Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 is the company’s flagship true wireless earbuds, and it seeks to compete with big boys of the likes of Apple, Bose, and Sony. Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 is priced at S$399 at the time of this review.
Unboxing
Here’s what you’ll find in the box:
- Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4
- Charging Case
- USB-C Charging Cable
- Pair of (XS), (S), (M), (L) and (XL) silicone ear tips
- Two pairs of ear fins
- Quick Start Guide
Build quality and features
The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 comes in three colours: (1) Black Copper, (2), Black Graphite, and (3) White Silver. The unit I have is the Black Graphite model. The earbuds have squarish oval shape in its premium-feeling matte plastic. If you know the predecessor (MTW3), then the design hasn’t really changed much. The size of the earbuds are on the still on the chunky side.
The case is also quite sizeable even though it comes in a nice fabric-like material, it is not very pocket friendly. Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 have solid build quality and the earbuds now have a water-resistance rating of IP54 making it dust-resistant as well.
Fit and comfort
The large earbuds size of the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 might fit more cumbersome if you have smaller ears. Despite this, I found that they fit fine for me as the nozzle does extend deep enough to provide a more secure fit. There are also ear fins which could be attached to the earbuds to create more contact points on your ear.
Each earbud weight about 6.2 grams each but they don’t feel heavy. The overall fit is comfortable as there are enough curves on the earbuds to rest naturally along the contours of my ears. The might stick out from your earbuds due to the thickness of the earbuds but they do not interfere with comfort.
Sound quality
The sound signature of the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 is fairly balanced with some kick in the low end, all with extending good detail across the board. Bass is well-defined, punchy, and you get some emphasis in this range to feel the deep lows without muddying other frequencies. Mids are smooth sounding, with vocals sounding intimate and clean.
There is this level of detail that Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 exhibits that feel natural. Treble is balanced. It isn’t the brightest highs I’ve heard amongst all the other earbuds I’ve tested, but it’s got enough shine for an engaging listen. For those who prefer bass, the Sony WF-1000XM5 will probably offer more warm and deep thumping sound. Personally, I prefer the sound of the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4, which also boast accurate imaging and an immersive soundstage.
ANC & Transparency Mode
ANC performance of the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 is what you’d expect of a flagship pair of earbuds. Low frequency noises such as engine rumble in buses and airplanes are easily removed. High frequencies noises such as vocal chatter are reduced to a large extent. There is option to toggle “Anti-Wind” mode which helps deal with wind entering the mic but is reduces the overall amount of cancellation.
What’s also great is the transparency mode of the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4. While you get a rather natural sound, it still doesn’t match up the leaders AirPods Pro 2 in this regard. However, you get a useful slider in the app, allowing you to adjust from “Low” to “High”. “High” is where sounds start to feel too amplified. I found “Mid” to be a good balance.
Controls and App
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 uses the Sennheiser Smart Control as its the companion app. I like the the UI of the app and it is easy to use – adjusting the different customisations options such as EQ, touch controls, quality-of-life settings, and manage sound modes such as ANC and Transparency Mode.
The customisable EQ offers a five-band adjustment or you can just chose from a number of ready-made presets. There is also a feature called ‘Sound Zone’ that auto applies a customised setting based on your location.
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 uses touch controls, and hit box for the touch capacitors are quite generous. Tapping anywhere on the earbuds will activate it – very accurate. While that it great for intended touches, it also means they tend to get accidental touches when adjusting fit in my ears. Thankfully, there is an option to customise the touch controls to remove any controls mapped to a single tap.
I found that activating Transparency Mode auto pauses the music, which means I then have to perform another tap on the right earbud for the song to resume playback. It does feel like a cumbersome experience but this can be easily remedied via a firmware update.
Microphone quality
Microphone performance of the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 is above average. While my voice has good amount of depth and accuracy, the voice pickup is quite soft so the receiving party may have to crank up his/her volume. In noisy environments, Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 does well to keep my voice forward and clear without getting distorted. The background noise can still be heard but it is a slight distant sound in the mix.
Connectivity & Battery life
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 is equipped with future-proof connectivity tech as it boasts the latest Bluetooth 5.4 and has support for Auracast and LE Audio. During my time of testing, I found the connection to be largely stable as I did not experience any dropouts. There is also no audio-video sync lag when watching videos from the YouTube app on my iPhone 11. You can use either side of the earbuds if you just want to wear one for usage.
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 is rated to last up to 7.5 hours of music playback with ANC turned on. You’ll get a total of 30 hours with the case. If you need the quickly juice up the earbuds, the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 supports fast charging where a 8 minute charge will grant 1 hour of audio playback. You can charge wired via USB-C or wirelessly with any Qi wireless charger.
Conclusion
The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 is a solid performer and builds upon a strong foundation to create a flagship level pair of true wireless earbuds. Its sound quality is what sets it apart from the competition which have slightly better ANC. At the upper end of the market, there are many options to choose from. And it has come to a point where you just go with what you prioritize more in their feature set. For S$399, the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 isn’t cheap but its sound won’t disappoint.