Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 review: a bet on the future

At the beginning of the year, Sennheiser showed an update to its popular Momentum True Wireless 4 fully wireless headphones. At first glance, the innovations compared to the previous generation are minimal, from design to sound. However, the company claims that it has made important changes, and most importantly, support for new wireless audio technologies, which should make Momentum True Wireless 4 relevant for many years. I will tell you whether this is true and what the new Sennheiser headphones offer in this review.

Momentum True Wireless 4 specifications

Package contents

The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 comes with additional silicone tips of various sizes, cartilage retainers, documentation, and a short USB-C to USB-A charging cable.

Compared to the previous generation of Momentum True Wireless 3, there are no changes at all, the equipment is completely identical.

Design, convenience and case

Momentum True Wireless 4 received cosmetic changes in design. The manufacturer offered two new colors: “black copper” and “black graphite” (as in the review) in addition to “metallic gray”. Otherwise, neither the shape of the case nor the fit has changed. TW 4 are still quite comfortable fully wireless headphones with a medium size, which, of course, protrude from the ears while wearing, but are not massive in appearance.

The outer side of each earbud bears the manufacturer’s logo and is painted in the primary color. The flat surface is also designed for easy touch control, which is fully customizable in the Sennheiser app, which I’ll discuss later.

The headphones have an in-ear fit and are very comfortable to use thanks to the soft ear pads and cartilage retainers. I can’t often say that I could run in headphones, but Momentum True Wireless 4 is exactly the case. By the way, the model has IP54 moisture protection, so you can really use it while running or working out in the gym.

Despite the fact that the design of the headphones has not changed in general, Sennheiser has worked a little on their reliability. One of the main complaints about the previous generation of the model was the rather large holes in the silicone tips, through which earwax got directly onto the speaker mesh and was very difficult to remove. Some even blamed this flaw for the headphones’ failure. The company never admitted this problem, but later added foam pads to the Momentum True Wireless 3 to further protect the speaker. In the same generation, the holes in the silicone tips were reduced, so I hope that this problem will no longer arise.

The bundled Momentum True Wireless 4 case hasn’t changed at all. It’s still wrapped in fabric, has a USB-C port, and supports wireless charging. I would only note that the case itself is quite large, it is larger than the AirPods Pro and Sony WF-1000XM5, and will not fit in every pocket. In addition, it weighs 66.4 grams, which is more than its closest competitors.

Otherwise, the case is quite comfortable and well-made, it is easy to open and close, and the lid does not squeak. The use of fabric for the case wrapper adds not only aesthetic appeal, but is also a practical solution for everyday use, because such a surface will not get scratches, and dirt can be easily wiped off.

Features

While the design and usability of Momentum True Wireless 4 have remained virtually the same as the previous generation, the inside of the headphones are completely different. They use the Qualcomm S5 Sound Gen 2 platform with a 32-bit 80 MHz processor, Qualcomm Kalimba digital signal processor, and the latest version of Bluetooth 5.4 with LE Audio.

The aptX, aptX Adaptive, SBC, and AAC codecs have been supplemented by aptX Lossless support along with Snapdragon Sound, LC3, and Auracast technology. And it’s worth going into a little more detail here, because these are really interesting innovations.

For example, aptX Lossless is part of Qualcomm’s marketing suite of audio technologies called Snapdragon Sound, and it is a relatively new codec that is supposed to be the main competitor to LDAC. It is supposed to provide wireless audio transmission via Bluetooth 5.4 with lossless CD-quality (24-bit 48 kHz and 24-bit 96 kHz), and Qualcomm promises that there will be no audio delays.

LC3 is the successor to the standard SBC codec, and it is part of another Bluetooth LE Audio standard that focuses on reduced power consumption, simultaneous connection to different audio sources, and fast switching between them.

Auracast is another new standard and technology that allows you to share your own listening with others and connect to broadcasts that may be happening in public places. For example, it could be a TV somewhere in a waiting room or an audio guide in a museum. There are a lot of applications for this technology, including for inclusivity when a user has hearing problems.

