Today’s top true wireless headphones are held to the highest standards of design, performance and functionality, and only a few brands truly stand out in this segment to offer the kind of product that people are willing to pay more than Rs. 20,000 give. One of the first brands to offer a genuine winner in this space was Sennheiser, with its Momentum True Wireless headphones. We’ve seen Apple and Sony take the lead lately, but Sennheiser hasn’t taken this lightly and has now launched its Momentum True Wireless 3 headphones in India, to take over. Sony WF-1000XM4 and Apple AirPods Pro.
Valuation Rs. 21,990, Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 promises improvements compared to Momentum True Wireless 2 launched in mid-2020. With an improved design, support for the aptX adaptive Bluetooth codec, and the promise of better sound and ANC performance, are these the best top-of-the-line true wireless headphones we’ve heard. can you buy now? Find out in this review.
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 headphones go head-to-head with Sony WF-1000XM4 and Apple AirPods Pro
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 . Design and Features
While the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless and Momentum True Wireless 2 are great in many ways, they are quite bulky by today’s top TWS design standards. The Momentum True Wireless 3 is significantly improved in this respect, with a much smaller and better form factor that better suits its premium position. As a result, the headphones don’t stick out of your ears as much as before, and are much lighter and more comfortable.
Fortunately, this didn’t take away anything else when it came to design; The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 are a beautiful pair of headphones. The headphones feature a distinctive and large Sennheiser logo on the flat outer surface, small ear flaps for a comfortable fit, and silicone ear tips with a layer of foam throughout the perforations. The logo area is touch-sensitive for controls, customizable through the app. The large, flat surface makes using these touch controls exceptionally easy.
The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3’s charging case is one of the best I’ve come across, with a fabric-covered exterior, convenient size and shape that easily fits in a pocket. It has a USB Type-C port and supports Qi wireless charging. There’s no pairing button on the case (the headphones enter pairing mode via touch controls), and interestingly, the USB Type-C charging port is on the front of the case, along with the indicator light.
Included in the sales package are four pairs of silicone ear tips, three pairs of ear flaps, and a charging cable. The headphones are IPX4-rated for water resistance, and each has three microphones for voice and ANC functionality.
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 headphones are IPX4 rated for water resistance
Each earphone weighs 5.8g, while the charging case weighs 66.4g. The Smart Pause feature, which is supposed to automatically play and pause music when the headphones are on or off, didn’t work too well for me. It usually continues to play music even when one or both headphones are not in my ears. The Momentum True Wireless 3 is available in two colors in India at launch, Black and Graphite (my review unit), with a third White color expected later.
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 . Specifications and Applications
Like all Sennheiser premium wireless products, the Momentum True Wireless 3 works with the Sennheiser Smart Control app, available on iOS and Android. This is one of the best apps I’ve used to manage headphones, give access to controls and settings for equalizer, transparency and ANC modes, touch controls, etc. You can also update the firmware, activate or deactivate Smart Pause and Auto Accept Calls, and set the time for the headset to automatically power off when not in use.
The customization of controls on the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 is particularly good, allowing specific functions to be set up for various gestures including single-tap, double-tap, triple-tap, and long-press, with functions Separate functions can be assigned to each headset for each gesture. I was able to create a set of controls for playback, active noise cancellation, voice assistant calling, and volume – all controlled directly from the headphones. This is significantly better than what is offered on most other high-end truly wireless headphones.
The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 is powered by 7mm dynamic drivers and has a frequency response range of 5-21,000Hz and a sensitivity rating of 107dB. The headset uses Bluetooth 5.2 to connect and supports SBC, AAC and aptX adaptive Bluetooth codecs.
aptX Adaptive support is a step up from the Momentum True Wireless 2 headphones, which only support the aptX Bluetooth codec. That said, aptX Adaptive has limited compatibility even in the Android ecosystem as of now and only works on devices running select hardware like Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 and Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. On devices that don’t support aptX Adaptive, Momentum True Wireless 3 defaults to the older aptX codec (widely supported on many Android devices) or AAC (on iOS devices). It is this important specification that makes the Momentum True Wireless 3 more suitable for use with Android devices.
