If you’re in the market to buy only the top earbuds, three or four select brands may come to your mind. One of them is Sennheiser, with a deeply rooted reputation for making high quality truly wireless earphones over the last six years. Their latest contender is the Momentum True Wireless 4, or simply TW4. They’ve recently received a price cut, and are selling for Rs 18,990, down from Rs 29,990. Now that’s what we call a steal deal because they are about three grand cheaper than what the Sony WF-1000XM5 are selling for. Still, it’s a pretty penny to pay, that’s why here’s my in-depth review of the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 so you can know all about it before shelling out your money.
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4
₹18,990
What Is Good?
- Premium design and build
- Dust resistance
- Nice, wide soundstage
- Decent battery life
What Is Bad?
- No LDAC support
- Can favour bass sometimes
- Transparency mode could’ve been better
Sennheiser Momentum TW4 Review: Design and Build
The Momentum line-up is known for its subtle and sophisticated approach. The TW4 boasts a sleek, minimalist design focusing on ergonomics and comfort. The buds have a unique squarish design. Each bud weighs around 6.2g, which is slightly heavier than what the Sony WF-1000XM5 weighs. While they fit my ear securely, they caused discomfort after a couple of hours. I don’t believe it was because of the ergonomics or the choice of materials – it’s simply because my ear isn’t big enough to accommodate such large buds. That’s why I prefer buds with a stalk attached to their bottom, so the weight can be distributed evenly. But, there’s a considerably large demographic out there which prefers such large buds, so you may dig these if you belong to that.
The charging case enveloped in fabric, a signature Sennheiser thing, isn’t exactly compact. It’s slightly bigger than the cases wedding rings come in and will take up considerable space in your pocket.
These buds are IP54-rated, so they offer better durability against the XM5s, which are rated only for splash resistance. They are available in three colours – metallic silver, black graphite and black copper.
- Weight: 6.2g (per earbud)
- Water resistance rating: IP54
- Colour options: Metallic Silver, Black Graphite and Black Copper
The Momentum TW4 utilise touch controls for playback and volume control. I do miss physical buttons, which offer better reliability, but these have a quick response time and do not make a loud clicking sound when changing tracks.
Sennheiser Momentum TW4 Review: Hardware and sound
To turn air into music, the Momentum TW4 use 7mm TrueResponse dynamic drivers, which is good news for audiophiles. These are the same drivers that power the Sennheiser IE 600 and IE 900 in-ear monitors, except they are tuned slightly differently for wireless audio. Still, they have delivered on the promise of ‘tonally neutral’ sound. This means they can accurately reproduce a wide variety of music genres while giving you the choice of tuning the sound to your taste.
These buds are loaded on the software front as well. Sennheiser claims the TW4 are future-proof with its compatibility with Bluetooth LE Audio (LE stands for Low Energy). The biggest feature of this tech is the ability to tune into an Auracast.
Auracast is a new form of broadcast audio that allows several audio streams to simultaneously broadcast to an unlimited number of receivers via audio transmitters. Why is it useful? Because they can be used by film theatres, transport hubs, gyms and sports arenas to transmit whatever they want to transmit.
Other than that, you have support for SBC, AAC and aptX Lossless codecs. That’s right, the wait for LDAC on the Momentum TWS line-up is still on.
Here’s a quick glimpse at what I experienced while listening to music with the Sennheiser Momentum TW4:
| Song | Remarks |
| Gula – Deadmau5 | The breakbeat section around the 2-minute mark sounds clear. The arpeggiated hook section that follows is also accommodated nicely within the soundstage. However, the bass sequence in the introduction was slightly subdued. |
| Althea (2013 Remaster) – Grateful Dead | The vocals cut through the mix of electric guitar, bass and drum clearly. However, during the guitar solo section, the emphasis was slightly towards the bass guitar. |
| Jets – Bonobo | The crisp snare hit and the hi-hats can be heard clearly, along with the rich texture of white audio noise. The synth bass can be perceived as an individual layered sound and doesn’t get stifled in the mix. |
| Tauba Tauba – Kailash Kher | For the first time, I noticed the minute reverb on Kailash Kher’s voice thanks to these buds. The driving percussive dhol beat had a rich, high-pitched texture. It emphasises the rumbling bassy synths in the latter half of the song more than Kher’s voice. |
Sound Performance
The Sennheiser Momentum TW4 shines with its well-balanced soundstage. Crisp highs, clear mids, and tight bass create a detailed and immersive listening experience. The audio is perfect for audiophiles who appreciate a faithful reproduction of the source material. Sometimes, it tends to get carried away with bass synths, especially in EDM tracks, but that’s something that bass heads appreciate.
ANC and Mic Quality
The Sennheiser Momentum TW4’s ANC effectively blocks out ambient noise, creating a peaceful listening environment. The transparency mode also feels natural but doesn’t give you supernatural abilities to hear what’s happening around you. Each bud is fitted with three microphones, so call quality is also not too bad. 
Companion App
The Sennheiser Smart Control app offers a comprehensive suite of features for customising your listening experience. You can adjust the EQ, control ANC levels, and even activate a transparency mode to allow surrounding sounds in.
Sennheiser Momentum TW4 Review: Battery Life
Sennheiser claims a total of 30 hours of listening time with the charging case. In our usage, the buds were able to last five and a half hours with ANC while being driven at 80% volume. The case provides an additional two full charges. The buds fared slightly better without noise cancellation, offering about six and a half hours of use, so these should cover your daily commute via metros easily.
Sennheiser Momentum TW4: Verdict
The Sennheiser Momentum TW4 is a premium pair of true wireless earbuds that prioritise neutral sound while offering some future-proof tech. They can last you a nine-to-five working week easily. However, they were a bit heavy on my ears and sometimes emphasised the bass a little too much to my liking, but that can be perceived differently by different people.
The lack of LDAC codec may tick off a few purists because even cheaper offerings such as the Nothing Ear (a) have started packing it.
If you can get it for Rs 29,990, along with some bank discounts, I believe it would be a fantastic deal, especially against the XM5s. But if you’re planning to upgrade from the Momentum 3, I’d say wait it out a bit.
