justify that steep price tag.
Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless retails in India for Rs 34,990, which is costlier than Sony WH-1000XM3 (Rs 23,990) and Bose QC 35II (Rs 25,000). The Sennheiser headphones are priced in the same range as the exquisitely-tasteful Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700. So, is it worth spending the top dollar for Sennheiser's premium noise-cancelling headphones? Let's find out.
Design and comfort
Sennheiser strongly believes in why fix something that isn't broken and it's a good thing that reflects in the design philosophy of the Momentum 3 Wireless. The familiar design, complete with matte black plastic cover on the outside of the earcup and soft leather cushion for the comfort of long-wearing, is on point. The stainless-steel sliders are unique band adjustors - far from the conventional design we see on headphones regularly.
The perfectly-lined headband paired with the right adjustment, the headphones will be ideal for catching up on your favourite shows. The headphones are surely on the heavier side, which is why one must find the right adjustment.
The physical controls on the earcup bring the biggest changes. The volume controls sandwiching a play/pause button, which also doubles as the means to skip music, end calls and when held for five seconds, the headphones read out the remaining battery. It would take a while adjusting to the controls, but it gets easier with routine use.
There is a dedicated toggle to control the noise-cancelling function of the headphones. Pushing it to the top turns off ANC and pushing it way down activates ambient mode. The two-fold design powers off the headphones and unfolding it almost instantly pairs with the recognised device.
Audio performance & ANC
Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless' active noise cancelling is more on the natural side. For most cases, the ANC feature worked really well in shutting the outside noise out. In fact, it did well market areas, on the flight and in the office.
Sennheiser has a reputation for good-quality headphones and Momentum 3 Wireless headphones are just as good. With the ANC on, the bass quality is richer. The headphones have a balanced output, reaching their best quality on the highs and lows. The headphones deliver extreme detail, bass and vocals. For someone looking for lively audio quality on Momentum 3 Wireless, your search ends here.
Nifty features
Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless is packed with nifty features users will fall in love with. The most-beloved feature was the pairing process in a matter of blinking and the auto-pause, which works efficiently.
The Momentum 3 Wireless also offers a variety of controls via an app, supports Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri. Interestingly, there's also a tracker in the headphones, which can be used to locate within a 15-foot radius. The mic quality is better than most headphones in the category, which is surely a plus point.
Battery life
Sennheiser Momentum 3's battery isn't the best out there as compared to Bose 700 or Sony 1000XM3, but it is quite sufficient. With 17-hour promised battery life from the company, the headphones can last a week depending on how often you use them. We mostly used them to listen to music in the office (2 hours) and to catch up some TV shows during the night (anywhere between 1-2 hours). In our use, the headphones lasted about 14 hours, which means we would have to charge them once every 2-3 days.
There's fast charging support, which saved the day more times than we could thank for. With just 10 minutes of charge, we could play an entire episode of a 40-minute show.
Should you buy or not?
Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless is one of the best wireless ANC headphones out there. But it is not without competition. Sennheiser's goodness of great sound and noise cancellation in the Momentum 3 Wireless comes at a cost higher than that of Sony or Bose. Unless you have a liking towards Sennheiser's signature taste for acoustics and bass, Sony's 1000XM3 offer a cheaper substitute with better battery life.
Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless are a great pair on their own. They offer a premium experience, a retro look, and some useful features that make the Sennheiser headphones unique. If you have the budget to spend on it, these headphones make perfect sense.
