Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless Earbuds REVIEW

Like so many other companies Sennheiser has hit the market with their own style of True Wireless earbuds. Everyone from Jabra to Apple has released some amazing high-quality earbud options over the past couple of years. Some earbuds are rather cheap — starting at $49 — while others are at the expensive side of the spectrum retailing for around $399. Even with a diverse bounty of earbuds to choose from, somehow, they all fail someone along the line. For example, with Apple’s integrated A11 chip, I can take the AirPods from my iPhone to iPad and then over to my AppleTV and Mac without needing to pair them to every device. Where the AirPods are a failure for me, and many others, is in the design area. They won’t stay in my ears while I’m sitting still let alone when I’m moving around.

Jabra had the best earbuds in the business to me until I tried the Momentum True Wireless earbuds from Sennheiser. Even though I loved the Jabra Elite 65t earbuds, they still had their shortcomings with me when it came to comfort. Yes, they felt fine for short periods of time but when I started using them for longer stretches of time, I would find my ears would start to hurt and that would, in turn, cause my head to ache. Many companies have True Wireless products out right now so finding one that works for you should not be too much of a problem. For me, I am really digging these Sennheiser Momentum earbuds right now.

DETAILS

The Momentum True Wireless headphones are said to provide ‘uncompromised sound performance, state-of-the-art technology, and refined design’ together in a concise package. The Momentum earbuds are lightweight and splash resistant for long-term, all-weather use. There are 4 different ear tip sizes packaged with the headphones and intuitive touch controls built into the surface of the earpieces. Sennheiser claims a 4-hour battery life (8 additional hours with the charging case) and provided Bluetooth 5.0 with the earbuds. They are designed to be optimized for music listening, calls, and live performances.

Sennheiser provided some exclusive details into the exterior design of the headphones including a premium black housing, polished metallic spin ring, and gold-plated charging pins. Users have the ability to listen to music the way they want using Sennheiser Smart Control — a next-generation companion app. It’s available for iOS and Android users.

IN THE BOX

• Momentum True Wireless earbuds
• Silicone ear adapter sets
• charging case
• USB-C charging cable
• manuals

TECHNICAL SPECS

• Dimensions: 78.6 x 45 x 35mm (charging case)
• Microphone: MEMS
• Bluetooth version: 5.0 (compliant, class 1)
• Supported profiles: A2DP, AVRCP, HSP, HFP
• THD, total harmonic distortion: <0.08% (1kHz/94dB)
• Ear coupling: Ear canal
• Weight: 69.8g (earbuds and charging case), 13.2g (both earbuds), 56.6g (charging case)
• Charging time: Approx. 1.5 hrs
• Microphone sensitivity: 94 dB SPL at 1 kHz
• Operating temperature: 0 to +40°C
• Power supply: 5 V, 650 mA: USB charging via USB-C socket at charging case
• Battery Specification: Built-in Lithium rechargeable battery
• Frequency range: 5 Hz to 21 kHz (earbuds)
• 100 Hz to 10 kHz (microphone)
• Sensitivity: 107 dB SPL (1 kHz / 1 mW)
• Speaker type: Dynamic
• Operating relative humidity: 10 to 80%, non-condensing
• Battery time: Up to 4 hrs (A2DP) with rechargeable batteries of the earbuds, Up to 12 hrs with a rechargeable battery of the charging case
• Water Protection Code: IPX4, splash resistant (earbuds)
• Type of Codec: SBC, aptX™, aptX™ Low Latency, AAC

USER EXPERIENCE

The first thing I noticed with the Momentum earbuds wasn’t the sound quality. It was actually the fact that the case charges using USB-C. I have been touting this for a little over a year now that companies are still dropping Micro USB into products and that seems old-fashioned to me. At this point even Apple has added USB-C to the MacBook Pro and iPad so why are so many companies asking huge prices for old tech? I learned the cost difference wasn’t much so it’s not that adding USB-C could not be done. So with that said, I was thrilled to see USB-C as the charging method for these advanced earbuds.

I am a firm believer in the theory that earbuds fit everyone differently. I can try a pair and they fit perfectly but then my fiance will try out the same pair and find them to be miserably uncomfortable. Ears are shaped differently. Everyone is unique and that is why headphone designers will include different sizes of ear tips with earbuds. I actually loved the fit of the Momentum earbuds. I thought they were just a bit bigger than the Jabra Elite 65t earbuds and that the Momentum earbuds appear to stick out of my ear a little more than the Jabra earbuds, but the Momentum earbuds actually fit into my ear canal quite a bit better. Because of a superior fit, I had a better listening experience with the Momentum headphones.

The charging case is a gray, cloth-covered rectangle and is really lightweight even with the earbuds inside. Compared to Jabra and Apple’s earbud charging cases, Sennheiser’s case is much larger. Unlike Jabra, the case lid is magnetic and so are the earbuds. I feel that Sennheiser did a great job with the design of this case lid as I can never open the Jabra case without feeling like I’m about to break something. Because Sennheiser is using a cloth type of material you don’t feel like the charging case is going to slip out of your hand very easily. Even though the size of the case is quite a bit larger than the Jabra or the Apple earbud charging case, I didn’t have any problems storing the case in my pocket.

I love that the Momentum earbuds feature touch controls. I read how some users have had a frustrating experience with the touch controls and how they were difficult to master. I found them rather intuitive and within an hour of using the earbuds, I was using the controls fluidly. Users do have the option to use the companion app to control the headphones but I think with practice anyone can get used to the controls on the earbuds themselves. I actually prefer the touch controls on earbuds over buttons because you don’t find yourself pressing the earbuds into your ears in order to control them.

One of the features that I love about the Apple AirPods — as well as other earbud models — is the Smart Pause option. This is where the headphones will pause a track when you remove one ear. I find this to be a very beneficial feature and I use it often. The Momentum earbuds also include this option and it’s very functional and useful. I did notice that the earbuds will only pair to one device at a time. This doesn’t mean you can’t use them with more than one device. It just means that you’ll have to disconnect them from one device before using them with another. It’s a little bit of a hassle but I wouldn’t call it a ‘problem’ with the earbuds — just an inconvenience.

Something I noticed while using the Momentum was the ability to block out noise in my surrounding area. They even have a mode inside the iOS app that allows you to turn on a feature called Transparent Hearing. This is an option that allows a certain amount of ambient sound to enter the earbuds so that you can be aware of surrounding sounds like street noise or someone talking to you. When you turn that feature off, it’s almost like having a pair of over-the-ear noise-canceling headphones. You can tell a difference between when the Transparent Hearing is on or off, but it’s not 100% like having true noise canceling headphones.

Even though I never had any connection problems or audio drop out with regular use, I did run into sort of an odd problem when I was testing the Momentum earbuds — a delay in the audio/video sync when watching videos on YouTube. All the videos I tried to watch on YouTube had a slight delay between the audio and the video. At first, I thought this was a problem with all videos, but I attempted to watch a video stored on my iPhone and using the HBO Now app and did not have the same sound issue. I’ve never had this issue with other earbuds so I don’t really know why the delay happens with YouTube but nowhere else. It’s definitely odd.

CONCLUSION

Before using the Momentum True Wireless Headphones, I thought the Jabra Elite 65t earphones were going to my earbud of choice. The Momentum wireless earbuds have a superior sound and better fit for my ears over any other earbuds I’ve tried. The hefty price tag of $300 will be enough to make some people shy away from these headphones but being a person who suffers with hearing loss, I can’t say enough good things about how nice it is to have comfortable earbuds that produce a premium sound.

For more details, visit Sennheiser.com
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Originally published at macsources.com on March 18, 2019.