Sennheiser has long been a favorite of the audiophile community and is a stigma most associated with outstanding headphone audio quality . So perhaps it should n’t be surprising that the former generation of the company’swireless earbuds — the Momentum True Wireless 4 — have nonchalantly sidestepped the whole drumhead - tracking spatial audio trend . While spatial sound might have a growing audience ( in no humble part due to Apple ’s fiery promotional attempt ) , audio frequency purists remain more concerned in good ol’ stereo and how they can get higher - caliber sound over a Bluetooth connection .
Knowing that , Sennheiser ’s formula for the $ 300 Momentum True Wireless 4 is dim-witted : improve everything and get ready for what ’s next .
After an all - too - brief chance to sample these earbuds , I cogitate it ’s a succeed convention , indeed .
What’s changed?
For brevity , I ’ll refer to the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 ( and their predecessors , theMomentum True Wireless 3 ) as the MTW4 and MTW3 , severally . Here ’s what Sennheiser has added — and perhaps why the Modern manakin costs $ 20 more .
What hasn’t changed?
All the improvements listed above are largely software and chipset - led changes . The earbud drivers — arguably one of the biggest component in wakeless quality — remain the same 7 mm TrueResponse dynamic unit of measurement Sennheiser has been using for several years .
On the exterior , the MTW4 are selfsame to their predecessors , save for three coloring material choices . The snowy and silver models now have metal - look endcaps , and a slick Modern fuzz - black option replaces the black lead discrepancy .
The earbuds ’ shape has been preserved . So , if the MTW3 furnish you with a good tantrum , you may expect the same from the MTW4 . For me , it ’s an excellent match for my ears . The MTW3 changed my public opinion of Sennheiser ’s earbuds from a comfort and primed stop of horizon , so I ’m delighted to see nothing ’s been altered on that front .
The same goes for the charge case . It ’s still wrapped in a easy but indestructible cloth , has excellent lid and flexible joint cognitive process , and still supports radio and USB - C wired charging . The only negatively charged is that it ’s still bulky , boxy , and virtually twice as dense as the Apple AirPods Pro .
Sennheiser once again includes a charge cablegram , four sizes of silicone polymer eartips , and three size of it of earfin stability bands . A fit mental testing in the Sennheiser Smart Control app helps guarantee the best seal possible .
Touch controls done right
I wield that physical controls are preferable to touch controls . They have a tactile calibre that ca n’t be beat , and you’re able to usually use them with gloved hands . Still , Sennheiser ’s touch sensation control are some of the better in the business concern .
The entire out eggshell of the earbuds is touch - sensitive , and you get an audible confirmation for each successfully tell apart pat . They ’re also exceedingly customizable within the Smart Control app . So , if you do n’t like the default gestures and functions , they can be switch .
augment the usual play / interruption part are weary sensors on the earbuds that can auto - pause and resume your music when you take one or both earbuds . car - pause contract a second to kick in , while the CV function happens immediately .
Better Bluetooth
Bluetooth Multipoint is a must these day as most of us spend ever - increase amount of money of time on multiple devices , and the MTW4 do it well . you may associate to any two machine simultaneously , and change between them is seamless . The Smart Control app lets you see all of the gadget you ’ve previously copulate with , which make picking those two connections dead simple .
For the MTW4 , Sennheiser has up the Bluetooth version to 5.4 and allege it will bring support for LE Audio and Auracast via a firmware update . Both features are worth have , but both are very much forward - look . LE Audio — via the new LC3 codec — promise lower latent period , lower energy , and high - character sound compared to both the AAC and SBC codecs . Not many phones stick out it yet , but you ’ll be ready when they do .
Auracast , in my opinion , is more interesting . It lets folk share their Bluetooth sound with an inexhaustible number of other listeners , and it create the first standard for Bluetooth broadcasting in public spaces like airdrome or conferences . Auracast blend from possibility to practiceat CES 2024 , but it may still be a year or two before you get going to see it proliferate . Still , you ’ll be ready when it does .
My one note on the MTW4 ’s Bluetooth performance is that it seems to have a poor wireless range than other earbuds in its class . As I affect between the floors of my house , I could n’t get very far without the link from my iPhone bring out up . TheApple AirPods Pro , by contrast , can roam anywhere without issue . At one point , when I was at the gymnasium , the MTW4 lost their connection to the earpiece for almost 40 irregular before reconnecting . I can see this being a microcode issue . Increasingly , I ’ve been receive review devices that are still being actively improved . I ’ll update this review if thing exchange .
Go lossless — if you can
There are still cute fewAndroid phones that stand aptX Lossless through Qualcomm ’s Snapdragon Sound platform . In fact , I had to take over aMotorola ThinkPhonebecause it ’s one of the few handsets that do . But if you own one of the phones or architectural plan to buy one , the Sennheiser MTW4 can deliver scrap - perfect , CD - quality audio frequency . Or , at least , that ’s the title .
I have no way to verify it , and I distrust nothing less than stem - level access code to the earbuds ’ onboard digital - to - parallel convertor ( DAC ) would get you do so . For me , strictly based on my power to discern differences in character , the panel ’s still out onwhether aptX Lossless is adept than aptX Adaptive , a lossy yet hi - res audio codec that is supported on a much wider cooking stove of phones .
One affair ’s for certain : both are markedly better than AAC ( the nonpayment codec on iPhones ) or SBC ( the nonremittal codec for all Bluetooth audio ) .
Why should you even like about lossless ? Honestly , if you ’re aSpotifylistener , it does n’t matter much since that help does n’t ( yet ) get you rain buckets lossless audio .
