Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 5
3.5
Pros & Cons
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Great sound -
Replaceable battery -
Effective ANC
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Fit may be problematic for some -
Weak transparency mode
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On the heels of releasing the impressively upgraded Momentum 5 over-ear headphones, Sennheiser completes its flagship lineup with the Momentum 5 true wireless earbuds, debuting with a new design, upgraded connectivity, user-replaceable batteries, Dolby Atmos optimization, enhanced noise cancellation, and new app features to complement.
I fly often throughout the year, and my earbuds of choice are the AirPods Pro 3. For a round trip to New York City, I swapped my AirPods for the Momentum 5 to see if they were a worthy competitor (though my AirPods were never too far, just in case). Here’s how it went.
The good: sound and ANC
Despite everything else I will say later, one of the Momentum 5 earbuds’ best characteristics is its sound profile. Like the Momentum 5 over-ears, the true wireless siblings reproduce a visceral bass response that makes hip-hop and R&B tracks like JID’s “Hoodbooger” and Donnell Jones’ “U Know What’s Up” full of groove and body.
Midrange vocals had a warm hue, and with them front and center, you can hear an emphasis on the lower mids. A hard-to-miss midrange means the Momentum 5 is also solid for spoken-word content, such as podcasts, movies, or YouTube videos, while passing the time on an airplane.
Highs were not as sharp as what Sennheiser is capable of, and a strong low and midrange often dampened higher-pitched layered vocals and finer details. If this sound profile isn’t your style, it can be easily altered in the companion app’s eight-band EQ.
However, if you prefer a forward bass response that remains tight, even at higher volume, the Momentum 5 won’t disappoint. In comparison, Sennheiser’s Momentum 5 delivers a smoother, more controlled bass response than Bose and a softer, rolled-off treble response than Sony. Sennheiser lives somewhere in the middle, and I found it very enjoyable.
Also: Sonos’s new hardware isn’t its most exciting announcement – 3 things to anticipate – ZDNET
Like the Momentum 5 over-ears, Sennheiser fitted the earbuds with Dolby Atmos optimization, meaning the best way to experience immersive audio and head tracking is when listening to Dolby Atmos content. Still, the earbuds’ immersive audio rendering allows for spatializing stereo content.
I prefer listening to most tracks on Apple Music in Dolby Atmos, so I always prefer it when a headphone manufacturer opts for Dolby Atmos licensing rather than in-house spatial upmixes.
Jada Jones/ZDNETAn expanded microphone array and improved noise processing lend the Momentum 5 a significant boost in ANC performance, most noticeable in airport terminals and on the plane. My plane’s gate was next to an indoor playpen, and, fortunately, Sennheiser’s stronger noise cancellation helped keep the shrill screams and inevitable crying at bay.
On the plane, the Momentum 5’s ANC aided in creating a bubble around me that my seat neighbor’s maxed-out, out-loud YouTube video could only barely penetrate. I noticed that Sennheiser’s noise cancellation captured and canceled midrange frequencies better than low frequencies, but I’ll take hearing the plane engine over hearing someone else’s YouTube Shorts feed.
Also: Sennheiser Momentum 5 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2: I compared the two and found a winner – ZDNET
Though both siblings in the Momentum 5 lineup have considerably more effective noise cancellation than their fourth-gen family members, both remain a step and a half behind Sony and Bose in the noise-canceling department.
The bad: comfort and transparency mode
Sennheiser redesigned the Momentum 5’s body and eartip shape, claiming that 73% of testers found the Momentum 5 more comfortable than the Momentum 4. Unfortunately, I’m in the 27% camp.
My discomfort when wearing the Momentum 5 is not an indictment of Sennheiser; rounded buds with a thick body do not agree with my ear anatomy, as the Sony WF-1000XM6 take a similar shape, and I didn’t jive with those either.
I could wear the Momentum 5 earbuds for around an hour before I needed to take them out. My concha is small, and my ear canal is shallow, so the Momentum 5’s deep-reaching eartips and wide body stretch my ears and cannot maintain a seal. They’re never going to work for me.
However, if your ears are a good fit for the Momentum 5, its design ensures a tight in-ear seal, which, along with upgraded noise processing, delivers an immersive listening experience and effective noise cancellation.
Jada Jones/ZDNETOn the other hand, Sennheiser’s transparency mode is lackluster, as the earbuds’ passive noise isolation and weaker algorithm don’t create a natural, clear reproduction of your environment. Compared to my AirPods, I couldn’t clearly hear an incoming biker’s moving wheel spokes or hear a speedier walker’s shoes clacking until they were very close to me.
While taking phone calls, my voice sounded muffled in my own ears, a byproduct of transparency mode not removing the “stuffed” sound that comes from plugging your ears. Ironically, the person on the other end of the call could hear me much clearer than I could hear myself.
I’m confident this is an issue Sennheiser could address in a future firmware update, and with clearer transparency and sidetone, the Momentum 5 would be a much stronger rival to the AirPods.
Honorable mentions: repairability, connectivity, and hi-res codecs
Like the Momentum 5 over-ear headphones, the Momentum 5 earbuds feature a user-replaceable battery, meaning if one or both of your earbuds’ or the charging case’s internal batteries die, you can purchase a replacement and install it yourself.
Also: Sony WH-1000XM6 vs. Sennheiser Momentum 5: I wore both pairs for months, and prefer this one – ZDNET
Sennheiser beefed up the Momentum 5 earbuds’ Bluetooth connectivity, fitting them with Bluetooth 6.0 for more stable connections, less interference, and more efficient power consumption. The Momentum 5 buds do not have Auracast or LC3 codec support at launch, though they likely have the hardware to support it in a future firmware update.
Speaking of codecs, the earbuds support AptX Classic, Adaptive, and Lossless for high-resolution wireless streaming with compatible source devices.
ZDNET’s buying advice
The Momentum 5 earbuds are a solid option for people looking for a reliable pair of earbuds with solid noise cancellation, great sound, thorough customization options, lengthy battery life, and the option to revive them once the internal battery gives out. There’s no device ecosystem lock-in with the Momentum 5, which is ideal for people who are ecosystem-agnostic or don’t need fancy generative AI features or robust device connectivity.
However, the Momentum 5’s transparency mode is weaker than that of its counterparts, including Sony’s, which can sound overly processed. Additionally, if your ears have had issues with rounded earbuds in the past, Sennheiser’s won’t be any different. So, if you require a traditional bud-and-stem design, look elsewhere.
