What do you get when you pair legendary audio company Sennheiser with the latest in wireless audio technology? A pair of stylish, truly wireless headphones that sadly don’t function as good as they look and sound.
Design
The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless have a simple yet elegant design. The body of the earbuds are constructed with plastic with a metal touch-sensitive button featuring the Sennheiser logo on the outside.
When it comes to the case Sennheiser really stands out from the crowd here. It is quite compact and also the only one I’ve seen that incorporates fabric. What you end up with is a premium feeling and stylish case to charge and transport your headphones. Just remember, fabric can also pick up stains and, unlike plastic or metal, it won’t just wipe right off.
Comfort
The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless headphones are extremely comfortable and offer a tight and secure fit. Between the ergonomic design and lightweight nature of the buds, it makes them easy to wear and prevents them from falling out, even for someone like myself with smaller than average ear canals.
One HUGE design flaw
Before I can continue with the review I need to take a moment and explain a huge flaw with these headphones. I’ve been reviewing and testing electronics for many years and so when I say this, don’t take it lightly. The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless headphones are one of the most frustrating products I’ve ever used.
I constantly had issues where the earbuds refused to disconnect from my phone. Thankfully, there is a power-off option in the app, or else I would have been stuck with all my audio being played through the earbuds, regardless of them being placed back in the case.
Another complaint I have is the buds seemed to run out of battery much faster than they were rated. Even more aggravating, sometimes only the left earbud would die while the right earbud still had almost a full charge.
After being at my wit’s end with these headphones, I began searching the web to find that I was not alone. Many people had, and continue to have, the exact same issues with these headphones.
After a couple of hours of research, I finally stumbled upon the cause. It seems the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless headphones require power from the case to put them into standby. That means the case must always have a charge or else it will not facilitate putting the buds into standby and bringing them out of standby to connect to your phone.
That would be fine if not for glaring one issue: long-pressing the button on the charging case powers it off. Then, the only way to turn the case back on is by plugging it into a power source.
This is a huge design flaw for a charging case on a pair of truly wireless headphones. As it turns out, while in my pocket or bag, the case constantly turns off.
That meant the buds would no longer disconnect when placed inside, forcing me to manually power them off or risk having no audio from my phone. It also meant they would not automatically power on and reconnect when removed. And worst of all, it meant the headphones would not get charged and they died significantly faster.
Once I figured out the cause of the issues I stopped putting the headphones in my pocket or bag, and they began to function as they should. However, it entirely defeats the purpose of having portable headphones. What good are they if you cannot carry them in your pocket or bag without them malfunctioning?
User experience
After I stopped having issues with the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless headphones, and only used them at home, the user experience was pretty good.
The buds feature touch controls with just about every option you can imagine including play/pause, skipping tracks, Transparent Hearing, and volume controls.
While I’m not a fan of touch-sensitive buttons on headphones in general, at least Sennheiser gives you plenty of controls. One that stands in particular is volume control. That’s something you’ll find missing on most pairs of truly wireless headphones. It was so nice to not have to reach for my phone for once when adjusting the volume.
App
The Sennheiser app feels a little bare bones, but that’s not a bad thing. The design is clean and it offers only a few options such as Transparent Hearing, an equalizer, smart pause, and voice assistant access options.
Transparent Hearing is one of the most interesting features because it allows you to hear your surroundings without taking the buds out. It can also be activated with a double-tap on the right earbud making it super convenient to use without opening the app.
The equalizer is one of the most beautifully designed equalizers I’ve ever seen. At the same time, it’s not great for those of us who like to have a more accurate way of adjusting the equalizer. While I was able to find the settings which suit my ears, it felt more like a guessing game than like I was in control.
Sound Quality
Sound is one thing Sennheiser knows how to do and the Momentum True Wireless are no exception. These truly wireless headphones sound amazing. The highs are bright and clear giving you plenty of detail and separation between the vocals and instruments.
Bass heads won’t be disappointed because there is a deep rich full bass here without feeling muddy at all. You can even tweak it further in the app to bring out more of the high or low-end depending on your preference.
Of all of my complaints about the Momentum True Wireless, the sound far from one of them. When I was able to get the buds to function properly I truly enjoyed every note that I heard through them and it gave me a real appreciation for the audio prowess of the Sennheiser brand.
Battery life
The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless are rated for four hours with an additional eight hours from the case. I don’t usually listen to music longer than a couple of hours consecutively so that’s perfect.
In my experience the Momentum True Wireless required more charging than other truly wireless buds I’ve used. I always felt I had to charge it once a week, even on weeks where I barely used them.
What makes it worse is when the case would run out of power, the buds would power themselves on and automatically connect to my phone, taking over the audio without me knowing. Just another side effect in the flawed design I mentioned above.
Final Thoughts
Sennheiser is a premium audio company and the Momentum True Wireless headphones are stylish and sound amazing. Unfortunately, no amount of style or rich audio quality can make up for a product that is ultimately flawed.
The Momentum True Wireless retails $300 normally but are currently on sale for $270. No matter what the price, I wouldn’t be able to recommend them though. Not when the flaw in the case essentially breaks the product.
There are other pairs of truly wireless headphones on the market and ones that sound just as good, offer more features, and will even cost you less money. The Sony WF-1000XM3 come to mind as a better alternative for those searching for premium sound and lots of features, and they will even be kinder on your wallet.
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