Sennheiser has been tweaking its products in waves over the last few years - with a wide array of its headphones and earbuds getting more modern designs and specifications. Now it's the turn of the audio brand's best in-ears to up the ante for a 2024 release, in the shape of the Momentum True Wireless 4.
The Momentum True Wireless 3 earbuds arrived a couple of years ago, with a lovely then-new design that was far more subdued and classy than their predecessor. It seems Sennheiser has kept much of that good stuff intact for this successive product - which we've been using for a couple of weeks for this review to see just how they hold up.
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4: Price & availability
Sennheiser probably hopes by now that its customers have figured out that if an audio product has 'Momentum; in the name, it's the top-of-the-line option, with other brands like Accentum now adorning its mid-rangers.
This is Sennheiser's most premium pair of wireless earbuds, and is priced accordingly: £259 in ol' Blighty, €300 in the EU, $299.95 in the US, and AU$499.95 in Australia.
That places them in direct competition with some of the best wireless earbuds on the market, the likes of the Sony WF-1000XM5, even if it's not quite as pricy as Bose's QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds' full recommended retail price.
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 review: Features
We liked the Momentum True Wireless 3 plenty, but it's fair to say that there were some teething troubles with them as time went on, with reports of funky connection issues and performance that didn't match Sennheiser's claims.
Looking at the Momentum True Wireless 4, you could be forgiven for thinking that Sennheiser set out to effectively rewrite that story and get it 100% correct this time - a lot of these earbuds' features are the same, but there are some telling future-proof additions.
For one thing, that core connectivity should have real longevity thanks to Bluetooth 5.4 support, which brings multipoint to the table and is impressively stable. This also means LE Audio is on the cards in a future update, which will also bring Auracast, a new bit of tech that sounds potentially useful for using in the future.
Auracast will permit public address systems to pipe audio through to your earbuds and headphones, ensuring that you don't miss vital announcements, and seems like an elegant solution compared to tinny passthrough modes... although it isn't available to test yet. I could see that being useful in say, a gym or at a sports bar where you could just look to a Bluetooth source, such as a TV on the wall, to hear the audio.
These Sennheiser earbuds have also had the battery life upgraded a little, now up to 7.5 hours on a charge with roughly three more charges in the case. There are further telling improvements under the hood to the Smart Control app's interface with them, for a much smoother time making small tweaks.
The look and feel of the earbuds is literally unchanged from the last time out, as mentioned, although there is a new copper colourway that appears rather fetching. This means you again get a metallic finish that catches the light nicely without being overly reflective - a typically hard line to tread.
The case, meanwhile, has the same fabric finish that has been such a success over the years, and we like it just as much as before.
As you'd expect, you get a selection of eartips to choose from, and just like the last model there are also rubber rings to fit to the earbuds' casings for a further customisation of fit. This means you can really get things as snug or loose as you like, within reason.
The True Wireless 4 are comfortable to wear, albeit ever so slightly chunky in the outer ear, and we happily kept them in for a few hours at a time without discomfort. Another small upgrade comes in the form of IP54 water and dust resistance to cement their ability to cater to real life.
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 review: Performance
Sennheiser's stellar reputation wasn't just built on smooth features and connectivity, of course - it's that all-important balanced and clear sound that makes the brand a reliable choice. That's well evidenced by the Momentum True Wireless 4, which has a lovely precision and delicacy that make a great pick for true wireless audio.
We stretched these earbuds with rock and punk - but also gave a less brash chance with folksy acoustic tracks, and found that the True Wireless 4's output mastered pretty much every genre with no EQ tweaking required (although you can easily do so in the app).
The earbuds are more than capable of getting properly loud, too, which is nice for those who like a bit of tinnitus, and have enough bass to make heavier tracks sing properly (albeit nothing to compared to a pair of the best noise-cancelling over-ear headphones).
We found that battery life did indeed match that 7.5-hour estimate this time around, although obviously it's over months and years that this is really best tested. In the here and now that's a really solid marker to set down, though.
Active noise cancelling (ANC for short) has never been Sennheiser's strongest suit, especially in earbuds, and that pattern continues here. It's nothing embarrassing, mind, as the Momentum True Wireless 4 will certainly help you zone out a bit while travelling, for example, but in comparison to something like those Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, you can hear a gulf.
For those who keep a tally, the range of codecs that these earbuds support is impressively wide, comprising SBC, AAC, AptX, AptX Adaptive, and now LC3, too. In the control app, you can select from a few connection options, handily - letting you toggle hi-res or lossless audio on and off, and there's also a low-latency mode for gaming. In the era of gaming phones that's a nice little bonus.
With more microphones stuffed into their small casing, call quality has also had a nice little boost - although the reality is that beamforming still brings muddiness that will have those you call potentially complaining at a certain point.
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 review: Verdict
When we tested the Momentum True Wireless 3, it's not like we thought there were loads of glaring flaws to be fixed - but Sennheiser has nonetheless managed to make this follow-up product feel justified. Indeed, it's rather impressive.
The Momentum True Wireless 4's addition of better connection options, and the promise of more to come, make these earbuds feel like a smart option that should last a few years and beyond without feeling compromised.
Plus, the bedrock of their excellent sound makes for an easy recommendation for those who care most about audio. That's the key take-away here: as while there aren't meaningful updates to the design, the Momentum True Wireless 4 still offer an awful lot of audio goodness to love.
Also consider
For those who really want the best active noise-cancelling possible in an earbud form right now, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds are well worth a look. Alternatively, if you want a slightly different sound profile and a mode rounded-off design, then check out Sony's WF-1000XM5 for an alternative pick.