But if you ’ve chosen a stream music service likeApple Music , Amazon Music , Tidal , orQobuzbecause you need lossless , CD - quality audio ( at a lower limit ) , aptX Lossless is your good stake for preserving that extra sound quality .
Codec control
What ’s strange about Sennheiser ’s coming to these codecs is that it gives you some say over which one you want to apply . Usually , when a set of earbuds connect to a phone , the two devices swap information regarding which codecs they have in rough-cut and then default to the one with the highest lineament .
Using the Smart Control app , however , you’re able to select between four audio firmness of purpose configurations : standard , down response time , gamey - resolution , and lossless — each with its own specific flavor of aptX.
On an iPhone , these background are fundamentally ignored . Regardless of which one you break up , you ’ll always use the AAC codec because that ’s all Apple supports .
But even on Android phone , these options represent a desire state — not a guarantee state .
For instance , if your telephone set supports aptX Lossless and you choose the lossless setting , the MTW4 will seek to connect using aptX Lossless . If your headphone supports aptX Adaptive but not aptX Lossless , you ’ll get Adaptive at the highest sampling rate your gimmick can manage . Finally , if your phone only works with the aptX codecs that ship with Android ( aptX / aptX HD ) , you ’ll get aptX.
The caution with any Bluetooth codec is that it ’s all subordinate on the calibre of your Bluetooth data link . A short Bluetooth connection will draw a scaling back of audio lineament , irrespective of which setting you select in the app .
Sounds like Sennheiser
pop the MTW4 straight out of the box into your ears provides the kind of exculpated and balanced sound signature that Sennheiser is have intercourse for . Bass response is punchy without being overwhelming , and the mids have plenty of detail .
However , as presently as I trade them for theSony WF-1000XM5 , the MTW4 felt up pale and somewhat two - dimensional by comparability . That ’s when I tried the new My Sound personalization feature in the Smart Control app . What a departure .
The My Sound operation steps you through two balance exercises , where you ’re require to find the mix of string and bass that sounds correct to you . The third stair introduces drums to the commixture , and in the last footstep , you ’re cave in a straight grid - corresponding space and a transportable blue disk to fine - line the EQ .
Once I ’d found my preferred background , the MTW4 came alive .
Definitely take meter to customize the speech sound .
As I get older , I find I ’m not as sensitive to higher relative frequency . usually I ’d expend metre messing around with the included five - band equalizer to get the 6kHz encouragement that helps with this , but the My Sound personalization accomplished the same matter and it was fun using its fine - melodic phrase step .
The result was still less immersive than the XM5 and theBose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds , both of which have wide-cut soundstages . That ’s less of a criticism than it sounds — not everyone likes the way Sony and Bose process sound recording . Some folks find those earbuds to be boosted in all the wrong ways . Sennheiser ’s more conservative approach will be apprize by these hearer .
Sennheiser’s best noise cancellation and transparency
Bose , Sony , and Apple are lock up in a three - way battle for the supremacy of silence , with each new generation of wireless products upping the ante yet again . The reason they ’re the party to beat is that each has explicate proprietary ANC engineering science .
This puts Sennheiser at a disadvantage , and yet the MTW4 are nonetheless a significant improvement over the third - gen earbuds in both ANC and transparence . And unless you demand nothing less than the good , I call back they provide more than enough ability to quiet nettlesome background randomness .
Perhaps more impressive is the speed with which they can switch from ANC to transparency — a single tap on the odd earbud ( by nonremittal ) , and you ’re in a whole newfangled world .
And I ’m very appreciative of the option that lets you pause music when you switch to transparency . It should be useable on every ANC - capable intersection .
My only note on the MTW4 is that the ANC way introduces a slight but noticeable hiss . It gets delete the moment you go listening to euphony , but if you ’re hoping to use the feature film on its own , you may find it disquiet .
Great calls for your contacts
Another area that sees a meaningful melioration over the MTW3 is call caliber . I was n’t especially shanghai by the third - gen ’s ability to manage backcloth stochasticity . It tended to grow tough bouts of wobble and compression . The MTW4 are far more deft at educe your vocalism from these other sounds . While not perfect , they ’re never going to leave behind your callers always demanding that you repeat yourself .
However , I ’m not happy that Sennheiser continues to handle side - tone ( hearing your voice on calls ) as unnecessary . For me , the affair that can make picture and voice calls exhausting is my unfitness to hear my voice of course . It ’s why I much favor usingopen - ear earbudsfor these tasks .
It ’s intemperate to find another Seth of wireless earbuds that do not offer side - tone , and yet it remains absent on the MTW4 . Sennheiser , if you ’re listening , please set this .
A better battery
Sennheiser order you ’ll now get up to 7.5 hours per kick with 30 hours total when you include the charging case . That ’s adopt 50 % volume . Using ANC only criticize these numbers down to seven and 28 , respectively . you could get an redundant hour of playday with just eight minutes of charge . That ’s probably more than enough for most exercise .
I ’ll be honest : three days of testing is n’t enough meter to get a sense of whether Sennheiser ’s claim for the MTW4 ’s battery life are precise . However , the time I did log with these earbuds reduced their battery portion readout in the Sennheiser app proportionately to those claim , so believe this a tentative passing game .
The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 may lack some of the doorbell and whistles obtain on other high - conclusion earbuds , especially when it come to spatial audio . But when it comes to the burden lineament that count most on a band of $ 300 earbuds — quilt , good quality , racket cancellation , transparence , call quality , and battery life — they can more than hold their own .
