Recently, I went on a quest to update my audio equipment to 2019 standards. My last purchase was my Astell & Kern T8ie MKII back in 2016 and so far I have been satisfied and still wowed by what it can do. There has been a lot of buzz about true wireless earphones (TWE) and how much Bluetooth technology and codecs have improved to the point where it is virtually indistinguishable to wired sound quality. Curious, I started my research two months back and I've read hundreds of threads, forums, reviews and tried as many earphone samples I could in nearby stores.
I received my pair of Momentum True Wireless (MTW) at an authorised Sennheiser store yesterday and so far the MTW has been great! My use case is as a walk-around IEM to work, on the subway, at the mall, at lunch/dinner. If and when the batteries run out or I'm sitting still at a desk, my A&K T8ie MK II are ready to take over. I am a fan of German headphones/IEMs sound tuning and previously used Beyerdynamic and Astell & Kern equipment.
This is meant to be a short comparison and not a full-hand-on-sit-down-with-10-headphones-10-DAC-AMPS review. I purchased it recently and went on a journey to find the best true wireless earphone in the market as of June 2019 and I'm here to share it with you.
Table of Contents:
MTW First Impressions
MTW Bluetooth
MTW Sound Quality
MTW Smart Control App
MTW Headphone Comparables
MTW Conclusions
Momentum True Wireless First Impressions
I gave it 4.5/5 and kept the last 0.5 because the Bluetooth connection and touch controls still needs work. I frequently need to restart pairing instead of the MTW automatically reconnecting to the phone after a charge.
Touch control for previous track (3 tap on left earbud) is not yet perfect. Instead it will go Next Track (2 taps) and Pause (1 tap). Super annoying. But these are teething issues to me and I can overlook them for now and instead choose the next track or restart pairing with my phone.
I only care about SQ and so far it has exceeded expectations. To be fair, I am not comparing it against $300 full sized headphones or wired IEMs. I think value wise, $150 is for the IEM SQ, $50 for the Sennheiser brand and $100 for the portability, Bluetooth technology, Smart Control app etc.
No problems with batteries thus far. 4 hours is about right. Case takes 1.5hrs to charge and all working as advertised. One thing I learnt is to carry a spare case and keep the IEM in the spare case if the battery is not yet <20% (or just keep it in your pocket if you don't mind some scratches). This way, you don't waste the charge in the Charging Case until you absolutely need to recharge the IEMs and you can get the advertised 12 hours battery life.
Trying to get a good fit can be challenging but the MTWs come with 4 pairs of earbuds (XS/S/M/L) and you should be able to get a decent fit. Otherwise, consider getting Comply foam tips to fit your ears. Oh, you also have to learn how to twist the MTW every time you wear it. This is something that I miss coming from my dear AKT8ie where FIT was one of the key selling points of the IEM. You could go the whole day wearing the IEM and not feel fatigue. With the MTW, it is bearable but it does get a bit painful after 4 hours of continuous listening.
Oh yes, you also get 2 years worldwide warranty from Sennheiser.
Momentum True Wireless Bluetooth
I am playing it on AptX codec on BT 4.2 and firmware version 1.25.00 via my S7Edge using Spotify or Foobar2K with FLAC. Volume is loud enough once the correct settings are picked. Note though that I prefer to listen on the louder side so I constantly max out the volume on the MTW. Best to test at a store if it's loud enough for your preference.
MTW supports SBC, AAC, AptX, AptX Low Latency. AFAIK, most phones don't have AptX-LL (see Qualcomm's website) so I wouldn't count on it much. Some complain about the lack of AptX HD or LDAC but AptX is plenty good enough for my portable needs. Maybe for the DSD/PCM folks, they need to consider something else.
You can watch movies/play games with these but it depends whether you can stand the slight lag. Using AptX, it seems the codec knows how to resync the video and audio for Youtube videos. For games however, it depends if your game has a bluetooth delay feature. I got my game to time perfectly with a 500ms delay although the AptX is reported to only have a 200ms delay. I suppose 300ms was for the game to render the graphics, but don't quote me on this.
