This is makes the Momentum True Wireless 2 a huge upgrade from the original model, which only offered a mediocre 12 hours of total playtime.
I wore the Momentum True Wireless 2 around the streets of New York and in the subway for a couple of days. The bass is smooth and textured too, but never overpowering.
The Cambridge also have a very good passive noise isolation and are great for blocking out higher-frequency noises. Officially, the new Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 and the original Momentums are the same price: $300. Sennheiser’s second attempt at a pair of true wireless earbuds up the battery life, adds noise canceling, and keeps the great sound. The Sennheisers come out on top here due to their lightweight design and water resistance certification, though whether you prefer their style is ultimately down to personal preference. That makes them arguably the best true wireless earbuds on the market today and earns them a CNET Editors' Choice Award.
Gabby is a composer, songwriter and music producer who has worked in the music, film, and commercial industries for too long. The earbuds are still a little bit on the large side, but they fit more comfortably. The second-generation Momentum True Wireless 2, available now for preorder and shipping in April, still have that elevated $300 (£279; 300 euros) price. Personally, they fit my ears quite well and I got a tight seal from the largest ear tip (three sizes are included). And for those who own the original model and love the sound but are tired of the design shortcomings, the newer version should solve all your issues. One of the most significant improvements to the new Sennheiser earbuds is the battery life. As I said, I felt that the slightly smaller design does help -- I was able to wear these without a problem for long stretches. As in the original Momentum TW model, the new earbuds offer an IPX4 rating, which means they can withstand a significant amount of sweat and rain. The original model received mixed reviews, specifically because of certain shortcomings in design. It means the Momentum True Wireless 2 … Read more: The best true wireless earbuds of 2020. There’s no support for aptX, so it misses out on higher-quality Bluetooth streaming. Like the Sennheisers, the listening experience can be customised in the Headphone App. Personally, I think it’s the best sounding true wireless earphone on the market today. The buds' batteries would drain while in the case, so if you didn't charge the case for four days, you could end up with a dead set of earbuds, which was annoying. You can program the touch controls in Sennheiser's Smart Control app for iOS and Android.
The AirPods Pro certainly have an appealing design and feature set with strong performance, but they're simply not in the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2's league for sound quality. It seemed to be on par with the AirPods Pro's noise canceling for muffling ambient noise. The Momentum True Wireless 2 earbuds have the same 7mm dynamic drivers as the originals. Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless vs Momentum True Wireless 2 Review, Luckily, the sound hasn’t changed since the first Momentum TW.
Find out how you can become a sponsor here. Trusted Reviews may earn an affiliate commission when you purchase through links on our site. And, while Sennheiser shrank the new earbuds by 2mm, the Momentum True Wireless 2 are still on the bigger side and may not be a perfect match for some people's ears. And as mentioned above, battery reliability also seems to have improved in this department. In theory, the 60 minute automatic shutoff was is also available on the original. The earbuds are available in black and silver, with a touch panel (which can be customised) at the end of each bud. FIT. It offers an equalizer, as well as some added control over you headphone settings. Let’s find out in this Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless vs Momentum True Wireless 2 Review. The call performance is improved from the originals', with better noise reduction so people can hear you better in noisy environments (ambient noise is muffled though still present). But this feature is already available on the original model.
