It’s pretty much a given that Sennheiser would be releasing the MOMENTUM True Wireless 5 (officially shortened as MOMENTUM TW5 but almost everyone prefers “MTW5”) after they announced the MOMENTUM 5 Wireless over-ear headphones. Once again, thank you Sennheiser Singapore for sending me an early preview unit so that I have time to test it and share my detailed review on the day of official retail launch. Singapore retails at S$479 with five colours – graphite, cream, copper (this review unit), denim, and lavender. You can check out all the colours from their order website.
The MTW5 comes with standard accessories – charging cables, 4 sets of silicone ear tips, and a special tool to open the earbuds and access the internal batteries. Oh yes, the batteries are replaceable, a first for true wireless earbuds!!!
User Replaceable Batteries
To be brutally honest, the previous MOMENTUM TW models have very bad battery components. The MTW2 and MTW3 stopped working after I kept in storage extensively. I even had the MTW2 replaced by Sennheiser and the second unit also could not survive past the year. (I did not review the MTW4, did not recall why).
Thankfully, I can replace all the batteries in the MOMENTUM True Wireless 5 earbuds and case with a screwdriver. This is the beginning of a new era where true wireless earbuds are going to last a lot longer until a better product comes along (if you find one, that is). It should also increase resale value as battery life is the biggest concern for after-market buyers. Perhaps the MTW5 is going to last as long as the wired headphones!
The case battery comparment is very easy to remove, as indicated in the instruction manual. But I was not successful in opening the earbuds. Even after loosening the two screws, they remain tightly lodged and while trying to pry open, I noticed that the seal is already cracking. I suppose Sennheiser has done too good a job to ensure the earbud mets the IP54 rating. It appears opening up the earbuds will require some advanced hobbyist skill to prevent visible marks. I decided not to go further as I did not want to risk unnecessary damage to the earbud, but if the batteries did die after the warranty period, I wouldn’t care less about the physical appearance just to get them working again.
The next question to ask then: is the MTW5 that good to replace all existing true wireless and be the “end game” buds to last an eternity – while battery stocks last? Let me list down some important specs:
- 7mm TruResponse dynamic drivers with 5 – 21,000 Hz frequency range
- SPL 107 dB (1 kHz / 1 mW)
- THD <0.08% (1 kHz / 94 dB)
- Bluetooth 6.0
- aptX Lossless, aptX Adaptive, aptX, AAC, SBC codecs
- 4 mics per earbud including bone conducted mic, AI and beamforming technology
- 12 hours battery life (ANC off) or 6 hours with ANC on (BA 501 72mAh battery per earbud)
- 40 hours total battery with charging case (BA 502 760 mAh battery)
- 7 grams per earbud, 55 grams charging case
Features you will enjoy with MTW5:
- Adaptive ANC
- Transparency with 5 level adjustments
- Activate transparency during phone calls with level selection
- Smart Pause detection
- Battery Protection Mode
- 8-band EQ with Bass Boost
- Sound Personalisation
- Immersive Audio with Dolby Atmos
- 3D Head Tracking
- Customisable touch controls
- Supports up to 2 active connections (Multipoint)
All the features are also available in the previous Sennheiser products depending on the model. For instance, MOMENTUM Wireless 5 have all of these features, while the ACCENTUM Clip has the “Sound Check” custom EQ wizard, Battery Protection Mode, Multipoint, Custom Controls.
My Principle of Applying EQ
I rarely apply EQ to my headphones because I prefer to listen to the “original” product tuning. Practically-speaking, one should apply EQ lightly to improve the overall headphone sound quality, example, give the bass a boost. But the fundamental tuning must be good before fine-tuning. EQ function is not common in headphone products since not all products come with companion app. And even if they do come with the EQ function, the EQ does not work that well, because the headphones digital sound processor (DSP) must be of high quality to accommodate the frequency band adjustment.
When reviewing audio products, I do not take into consideration post-EQ sound quality, or else I would probably end up giving many headphones a perfect score since I could have EQ until I get my ideal sound. In my recent review of the Creative XF1 speakers, I come to enjoy applying EQ because of the well-designed software that makes the adjustments intuitive and real. While readers noticed I gave an average score for the sound quality, I actually liked the speakers after EQ.
Sennheiser Sound Personalization
The Sound Personalization is a Sennheiser feature for quite a while, but its algorithm is more than just EQ. Through the step-by-step process, the app plays audio with different instrumental mix and asks you to choose the preference. For instance, you can adjust the slider to favour bass over strings, or the drum volume. Finally, you get this sound mapping that balances lows, highs warmth and impact. And it is quite enlightening to find out the eventual sound profile that is generated.
The drawback of this Sound Profile is that it is heavily processed and would sound less natural for audio purists.
Create Custom EQ Using Sound Check
Under the Sennheiser EQ menu, you can select a preset EQ (e.g. “Rock”) and further finetune the 8-band EQ. You can also build your EQ from flat. The best way in my opinion is to use the “Sound Check” option. Unlike the “Sound Personalization”, you use your own music tracks to test. Through multiple steps, the app would ask you to select one of the three tunings, which is basically bass boost, mids boost, treble boost. Then over several steps, the app would present tunings in slight adjustments and you just pick your favourite tuning. Once you complete all the steps, the app will plot the EQ graph that you have responded.
