Sennheiser is what many would consider to be a legendary audio brand. It has been in the business for decades making some of the most popular and highly acclaimed headphones you can buy today. We’ve loved its true wireless offerings going all the way back to the original Momentum True Wireless in 2020 and most recently with the Momentum True Wireless 3 in 2022.
It has been nearly two years but Sennheiser is back with the Momentum True Wireless 4. It offers enhanced sound and ANC performance and is available in a new black and copper colorway. At $299.95, it’s priced to compete with other industry flagships. And now, in its third generation, the MTW4 may just be my favorite earbuds of them all.
Specifications
- Current Price: $299.95 (Amazon)
- Wearing style: True wireless stereo earphones
- Ear coupling: Ear canal
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.4 compliant, class 1, 10 mW (max); Bluetooth Classic and Bluetooth LE Audio supported
- Supported profiles: A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, TMAP, PBP
- Supported codecs: SBC, AAC, aptX™, aptX™ Adaptive/Lossless, LC3
- Speaker principle: Dynamic
- Speaker type/size: TrueResponse™ dynamic, 7mm diameter
- Speaker frequency: 5 Hz to 21 kHz
- Speaker sensitivity: 107 dB SPL (1 kHz / 1 mW)
- Speaker: THD <0,08% (1 kHz / 94 dB)
- Active Noise Cancellation: Hybrid Adaptive ANC
- Mic principle: MEMS
- Mic frequency range: 100 Hz to 10 kHz
- Mic pick-up pattern: 3 mics per earbud, beamforming for noise reduction
- Battery lifespan:
- Up to 7.5 hrs music playtime with earbuds (ANC off); Up to 7.0 hrs music playtime with earbuds (ANC on)
- Up to 30 hrs overall music playtime with charging case (test condition: iPhone, mid volume level 85 dB)
- Charging time Approx. 1.5 hrs for fully charged; After 8 min charging 1 hrs music playtime
- Battery type:
- Left/right earbud: 75 mAh
- Charging case: 820 mAh
- Power supply: 5 V?, 1000 mA max; USB charging via USB-C socket at charging case; Qi Wireless charging
- Weather resistance: IP54, dust and splash resistant (earbuds only)
- Product dimension: 70,1 x 44,6 x 34.8 mm (earbuds and charging case)
- Product weight:
- 72.4 g (both earbuds and charging case)
- 6.2 g (single earbud
- 66.4 g (charging case)
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 - Design and Highlights
The Momentum True Wireless 4 are flagship true wireless earbuds designed to compete with the very best in the industry and they have a feature set that’s up to the challenge. But there’s no mistaking the sense of style they carry. It’s distinctively Sennheiser. It’s a brand that isn’t afraid to stand out with distinctive designs, and the MTW4s carry through the distinctive blocky shell of the MTW3 with the Sennheiser logo on the faceplate.
They don’t disappear into the ear, though are small enough and comfortable enough that you can almost forget they’re there after a while. I think they look good for true wireless earbuds, standing apart from the bean and stem of Apple’s AirPods, and that’s all the better with the new dual-tone color options. Graphite returns from last generation as the “classic” colorway while black has been replaced with black and copper and white with white and metal. They all look good, but the new combinations look especially nice.
The earbuds continue with the same single-dynamic driver design, a classic for Sennheiser, adopting its TrueResponse transducer (driver) system. It’s the same driver system found in Sennheiser’s $950 IE900 in-ear monitors. It’s a custom design with a boutique magnet system and enables the MTW4 to deliver exceptional clarity. They sound good out of the box but I was genuinely impressed at how good they sounded once I ran through its personalization test.
Sound quality and advanced features are at the forefront of this release. They’re some of the very first to support AptX Lossless playback. You’ll need a device that supports it, of course, and that’s still a developing list, but for the first time, you’ll be able to listen over Bluetooth with bit-perfect playback. If you don’t have a supported device (see this list to find out if you do), you can still enjoy hi-res listening with aptX Adaptive. They also support Bluetooth LE, LC3, and Auracast.
Auracast is a new feature just making its way to market. This feature allows multiple Bluetooth devices to receive the same audio simultaneously. Sharing music or a movie with friends should be easy. Both Auracast and Bluetooth LE aren’t available yet but are planned for release in the Spring through a firmware update.
The MTW4 features up to seven and a half hours of battery life on a single charge (seven with ANC on) and three recharges from the case before it’s depleted. In my testing I found this to be pretty accurate, though it’s important to note that it depends on how loud you’re listening and what Bluetooth codec you’re using. The case also supports wireless charging, which is a nice highlight at this price. If you happen to run the earbuds dry, only eight minutes in the case restores an hour of listening time.
