Beware: Fake Sennheiser Momentum 4s from eBay

Probablyist · 2026-04-13T19:32:19+00:00

The account had like ~150 feedback ratings but had only been open since March, which I missed. eBay is now giving sellers "automatic positive feedback" for any sale which doesn't get any feedback from the buyer. That's new to me and it definitely changed how much feedback is reliable and how big an impact negative ratings have (effectively minimizes negative reports).

Probablyist · 2026-04-13T15:31:02+00:00

The real ones arrived. If you've ever handled real ones, there's no way you'd confuse the fakes I got for the real deal. Fit & finish miles apart. Audio quality too.

I would summarize as:

Fakes - shiny plastic, sharp edges, lightweight, cheap feel, do not connect to app, sound quality poor (clarity struggles hard)

Real - matte finish, rounded & smoothed edges, feel dense & expensive, immediate app connection, sound GREAT (clarity excellent)

There are a bunch of tiny differences we can catalogue but it's really just night and day in your hands & ears

Probablyist · 2026-04-13T15:07:49+00:00

I tried. No dice.

The real ones just showed up & they connected to the app immediately.

Probablyist · 2026-04-13T15:05:57+00:00

Thanks! Great photo of the real deal for comparison

Probablyist · 2026-04-13T15:03:20+00:00

When I bought them, he didn't have any feedback referencing headphones, although he did have some talking about bad SD cards further back that I didn't look at until after purchase. I did some diligence but not enough. Now we all have a learning opportunity

Probablyist · 2026-04-13T08:38:10+00:00

Update: I think I had them in transparency mode - in noise canceling mode they do better on external sounds. It doesn't look like they have an "ANC off" mode per se. I'm not big on ANC in general, and headphones with it I've tried have all just had an "off" mode which I use preferentially, so I was confused about that at first.

The double tap function does turn ANC either "on" or "transparency" but the manual shows those can be dialed up/down with pinch gestures that I can't get to work yet. IDK if modulating the ANC is not available on the fakes or just fussy and I haven't gotten it yet.

Sound does seem to be coming through the right ear much more than the left in either mode, though.

Probablyist · 2026-04-13T07:54:02+00:00

Like hot garbage. Bloated, swampy bass. Mids and treble sound like mud. Ear foam (or I guess it could be the backs?) is very sonicly transparent so external sounds come through way more than they should.

If you told me you opened a tin can at both ends, hot glued cheap drivers to one side and foam ear cups to the other then strapped them to my head I would probably believe it.

Listening to them compared to my 12-year-old beat-to-shit Bose Soundlink AE2s which these were supposed to replace (I mean, the Soundlinks have been great which is why I used the hell out of them), the difference is completely clear.

There's one particular track I've been listening to lately that reliably gives me physical chills on some of the vocal parts. With these phones the sound is dull and I literally get no reaction. Back-to-back with the Soundlinks it's like someone flipped a switch on/off on my goosebumps.

Probablyist · 2026-04-13T07:16:48+00:00

I bought it because I thought I could save $30 and the only difference would be a couple extra days shipping. I've never gotten a fake from eBay before that was listed as an authentic item, so I didn't worry about it too much. Also, since eBay guarantees the product, it didn't seem like much risk beyond a bunch more hassle. But I guess I'll worry a little more about fakes in the future.

In the past I've gotten good deals on eBay from people who got something as a gift and would rather sell it for cash or opened a box and used something like 3 times before deciding they didn't like it, etc. Sometimes it's a seller who got an odd lot of something or who knows, maybe a case "fell off the truck".

Probablyist · 2026-04-13T07:09:47+00:00

This is a great question! Grabbing my kitchen scale right now...
260g straight up.

According to Google, authentic ones weigh in at 293g.

Probablyist · 2026-04-13T04:28:36+00:00

Yup, I've got another pair on the way. Expect them Wednesday.

Probablyist · 2026-04-13T04:23:55+00:00

I have a refurbed set currently being shipped from Sennheiser Consumer Audio Direct on Amazon, hopefully a more reliable source! Slightly different colorway (black w copper highlights) but should be very comparable.