Some people complain about drop outs here and there which they said is unacceptable. For me, as long as its infrequent (once or twice an hour) and is short (< 1 or 2 secs) and can be fixed with pressing play on the phone, I don't mind it too much.
Momentum True Wireless Sound Quality
For me, the MTW has a balanced sound profile with a small bass boost towards the mid and sub bass thus giving a slight U/V- sound signature. By no means is it a basshead IEM but it carries good mid-bass and good sub-bass rumble when called for. Bass quantity is just enough, without being muddy (Sony XB series) or being bass-shy (like ER4 series) while bass quantity it makes up in bass quality, with fast bass decay and good precision. However, if you like to be enveloped by world-class IEM bass like in the AKT8ieMKII or Xelentos, these still fall a bit short but it can be improved using the Smart Control EQ.
The mids are smooth and transitions well from the upper bass. Vocals are well represented. Female and male vocals sound natural with good realism without coming across as sibilant or shrill. It is important to note here that the midtones are smooth without discernible peaks which would lead to unnatural audio.
Treble extends well and you won't be disappointed with the detail revival, especially at lower volumes.
The background of the MTW is quite dark (not noisy) and thus there is good L/R stereo instrumental separation as what I'd expect for a closed back high-grade Sennheiser 7mm TWE IEM.
However, I do note that in terms of 3D staging, it is rather narrow, especially at high volumes, leading to a very intimate sound system rather than a laid-back sound. Most of the bass and sound seems to come within the skull and doesn't extend further outward unlike in the AKT8ie / IE800 / Katana / K10 / ER4 (disregard if you find the comparison not meaningful) or full sized headphones or stereo systems. This would be one of the few drawbacks for the MTW.
In general I agree with the rtings.com frequency response chart and the MTW represents a balanced natural sound well with a rather intimate sound.
For reference, I'd consider the IE800 to be balanced with bass de-emphasis and treble emphasis (can be a bit piercing and sibilant sometimes). The Xelentos/AKT8ie to be balanced with bass emphasis (can be muddy sometimes) and slight treble roll-off. The Noble Katana's will get 10/10 for being balanced with excellent frequency response, detail revival and instrument separation albeit at twice the cost.
I typically listen to Korean pop, Spotify Global Top 50, some Ariana Grande, Lana Del Rey, and then some rock/heavy metal (Rammstein/Linkin Park/Metallica). MTW is versatile enough to do all these genres though with rock you can find it a bit claustrophobic. I believe for most people, they would find the MTW's SQ to be acceptable, if not excellent. Otherwise, you can tune it with the Smart Control App's EQ.
Momentum True Wireless Smart Control App
Interestingly, the MTW comes with a free app called Smart Control, developed by Sennheiser. In it, you can update the firmware over the air (OTA). The latest FW as of June is 1.25.00.
The app allows you several more options but I only cared for Transparent Hearing (which allows you listen to your surroundings using real-time audio recorded from the mic) and the EQ. The Smart Control EQ is aesthetically pleasing but a bit confusing to use at first. I've laid out what it means in general here.
Upper left quadrant: ++ bass - mids + treble (basshead preference but warning: it get's boxy/boomy!)
Lower left quadrant: -- bass + mids - treble (unnatural to me, sounds thin)
Upper right quadrant: + bass - mids ++ treble. (my preference for slight U/V signature)
Lower right quadrant: - bass + mids -- treble. (unnatural to me, sounds thin)
In general, I'd advice against moving more than 3 cm away from the the center (neutral/balanced/default) because it quickly gets out of hand and the frequency response deviates from balanced. Because of the slight U/V signature of the IEM, using the upper quadrants enhances its signature, while using the lower quadrants makes the sound signature too thin/flat/analytical for my preference. Of course, your mileage may vary but I prefer leaving the EQ at default or just 1cm 45 degree in the upper right quadrant.
For me, this EQ is worth a lot and is a unique selling point for the MTW as it allows different customers to personalise their MTW sound. I am not sure what happens behind the scenes but I like the flexibility it gives us and how much it truly affects the resulting sound from the MTW.
