REVIEW: Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2
By Alvin R. Cabral
Published: Tue 16 Jun 2020, 12:00 PM
Last updated: Tue 16 Jun 2020, 2:00 PM
The competition in the truly-wireless headset market is, well, truly amazing; the mere thought of having tech cramped into a tiny crevice makes you want to hear more about it.
Sennheiser, the German audio brand with a great rep, isn't new to this vertical, and now they're offering its latest product to keep in step with the best out there - the Sennheiser Momentum Truly Wireless 2. Quite a mouthful there, but you get the point.
THE LOWDOWN
| Type | Wireless, in-ear earbuds |
| Speaker type | 'Bespoke' 7mm dynamic driver |
| Frequency response | 5-21,000Hz |
| Noise cancellation | Single-mic ANC (per side) |
| Supported profiles | A2DP, AVRCP, HSP, HFP |
| Codecs | SBC, AAC, aptX |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.1, USB-C (case) |
| Battery | Li-ion, up to 28h; 1.5h full charge, 10m charge for 1.5h |
| Durability | IPX4 |
| Price | Dh1,199 |
Upon gazing your eyes upon it, you'll know that this gizmo screams luxury - from the buds' sleek silver metallic finish to its charging case adorned with a woven design, you'll immediately know you have something that's setting itself apart from the rest. I am a fan of metallic and woven designs, so props to these.
The buds don't have any physical buttons; instead, you'll have to rely on their touch-sensitive sides, which will be pretty much familiar for users of products with such a feature. To increase the volume, touch and hold the right bud's side panel; do the same thing on the left if you wish to decrease it. They're also IPX4-rated, so you can to away with some drops of water or sweat.
Right in the box are four pairs of ear adapters (tips), in extra small, small, medium and large, so you're sure to get the right fit for you. As modern tech says, the sound quality you'll get will hinge on the right-sized tip, so go ahead and test them out.
My only beef with the buds is that it somewhat makes your ears feel iffy when you use them on an extended basis. Is it because of their circular shape? Could be; the human ears aren't perfectly round, so going with a slightly oval design - just like most, if not all, other wireless headsets - could be the better way to go. By default, I use small-sized eartips, but after prolonged use I stopped; switching to the extra small ones then made the buds fall off easily.
On sound modes: To activate or deactivate its active noise cancelling (ANC), tap the right bud thrice; for toggling Transparent Hearing (AKA ambient sound listening), do this action twice. Summoning voice dialling or your digital voice assistant (Siri, Google Assistant) will require you to tap once.
On this side you can also control calls: Tap once to accept or end a call, or accept an incoming call and end the active one; and twice to reject a call or reject an incoming call while on an active one.
Meanwhile, the left bud's panel can be used to control music playback: Tap it once to play or pause, twice to move forward a track and thrice to go back.
Its charging case, meanwhile, has a USB-C port behind and a button that, when pressed, will let you know its charge level - green (fine), orange (caution) and red (danger). (Gamers, if that sounds familiar, well let's just say I've been doing reruns of
Resident Evil games.)
Now, on to the geeky stuff. These buds are blessed with 'bespoke' 7mm dynamic drivers and built-in equalisers; in layman's terms, they are primed to deliver quality sound that Sennheiser's been known for. And it looks like they're making good on their peg, because these buds pack a powerful punch as the sounds that belt out on them are clear and crisp
Its ANC, meanwhile, is right up there with the best, though there are still certain sounds - especially those near you - that will seep through. On a busy street, you may still get annoyed by some motors revving up. Transparent Hearing, on the other hand, does a good job of allowing you to hear sound you need to, such as announcements in certain places.
When it comes to battery life, the Momentum True Wireless 2 carries a significant bump-up: From the original's four hours on the buds and eight on the case, the new one boasts of seven and 21, respectively, meaning that's one more charge cycle and a whole lotta hours more. Bringing it to full charge will take you an hour-and-a-half, but if you need that quick boost, tuck in those buds for just 10 minutes and you'll squeeze out a generous 1.5 hours of juice.
And get more out of them with the Sennheiser Smart Control app. With it, you can make more customisations, including smart pause, which automatically stops music when you take the buds out of your ears, and auto answer call, which accepts a call once you take them out of its case.
AND SO...The Sennheiser Momentum Truly Wireless 2 headset deserves a great look - even if its price is on the premium side of things. But that's exactly what the company is positioning itself on - a high-end product that merits the extra hundred dirhams you'd spend for lower-priced competitors.
The design, luxurious feel and sound quality make up for a great combo for sound enthusiasts, save for that potential eartip issue we've mentioned earlier. Throw in the fact that it provides a great deal of battery life and maybe you're ready to switch to your first truly wireless audio gizmo.
GOODIES: Great sound, luxury design, easy-to-use controls
GOOFIES: Eartips could make your ears feel iffy, a bit expensive
EDITOR RATING: If you don't mind to spend a little more, especially if it would be your first such product, then don't hold back. It's always great to 'listen' to your convictions.
4.5/5- alvin@khaleejtimes.com