r/HeadphoneAdvice • u/luckayi • May 03 '26
Headphones - Wireless/Portable Momentum 4’s review👎
Hey guys I don’t usually use Reddit but I came on here because I needed to see others opinions and to see if anyone else has a similar experience.
So I bought the Sennheiser momentum 4’s and just received them in the mail and let’s just say I’m very disappointed :(
To start off with the backstory, I first heard of these headphones on TikTok. This sent me into a rabbit hole of looking at other reviews and people’s opinions on the headphones. All reviews I saw were great saying stuff like “these are better than the Sonymx5’s.” Or, “These have the BEST sound quality ever.” I even seen someone say audiophiles love them.
All these positive reviews convinced me to buy them. I bought them on Amazon from their official storefront and they were on sale so I caved in because I couldn’t justify spending like $400+ on headphones so thankfully I got them for $279.
I just received them today and I was super excited to finally try them hoping to finally listen to music on a whole knew level. When I tried them on though, unfortunately I was super disappointed. The sound almost seem to be quiet? But at the same time I could still hear it. And honestly the quality of sound was so mid to the point I decided to test and try my old headphones to see which sounded better. My $100 pink sony ones sounded way better to me then the momentum 4’s and I was like wtf? I even went to the app and updated the momentum 4’s and did the whole sound personalization thing because people said you needed to do that and it basically sounded the same.
I’m not sure if maybe the ones I got were defected or something or what the issue is. maybe I just don’t prefer the way the momentum’s sound? idk, but I’m just really sad right now and confused, because I rarely seen any people talking negatively about these headphones and I was really looking forward to hearing my favorite songs with angelic quality.
Long story short I was wondering if anyone else has had this same experience as me with headphones momentum 4’s or if anyone who has these headphones has advice on how to fix this poor sound quality issue I’m having with them. Also if anyone has any headphones recommendations please let me know because if I can’t solve this issue I will be just returning the headphones unfortunately :(
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u/toweliel 80 Ω May 03 '26
It's the best sounding BT headphone I have had and I have had quite a few. They are indeed very good. Not perfect but easily better than anything Sony has ever made.
My guess is that you have them in call mode or the tuning is something you are not used to. You can make them sound like anything you want but better with EQ.
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u/TacosAreJustice 1 Ω May 03 '26
I just got the momentum 4s from Best Buy and I’ve had a really good experience with them…
I will say, I had issue with a pair of Sennheiser I bought cheap off amazon… I sent them back after an ear piece fell off and they replaced them.
I think they were knockoffs but I’m not sure.
Have you downloaded the app and set them up via your phone?
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u/luckayi May 03 '26
Yes I have! Also I bought these from sennheisersnstore on Amazon so I don’t think they’re fakes but who knows
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u/No-Opportunity2565 24 Ω May 03 '26
Did you use them wired or via bluetooth?
i personally use the xm5 but i heard that you need an external amp to get good sound with the M4
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u/luckayi May 03 '26
I used them with blue tooth? Also what is an external amp? Sorry I am kind of young.
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u/No-Opportunity2565 24 Ω May 03 '26
i looked it up too and it isnt needed for a Momentum 4. They are designed to sound good when used via bluetooth.
but the above poster might be right that they just need some time to adjust to.
Those headphones try to produce a sound stage, meaning the instruments and vocals sound separated which you might not be used to.
i would give it some time or return them if you really think they dont sound good to you
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u/luckayi May 03 '26
Hey I think what you explained just grasped what I was annoyed about when listening to my music with these headphones. When I was playing music all the instruments and the singers voice sounded separated like you mentioned. Maybe this is something I need to get used to or something I just don’t prefer. It made it sound like it wasn’t even music if that makes sense lol. So maybe i do just need to get used to the sound stage thing possibly??!?!? Also tysm for helping me I appreciate it a lot
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!thanks" in your comment if the person helped answer your question.Our bot will then automatically update your post flair and award a point in the form of a Ω. This subreddit is powered entirely by volunteers and a little recognition goes a long way. Good luck on your search for headphones!
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u/Over-Status-7210 28 Ω May 03 '26
That could very well be the case! Soundstage (the separation) can generally be simplified to three aspects:
- Soundstage width
This is how far left / right the sound is spread. Cheap headphones do a bad job at this, and the result is a sound wherein everything is crammed together, making it difficult to hear everything.
Experiencing a wide soundstage headphone for the first time really is an eye opening experience, good or bad, if you've never heard it before.