Momentum True Wireless Headphones Comparables
I think of true wireless headphones (TWE) SQ not as a direct comparable to wired headphones/IEMs because there's a lot of scale with wired IEMs (think IE800, Xelento, Noble Katana, etc.) Rather, can you accept 10% SQ loss for the portability, the hands-free, the lack of need to worry about DACs, AMPs, SPC/OCC/OFC cables, bla bla bla. If you can, then, TWEs are a good enough solution.
VS Bose SoundSport Free: SSF has a larger package and sticks out of the ear more. Granted, it has twice the battery life (5hrs +20hrs from case). SQ wise, since these are designed for sports, they are open-back and wouldn't be suitable for commutes or flights. Consequently, they have a wider, airier sound stage amid a softer bass response. Mids and treble are OK but nothing special. There is treble rolloff IIRC. My takeaway was that the sound was OK but not amazing. It was a form over SQ sort of design. No ANC though which is disappointing since Bose is well known for ANC. So I ruled it out as SQ was the main focus for me.
VS Sony 1000XM3: A bit unfair, I know, but at the same price point, I think the full sized XM3 is a fair competitor. First off, it has a whopping 30 hours of battery life which makes the MTW's battery life look like a joke. Then it comes with ANC and adaptive modes. It is also frequently on discount and is constantly being updated (3rd version now). But what bothers me is the SQ on the XM3. While many reviews shout about the SQ, I personally find the sound to be.. "boxy". What I mean is that the sound is not smooth. There is a clear bass segment and a clear mid segment but the trebles are strongly rolled off. And then there is a disconnect between the bass and mids segment. Even so, there is a strong mid/upper bass emphasis and little sub-bass rumble. Strong vocal tracks are distorted by strong uneven bass making it a disappointment for the discerning audiophile. Soundstaging is narrow and instruments sound claustrophic. Weirdly, the frequency response charts do not reflect what I hear. Be that as it may, the XM3 is aimed at the typical consumer requiring good battery life and portability, above average SQ and a reasonable price and that's the reason it is a successful Sony product. Still a good choice for those who don't mind bluetooth headphones.
VS Sony WF-1000x: A bit dated, but I tried this TWE for a while and it sounds great. It has the typical Sony bass-boost sound quality with rolled off treble. Sounds quite muddy in the bass/lower mids area. What it misses in sound, it makes for with ANC, a small package and half the price of the MTW. I would say skip this just because I suspect the Gen 2 is coming out soon as they have started going on a 20% sale in my location. Good for people looking for TWEs on a budget and who appreciates good ANC.
VS Sony WI-1000x: More recent than the WF-1000x, the WI's price range is comparable to the MTW; has 10 hours battery life and ANC. It really intrigued me and the sound quality was nearer to Hi-Res balanced. It boasts plenty of detail and has good sound staging and separation. There is a slight mid bass boost as expected but overall it sounds very pleasing. However, I ruled it out because I thought, for that price I might as well get a true wireless such as the MTW. See, I am lazy and prefer to keep the IEMs in a case instead of having a perma-neckband.
VS Sony WI-C600N: This is a Dec 2018 model and it actually was a solid contender at $120 and costs less than half the price of the MTW. It sounded more like the WF-1000x with a strong bass emphasis, shallow sound stage etc. Typical easy-to-like modern consumer sound. 1/2 price, 6 hrs battery life, flexible band etc made it a strong contender to the MTW but in the end I chose to go fully wireless instead of having a neckband. But worth a serious consideration for anyone frequenting gyms or planning to use these for a workout. Between these and the WI-1000x, which you choose depends on your budget and your sound signature preference. WI-1000x is overall technically a better headphone, but you have to pay double the price and you can't fold it and keep it in your jeans pocket.
VS XiaoMi Neckband: They retail for $80 and offer great value for those of us who can accept good enough SQ. It boasts 8hrs of battery life and has a flexible neckband. But I didn't care much for the SQ as the mids and vocals were quite harsh and treble was all over the place. For the price, I'd recommend saving up for the WI-C600N unless you're really on a tight budget.
