Sennheiser’s noise-cancellation earbuds

Sennheiser’s latest wireless earbuds are smaller, last longer, and feature improved quality and noise cancellation over their predecessors, putting them among the best on the market.

The third-generation Momentum true wireless earbuds, priced at £219.99 ($249.95/A$399.5), are likely to dethrone Sony’s WF-1000XM4 as the best-sounding earbuds available.

They are 16 percent smaller and hence fit better in the ears, making them more pleasant to wear for longer periods of time.

They succeed in the superb 2020 model and adopt a similar form to the firm’s cheaper CX series of earbuds.

Their squarer, smoother shape is significantly less noticeable than the Rolo-like shape of their predecessor.

They’re light, well-made, and sweat-resistant to IPX4, so they should be great in the rain or during workouts. Just make sure they’re not submerged in water.

Sennheiser logo on the earbuds serves as a trackpad for a full range of configurable controls, including volume and noise-canceling modes, all of which function admirably.

Few competitors provide as many choices.

With noise-canceling set on, the battery lasts roughly 6.5 hours of music, which is a little less than Sony’s best but still very decent.

The case can charge the earphones three times and can be charged wirelessly through USB-C or Qi.

The earbuds take 90 minutes to fully charge, while a 10-minute charge in the case adds one hour of listening.

Specifications

• IPX4 water resistance (splash)
• Bluetooth 5.2, SBC, AAC, and aptX adaptive connectivity
• Battery life: 7 hours, with case up to 28 hours
• Weight of earbuds: 6g each
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• Driver size: 7mm
• Weight of charging case: 66g
• Charging case: USB-C, Qi wireless charging

Excellent sound quality and noise cancellation

The earbuds’ outstanding feature is how amazing they sound, offering rich, clear audio with excellent instrument separation.

Although they are bassy, the low notes are snappy and nicely controlled. There’s also a bass increase option, but there’s a doubt that many people will use it.

Mid tones and high notes are rich and nicely balanced, vocals are clear, and most music genres sound fantastic.

They lack intensity in some electronica tracks, but they outperform most competitors in jazz and classical.

A comprehensive equalizer is included, as well as the possibility to generate a custom preset via a brief listening test.

In a future update, Sennheiser promises to include a full sound personalization feature that goes beyond simple equalizer modifications.

The earbuds provide excellent active noise cancellation, which can reduce most rumbles, fan noise, and road noise by automatically adapting the noise suppression level to the environment.

It has the best wind noise reduction option I’ve tried, and the ambient awareness mode is also excellent.

However, they have trouble with speech and louder tones, such as finger taps on a keyboard, and can’t quite match Sony’s class-leading WF-1000XM4.

Settings and connectivity

The earphones support Bluetooth 5.2 and the universal audio standards SBC and AAC.

They do, however, support the aptX Adaptive audio format, which, when used with a compatible device, provides greater audio quality and lower latency, which is very useful for gaming.

However, only a few recent Android smartphones now support aptX Adaptive.

The earbuds may be used separately, which is useful for phone calls.

On the phone, my speech sounded robotic, but it was clear even in noisy surroundings, efficiently suppressing background noise.

The Bluetooth connection to a variety of phones, tablets, and PCs was rock strong, but they can currently only connect to one device at a time.

A future upgrade is expected to provide simultaneous connections to two devices (multi-point), such as a laptop and a phone.

Sustainability

After four years of everyday usage, listening for two hours a day, Sennheiser believes that the batteries in the earphones and case will retain at least 80% of their original capacity, however, the batteries are not removable, making them disposable.

Tips, earbuds, and casings are available as spare parts.

Sennheiser does not publish impact evaluations or run trade-in schemes in the UK, and the earbuds do not contain any recycled material.

Price

Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 headphones cost £219.99 ($249.95/A$399.5) and are available in three colors.

The Sony WF-1000XM4 costs £229, the Beats Fit Pro £199, the Apple AirPods Pro £249, the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro £219, the Jabra Elite 7 Pro £199, the Bose QC Earbuds £249.95, and the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 £99, for example.

Verdict

Sennheiser’s Momentum True Wireless earbuds, now in their third generation, are an improvement in almost every way.

They’re among the best-sounding Bluetooth earbuds available, with strong noise cancellation, intuitive controls, long battery life, and support for the latest aptX Adaptive audio format.

They are more competitive because of a price decrease over their predecessors, but still being at the premium end of the market at £220.

The case is a touch bigger than some, the design is a little less intriguing than previously, and they’re still waiting for a multi-point connection upgrade, but the worst thing about them is that the battery can’t be replaced, so they’re essentially disposable, losing a star.