However, the situation with aptX Lossless, LC3 and Auracast is that these are relatively new technologies that are not yet widely used. That is, their presence in Momentum True Wireless 4 creates a certain reserve for the future, but the user will not receive immediate benefits from these innovations. And it’s worth noting that this is not relevant for iPhone smartphones at all, as they only support the Bluetooth-standard SBC codec and their own AAC.

More useful for users will likely be Front End RF and True Response technologies, which provide a more reliable Bluetooth connection with no noticeable sound delay. These are important changes in the new model, especially for those who plan to listen to HD audio.

On the one hand, it’s good that Sennheiser decided to use the latest wireless audio technologies, but on the other hand, this is also why the model is a bit more expensive, and users will not be able to experience all its advantages yet.

Setting up and connecting

To customize the Momentum True Wireless 4, you can install Sennheiser’s proprietary Smart Control app on your smartphone, where you can adjust the equalizer, control noise reduction, transparency, and touch controls.

The program also allows you to update the firmware of the headphones and create so-called “sound zones,” that is, change the settings depending on the user’s location. It’s quite convenient, because you may need different settings for home than, for example, for the office.

Momentum True Wireless 4 uses the aforementioned Bluetooth 5.4 for connection and supports simultaneous connection to two devices with quick switching from one to the other. In principle, it works without any problems, the headphones hold a simultaneous connection, and if you are listening to music from a smartphone and want to switch to a laptop, you first need to stop playback on the first device and then start it on the second, and vice versa. There may be a slight delay, but only a few seconds.

Sound, noise reduction and microphones

I had a long experience of using the very first Momentum True Wireless, and at the time this model really set a pretty high bar for the sound quality of fully wireless headphones. I missed the second generation, but for some time I used the previous Momentum TW 3, and the sound did not stand out so much in them, because the competition caught up. However, Sennheiser still has its own high-quality sound, on which Momentum True Wireless 4 is built. Compared to the previous generation, the new headphones reproduce mid and high frequencies more balanced, and the bass has not become stronger, but rather even softer. It can be slightly enhanced by activating the Bass Boost option.

Traditionally for Sennheiser, the headphones create a fairly detailed imaginary scene. If you take the track Giorgio by Moroder by Daft Punk as an example, then with a good quality file you can clearly separate Giorgio Moroder’s voice from the background sounds of the cafe and a light background melody at the beginning of the composition, and he sounds as if he is somewhere very close. Then electronic music starts to play from the bass punch, but it does not drown out the voice, the low frequencies are not too strong, but they are well felt and do not merge with the middle frequencies. This is a truly balanced sound that will appeal to most users. The 7 mm dynamic drivers perform well.

However, there is not a big difference between the sound of Momentum TW 3 and TW 4, with slight differences in the reproduction of mid and high frequencies, and the bass is slightly softer. The sound will also vary depending on which device the headphones are connected to and the quality of the music files. Android smartphones that support Qualcomm’s aptX or aptX Adaptive codecs and, of course, music in one of the Lossless formats are best suited for Momentum True Wireless 4. However, the headphones also perform well when listening to Spotify, with less detail, but it is still high-quality sound for fully wireless headphones.

For noise cancellation and voice transmission during conversations, Momentum True Wireless 4 has an array of 6 microphones. In terms of cutting off external noise, the model has not changed, everything is fine here, especially if it is a monotonous hum, knocking or voices, that is, typical noise for public transport or an open office. When you are outdoors, the microphones can pick up noise from strong winds, and the headphones protrude slightly from your ears, but the special Anti-Wind option, which can be activated in the proprietary application, copes with this quite well.

During phone calls, the microphones do a slightly worse job of transmitting voice, it sounds unnaturally “metallic,” and if there is a noise source near you, it is difficult for the headphones to separate your voice from it.

In this regard, Sennheiser has some work to do, and I hope the manufacturer will fix the microphones with the next firmware updates.

Battery life

The headphones have 75 mAh batteries built in, with an additional 820 mAh in the included case. The Momentum True Wireless 4 offers the same 7 hours of active noise cancellation as the previous generation, but the battery life with the case is slightly better, now adding 30 hours instead of 28.