VS Master & Dynamic MW07, RHA TrueConnect, Beoplay E8: Sorry, the stores in my location didn't allow me to try these.
Others have suggested to consider keeping my current IEM and use the Shanling M0 and ES100 as portable bluetooth DAC/AMPs but I personally dislike the idea because I might as well keep using my phone or a portable DAP. I don't see much of an upgrade in terms of portability which was the whole point of this quest anyway.
Alternatively, I also considered the Shure RMCE-BT2 and Sony MUC-M2BT1 wireless neckbands with MMCX connectors. The RMCE is reported to have excellent sound but I never saw it in any of the stores I've visited. However, I can personally vouch for the M2BT1. The M2BT1 with my AKT8ieMKII sounded phenomenal and to my ears, rivalled the wire. It has LDAC and AptX codec, features about 7hrs of battery life.
However, for the price of $185, you have to start wondering if getting a new set of TWE IEMs might be the better option. Just top up another $100 and you have another top-tier product from Sennheiser.
I only had a chance to test these few before the time I gave myself to decide ran out and I decided what the heck, let's get the MTW. Overall, from the few wireless options I've tried, the MTW indeed has the best sound quality and let's be honest, it's expected from Sennheiser. No dealbreakers that made me regret the purchase or wish I could return it.
Momentum True Wireless Conclusion
Great value for money if you care most about SQ and are looking for a premium SQ in a true wireless form factor. I bought it knowing Id have to be patient with the bluetooth/touch control issues and I wanted portability and a completely wireless package for an excellent sound, and that's exactly what I got with the Momentum True Wireless.
Ask me anything and I'll try to respond. Appreciate all the help from headfi, reddit and other reviews I've seen so far; thought I'd return the favor.
P.S. I asked the Sennheiser sales rep and he said there isn't going to be a product update (MTW 2.0) soon. Apparently MTW is Momentum 3.0 and people are waiting for the full line up to be released first. So MTW 2.0 will be Momentum 4.0 and I guess it will come in 2021.
P.S. Photos available upon request but I think others have covered it pretty well. You get a 2 earbuds, 1 charging case, 4 pairs of tips (XS, S, M, L) and a short (25cm?) USB-A to USB-C cable and 2 years Sennheiser international warranty.
2 Weeks Update:
So, a quick update:
Negatives
1. You can't wear these to sleep. If you sleep on the right side, it goes "VOLUME MAX" on repeat. On the left side, the volume is decreased and it goes "VOLUME MIN" on repeat.
2. The bluetooth on these are questionable. Maybe it's my S7 Edge being a bit old, but when I am on the go, walking around the city or on the way to the commute, there is quite significant disruptions to the point it annoys me. Of course this problem is situational and you can't replicate it to a sales rep; so consider if you can accept this should it occur.
Positives
1. Despite that, the bluetooth pairing is instantaneous. The trick is to turn on BT on your phone before removing the right earpiece from the case. Or if you leave the BT permanently on, then that's better (but worse for your phone's battery life). Phone battery also doesn't seem to take a big hit. I also make it a habit to turn off the BT so that the MTWs go to sleep mode after 15 minutes. Otherwise they will wait up to 60 minutes before going to sleep. Otherwise, place both buds back into the case for trickle charging.
2. Loving the sound from these MTW bad boys more and more, using my preferred 1cm 45 degrees upper right quadrant on the internal EQ, I appreciate how the bass is present with excellent clarity and weight, while treble is crisper than the average IEM. It is no IE800, but plenty of treble detail to keep you satisfied that unless you do an A/B I won't miss the extra detail.
3. Battery has been a non-issue. Ran dead on the pair once after 4hrs of use as advertised. Never had the battery case dying on me, knock on wood. But my habit is to charge it every single night.
4. Good build quality. Dropped one earpiece when I was at the checkout, and my heart stopped. Luckily when I picked it up, there were no visible markings on the unit.
5. Volume has been very good. All my Spotify Extreme Quality songs, FLACs and 320kpbs MP3s have more than enough volume. This was a primary concern for me when purchasing the IEMs.
