- Table of Contents
- Intro
- Our Verdict
- Test Results
- Compared To Others
- Deals
- Discussions
The Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless are decent noise cancelling headphones that have a good audio quality and a sleek retro look. They're a nice improvement over the Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 Wireless thanks to a better sound quality, a more comfortable design, and an improved microphone. Thanks to their ANC, they're able to isolate a great amount of noise around you. However, they're quite a bit leakier than their predecessors, which won't be ideal in quiet environments. Nevertheless, the Momentum 3 are very versatile headphones that have a decent overall performance.
Our Verdict
Decent for mixed usage. These headphones have a good audio reproduction and also a great ANC feature. They're quite versatile for traveling or to use at the office and enjoy your favorite music with good fidelity. They aren’t designed for sports or gaming, but can be used for watching TV if you have a low-latency dongle.
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Comfortable and very well-built design.
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Good audio reproduction.
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Good noise isolation performance.
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Leaky at high volumes.
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Bulky design.
Good for critical listening. These are a welcomed improvement over the previous model. They have a bit of a bass-heavy sound profile, but are better-balanced than the 2.0 version. They have a thumpy bass and a bit of pushed back mid-range which affects the vocals and lead instruments a bit. On the upside, their treble is accurate and well-balanced as well. They're versatile for a wide variety of music genres and are great for listening to your favorite tracks while on the move.
Decent for commuting. These headphones are quite comfortable and have a decent noise isolation performance. They also do a great job at blocking out bass frequencies like the rumbling of a bus engine. They have a long battery life that will last you long enough for your daily commute and a full workday, or even long flights.
Okay for sports. They're quite bulky headphones and the cups trap a lot of heat and don't allow for airflow, especially with leather padding. They will make you sweat more than usual and aren’t the most stable option. They aren’t designed for this use.
Decent for the office. They do a great job at isolating against work environment noises like ambient chatter and A/C systems, but they can get quite leaky at high volumes. Be sure to control your listening volume to not disturb surrounding colleagues. They're comfortable to wear for a while and their battery lasts you for a full workday without a problem. They can also connect to two devices simultaneously, which is useful.
- 7.3 Mixed Usage
- 7.4 Neutral Sound
- 7.6 Commute/Travel
- 7.1 Sports/Fitness
- 7.5 Office
- 6.0 Wireless Gaming
- 7.4 Wired Gaming
- 7.5 Phone Calls
- Updated Mar 25, 2021: Due to a new firmware update, we retested their Noise Isolation performance. We have also added compatibility for PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles.
- Updated Sep 04, 2020: We incorrectly listed these headphones as having mic support via USB; we've retested and updated test results.
- Updated Feb 05, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.4.
- Updated Dec 03, 2019: We were able to accurately measure the Default Latency of the headphones.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
Test Results
The Sennheiser Momentum 3 have the same retro sleek-looking design as the Sennheiser Momentum 2 Wireless, but in a slightly bulkier design. They have leather padding on the large oval cups. The headband is simple and quite similar to the last model, as well.
The Sennheiser Momentum 3 are quite comfortable, and their design is an improvement over the last model. The cups are bigger and the padding is softer and cushier. The headband is also more comfortable and distributes the weight of the headphones well. Wearing these headphones for a while won’t be an issue for most people.
The control scheme of the Sennheiser Momentum 3 is decent. You can easily play/pause your music or answer/end calls with the middle button. You also have volume control with the top and bottom buttons, and track skipping with the middle button as well. It’s a bit hard to distinguish which button you're on, but they offer decent tactile and audible feedback. These headphones also have a button to control the level of ANC and talk-through. There’s also an extra button that triggers your voice assistant if you press it, but puts the headphones in Bluetooth pairing mode when holding it. When folding the headphones, they will automatically turn off. If you're a fan of physical control schemes and want something even easier to use, however, consider the Shure AONIC 50 Wireless.
Like most over-ear closed-back headphones, the Sennheiser Momentum 3 aren’t the most breathable. They trap heat inside the cups and won’t let much airflow, especially with the leather padding. These headphones won’t be a good option for working out, as you'll sweat more than usual when wearing them.
These headphones are a bit bulkier than the last model and aren’t the most portable option. On the upside, they do fold into a more compact format, which makes it easier to slide them inside a bag or inside their case.
The Sennheiser Momentum 3 come with a decent soft case that protects the headphones a bit against scratches and minor water exposure. However, since the sides of the case are soft, the headphones are not entirely protected against physical damage from falls.
The Sennheiser Momentum 3 are very well-built headphones. Their frame is made from solid metal and the padding is leather, which gives it an overall very premium feel. They're built like the previous model and should be able to withstand a few drops without too much damage. For slightly better-built headphones that still have a unique look, check out the Bowers & Wilkins PX7 Wireless.