If you preference is for audio to have some punch, the Sony edges it, but we’d actually call this a draw. Though the sound remains the same, theres no denying that some major improvements have been made with the Momentum True Wireless 2. Tell us what you think – email the Editor, Hannah joined Trusted Reviews as a staff writer in 2019 after graduating with a degree in English from Royal Holloway, University of London. Learn More. The AirPods Pro have adaptive noise canceling. If you pick up the Momentum TW2 directly from Sennheiser, they’ll set you back £279. For instance, I set the tap-and-hold gesture on the right earbud to activate noise canceling. But my personal pair seemed to just drain till it was empty. For purposes of this review I left it at the default setting, which seemed perfectly good to me. The buds are 2mm smaller than the originals and the case is a darker shade of gray. The ergonomic shape of the earbuds means the fit is snug enough to seal out external noise, and should also fit across a wider range of ear shapes. Switch ANC off and it can be stretched out to 32 hours. You can pick up the Momentum True Wireless 2 for £249 and the WF-1000XM3 for £125 through the online marketplace – that’s nearly half off for the Sony pair. As I said, sound quality is excellent and the Momentum True Wireless 2 has richer, more detailed sound than the AirPods Pro with well-defined bass, natural-sounding mids and some sparkle in the treble. We’ve put the two earbuds head-to-head to help you decide which pair is right for you. Personally, my ears are about average in size, and I didn’t have much problem fitting the original earbuds in my ears. The Sonys are probably more versatile, performing well across countless genres from jazz to punk rock to classical compositions. And as mentioned above, the app also allows you to switch the earbuds off (on into idle mode). And why should it? I also appreciate the fact that Sennheiser has resisted the temptation to raise the price point from the previous model. However, since the debut of the Momentum True Wireless 2, Sennheiser has dropped the price of the original earbuds to just $200. The Cambridge provide a better-balanced sound profile; it is, however, still on the dark side. But they're better all around, with a slightly smaller, more comfortable design, active noise canceling that rivals that of the AirPod Pro, improved battery life (up to seven hours versus the original's four) and better noise reduction during calls. Like the original model, the Momentum True Wireless 2 comes with the Smart Control App. Concentrate on the right thing at the right time with the MOMENTUM True Wireless 2. The WF-1000XM3 feature ANC and are kitted out with Sony’s HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN1e chip – the same one in the award-winning WH-1000XM3. We may get a commission if you buy via our price links. And if there was no charge left in the case, the earbuds would stay turned on, and the battery would subsequently drain. But often they required some fiddling to really get them in snug and secure. © CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. And at $300, they were pretty pricey.
Compared to the WF-1000XM3, the earbuds are more spacious, offering warmer and deeper bass where required. That price has been known to be even more competitive: Earlier this year, Sony temporarily dropped the price to $200. The earbuds can be fully charged in 90 minutes via USB-C, and quick-charging offers 90 minutes of music after 10 minutes plugged in. I think for this reason, Sennheiser has improved the ergonomics and reduced the size of the shells on the Momentum TW 2. DISCLOSURE: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com, affiliated sites and sponsors. Regardless of where you go, the WF-1000XM3 are generally the more affordable of the two. I'm not sure these are quite as good as the AirPods when it comes to call quality, but they performed well overall in this department. You can hit Gabby up at gabby@majorhifi.com. Personally, I think it’s the best sounding true wireless earphone on the market today. On well-recorded tracks you can really hear each instrument; they don't blend in with each like with a lot of Bluetooth headphones. They have also implemented an automatic “idle mode,” which switches off the earbuds after 60 minutes of idle time. The timing could be sharper and dynamically it could be more hard felt, but these earbuds are expressive and full of energy. Read on to find out which pair reigned supreme. Sony’s intelligent Adaptive Sound Control means the earbuds adjust themselves to the demands of the environment on the go, so ANC levels will be adapted for best performance. I didn't try them on a plane, but I think they would be good for that environment as well. Luckily, Sennheiser has finally addressed this flaw by allowing you to manually turn off the earphones via the accompanying app. But which set of earbuds offers the most for your money? A couple of other settings are worth mentioning. The app also lets the user play around with equaliser and quality settings, the strength of ANC and more. The shape is more bulbous rectangular, extending out from the ear and they’re heavier at 8.5g each ear. They come in two colour variations, black and white, with silver touch panels on the end.
The app I was using was labeled as beta, and I assume this bug will be fixed in an update. We also found that ANC on the Sennheisers taxed battery life, which is something to consider if you travel a lot. They use Bluetooth 5.1, with support for AAC and aptX audio codes (only certain Android phones support aptX streaming). Thanks to leading audio technology and innovation, these new earbuds deliver the best listening experience anytime, anywhere. The new Momentum True Wireless 2 earbuds ship in April for $300. Related: Best noise cancelling headphones. And there is an equalizer in the app to tweak bass and treble levels to your liking. You can choose to activate sidetone, a feature I like that allows you to hear your voice in the earbuds and modulate your voice when you're making a call. The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 and the Sony WF-1000XM3 both offer superb audio quality in a true wireless form. I also experienced minimal Bluetooth hiccups -- the wireless connection was mostly solid. Both Sennheiser and Sony earbuds received glowing recommendations from us, but they’re rather distinct from one another, so where do their strengths and weaknesses lie? We delete comments that violate our policy, which we encourage you to read.
That said, they're not necessarily for everybody. For the past 75 years, Sennheiser has put sound first.