5.Overall, pretty happy with the purchase. They have dominated my music use on the go and I rarely miss my T8ieMKII since the SQ is about 80% although the sound stage is a bit compressed (it is left-right wide not front-back deep). The only time was during a 6 hr drive where I decided to go with a wired IEM.
I received my pair of Momentum True Wireless (MTW) at an authorised Sennheiser store yesterday and so far the MTW has been great! My use case is as a walk-around IEM to work, on the subway, at the mall, at lunch/dinner. If and when the batteries run out or I'm sitting still at a desk, my A&K T8ie MK II are ready to take over. I am a fan of German headphones/IEMs sound tuning and previously used Beyerdynamic and Astell & Kern equipment.
This is meant to be a short comparison and not a full-hand-on-sit-down-with-10-headphones-10-DAC-AMPS review. I purchased it recently and went on a journey to find the best true wireless earphone in the market as of June 2019 and I'm here to share it with you.
Table of Contents:
MTW First Impressions
MTW Bluetooth
MTW Sound Quality
MTW Smart Control App
MTW Headphone Comparables
MTW Conclusions
Momentum True Wireless First Impressions
I gave it 4.5/5 and kept the last 0.5 because the Bluetooth connection and touch controls still needs work. I frequently need to restart pairing instead of the MTW automatically reconnecting to the phone after a charge.
Touch control for previous track (3 tap on left earbud) is not yet perfect. Instead it will go Next Track (2 taps) and Pause (1 tap). Super annoying. But these are teething issues to me and I can overlook them for now and instead choose the next track or restart pairing with my phone.
I only care about SQ and so far it has exceeded expectations. To be fair, I am not comparing it against $300 full sized headphones or wired IEMs. I think value wise, $150 is for the IEM SQ, $50 for the Sennheiser brand and $100 for the portability, Bluetooth technology, Smart Control app etc.
No problems with batteries thus far. 4 hours is about right. Case takes 1.5hrs to charge and all working as advertised. One thing I learnt is to carry a spare case and keep the IEM in the spare case if the battery is not yet <20% (or just keep it in your pocket if you don't mind some scratches). This way, you don't waste the charge in the Charging Case until you absolutely need to recharge the IEMs and you can get the advertised 12 hours battery life.
Trying to get a good fit can be challenging but the MTWs come with 4 pairs of earbuds (XS/S/M/L) and you should be able to get a decent fit. Otherwise, consider getting Comply foam tips to fit your ears. Oh, you also have to learn how to twist the MTW every time you wear it. This is something that I miss coming from my dear AKT8ie where FIT was one of the key selling points of the IEM. You could go the whole day wearing the IEM and not feel fatigue. With the MTW, it is bearable but it does get a bit painful after 4 hours of continuous listening.
Oh yes, you also get 2 years worldwide warranty from Sennheiser.
Momentum True Wireless Bluetooth
I am playing it on AptX codec on BT 4.2 and firmware version 1.25.00 via my S7Edge using Spotify or Foobar2K with FLAC. Volume is loud enough once the correct settings are picked. Note though that I prefer to listen on the louder side so I constantly max out the volume on the MTW. Best to test at a store if it's loud enough for your preference.
MTW supports SBC, AAC, AptX, AptX Low Latency. AFAIK, most phones don't have AptX-LL (see Qualcomm's website) so I wouldn't count on it much. Some complain about the lack of AptX HD or LDAC but AptX is plenty good enough for my portable needs. Maybe for the DSD/PCM folks, they need to consider something else.
You can watch movies/play games with these but it depends whether you can stand the slight lag. Using AptX, it seems the codec knows how to resync the video and audio for Youtube videos. For games however, it depends if your game has a bluetooth delay feature. I got my game to time perfectly with a 500ms delay although the AptX is reported to only have a 200ms delay. I suppose 300ms was for the game to render the graphics, but don't quote me on this.
Some people complain about drop outs here and there which they said is unacceptable. For me, as long as its infrequent (once or twice an hour) and is short (< 1 or 2 secs) and can be fixed with pressing play on the phone, I don't mind it too much.
