Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 was one of the best wireless earbuds in the premium segment. The earbuds were introduced in 2020 and delivered exceptional sound quality, premium build, and many features. However, the competition has become fierce, with brands like Sony, Apple, and Bose launching their flagship TWS in the market. So, to deal with this tough competition, the company has introduced its new champion, the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 earbuds. The latest earbuds pick up from the Wireless 2 left off and significantly improved certain features over the previous generation TWS.
Moreover, the latest set of earbuds is available for Rs 21,990, which is cheaper than its predecessor. That being said, are the latest Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 a worthy competitor to the Sony WF-1000XM4, Apple AirPods Pro, and Bose QuietComfort Earbuds? We have been using the earbuds for a while now, and here’s what we think about them.
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 Earbuds Review: Design and Fit
Sennheiser has dramatically improved the design of the latest earbuds. Coming to the packaging first, the earbuds come with a textile-covered charging case, which is a signature style for its flagship series. You also get four eartips, three different silicone fins, and a USB Type-C cable in the box.
The new Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 comes with a smaller yet more comfortable form factor, which looks like a perfect blend of previous Momentum True Wireless and the company’s affordable CX series. The charging case is more compact than previous generations and still holds the same amount of charge. One significant addition here is the support of wireless charging, which was missing in the Momentum True Wireless 2. Opening and closing the case lid gives you a satisfying clicky sound. Coming to the earbuds, the company has done a significant overhaul in the design of the Momentum True Wireless 3. You get an LED indicator at the front, which changes colours to denote the charging levels making it easier to track the battery.
The earbuds are lighter, compact and more comfortable compared to its predecessor. We really liked the fact that the earbuds are lightweight, which gives them an edge over the competition. The earbuds come with a metallised plastic top housing, which is only available in the Graphite variant. It is also available in Black and White colour options. The touch controls are remarkably refined and readily customisable through the Smart Control application. The MTW 3 are also IPX4 rated, which provides some level of waterproofing. We really loved the fit of the earbuds. The level of fatigue is significantly reduced compared to the MTW 2, which felt quite heavy when you wore it. And yes, you can take them for jogging or light exercises without worrying about them falling off your ear.
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 Earbuds Review: Connectivity, App, and Features
The latest earbuds are not your usual pair-and-go earbuds. You need to be a bit more patient while connecting with them for the first time. The company advise charging the case for a quick 30-second before pairing it with your device. Once done, the earbuds will be ready to pair. The Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity ensures you get a fast and stable connection. Pairing the new earbuds is relatively easy. You first need to download the application on your Android or iOS store and register the account. Once done, the app will automatically locate the earbuds and pair them for you. However, it is essential to note that you need to download the new hardware from the app before you start using the TWS. The whole process took almost 21 minutes to complete.
The Smart Control application comes with new features for the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 earbuds. The app shows the battery levels of the earbuds. It comes with different features like a three-band equaliser, Sound Check, Transparency Mode, Adaptive Noise Cancellation, Sound Zones, and Touch Controls. The Sound Check feature allows you to personalise the equaliser based on your listening preferences. The Sound Zones feature is probably one of the best features of the application. You get a location map, on which you can choose a radius for your frequently visited places, like home or office. Once you enter the radius, the app automatically sets the preferred ANC and EQ settings and will remove the settings when you exit it. This is a handy feature as you will not have to input the preferred setting every time you enter your office or home.
The earbuds come with a host of touch controls, which allows you to control different functions. By default, you can tap one on the left or right earbud to activate Transparency mode and play/pause, respectively. A double-tap on the right will change the track, and a double-tap on the left will take you to the previous track. Triple tap on the right and left earbuds will activate voice assistant and noise cancellation. In addition, you can touch and hold to increase or decrease the volume from the left and right earbuds. Moreover, all the controls are customisable, and you pick and choose as per your own preference.
Moving on, the Transparency Mode comes with three options to choose from, including Off, With Music and Pause Music. It is a good addition that the company has given a slider to finesse how much environmental sound you want. Then you have Adaptive Noise Cancelling, a form of active noise cancelling. The feature allows you to turn off and on the feature and comes with a new Anti Wind mode. Finally, in the Settings menu, you have different options like Smart Pause, Auto-accept call, Auto power off, and more, which may come in handy for some.
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 Earbuds Review: Sound Quality and ANC
The latest Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 comes with a 7mm TrueResponse transducer. The flagship earbuds from Sennheiser support various codecs, including aptX, AAC, SBC, and more. Sennheiser’s approach to sound with the Momentum True Wireless 3 is better than the previous MTW 2. The sound is much more dynamic and robust than its predecessor. The soundstage for the new earbuds is wide and delivers good results. The opening sequence of AC DC’s Thunderstruck will keep you hooked till the end. You can quickly identify the sound of different instruments playing in harmony. The surround sound of two guitars playing on each earbud is definitely a great experience. The earbuds handle the bass like a pro, and in songs like Bass Rani by Nucleya, you can feel the thumping bass, which doesn’t go overboard. This makes listening to rap, hip-hop and more genres a delight.
The earbuds also handle the mids in some music, though the upper-mid can be a bit hollow in some. However, the instruments and vocals were clean in Jason Mraz’s I’m Yours. Moving on, the highs are taken care of quite effectively, and you get good clarity. However, the treble does not resonate with that satisfying level of detail, as you can hear in Sony WF-1000XM4.
The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 has an improved noise cancelling feature than its predecessor. You now have a new Adaptive Noise Cancelling feature, which in our opinion, works quite well and is way better than its predecessor. The noise cancellation was sufficient during the commute and worked best indoors, like in the office. The Anti Wind Mode also worked good and was able to cancel out the fan noise in the room with ease. Moreover, the passive isolation of the MTW 3 earbuds is impressive.
The Smart Control app also comes with different Equaliser settings. Still, we felt that the three-band equaliser was not enough to customise the sound experience. You get the Sound Check feature that automatically provides the perfect sound experience for you based on the songs. However, it is not that accurate, to be honest.
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 Earbuds Review: Mic Quality and Battery Life
The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 claims to provide crystal clear voice call quality. The earbuds come with three microphones on each earbud that offers a good experience. We noticed that the vocals were clear, though the earbud picked up noises like a car horn and more. Moreover, there was a slight kind of noise haze during the calls.
Coming to the battery life, the company claims that the earbuds can deliver up to 28 hours of battery life with an on-the-go charging case. We found out that the earbuds could deliver roughly 6 hours of battery life on a single charge during the testing. At the same time, the charging case provides three more full charges. Moreover, the earbuds also come with wireless charging support, a must-have feature for premium earbuds.
Should You Buy Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 Earbuds?
The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 earbuds offer a host of significant improvements over its predecessor. The wireless earbuds are lighter, compact, and deliver better sound quality than the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 earbuds. In addition, the earbuds are fully-loaded with features that make them on par with the Apple AirPods and Sony WF-1000XM4.
Moreover, the company has got the pricing right this time, making it a formidable competitor to other premium wireless earbuds available in the market. However, just like every earbud, these are not perfect and come with some downside in Equaliser settings, transparency mode, and more. However, these can be neglected if you consider the versatile sound quality and dynamic frequency response. Overall, these are probably one of the best options that you can get in the sub Rs 25,000 price segment.
