Sennheiser Momentum 4 True Wireless BT/ANC earphones – can’t get better than this (AV review)

Sennheiser Momentum 4 True Wireless BT/ANC earphones continue the tradition of premium, no-compromise, musically accurate earphones with decent noise cancellation. RRP is $499 but seen as low as $449.

To position these, they compete with Sony WF-1000XM5 (RRP $399 but seen as low as $349), Bose QC ultra ($369), Bose QC II ($399), Sennheiser Momentum 3 ($399 on runout). Each is excellent in its way, but this Sennheiser uses the latest Qualcomm S5 Gen 2 Snapdragon Sound SoC with a range of codecs, including SBC, AAC, aptX Lossless, aptX Adaptive Audio, Bluetooth LE Audio, LC3, and Auracast.

Having listened to most of the above, Sennheiser has nailed the audio quality and done an outstanding job of noise cancelling without compromising music quality. Until we see later versions of the competitor’s brands, the Sennheiser Momentum 4 True Wireless occupy the top spot.

The difference between Momentum 3 and Sennheiser Momentum 4 True Wireless

I use the 2022 Sennheiser True Wireless Momentum 3 BT/ANC earphones as my daily drive, perfect for music, teleconferences and sound isolation. They have one main advantage over most premium brands – Qualcomm codec support for SBC, AAC, and aptX. Other brands usually only offer SBC, AAC and LDAC.

Sennheiser points to improvements in battery life, ANC, and codec support. Both are in-ear, closed-back, True Wireless with Qi Charge cases. They share almost identical sound signatures, with the 4s having a slightly better treble.

Item	3	4
BT	5.2	5.4
	Qualcomm QCC5141 chipset – S4 series	Qualcomm S5 Sound Gen 2 with Snapdragon Sound.
Codecs	SBC, AAC, aptX Adaptive	SBC, AAC, aptX Lossless, aptX Adaptive Audio, Bluetooth LE Audio, LC3, and Auracast.
Speakers	7mm	same
Frequency response	5Hz to 21kHz	same
SPL	107 dB/mW	same
Multipoint	Yes two devices	Same
Latency SBC/aptX/HD/Low Latency	260/250/373/97	270/259/371/93
ANC	Hybrid Adaptive ANC	Same
App	Smart Control	Same
Pause control when removed.	On/Off in the App	Same
Battery/life (ANC off)/Wireless charge/case charge life	77mAh/7 hours/yes/28 hours	75mAh/7.5 hours/yes/30 hours
Battery Protection Mode	No	On/Off charge to 80% to prolong battery life
Eco Mode	No	Yes. Limits to SBC or AAC only
Lossless mode	Yes, 16-bit/44.1kHz uncompressed	Same
Hi-Res mode	Yes, up to 24-bit/96kHz	Same
Charge time USB 5V/1A/5W (wireless takes longer)	80 minutes	60 minutes
IP	IPX4	IP54
Mics	3 per bud100Hz-10kHz	3 per bud plus AI-enhanced voice
Weight (g) per pair	10.6	12.4

There is no huge difference; Momentum 3 owners don’t need to upgrade. Note that early Momentum 3 had a battery issue, and Sennheiser replaced them all – no questions. If you read a bad review of these, please ignore it.

Australian Review: Sennheiser Momentum 4 True Wireless BT/ANC earphones

Website	Product Page Quick Guide  Manual FAQ
Price	$499.95 but seen as low as $449
Colours	Black Graphite, White Silver, and Black Copper
From	Sennheiser online, JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman and good CE retailers
Warranty	2-year warranty (exceed)
Company	Sennheiser (founded in 1945) is a privately held German audio company that designs and produces a wide range of high-fidelity products, including microphones, headphones, telephone accessories, and aviation headsets for personal, professional, and business applications. Sonova Holding, based in Switzerland – a global medical hearing solutions provider–now owns its consumer audio business.
More	Cybershack Sennheiser news and reviews

We use Fail (below expectations), Pass (meets expectations) and Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader) against many of the items below. We occasionally give a Pass(able) rating that is not as good as it should be and a Pass ‘+’ rating to show it is good but does not quite make it to Exceed. You can click on most images for an enlargement.

We are also tightening up on grading. From 2024 on, Pass, for example, means meeting expectations for the price bracket. We consider a Pass mark to be 70+/100 with extra points added for class-leading and excellence.

First Impression – Exceed

Importantly, if there is one message you take away, it is that Sennheiser has always been about music quality. If that means a little less ANC (that can compress/clip music), let Bose or Sony own that turf.