Momentum True Wireless Sound Quality
For me, the MTW has a balanced sound profile with a small bass boost towards the mid and sub bass thus giving a slight U/V- sound signature. By no means is it a basshead IEM but it carries good mid-bass and good sub-bass rumble when called for. Bass quantity is just enough, without being muddy (Sony XB series) or being bass-shy (like ER4 series) while bass quantity it makes up in bass quality, with fast bass decay and good precision. However, if you like to be enveloped by world-class IEM bass like in the AKT8ieMKII or Xelentos, these still fall a bit short but it can be improved using the Smart Control EQ.
The mids are smooth and transitions well from the upper bass. Vocals are well represented. Female and male vocals sound natural with good realism without coming across as sibilant or shrill. It is important to note here that the midtones are smooth without discernible peaks which would lead to unnatural audio.
Treble extends well and you won't be disappointed with the detail revival, especially at lower volumes.
The background of the MTW is quite dark (not noisy) and thus there is good L/R stereo instrumental separation as what I'd expect for a closed back high-grade Sennheiser 7mm TWE IEM.
However, I do note that in terms of 3D staging, it is rather narrow, especially at high volumes, leading to a very intimate sound system rather than a laid-back sound. Most of the bass and sound seems to come within the skull and doesn't extend further outward unlike in the AKT8ie / IE800 / Katana / K10 / ER4 (disregard if you find the comparison not meaningful) or full sized headphones or stereo systems. This would be one of the few drawbacks for the MTW.
In general I agree with the rtings.com frequency response chart and the MTW represents a balanced natural sound well with a rather intimate sound.
For reference, I'd consider the IE800 to be balanced with bass de-emphasis and treble emphasis (can be a bit piercing and sibilant sometimes). The Xelentos/AKT8ie to be balanced with bass emphasis (can be muddy sometimes) and slight treble roll-off. The Noble Katana's will get 10/10 for being balanced with excellent frequency response, detail revival and instrument separation albeit at twice the cost.
I typically listen to Korean pop, Spotify Global Top 50, some Ariana Grande, Lana Del Rey, and then some rock/heavy metal (Rammstein/Linkin Park/Metallica). MTW is versatile enough to do all these genres though with rock you can find it a bit claustrophobic. I believe for most people, they would find the MTW's SQ to be acceptable, if not excellent. Otherwise, you can tune it with the Smart Control App's EQ.
Momentum True Wireless Smart Control App
Interestingly, the MTW comes with a free app called Smart Control, developed by Sennheiser. In it, you can update the firmware over the air (OTA). The latest FW as of June is 1.25.00.
The app allows you several more options but I only cared for Transparent Hearing (which allows you listen to your surroundings using real-time audio recorded from the mic) and the EQ. The Smart Control EQ is aesthetically pleasing but a bit confusing to use at first. I've laid out what it means in general here.
Upper left quadrant: ++ bass - mids + treble (basshead preference but warning: it get's boxy/boomy!)
Lower left quadrant: -- bass + mids - treble (unnatural to me, sounds thin)
Upper right quadrant: + bass - mids ++ treble. (my preference for slight U/V signature)
Lower right quadrant: - bass + mids -- treble. (unnatural to me, sounds thin)
In general, I'd advice against moving more than 3 cm away from the the center (neutral/balanced/default) because it quickly gets out of hand and the frequency response deviates from balanced. Because of the slight U/V signature of the IEM, using the upper quadrants enhances its signature, while using the lower quadrants makes the sound signature too thin/flat/analytical for my preference. Of course, your mileage may vary but I prefer leaving the EQ at default or just 1cm 45 degree in the upper right quadrant.
For me, this EQ is worth a lot and is a unique selling point for the MTW as it allows different customers to personalise their MTW sound. I am not sure what happens behind the scenes but I like the flexibility it gives us and how much it truly affects the resulting sound from the MTW.
Momentum True Wireless Headphones Comparables
I think of true wireless headphones (TWE) SQ not as a direct comparable to wired headphones/IEMs because there's a lot of scale with wired IEMs (think IE800, Xelento, Noble Katana, etc.) Rather, can you accept 10% SQ loss for the portability, the hands-free, the lack of need to worry about DACs, AMPs, SPC/OCC/OFC cables, bla bla bla. If you can, then, TWEs are a good enough solution.
