Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless Earbuds Review: Premium Earbuds With Amazing Sound

Last updated on 2022-09-20
By Yvonne

Sennheiser Momentum Wireless Earbuds Review: High-Quality Earbuds with Amazing SoundThe Sennheiser Momentum wireless earbuds feature great Bluetooth codescs and solid connectivity. They also come equipped with a premium case that protects the battery. These features were all tested within 24 hours to make the Sennheiser Momentum wireless earbuds sound great.

Sennheiser Momentum True

We like this

High quality sound
Bluetooth codescs with full-featured features
Unique battery case design

The Things We Hate

Too expensive
Battery life is extremely limited
Design of earbuds is uninspired

Although the Sennheiser Momentum earbuds are among the most impressive-sounding wireless headphones on the market today, they do have some limitations.

So that our expert reviewer could fully test it and give her honest opinion, we purchased Sennheiser Momentum Wireless Earbuds. Continue reading to see our complete product review.

Sennheiser Momentum wireless earbuds are not to be confused by regular Bluetooth earbuds. They offer true wireless sound quality and audiophiles something they can hold onto. They are the best-selling true wireless product in premium. But they don't offer are any bells and whistles—no noise-canceling technology, no automatic pairing, and not even the sleekest design. They are a good choice if you value sound quality.

Design: Not best, but not worst

The design of wireless earbuds is a very important category. The two most important aspects of an earbud are its fit and sound. This shouldn't matter if the earbud looks stale and outdated, or if it is plainly boring. This product category has been viewed as a status symbol. If you aren't wearing AirPods in the subway, you may not be up to date.

The Sennheiser Momentum earbuds don't look bad, per se—the mostly matte black housing is a pleasing amoeba-style shape that culminates in a flat circular touchpad surface on the house. This half-inch round surface makes the earbuds look unprofessional. Sennheiser decided to cover it with a shiny, ridged coating, and have their logo printed in black. This is not in line with the rest market's minimalist, soft-touch aesthetic (see Sony WF-1000XM3 or Bose's rubbery external).

However, the case is quite different. The case is a rectangular, round, pill-box-shaped, battery box, however it's covered with a cloth-style, heathered-gray material. It's the fabric texture of this case that really makes an impact in tech circles (see Google's Pixel Buds and phone cases). Sennheiser is making a bold statement among matte-plastic cases. Even though I didn't like the shine of the headphones, it's clear that the case works.

Comfort: Mid-road

Again, the Sennheiser Momentum Earbuds fit very basic. Three sizes of eartips are available. They're made from round, silicone tips. This means that they have to fit snugly inside your ear canal. Although I do not like the way it feels in my ear, Sennheiser did something very clever when building the enclosure.

It's an extra-large structure, which is angled at the end. This allows it to rest in your outer ear and stabilize itself. Although I prefer a rubber wing for holding the earbuds in place, I was pleased to find that the Momentum buds fit well in my ears. With that said, even when switching the eartips, I found the fit to be just a little too tight—a choice most likely made to have the sound isolation as clean as possible. The earbuds weigh in at 7g each and are lighter than I expected due to their bigger size.

Build Quality and Durability: Overall, is quite solid.

The earbuds are durable, just like their design. It is all made from a very basic plastic with no soft touch texture. It's not a big deal, as you will be putting them in your ears without even realizing it. They do have IPX4 waterproofing which I consider a necessity. You can take them along on your workouts and they will protect you from light rain.

Although the case itself is a rectangular, rectangle-shaped, battery-case-shaped case, it's covered with a cloth-style, heathered-gray material. It's the fabric texture of this case that really makes an impact in tech circles.

It is solidly built. The closing clasp as well as the slots for the earbuds have strong magnets. This gives you confidence in closing the case or dropping your earbuds. Although the outer fabric is unique and feels wonderful, it will be susceptible to dirt, wear and tear.

The hinge of the case was functional but gave off a strange creaking sound when opened. It is possible that this is a problem with my particular unit. However, it isn't a major issue. If you like to close and open your cases with an effortless smoothness, this is not the right place for you.

High Quality Sound: One of the finest around

It's not surprising that Momentum wireless buds are near perfect from a company like Sennheiser. Sennheiser has a variety of earbuds that I have owned, from studio-quality monitors and the most basic earbuds. I am almost always pleased with how my music sounds.