There is something about the woven tweed case, subtle metal highlights, and a look/feel that says ‘class’.

The Qi/USB-C case has an excellent, durable woven fabric cover with a strong magnetic clip. The USB-C connector and indicator LED are on the front. You can use any Qi wireless pad, which negotiates the correct wattage.

The buds are a little more subtle, with no hard edges. Instead, its sculptured, polished metal endcap and etched logo top it off.

The ear wings (stabilisers) ensure a good fit in the concha and prevent them from falling out in exercise. IP54 is sweatproof.

Comfort – Exceed

Maybe I am more used to these (as I use Momentum 3s), but I find the fit and comfort excellent. I wore them for seven hours (as long as the battery lasted), and they are fine. Many earphones become hot and uncomfortable – not these. But that all comes down to ear fit and the correct silicone ear tips and wings.

That brings me to Sennheiser’s excellent Fit Test because few bud users pay much attention to a proper fit.

The silicon ear tips come in XS, S, M, and L. The wings come in S, M, and L and aid passive noise reduction with a good fit in your outer ear’s concha.

Run the Fit Test until you get the combination right. Don’t be surprised if you need different-sized left and right silicon ear tips. It is important to learn how to fit these – insert and twist.

The App – Exceed

The App downloads all customisations to the earphones. You don’t need it after any firmware updates or EQ settings.

The connection manager can remember the last six devices and auto-pair them. Few others support multi-point (simultaneous active connection to two devices).

The EQ is comprehensive, offering many music genres. Frankly, we liked it in default (flat). There are also settings for bass boost and speech clarity (perfect for podcasts and the hearing impaired).

Sound Personalization intelligently calibrates a custom audio profile from a sophisticated analysis of user reactions against a series of benchmark sound samples. From there, advanced audio processing algorithms shape the listening experience around the elements of music you find most pleasing.

Transparency mode allows you to set the default for voice-over music, pause music and off.

Sound Zones can identify 20 types of listing zones – home, office, gym, etc. It is GPS/Location linked, and you can specify noise reduction and EQ settings when entering or leaving the zone.

Touch Controls – Pass

Touch controls comprise one, two or three taps plus hold for volume up or down on each bud – eight commands. You can change these in the App; we had no issues with false touches, etc. When a phone call comes in, the bud’s touch changes to accept or reject the call on either ear.

	Left	Right
Single tap	Transparency mode	Play / Pause
Double tap	Track backward	Track forward
Triple tap	ANC	Voice assistant
Long press	Volume down	Volume up

Bluetooth codecs – Exceed

This uses a Qualcomm Bluetooth chipset, including SBC (standard), AAC (Apple), aptX Lossless, aptX Adaptive, Bluetooth LE Audio, LC3, and Auracast.

Adaptive means if your host device supports it (Qualcomm-based smartphones), it can adapt bit rates (279 to 420kbps) and gives lower latency (90ms versus 200-300ms for other codecs). You can get a USB Bluetooth Dongle for 20ms latency.

We tested to 10 metres, and the connection was stable.

Sennheiser smart control app settings

• Standard – High-quality audio codecs are used like SBC, AAC, aptX Adaptive or LC3
• High-Resolution – High-resolution audio codec up to 24bit / 96kHz audio resolution
• Lossless – Bit-by-bit exact wireless transmission with 16bit/ 44.1kHz audio resolution
• Low Latency – Latency optimisation of Standard audio codecs, e.g. for mobile gaming down to 20ms with a BT dongle.

What is Auracast?

Auracast allows an audio signal from a transmitter (e.g., tour guide systems in museums, public address systems and increasingly in TVs) to be transmitted to unlimited receiving devices (e.g., headphones, hearing aids) within a fixed transmission radius.

The Smart Control app selects one of the available Auracast channels (these might be for different languages), and audio is transmitted to the earbuds.

This may be the answer to hearing-impaired use of TVs.

Battery Life- Pass

Sennheiser claims 7 hours of ANC off (does not quote ANC on). In our tests at 50% volume, we achieved 6 hours 40 minutes ANC off and around 5 hours 12 minutes ANC on.

The battery charging time from 0 to 100% is approximately 1 hour (for the case and buds) using a 5V/1A/5W charger. The Qi charger takes around 2.5 hours. You can use any PD charger or Qi pad.

Fast charge is 8 minutes for one hour’s use (verified). Battery life is shown via the case LED or by percentage in the App.