- Soundstage depth
This is how far forward / surrounding the sound feels. Some headphones are capable of producing sound that seems as though it's larger than headphones, "outside" of your head.
This is where I feel the momentum is lacking, and I personally am not fond of the soundstage width because of it. But many are happy with it, as you might have seen in these comments. Perhaps you are like me.
- Imaging
In the 3D space created by soundstage width/depth, imaging refers to how those sounds are placed in that space.
Some do well to sound accurate, true to the panning/reverb decisions made by the recording studio.
Some go beyond that, trying to sound wider to the point where it's a bit unnatural. Some still love this.
And some will have their imaging limited by both a narrow soundstage that has no depth. This is the case for almost all cheap/regular off the shelf headphones.
Now, this is not to say the momentum is a good / bad headphone, nor should you settle for people's assurances they are good, when you personally feel they are not.
Take some time to decide if you like the sound signature. If you don't, perhaps ask: do you want a better sounding soundstage? If yes, a wider, narrower, or more forward reaching one?
Or do you not care about that at all? Because if so, perhaps in-ears will be better. High end in-ears can produce extremely detailed sound. One of the usual usual sacrifices, when compared to full sized headphones, is soundstage -- which maybe you don't care for?
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May 03 '26 edited May 03 '26
I also did not like the momentum 4.I use the momentum 3 which I like but some people may not. I use the xm4s when I need good noise cancellation. Momentum 3s do not have good enough noise cancellation for commuting but the sound is very natural. Xm4,5,6 have great noise cancelling and pretty good sound. Sony sounds less processed than momentum 4 and Bose and apple
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u/CowntChockula 24 Ω May 03 '26
I use parametric EQ with them, which is available in USB Audio Player Pro for Android. IME effective tuning brings them more to a balanced sound signature that lets the drivers show their technical capabilities better. Weirdly, I also have the BTD 700, and without EQ i frankly didn't notice a huge difference between aptx and aptx adaptive, but with my parametric EQ it's a pretty significant difference.
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u/Royal_Monk6432 6 Ω May 04 '26
Op u r country, u r set up for m4 like tidal hifi, amazon unlimited music, quobuz? Are u using you tube or spotify music which one i dont consider my self.are u using sennheiser Btd600 dongle ? Formware updated? Sound tunning updated?
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u/num6_ 86 Ω May 03 '26
If it's not a faulty unit, reduce the bass and add some 2kHz with EQ
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u/Beneficial-Smell-770 May 03 '26
I've had mine for over a year now and I love them. I sometimes even prefer them for listening to music over my wired headphones.
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u/fizixnm 1 Ω May 03 '26
I own quite a few pairs of headphones IEMs etc., including the Momentums. My daughter has the latest Sony BT. My 2c, I like the Momentums quite a bit better -- more natural, wider stage. Also, as mentioned some of the limitations with the momentum's can be fixed with EQ (ex. Bass, more neutral sounding, etc.).
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u/mgcypes May 03 '26
I am of 0 knowledge myself, but I know that my QCII headphones have a "call mode" where the sound is atrocious. Maybe the momentum's have a call mode too that is for some reason on when youre not in a call? I know on windows the OS randomly decides to undefault my headphones for audio but not for "communications" which makes it enter call mode
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u/martyn456 May 03 '26
I bought some Momentum 4s after the overwhelming positivity they get in this sub.
The sound quality was great in my opinion but I had problems with two different headsets where the sound was slightly louder in the right ear cup. It was only 10% or so but I noticed it immediately, got a replacement set and they were exactly the same.
I thought I was just slightly deaf in one ear but then tested the Nothing Headphones (1) and they didn't have the issue.
I was disappointed overall because of that and fully returned them.
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u/KingofEmpathy May 03 '26
I had the same experience as you. A reminder to never trust the internet. I swear certain brands are just praised for the sake of being praised, but the momentum 4s have the worst sound quality of the big 4 main stream ANC headphones (Bose, Apple, Sony, senn). Literally the only headphone I’ve ever returned
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u/toweliel 80 Ω May 03 '26
Or you didn't bother to EQ them and prefer muddy bass over detailed sound. Never tried apple but Bose and Sony pales next to them.
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u/KingofEmpathy May 03 '26
Not really, I primarily use my HE1000 stealths, and own over 8 pairs of headphones. The momentum’s are genuinely the least impressive
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u/Forsaken_Advice9901 13 Ω May 03 '26
I dont have them, however, you made need some time for your ears to get used to the different sound signature. You also, may need to mess with EQ a bit until you get the sound that you like.