The Sennheiser Momentum 3 are decently stable wireless headphones. They stay on your head without issue during casual listening, but they won’t be the best option for sports as head movement makes them sway around. On the upside, their wireless design gets rid of the risk that a cable could get hooked and pull the headphones off your head.
- Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless headphones
- 1/16 to 1/8” audio cable
- USB-C to USB-C cable
- USB-C to USB adapter
- Soft case
- Manuals
The frequency response consistency of the Sennheiser Momentum 3 is good. It seems the ANC feature of these headphones checks for bass consistency, so you shouldn’t have different results when using these headphones. There’s a bit of variation in the low-treble range, but this won’t be very noticeable to most. These headphones are quite consistent with various test subjects and between reseats as well.
The bass performance of the Sennheiser Momentum 3 is very good. It's well-extended and balanced. This means these headphones are able to reproduce the deep thump and rumble of bass, common in bass-heavy music genres like EDM. However, the response is over our target curve, which results in a bit of excess thump. Some people may like this, especially if you listen to bass-heavy music.
The Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless has a great mid-range performance. The response is very well-balanced and follows our target curve well, which results in accurate reproduction of vocals and lead instruments. The response is slightly under our target, which means vocals might sound a bit veiled and nudged to the back of the mix, but this is barely noticeable.
The treble range of these headphones is also great. It's very well-balanced and accurate. Vocals and leads have the right amount of detail and brightness, and they shouldn't sound too sharp, which is great.
Update 05/11/2021: Although these headphones were converted to test bench 1.4 using our new methodology, we didn't update the review's text. As a result, the text in this box was inconsistent with the new results. We have updated this box to better improve accuracy.
The stereo imaging of the Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless is great. The weighted group delay mostly falls below the audibility threshold, although the small peak in the bass range may result in a slightly loose bass. The treble is transparent though. While there's a slight mismatch in amplitude, it also may not be so noticeable. The left and right drivers are well-matched in frequency and phase response, which helps with the accurate placement and localization of objects (such as voices, instruments, or footsteps) in the stereo image. However, these results are only valid for our unit, and yours may perform differently.
The soundstage of these headphones is sub-par. Although there’s a lot of pinna interaction, it isn’t really accurate. This results in a relatively large soundstage but that should feel unnatural and inside the listener’s head. These are closed-back headphones and won’t sound open.
Update 03/25/2021: Some users have reported that Sennheiser's firmware update 4.0.8 has significantly improved the ANC's noise isolation performance. After retesting these headphones, the ANC now does a bit better at reducing noise around 2.4 kHz and does slightly worse at 7k. However, the rest of the noise isolation graph looks the same. You can see a graph comparison of these differences here. As a result, we have updated the text of this box, but the scoring has not changed.
The noise isolation of the Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless is great. Their ANC can block out a good amount of bass-range noise like bus and plane engines as well as ambient chatter. It also cuts down high-pitched noise like the hum of an AC unit.
The leakage performance of the Sennheiser Momentum 3 is mediocre. These closed-back headphones leak quite a bit at high volume, meaning they shouldn’t be used in very quiet environments with people surrounding you, as they could be bothered by your audio leaking out.
The integrated microphone of the Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless is decent and quite an improvement over the Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 Wireless. It sounds a bit clearer and more full-bodied than most Bluetooth headphones, so people on the other side of the line won’t have trouble understanding you in a quiet environment.
The integrated mic of the Sennheiser Momentum 3 has good noise handling. It's suitable to use in quiet and moderately loud environments, but it may struggle to fully separate speech from ambient noise in loud situations.
Update 02/14/2020: Due to an issue with the way we tested passive playback on headphones with no dedicated power button, these headphones were incorrectly listed as having passive playback when they don't. This review has been updated to reflect these changes.
The Sennheiser Momentum 3 have a good battery life. With just over 17 hours of continuous playback with the ANC feature on, it should be more than enough to last a full workday. They also have a smart pause feature that enters a standby mode as soon as you take the headphones off your head. You can also use them while charging via the USB-C cable and USB adapter. The headphones also charge if you use them wired with a USB-C phone. When taking them off, you can fold them to automatically turn them off.
The Sennheiser Smart Control app is a good tool to enhance your listening experience with the Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless. You have access to a great parametric EQ and can save presets as well. You can cycle through 3 different levels of ANC and these headphones have a Tile device finder as well.
Update 12/03/2019: We fixed the issue with our dongle that was preventing us from measuring the Default SBC latency with these headphones. The review and text have been updated.