VS Bose SoundSport Free: SSF has a larger package and sticks out of the ear more. Granted, it has twice the battery life (5hrs +20hrs from case). SQ wise, since these are designed for sports, they are open-back and wouldn't be suitable for commutes or flights. Consequently, they have a wider, airier sound stage amid a softer bass response. Mids and treble are OK but nothing special. There is treble rolloff IIRC. My takeaway was that the sound was OK but not amazing. It was a form over SQ sort of design. No ANC though which is disappointing since Bose is well known for ANC. So I ruled it out as SQ was the main focus for me.
VS Sony 1000XM3: A bit unfair, I know, but at the same price point, I think the full sized XM3 is a fair competitor. First off, it has a whopping 30 hours of battery life which makes the MTW's battery life look like a joke. Then it comes with ANC and adaptive modes. It is also frequently on discount and is constantly being updated (3rd version now). But what bothers me is the SQ on the XM3. While many reviews shout about the SQ, I personally find the sound to be.. "boxy". What I mean is that the sound is not smooth. There is a clear bass segment and a clear mid segment but the trebles are strongly rolled off. And then there is a disconnect between the bass and mids segment. Even so, there is a strong mid/upper bass emphasis and little sub-bass rumble. Strong vocal tracks are distorted by strong uneven bass making it a disappointment for the discerning audiophile. Soundstaging is narrow and instruments sound claustrophic. Weirdly, the frequency response charts do not reflect what I hear. Be that as it may, the XM3 is aimed at the typical consumer requiring good battery life and portability, above average SQ and a reasonable price and that's the reason it is a successful Sony product. Still a good choice for those who don't mind bluetooth headphones.
VS Sony WF-1000x: A bit dated, but I tried this TWE for a while and it sounds great. It has the typical Sony bass-boost sound quality with rolled off treble. Sounds quite muddy in the bass/lower mids area. What it misses in sound, it makes for with ANC, a small package and half the price of the MTW. I would say skip this just because I suspect the Gen 2 is coming out soon as they have started going on a 20% sale in my location. Good for people looking for TWEs on a budget and who appreciates good ANC.
VS Sony WI-1000x: More recent than the WF-1000x, the WI's price range is comparable to the MTW; has 10 hours battery life and ANC. It really intrigued me and the sound quality was nearer to Hi-Res balanced. It boasts plenty of detail and has good sound staging and separation. There is a slight mid bass boost as expected but overall it sounds very pleasing. However, I ruled it out because I thought, for that price I might as well get a true wireless such as the MTW. See, I am lazy and prefer to keep the IEMs in a case instead of having a perma-neckband.
VS Sony WI-C600N: This is a Dec 2018 model and it actually was a solid contender at $120 and costs less than half the price of the MTW. It sounded more like the WF-1000x with a strong bass emphasis, shallow sound stage etc. Typical easy-to-like modern consumer sound. 1/2 price, 6 hrs battery life, flexible band etc made it a strong contender to the MTW but in the end I chose to go fully wireless instead of having a neckband. But worth a serious consideration for anyone frequenting gyms or planning to use these for a workout. Between these and the WI-1000x, which you choose depends on your budget and your sound signature preference. WI-1000x is overall technically a better headphone, but you have to pay double the price and you can't fold it and keep it in your jeans pocket.
VS XiaoMi Neckband: They retail for $80 and offer great value for those of us who can accept good enough SQ. It boasts 8hrs of battery life and has a flexible neckband. But I didn't care much for the SQ as the mids and vocals were quite harsh and treble was all over the place. For the price, I'd recommend saving up for the WI-C600N unless you're really on a tight budget.
VS Master & Dynamic MW07, RHA TrueConnect, Beoplay E8: Sorry, the stores in my location didn't allow me to try these.