Sennheiser also lists harmonic distortion as a spec. It is less than 0.08 percent for the Momentum earbuds and about equal to the Sennheiser HD600 studio earbuds. At its most basic, harmonic distortion is the accuracy with which a sound source is presented through headphones or speakers. Your ear can detect if the speaker alters a sound's harmony (what determines the tone of a particular noise). Low harmonic distortion means the sound quality is not as altered. This is a great thing to see.

Another point of importance is the number of Bluetooth codescs that are available. Even if the earbuds are more expensive, most will only offer SBC and at worst AAC. While these formats work well for the majority of listeners, if you need to send high-fidelity audio, codecs can compress the signal to the point it offers almost the same quality as an mp3 file.

Qualcomm's aptX technology and aptX low latency are featured on the Momentum earbuds. These technologies provide higher quality compression and faster transfer speeds. It allows for better sound quality, better sync and greater compatibility with video and other games.

Battery life: Very poor

The battery life is perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the product. The product description states that the earbuds can last for 4 hours and the case will only give you an additional 8 hours. These numbers alone are abysmal when you compare them to even the budget options out there—many of which offer up to 24 hours of available charge.

The battery's real life time was closer to 5-6 hours, and the amount of charge I got from the case only allowed me to get about twice that. I was often forced to take out my earbuds and find that they had stopped working. It is disappointing considering the cost and given that heavy battery cases are common, it would not have been surprising to see a more attractive offering.

Setup and Connectivity: Remarkably Solid, Once they are set up

The connectivity of Momentum earbuds is also rated poorly, at the risk of making a bad impression. The first is the positive: Bluetooth 5.0 has been added to provide solid range and stability. The connection is strong, unlike many other wireless earbuds that can skip and start.

But, it is not as easy as AirPod rivals to set up the connection. To pair the earbuds, I had to activate them manually. Even worse, the battery ran out and my phone lost the earbuds. I had to re-learn the Bluetooth menu.

Even though the earbuds worked perfectly without an app, I was forced to download the app and my phone forgot the earbuds. Although these issues can be overcome easily, they don't come at a premium price.

Low harmonic distortion means the audio spectrum is not as good. This is a great thing to see.

Software and Additional Features: Useful features

The Sennheiser Momentum headphones are quite simple in terms of feature, with just a few tap gestures for music control and voice assistant. However, the Sennheiser Smart Control App opens that feature up to a bit more. Two key features are a simple EQ that boosts different areas of the spectrum according to your preference and an option to switch to 'transparent sound'.
The latter feature, which is standard on all earbuds in this class, uses the onboard microphones to amplify sounds around you. This increases your awareness of traffic and family members living nearby. It is a bit confusing because you have to move one point around a spectral chart, instead of switching between different areas. It's fairly intuitive once you learn how it works, although it isn't the most efficient way to adjust EQ.

You can also customize the app to do other things, such as turning smart pause on or off and automating phone answering. Although not all the features that I have seen are available, it is nice to have.

Pricing: It's probably too expensive for what you get

The Sennheiser Momentum wireless earbuds have been rated as one of my favorite sets. These earbuds are not the highest quality, don't look great, and don't feel good. They don't have the longest battery life, and the Bluetooth setup could use some improvement. Is it worth the sound quality? This is a question that each buyer will have to answer. However, at $230 (while the majority of the market hovers around $200), it's hard not to think about how much they're $30 over-priced.

Sennheiser Momentum vs. Master & Dynamic MW07 Plus

M&D and Sennheiser are the natural rivals as they both have a strong presence in this market. Although the MW07 Plus is more costly (check Amazon), they have better battery life and fit and offer a lot more options. But based on the sound quality, it's hard to compare them. The M&D cost almost $100 more so they need to be better sounding to cement their position as the top earbuds.

Final Verdict

Sennheiser's sound quality is far superior to other flaws. While the majority of features aren’t terrible, they aren’t great. They don't feel expensive because of their average fitting and uninspired design. These earbuds are great for Bluetooth codescs, and I'm not averse to the excellent sound quality. The Momentum True Wireless is a great choice if audiophiles are your primary focus. But if you need an all-around solution, consider other products.