Sennheiser’s newest noise-canceling headphones aren’t scheduled for release until the end of the month, but a Canadian retailer has apparently gone boo-boo and leaked full images of the Momentum 4 Wireless — oh, and pricing. Oops…
As the previous teaser (announced by Sennheiser itself) in June suggested, the new headphones appear to have undergone a major overhaul. These fourth-gen cans seem to echo the current trend of headphones that swivel to lie flat but don’t fold – just look at the Sony WH-1000XM5 and Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2 over the older, foldable Sony WH-1000XM4 for reference.
The initial listing appeared on Canada computer and electronics website (opens in new tab) and the price is probably the biggest revelation. If the leak is correct and nothing changes between now and when the headphones officially arrive, the Sennheiser Momentum 4 will come with a price tag of $449.95 CAD ($350 / £290 / AU$500).
The observant will note that this means Sennheiser may be pricing its newest wireless noise-canceling headphones $50 cheaper than the aforementioned class-leading Sony WH-1000XM5, which retails for $399. / £380 / AU$550.
And how Sennheiser’s new headphones have actually reduced the launch price of their predecessors is hardly out of the question now, is it?
Opinion: smart, Sennheiser. super smart…
There’s a cost-of-living crisis, and it seems Sennheiser kind of understands that. Our advice? If you were considering a set of Apple AirPods Max or another of the best headphones currently on the market, you might want to wait: you’ll only have to wait a month at most for the Momentum 4 Wireless to officially launch.
While the leak doesn’t reveal much in terms of specs, “Smart Pause” (to automatically pause playback when you remove them) and “Auto On/Off” are listed, which we’d expect at this level.
The listing also reveals a photo of the unreleased Momentum 4 Wireless headphones nestled in a premium travel case, with what appears to be a 3.5mm cable for wired use, a USB-A to USB-C cable for charging. and a plane adapter for those long haul flights.
Back in June, the German brand revealed the first images and official details of its highly-anticipated Momentum 4 Wireless cans, which will succeed the 2019 edition of the Momentum 3 Wireless – and the particularly impressive spec at the time was the alleged battery life of (a frankly amazing) 60 hours.
Given the information available to us, then and At this new price point, while unverified, Sennheiser is potentially offering some serious sound-per-pound value here.
Whether that 60-hour figure has ANC deployed remains to be seen, but as Apple’s top-tier AirPods Max only have a third of that, at 8pm when listening with both ANC and Spatial Audio turned on, it’s a bold statement. as a matter of fact.
In the previous teaser, Sennheiser promised “best-in-class sound, advanced adaptive noise cancellation and an all-new design offering exceptional comfort”, and that gray fabric covering the headband (which looks a lot like what adorns the Sennheiser Momentum). True Wireless 3 and Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 charging case) is certainly a new direction for Sennheiser’s flagship headphones and that seems to be confirmed by these new images.
We also know to expect an “audiophile-inspired 42mm transducer system” with slightly angled speakers to “ensure sound is channeled slightly from the front to the user’s ears”, which should promote a “more natural sound stage”. .
Elsewhere, advanced voice pickup for optimized calling and voice assistant access is promised, along with “multiple customizations to allow users to tailor the sound to their unique preferences.”
Will we see Bluetooth 5.3 and support for the new Bluetooth audio sharing Auracast protocol? We don’t know yet – but given Sennheiser’s track record, we certainly don’t rule it out.
And remember, it can’t take long, as Sennheiser promised (opens in new tab) on June 15 that “Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless will be available globally starting August 2022”. So any day…