Others have suggested to consider keeping my current IEM and use the Shanling M0 and ES100 as portable bluetooth DAC/AMPs but I personally dislike the idea because I might as well keep using my phone or a portable DAP. I don't see much of an upgrade in terms of portability which was the whole point of this quest anyway.
Alternatively, I also considered the Shure RMCE-BT2 and Sony MUC-M2BT1 wireless neckbands with MMCX connectors. The RMCE is reported to have excellent sound but I never saw it in any of the stores I've visited. However, I can personally vouch for the M2BT1. The M2BT1 with my AKT8ieMKII sounded phenomenal and to my ears, rivalled the wire. It has LDAC and AptX codec, features about 7hrs of battery life.
However, for the price of $185, you have to start wondering if getting a new set of TWE IEMs might be the better option. Just top up another $100 and you have another top-tier product from Sennheiser.
I only had a chance to test these few before the time I gave myself to decide ran out and I decided what the heck, let's get the MTW. Overall, from the few wireless options I've tried, the MTW indeed has the best sound quality and let's be honest, it's expected from Sennheiser. No dealbreakers that made me regret the purchase or wish I could return it.
Momentum True Wireless Conclusion
Great value for money if you care most about SQ and are looking for a premium SQ in a true wireless form factor. I bought it knowing Id have to be patient with the bluetooth/touch control issues and I wanted portability and a completely wireless package for an excellent sound, and that's exactly what I got with the Momentum True Wireless.
Ask me anything and I'll try to respond. Appreciate all the help from headfi, reddit and other reviews I've seen so far; thought I'd return the favor.
P.S. I asked the Sennheiser sales rep and he said there isn't going to be a product update (MTW 2.0) soon. Apparently MTW is Momentum 3.0 and people are waiting for the full line up to be released first. So MTW 2.0 will be Momentum 4.0 and I guess it will come in 2021.
P.S. Photos available upon request but I think others have covered it pretty well. You get a 2 earbuds, 1 charging case, 4 pairs of tips (XS, S, M, L) and a short (25cm?) USB-A to USB-C cable and 2 years Sennheiser international warranty.
2 Weeks Update:
So, a quick update:
Negatives
1. You can't wear these to sleep. If you sleep on the right side, it goes "VOLUME MAX" on repeat. On the left side, the volume is decreased and it goes "VOLUME MIN" on repeat.
2. The bluetooth on these are questionable. Maybe it's my S7 Edge being a bit old, but when I am on the go, walking around the city or on the way to the commute, there is quite significant disruptions to the point it annoys me. Of course this problem is situational and you can't replicate it to a sales rep; so consider if you can accept this should it occur.
Positives
1. Despite that, the bluetooth pairing is instantaneous. The trick is to turn on BT on your phone before removing the right earpiece from the case. Or if you leave the BT permanently on, then that's better (but worse for your phone's battery life). Phone battery also doesn't seem to take a big hit. I also make it a habit to turn off the BT so that the MTWs go to sleep mode after 15 minutes. Otherwise they will wait up to 60 minutes before going to sleep. Otherwise, place both buds back into the case for trickle charging.
2. Loving the sound from these MTW bad boys more and more, using my preferred 1cm 45 degrees upper right quadrant on the internal EQ, I appreciate how the bass is present with excellent clarity and weight, while treble is crisper than the average IEM. It is no IE800, but plenty of treble detail to keep you satisfied that unless you do an A/B I won't miss the extra detail.
3. Battery has been a non-issue. Ran dead on the pair once after 4hrs of use as advertised. Never had the battery case dying on me, knock on wood. But my habit is to charge it every single night.
4. Good build quality. Dropped one earpiece when I was at the checkout, and my heart stopped. Luckily when I picked it up, there were no visible markings on the unit.
5. Volume has been very good. All my Spotify Extreme Quality songs, FLACs and 320kpbs MP3s have more than enough volume. This was a primary concern for me when purchasing the IEMs.
5.Overall, pretty happy with the purchase. They have dominated my music use on the go and I rarely miss my T8ieMKII since the SQ is about 80% although the sound stage is a bit compressed (it is left-right wide not front-back deep). The only time was during a 6 hr drive where I decided to go with a wired IEM.