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 . Performance and Battery Life
The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3’s price and positioning put it in direct competition with Sony WF-1000XM4 and Apple AirPods Pro, both cost around Rs. 25,000. However, support for the aptX Adaptive codec makes the Momentum True Wireless 3 headphones more suitable for use with Android smartphones and thus a direct competitor to the WF-1000XM4.
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3’s charging case supports USB Type-C and Qi wireless charging
I used Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 with my iPhone as well as many Android smartphones to test What role do different supported codecs play in sound qualityand results are expected to be best with aptX Adaptive active. Listening to Glitter by Keys N Crates, I was immediately struck by the purity of the sound; the lows feel tight and powerful without becoming overbearing, while the vocals are crisp and clear even compared to the beautiful melody that defines this song.
It is this balanced and genre-agnostic sonic signature that defines the listening experience with the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 for me and proves that fine tuning goes a long way in determining the quality of music. a pair of headphones. At moderate volumes, whether with faster tracks like The Great Chia by Velvetine or slower tracks like Truth by Kamasi Washington, Sennheiser headphones seem to flexibly adapt to the tempo and complexity of the music. music.
The progressive jazz track, Truth by Kamasi Washington, also showcases how detailed and clear the sound is on the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3, as the headphones can keep up with all the different instruments while maintaining it. Beautiful soundstage brought to each individual. element of this hypnotic song a chance to shine. From the spacious sounding percussion to the groaning in the dual bass, everything sounds crisp and clear.
That said, I feel that headphones do not analyze and reveal like the Sony WF-1000XM4 supporting LDAC. However, the aptX Adaptive codec seems to have made up for this with its versatility and ability to add some flavor and character to the audio, due to the way it works with significantly lower bitrates than LDAC. Even with the older and less flexible aptX codec, the sound was still enjoyable, although I did notice a significant reduction in detail and spaciousness.
aptX Adaptive support gives Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 fun, exciting sounds
The tendency to add some character to the sound means that the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 feels a little less tonal than competing options, and I even sometimes felt a little weak in the stickiness of the sound. it. However, it took a long time to beat the Momentum True Wireless 3, which largely succeeded in delivering detail, flavor, and enjoyment across genres.
Active noise cancellation on the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 is very good and arguably better than what direct competitors from Apple and Sony can manage in some situations. Wind noise cancellation is particularly good, and this creates a very effective ANC for outdoor ambient sounds and ceiling fan wind noise.
Regardless of whether it’s indoors or outdoors, these headphones dramatically reduce the noise that often produces the kind of silent sound you’d normally only get with high-end over-ear headphones. Connection stability and call quality are also very good on the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3, and I did not experience any major problems in this regard during my time using this headset.
Battery life on Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 is quite good. The headphones ran for less than six hours per charge, and the charging case added three additional full charges. This produces about 23 hours of total runtime per charge cycle with typical use, including with ANC on most of the time, aptX or aptX Adaptive codecs active, and volume at around 60 percent.
Identify
The high price of the top true wireless earbuds can still be a barrier for most buyers in India, but if you’re on a budget, the rewards are really worth it. The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 are a great pair of truly wireless headphones that combine fine, detailed sound with a personal and refined feel, great ANC performance, a much-improved design, and battery life. good.
The lack of Bluetooth LDAC codec support means that the audio isn’t quite as accurate and analytic as it sounds Sony WF-1000XM4, are, in my opinion, the only competing headphones you can consider compared to the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3. If you’re using an Android device that supports aptX Adaptive and you want your audio to sound slightly ‘tweaked’, the Momentum True Wireless 3 is worth a look. Good active noise cancellation is another bonus. If you’re using an iPhone, you might be better served by AirPods Pro thanks to its superior connectivity features and Spatial Audio support.