The earbuds also support some of the best ANC I’ve heard in a pair of true wireless earbuds. Sennheiser adopts an adaptive ANC system that makes use of the earbuds six microphones (three per side) to actively monitor the noise in your environment and adjust its intensity to match. The MTW3 were already very good but these are better. Because of their excellent, isolating fit they blocked out more noise for me than my Bose QuietComfort II Earbuds, which were previously my high water mark. They’re excellent, even for mid-range frequencies like voices and keyboards.
I also really like that it has an effective anti-wind mode. ANC earbuds can be a pain (literally) to use in a windy environment as the microphones crackle with static during gusts. The MTW4 aren’t perfect but they’re certainly much better than most other earbuds I’ve tested.
Like the MTW3, the earbuds are controlled with capacitive touch and they’re as good as ever. Sennheiser has developed a system which offers you full control over media and calls through taps and holds. Tapping the left earbuds turns on transparency mode, while double tapping it goes back one track. Triple tapping turns on the ANC mode. Holding either earbud increases or decreases volume. The right earbud also handles play and pause, skipping forward, and summoning your virtual assistant.
Microphone quality is very good. In test recordings, they effectively blocked the HVAC noise in the background indoors and isolated my voice well in a moderate wind. My caller was able to hear me clearly in live calls. In both cases, I did sound slightly distant, typical of true wireless earbuds. There really isn’t a lot to complain about here. They sound good.
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 - Listening and Daily Use Impressions
Which brings us to the listening and daily use impressions part of this review. Beginning with comfort, I’m genuinely impressed at how comfortable, yet also how stable and secure these earbuds are. They have a slightly smaller nozzle than last generation, which increases long-term comfort for users with smaller ear canals. Sennheiser includes a selection of XS/S/M/L tips in the box to help you find your fit, as well as a selection of S/M/L stabilization rings that fit on the outer edge of the earbuds.
The app encourages you to try each tip with each earbud to find the perfect match for your ears. I did so and found that a small in my left ear and medium in my right offered the best isolation. The medium and large stabilization rings have small wings on the back that hook your ear. Between a steady tip fitment and wings, these buds become a great choice even for vigorous exercise (and you can feel free to sweat in them thanks to their IP54 rating!)
The out of box listening experience is good, but you shouldn’t rely on it for long. Its bassy and full with good low-end impact. The highs are smoothed over some, which makes it an easy listen but not exactly to my taste. It’s good for hip-hop and pop but as a fan of the upper-mids for rock and acoustic music, I needed to restore a bit of volume to those frequencies. The MTW4 is made for exactly that kind of custom tuning.
The Momentum True Wireless 4 truly begins to shine when you personalize the sound through its Smart Control app. This app offers two options: a traditional 5-band equalizer with bass boost and podcast presets and a Sound Personalization system. This takes you through a short listening test and has you balance several tracks in a test song using simple sliders until you hear exactly as much of each element as you prefer.
It then uses this to create a custom EQ based on your actual listening prefers, removing the guesswork of traditional sliders. If it’s not perfect, the final step is a fine-tuning option that gives lets you slide your finger on a grid to balance it further. When you’re done, you can A/B compare with the stock sound.
The results are probably the best I’ve ever heard from an experiential EQ system. It’s so simple and so effective. After the test, the sound opened up completely. There was more bass but also more mids and highs and each was balanced to bring out the level of clarity I prefer in my music. It’s some seriously impressive stuff.
The bass is tight and has a fast pound and lends a wide body to music. The mids and highs come through crisp and clear, offering a surprising amount of detail. I don’t have a device that supports aptX Lossless, so I couldn’t test that for myself, but I can’t imagine that it would sound much better than what’s on offer already. They sound seriously good — this is some of the best sound you’re going to find in true wireless earbuds.
That also means that your MTW4 may not sound a whole lot like mine, and that’s by design. These earphones are all about options, you can enjoy them exactly as they come or make them your own. They’re resilient and excellent.
Overall Impressions and Final Thoughts
The Momentum True Wireless 4 earbuds are some of the best sound true wireless earbuds I’ve heard and have ANC to match. Between their sonic capability and their comfort, Sennheiser has a real winner on its hands. They don’t come cheap but these buds are worth every penny.
The product described in this article was provided by the manufacturer for evaluation purposes. Articles may include affiliate links from which we may earn a small commission to help support the site. Authors do not earn affiliate revenue or commissions.