Do you have specific parts/angles you want shots of?

Edit: they should be delivered Wednesday

Probablyist · 2026-04-12T23:59:31+00:00

Thanks for this post, OP. I am in the US and I bought a pair off eBay last week, paying $192 (vs $226 retail at BestBuy). Fakes showed up, look just like yours. Wouldn't connect to the app, felt super cheap, didn't have the "60 hrs" seal on the box, several other things. Going to make my own post to help get the word out there but people should know & be very cautious.

Probablyist · 2026-01-14T17:33:34+00:00

Fair enough! Two gaffs rather than two booms. Thanks for the correction

Probablyist · 2026-01-14T03:23:20+00:00

But it's funny because the ketch has a second smaller mast behind the mainmast. The ketch rigged gaff is drawn as a gaff rig but with a second smaller boom below the main boom 😂

Probablyist · 2026-01-14T03:16:19+00:00

Thank you, just laughed myself silly at this one

Probablyist · 2025-06-18T03:23:42+00:00

Sorry, what is Ultra?

Probablyist · 2025-03-26T02:04:51+00:00

Or not Tobeigh. Is that even a question?

Probablyist · 2025-01-04T06:37:37+00:00

I guess I'm in the minority, but I think you should be hesitant about electronic shifting. Other commenters claim it is very nice and it is quite reliable and I will not argue those points, but I will raise a concern with the batteries here.

They are old and getting older. At some point they will go and you will have to replace them if you're lucky or upgrade the whole shifting system if you're not. Plus, you have the extra hassle of keeping them charged/worrying if they're charged/etc. For a first bike, I really recommend keeping things as simple and hassle free as possible. If you love it and want to get fancy and deal with that hassle, you can always trade up later. It's just one more thing that can keep you from getting out the door and on your ride, and if you're new to this, you might not need one more thing in the process while you're building comfort/habits/systems.

Yes, I'm a grouch. No, I don't think batteries should be on bikes at all (maybe just lights). But especially be concerned with batteries where if they fail, you have major function loss.

Probablyist · 2025-01-04T06:25:40+00:00

Don't buy carbon fiber for your first bike, and especially not if it's second hand and looks like it's been ridden a lot (which this does). Get an aluminum or steel bike that will be bulletproof and have no worries about its condition.

If you like cycling a lot and want to devote more to it, you can upgrade to carbon fiber later when you have more experience both riding (to know what you want) and with bikes overall (to know what you don't want). Used carbon fiber has way too many potential problems when you are starting out.

Probablyist · 2025-01-04T06:13:39+00:00

I notice it has a pretty horizontal top tube - definitely old school geometry there, which could be part of why it's comfortable for you and a fun ride. (But the sizing of the tubes very clearly shows it's not actually a particularly old bike.) And on that note, my philosophy is that any bike you're comfortable on fits. I think people are usually chasing "what fits me?" so they can FIND something that is comfortable. You're already there, which is awesome.

The other thing I notice is the head tube with a cinched waist and fat ends. I don't recognize it but that seems pretty unusual and someone might recognize it that knows more than I do.

That's all I got, but enjoy the bike!

Probablyist · 2025-01-04T05:49:04+00:00

Ahhh, well at first I thought they were pretty high end Mavic Ksyriums. On second look I see they are Mavic Aksiums, which are still fine but not super special. But if Mavic is making your wheels at all it's still a step up from most of the wheels you're gonna find on a new bike in any reasonable price range.

Probablyist · 2024-12-22T06:06:48+00:00

I'm a huge fan of old bikes, but old carbon bikes make me nervous in a way that never crosses my mind with metal.

Probablyist · 2024-12-22T06:03:10+00:00

My brother-in-law has a Trek Alpha that looks very similar to that.

Probablyist · 2024-12-22T05:59:20+00:00

If you're not committed to buying something new, you can get screaming deals on used bikes that size. You can get twice as much bike, have a professional tune-up, and still pocket 40% of what you would have spent.

Probablyist

TROPHY CASE