Hands-free – Pass

Three MEMs-grade mics are on each bud for good ANC, noticeable wind reduction (App option), and voice beamforming. Callers commented on decent clarity but a slight artificiality of voice.

It easily passes our standards, but the Sony WF-1000XM5 is marginally better.

Voice control – Pass

OK, Google was quick and easy—three taps on the right bud. It will also summon Alex and Siri.

ANC – Pass+

It is a hybrid, meaning about 50% comes from passive isolation (you must have a good fit) and the remainder from constantly variable active cancellation. Active blocks sub-100Hz to reduce bass rumble. Mid and treble mainly rely on passive isolation (as they should) so as not to compress or clip the music.

It has excellent low-frequency suppression (<100Hz), speech 1-4kHz is left alone, and good suppression of annoying high-pitched sounds 10kHz or more.

The transparent mode is excellent—the best I have experienced—and the sidetone (you can hear your voice in the buds) is top-rate.

 We can’t test a Jumbo jet on takeoff, but it will reduce deep bass noise by about 20 dB.

Sound – Exceed – a reasonably neutral blank canvas for the EQ

Sennheiser’s focus is on sound, not at the expense of ANC.

Its neutral (flat) sound signature means a blank canvas for the EQ (+/- 6dB Bass, Mid, Treble). In default mode, it had noticeable and satisfying mid-bass, flat mid and low treble, and a terrific presence (which means it also has high treble).

We can now test the native sound signature of most buds. This is spectacular.

Deep Bass 20-40Hz	Nil
Middle Bass 40-100Hz	It kicks in at 40Hz and steeply jumps to 60Hz, where it is then flat to 100Hz. This is the most critical bass, where you get all the musically important bass.
High Bass 100-200Hz	Flat
Low Mid 200-400Hz	Flat
Mid 400-1kHz	Flat
High Mid 1-2kHz	Flat – Where the action is. It covers the human voice (1-4khz) – a critical area for clear dialogue.
Low Treble 2-4kHz	Flat – ditto
Mid Treble 4-6kHz	Flat – this defines sound character as dull, crisp, dynamic, etc. The best word to use for these buds is refreshing.
High Treble 6-10kHz	Dip to avoid harshness, then reasonably flat to 20kHz.
Dog Whistle 10-20kHz	Reasonably Flat – adds a sense of sound direction and a feeling of ‘air’, a reality as though the music were really there.
Volume	Loud enough not to have to use full volume,
Sound Signature type	It has a Neutral sound signature (the Nirvana) and the audiophile standard. It neither adds nor subtracts from the original music. The bass is excellent—the best I have heard from buds—and the EQ could easily change this to warm and sweet, making it easy to listen to music and movies.
Soundstage stereo	The closed-back means it is not wider than your ears. It has excellent left/right separation and sound object tracking.
Soundstage Dolby Atmos	If your host device decodes Dolby Atmos, you get an authentic 3D Height, surround spatial sound, and a far wider sound stage.
Sound leakage	Negligible
Comment	You won’t be disappointed.
Read	How to tell if you have good music (sound signature is the key – guide).

CyberShack’s view – Sennheiser Momentum 4 True Wireless BT/ANC earphones – buy them for the music

Our take-home message is that Sennheiser does not compromise sound quality for the best ANC. Still, it is within a couple of -dB of the best.

Subjective opinion

• Bose QC2: It has the leading ANC, but the music is more manufactured. It uses an older Qualcomm Sound Chip. The Momentum 4 has a far better transparency mode and overall music quality.
• Sony WF-1000XM5: This device offers excellent music quality if you use the Sony LDAC codec and almost class-leading ANC. Momentum 4 has a more natural sound and lossless aptX.
• JBL Tour Pro 2: We have not reviewed these but their predecessor was up there with the best.

Sennheiser Momentum 4 True Wireless Ratings 85/100

For 2024+ reviews, we use a pass mark of 70/100 allows us to reward excellence and class-leading features. Older reviews use a base of 80/100, so deduct 10 points for reasonable parity.

• Features: 90 – by far the most fully featured App and hardware. We like that the App downloads all changes to the buds.
• Value: 85 – Even though they are about $50 more expensive than the competition (which are discounted) they are worth it for the music quality.
• Performance: 90 – superb music and excellent ANC
• Ease of use: 85 – 2-year warranty, Sound Fit app, customisable fit.
• Design: 85 – classy, refined, well-made

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