Place the new Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 next to the earlier version 3 and you’d be hard pressed to spot the difference between these premium wireless earphones.
Even if you place them snugly into your ears, you’d be finding it difficult to tell the difference between the two.
Only when you start playing music with the two pairs of earphones one after another, in a sort of A-B testing setup, can you detect some of the differences in audio quality.
Throughout my tests of the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4, I had a pair of version 3s on hand to compare them. The difference is clear, though not dramatic.
Certainly, if I did not have them in different colours, I might have confused them! The new earphones, by the way, come in the same cloth-wrapped compact case that is easy to bring around on your travels.
And while the old earphones are available in white, black and graphite, the new earphones come in “black graphite”, “white silver” and an attractive “black copper”, which is my favourite of the lot.
Notably, each Momentum True Wireless 4 earbud weighs 6.2g, compared to 5.8g for the earlier version. Hardly any difference, which means both pairs of earphones are comfortable to wear for hours while working at your desk or on a plane.
Coming back to audio quality, perhaps the most important things that distinguish the Momentum True Wireless 4 from its earlier version are the detail and transparency they convey.
Fire up U2’s Songs of Surrender and, in particular, the seminal I Still Haven’t Found What I’ve Been Looking for, and listen to Bono’s voice come through with clarity and “liveness”.
With good detail extraction by the earphones, you can clearly hear a short draw of breath before each verse as well as the plucking of the strings on a guitar.
The percussions and bass in the background are also distinct, showing good definition apart from the other instruments in the track. The background vocals also come across clearly though not intrusively.
Compared to the Momentum True Wireless 3, the new earphones seem to extract a little more detail while being very much in control of the sonic material.
The quality comes through in “busier” live tracks as well. Kevin Sun’s Involuted Blues, for example, showcases the various instruments in play – saxophone, double bass, drums – on an easily believable large soundstage.
I like it that the bass extends well and has the heft of a live performance, without overwhelming everything else in its vicinity. Bass, yes, is another notable improvement over the earlier Momentum earphones, both in response and extension.
Listening to Elbow’s Things I’ve Been Telling Myself for Years, you get a good impression of the bass guitar notes that reverberate throughout the track. The detail on the bass notes just comes across so well.
Still on bass, fire up a few Massive Attack tracks, such as Blue Lines and Inertia Creeps, and the Sennheiser earbuds will show their excellent reach and punch as well.
Even without tweaking the equaliser settings, you’d find they are highly capable of a wide range of musical material, from jazz vocals to movie soundtracks.
I’ve always liked Sennheiser’s tuning of its earphones and headphones. Here, again in its flagship true wireless earphones, you’d find the presentation airy and open, with a soundstage that is wide and easy to imagine in your head.
For folks who have loved how Sennheiser has made use of its 7mm TrueResponse transducer across its range of earphones, from the entry-level to the premium, the Momentum True Wireless 4 will be another high note.
Having one driver, as Sennheiser will remind you, means you don’t worry about crossover issues that earphones that sport multiple drivers for the highs, mids and lows might have. The result: A more coherent sound.
Besides upping the audio quality, Sennheiser has also added support for new software codecs on its specifications sheet for its new earphones.
The Momentum True Wireless 4 earphones support not just the older SBC, AAC, aptX and aptX Adpative but also the newer Qualcomm aptX Lossless and LC3.
Lossless obviously has its advantages, especially for audiophiles seeking the best quality over Bluetooth. This means the wireless link between a phone/music player and the earphones won’t drop any information on a high-quality track.
However, you’d need a phone that not only uses Qualcomm chips but its latest Snapdragon models. There aren’t that many right now.
To choose a codec you like, you’ll need the Sennheiser Smart Control app, which works for both its earphones and soundbars.
This is one of the best apps around for its features and ease of use. With it, you’ll be able to control the connection to your phone as well as touch controls, equaliser and noise cancelling.
As before, the noise cancelling on the new Sennheisers is excellent. With the earphones on, I can barely hear external noises while sitting at my desk.
While out in a cafe, the earphones also keep out the chatter effectively so I can type an e-mail out, unfussed by the background noise.
I didn’t manage to bring the earphones on a flight but I won’t be surprised if they perform well in a pressurised cabin in the air.
It also helps that they are rated to run up to seven hours with active noise cancelling on (and 7.5 hours with the feature off). That means a flight from Singapore to Japan with the earphones on all the way.
Perhaps the only time I won’t use the earphones is during a jog. That’s despite them being rated IP54 for splash and dust resistance.
With the earphones on, each step feels like a heavy thud in the ears, which is common with many noise cancelling earphones. I’d go with more “open” sport earphones if I want music for company during my jogs.
To be fair, that doesn’t detract from what’s an excellent pair of wireless earphones that focus on audio quality. Though keeping much to formula, the Momentum True Wireless 4 have brought some useful upgrades that would delight potential buyers.
Clearly, in a crowded field with lots of options, including affordable ones with great quality sound, this premium pair of Sennheiser earphones will need to convince people to part with a hefty S$449.
Sennheiser is confident, though, since it has raised prices from the previous S$399 for the Momentum True Wireless 3. The older earphones, by the way, are a great deal now because they can still had for under S$300 from Amazon and other retailers if you move fast.
That said, I’d say go listen to the new earphones if you can. They are among the best, if not the best, true wireless earphones I’ve heard.
If you do some listening outside of the busy, noisy commute every day and have time to sit down and enjoy some good music at the end of the day, the Momentum True Wireless 4 might be worth the splurge for the excellent audio quality.