As you can see in the EQ graph above, my preference tuning on the MTW5 is slight boost on the bass and treble.
Sound Quality
The MTW5 continues the recent trend of Sennheiser tuning, which is a more balanced sound profile. These latest buds no longer delivers the outrageous bass nor the goosebump-inducing treble. The MTW5 is tuned to let all the instruments perform without affecting the audio balance. The bass cleanly rumbles and well-balanced with the highs without that radiating extension across the low frequencies that makes it stand out. The treble delivers clarity but does not have the edginess that elevates the sparkle to shout for attention. The midrange presentation offers room for details and musical texture that makes Sennheiser likeable to audiophiles. Vocals sound slightly distant and blended into the mix, they do not stand out nor sound intimate.
Perhaps the netural EQ is not so appealing to consumers favouring a more exciting sound. But it is quite easy to refine the MTW5 to anyone’s liking using the custom EQ or the Sound Personalization and then you should get the sound profile that you like. The ANC, Transparency and Anti-Wind modes have an impact to the tuning, mostly on the bass response. Whatever the outcome, just EQ to get your desired bass level if you find it inadequate.
Among my earbuds collection on hand, the Technics AZ100 is the same price-feature range, so I’ll describe the differences. The AZ100 presents more prominent and textured bass and more sizzle treble, making it sound more exciting, impactful. The MTW5 is comparatively laid-back, tame, polite, but less fatiguing for sensitive ears while the midrange offers musical satisfaction. In the ANC, the AZ100 offers more aggressive tuning with manual adjustment, resulting in a slightly more prominent highs as the only frequency standing out. The MTW5’s ANC is more effective in taming the highs. Finally, the call quality on the AZ100 is warmer and muffled, albeit full and chesty. On the MTW5, the voice sounds clearer, brighter, easier to hear in a noisy environment.
Ear Tip Fit, ANC and Transparency Quality
The MTW5 only supports adaptive ANC, which means you cannot adjust the ANC level. Since we are talking about ANC, I will now talk about the fit. I have to say that the MTW5 turns out surprisingly comfortable to wear. In the previous generations, the silicone ear tips feel stuffed into my ear canals. The MTW5 is designed where the ear tips seal around the opening of the canals and do not have to stuff too deep into the canals. This may seem like a compromise, but I still manage to get a good seal. I also get the buds in place rather quickly without having to somehow twist until I get a proper seal. There wasn’t any literature about the chamber design, but at the mouth of the grille appears to have some exposed copper strip which is interesting since the MTW5 is only a single dynamic transducer.
Once the earbuds are in the ears, the ANC would take a while to adapt to the ambient noise, and gradually you will feel that the noise is reduced. So my experience with the MTW5 is that the ANC achieves rather good ambient noise reduction across the frequencies where it dulls the noise. While the upper frequency clings and clangs are still audible, they do not stand out unlike other ANC. If you just turn on ANC without playing any music, obviously you will still be able to hear ambient noise, it will not achieve total silence. I know Sony and Bose can do that scarily, but I have used ANC long enough to know that having super duper noise cancellation may not be a good thing. What’s important is that it must be good enough to remove ambient distractions and allow the wearer to listen to the music in detail even in a noisy environment without having to turn up the volume excessively. Truth be told, I actually like to be able to hear a bit of the train announcement even in ANC mode so that I do not miss my stop.
As for Transparency mode, I was able to get a natural open ambient sound at Level 2 out of 5. Turning it to the max will amplify the ambient sound to give you slightly heightened hearing. What I did not like is that when I remove one of the earbuds, the ANC mode will be activated. I felt the proper way is to leave Transparency on so that the wearer do not get disoriented with one ear blocked.
Call Quality
The MTW5 features AI-powered mics with voice accelerometers that picks up vibrations to improve voice capture. During my voice test recording using two Honor smartphones and simulated heavy background noise, the MTW5 captured rather bright voice tone with the background noise removed significantly. The voice quality is randomly broken off here and there as the mic tries to process my voice against the noise. Nonetheless, I would say it did better than the Sennheiser ACCENTUM Clip which sounded softer and thinner. Comparatively, the Technics AZ100 can also capture my voice and removing background noise but my voice tone is more muffled and warm.
Verdict
Unlike the wireless headphone model, the MOMENTUM TW5 presents a brand new design that hopes to appeal to new fans and existing owners. I definitely prefer the new design which looks more premium, fits more comfortably, and supports self-help battery replacement. Its ANC and Transparency modes are further improved to compete with other premium earbuds. The neutral EQ sound quality allows versatility in fine-tuning for consumer to adjust to their audio tastes, and thanks to its audiophile-grade driver that produces detailed and musical sound, tweaking the bass and treble with EQ elevates the sonic gratification for those who need.
The MOMENTUM True Wireless 5 continues Sennheiser’s pursuit to deliver a complete full-range sound, bringing out the midrange without neglecting the bass and treble. It’s like after cutting down salt and sugar in our food, you will start tasting the real flavours. While I still prefer listening on over-ear headphones like HDB 630, the MTW5 is my go-to true wireless earbuds for well-tuned sound.
Like all audio products, I highly recommend you visit the nearest reputable audio retailer in Singapore to audition the MOMENTUM True Wireless 5. They retail at S$479, and a good investment that is quite likely to last more than 2 years with user-replaceable batteries on tow.