Test: Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 5 – Confidence inspiring

The noise reduction in the headphones is good without being the best. When I walk down the subway after work, I notice that the headphones have accidentally ended up in hear-through mode, and when I then activate noise reduction, the effect is very clear. Suddenly, in the noisy environment as the train whizzes onto the platform, I have no problem enjoying music or spoken audio. At the same time, the headphones are not the best in class and even in an office environment I can be disturbed by ambient noise even though the noise reduction still filters out most of it.

Sennheiser as a manufacturer is established, which is shown, among other things, in the fact that this is the latest in a long line of updates to the in-ear model. The handsets are delivered in a case that also supports wireless charging, in addition to charging via a standard USB-C cable. The headphones are easy to grab and fish out of the case, despite being small and flexible with an excellent fit. The case, on the other hand, is a little larger than what most competitors have. Of course, it comes with rubber plugs in different sizes and in the app I can get confirmation that the fit is correct, so that music and noise reduction work at their best.

Replaceable batteries and it’s easy

Particularly impressive, considering the size, is that both the headphones themselves and the case have batteries that you, the user, can replace yourself. An ordinary small screwdriver is all that is needed and this means that the headphones can get a bit of a new life when the battery starts to wear out. Here, Sennheiser is thus far ahead of almost all competitors.

If you spend more than SEK 3,000 on a headset, because that is what this costs at the time of writing, it is of course grateful to be able to extend the lifespan with a new, fresh battery. Of course, with such a price tag, you also have reason to expect first-class sound.

The music sound from the Momentum True Wireless 5 is balanced and natural. I get clear and noticeably more detailed sound when I listen from an Android phone, compared to the iPhone, because Sennheiser supports high-resolution sound. In iPhone I have to settle for AAC as usual, while in Android I can get high resolution sound with AptX Adaptive. The support here differs depending on which Android you have. The more widely used LDAC support is missing from the handsets, but I get AptX Adaptive at best when trying a range of Android phones, even though the handsets should theoretically handle AptX Lossless. The headphones support the use of two devices at the same time, so you can, for example, listen to music from one device and still quickly answer the phone when it rings so that the call is connected directly to the headphones. Just when I switch between different devices, however, I get conflicting information in my ears. A voice says Not connected, which is a little confusing, because that voice plays right when I connect to the new device.

Otherwise, I have no complaints about how the headphones work in practical terms. The app allows me to update the firmware in the headphones, control the noise reduction, change the touch control, but also create and manage a personal profile where I can listen to sample sounds and based on my preferences, a customized sound image is created.

The call audio is not as convincing. I’m told it sounds like I’m mumbling and especially in noisier environments I’m also drowned out by other people talking nearby and other noise, so that’s a definite weakness for these headphones. We had similar complaints on the predecessors as well.

Given that, in any case, the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 5 is better than its predecessors, especially when it comes to the fit and the fact that we can easily change the batteries.