The Sennheiser Momentum 3 are Bluetooth 5.0 compatible and can connect to two devices simultaneously, which can be useful at the office if you often switch between your PC and phone. They also support NFC for a quicker and easier pairing procedure.
The latency of the Sennheiser Momentum 3 is decent over the SBC codec and is slightly lower than most Bluetooth headphones. On the upside, they also support aptX and aptX-LL, which both offer very low latency. You shouldn’t notice any delay when using those headphones for watching video content. They also support the AAC codec.
You can get audio on pretty much any device that has a 1/8” audio jack, but the integrated microphone doesn't work. Also, you can get audio via the USB adapter on a PC. You can use the USB-C to USB-C cable to get audio on phones as well.
Update 03/25/2021: We have added these headphones' PS5 compatibility.
These headphones are compatible with PC, PS4, and PS5 systems when using either their analog or USB-C to USB-C cable. However, you can only receive audio and you won't be able to use their mic.
Update 03/25/2021: We have added these headphones' Xbox Series X compatibility.
These headphones can only be used by plugging in their 1/8" TRS cable into an Xbox One or Xbox Series X controller. You can only receive audio and won't be able to use their mic.
Compared To Other Headphones
The Sennheiser Momentum 3 are good headphones that stand out by their unique retro style. They're also comfortable to wear for a while and have an improved sound over their previous model. They also have a great ANC feature that makes them suitable for a wide variety of uses, but come with a premium price tag. See our recommendations for the best noise canceling headphones, the best noise cancelling headphones under $200, and the best travel headphones.
The Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless are slightly better headphones for most uses than the Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless. The Sony are more comfortable, have a significantly better noise isolation performance, and a longer continuous battery life. However, the Sennheiser have a more neutral sound profile out of the box, which some users may prefer.
The Bose 700 Headphones Wireless are slightly better-performing headphones than the Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless. The Bose are more comfortable, have better controls, and have noticeably better noise isolation and microphone performances. On the other hand, the Sennheiser have a slightly better audio quality. The battery performance is better for the Bose 700, but on the other hand, the Sennheiser are compatible with lower latency codecs.
The Bose QuietComfort 35 II/QC35 II Wireless 2018 are better noise cancelling headphones than the Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless. The Bose are more comfortable, and their sound profile is a bit more neutral than the Sennheiser. Also, their noise isolation is one of the best on the market. However, the Sennheiser have a more distinctive style and feel a bit better built.
The Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless and the Sennheiser PXC 550-II Wireless each have their pros and cons. Their sound profiles are fairly similar overall but fans of bass will prefer the added thump the Momentum 3 provide. While they both have great noise isolation, the Momentum 3 reduce more noise in the bass range while the PXC 550-II isolate better in the mid-range. Their battery performance is also better than the Momentum, but they don't feel as well-built.
The Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless and the Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless are both good headphones, but the XM3s might be better for most people. The Sony are a bit more comfortable and their noise isolation is noticeably better, which makes them a better choice for commuting. On the other hand, the Sennheiser headphones have a more distinctive design with a sleek retro look, which some may prefer. The XM3s have a touch-sensitive control scheme, which has trouble with cold weather, while the Momentum 3 Wireless have physical buttons.
The Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless are better headphones for mixed usage than the Shure AONIC 50 Wireless. The Sennheisers' default sound profile is more well-balanced, their integrated microphone does a better job of making your voice sound clear and free of background chatter, and their ANC system reduces the volume of ambient noise far more effectively. However, the Shure have a slightly easier-to-use control scheme and a much more durable carrying case.
The Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless are better headphones than the Bowers & Wilkins PX7 Wireless. The Sennheiser have a better audio reproduction and will sound more accurate and neutral. They also have a more retro look that is unique. The Sennheiser also have a decent microphone for calls. On the other hand, the Bowers & Wilkins feel sturdier, have a better battery life, and support aptX Adaptive. However, you don’t have access to a parametric EQ inside their app like you do with the Sennheiser.
The Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless are a nice improvement over the Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 Wireless/HD1 Wireless. They're noticeably bulkier and the cups are larger with better padding, making them a bit more comfortable overall. They also have a better audio reproduction, especially in the treble range. The microphone recording quality is also improved on the new model. On the other hand, the Momentum 3 are noticeably leakier than the previous version.
The Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless and the Sennheiser PXC 550 Wireless are very similar overall. On one hand, the Momentum 3 is better built, have a more retro look and a bit more bass-heavy sound profile, while on the other hand, the PXC have a more well-balanced sound, but are a bit bright. The noise isolation of the Momentum 3 is also better, especially against low-end frequencies like the rumble of engines. However, the PXC 550 have a better battery life and an in-line microphone. The PXC have a touch-sensitive control scheme while the Momentum 3 have physical buttons.