Look ma, no wires!
At CES, Sennheiser had its “usual” wide selection of top flight headphone on display along side its new amp/DACs from this year, but the real news was tied close to some signifiant updates to the mainstream-friendly Urbanite and Momentum lines.
The two product lines are a shot at a more Beats-friendly crowd and the latest update is aimed squarely at convenient, digital, on-the-go usage. We were very impressed with the original [around-ear Momentum], as it offers a solid linear response and significant fidelity for the $300 range.
The new editions feature a foldable design that allows them to take up a much smaller footprint in your bag. In addition to the apt-X codec, the headphones will feature NFC for easy bluetooth pairing with compatible devices. Utilizing Bluetooth 4.o, the new headphones can actually pair together with eight devices and stream simultaneously to two at the same time.
Sennheiser is touting 25 & 22 hours of battery playback for the Urbanites and Momentums, respectively. The new versions also offer track and volume control along the ridge of the ear cup. You can also easily field calls whilst in the wild with the addition of a built in microphone (the original versions offered control via the included detachable cable).
The entire device charges with a standard USB connection. Both lines will include the option for active noise cancellation which Sennheiser is calling NoiseGard. The technology will utilize an array of 4 microphones to block out external ambient sounds in a similar fashion to the current lineup of Bose travel headphones.
The new Urbanite XL wireless will retail for $299.95 and the Sennheiser Momentum will hit the streets at $399.95 for the On-Ear version and $499.95 for the Around-The-Ear.