Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2: problems solved
15.4.2020
Translation: machine translated
Sennheiser's new True Wireless headphones are good. And their sound surpasses that of other wireless competitors. There's only one negative.
Once I had the new Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2s in my hand, all I wanted to do was take them out of their packaging and connect them.
Sennheiser frustrated a lot of its customers with the first generation of its wireless headphones: connection problems, bugs and a battery that self-discharged punctuated their daily lives. The new model has now arrived.
In black, they look very similar to their predecessors, they're just a little smaller and therefore even more comfortable in the ears. To insert them, you have to make a quarter turn so that they fit properly. They are then positioned at the back of the ear, but it's quite comfortable.
The connection: so far, R.A.S.
The True Wireless 2 connect to my phone in an instant, much quicker than the previous model. To switch the headphones on, all I have to do is briefly press the little button on the back of the case, then take the headphones out, put them in my ears and press the two touch controls for three seconds.
With the old model, it was much more complicated, took longer and only worked after two or three attempts (at least, for me).
For its True Wireless 2s, Sennheiser has now opted for Bluetooth 5.1. Perhaps it's thanks to this change that there are no more connection problems. The previous headphones nearly drove me crazy. Outside the house, it was simply impossible for me to use the first version of the True Wireless headphones (article in German).
It's different now. Due to the current situation, I am of course mainly testing the headphones at home. I did go out for a little walk around the neighbourhood, though, and no bugs on the horizon. With the old model, walking around the neighbourhood was already a problem. Even when I pass a tram stop briefly and do my shopping at the Migros - a real ordeal with the previous model - I have no problems. At last!
As a playback device, I'm using the same phone I used to test the old Sennheiser headphones, namely the Xiaomi Mi Note 10.
Like their predecessors, the Momentum True Wireless 2 can use Bluetooth AAC, AptX and AptX Low Latency codecs. That means iOS and Android phones work equally well as playback devices. AptX Low Latency guarantees synchronous sound and image when watching a video. The second model masters it. I occasionally encountered problems with the first version of the headphones. The standard SBC Bluetooth codec is of course included as with all Bluetooth headphones.
Noise reduction: less ambient noise on Youtube
Sennheiser's biggest technical innovation: the headphones are now equipped with a noise reduction system. The setting can be made either in the Sennheiser app, or by tapping three times on the right earpiece.
At home, I first test the noise reduction on the balcony. The True Wireless 2 filter out most of the noise from the cars passing by below me. Voices come through relatively well, as is the case with almost all active noise reduction.
With the feature activated, I can no longer hear ambient noise on Youtube. The True Wireless 2 reduce low tones very well, but have a harder time with highs. Sennheiser itself says the same thing. As the Sennheiser MomentumTrue Wireless 2 already have very good passive coverage - i.e. an earplug effect - you won't notice the active noise cancellation as much as with the AirPods Pro from Apple, which sit less snugly in the ears.
If you set the Active Noise Reduction feature, you'll notice that everything gets even quieter, but you won't really be blown away. I like the fact that Sennheiser's feature has no background noise, so to speak, and doesn't negatively influence the sound.
Sound: a little more bass
Sennheiser's marketing slogan for the True Wireless 2s is "Earphones that put sound first", and while I don't really like these slogans, I agree with Sennheiser on this one. Of all the current True Wireless headphones, I like the sound of these the best.
What I like best about the sound, as with the older model, is that it's very well tuned. For some songs, however, I get the impression that the bass is a little more pronounced than before and the midrange is less present. Nonetheless, the sound is much better than that of other in-ear headphones. The mids are clear and harmonious, and they're not drowned out by low frequencies, as is the case with so many other headphones. Bass is powerful, but it doesn't take over in an unpleasant way. And although the Momentum True Wireless 2 are in-ear headphones, they sound comparable to headphones most of the time.
The headphones also master the highs, nothing is overdone. And whatever genre I'm listening to - it ranges from electronic music, through hip-hop, rock, not forgetting some classical pieces - the headphones have it under control.
Overall, I'd describe the sound as warm, precise and very detailed. No other pair of True Wireless in-ear headphones that I know of do this as well.
Battery: much longer battery life and no more self-discharge
Although the diameter of the new earphones is about two millimetres smaller, their battery is much more powerful. Sennheiser says the operating time is seven hours. That's three hours more. With noise reduction activated, I got almost six hours of use. Compared to the competition, Sennheiser is above average.
In the article in which I introduced the new headphones, I asked for points to test. User visualex would like to know if Sennheiser have been able to solve the battery problem, i.e. if the battery in the headphones doesn't drain on its own if you don't use them for a while.
Among all the tests I've done, there are only five days when I didn't use the headphones. Result: when I took them back, the battery level was the same. Well, Sennheiser have managed to solve that problem.
The charging box gives an extra 20 hours of battery life. And with just 10 minutes of charging, the battery is already fully charged and allows you to listen to around 1.5 hours of music.
Another question was asked by user Nyze:
("I have a question for the test phase, or if anyone can answer it already.... are the headphones again equipped with the Master-Slave method, or can the earpieces be used independently of each other?")
The earpieces can be used more or less independently. The right earpiece can be used when the left earpiece is in the case, but it doesn't work the other way round: both earpieces lose the connection.
The operation and app are much better
With the previous headphones, I found it very difficult to control the headphones by fiddling with them. This is different now. Both touch surfaces respond quickly and accurately. If you don't like the layout of the touch controls, you can rearrange them in the app. The volume can also be adjusted on the headphones. While this is not a new feature, I find it very handy in everyday life, especially now that it works reliably. The Smart Pause function, which means that the music stops as soon as you remove the earpiece from your ear, now also works very well.
The negative thing about the app is that it searches for the headset connection again, even if the headset has already been connected to the mobile phone. The app then needs six seconds to open. But, at least, it no longer glitches, as it used to.
According to Sennheiser, up to eight devices can now be paired. Unfortunately, the True Wireless 2s still don't support multipoint, i.e. simultaneous connection with multiple devices - which would allow you to quickly switch between phone and laptop, for example. If you want to change your playback device, you must first disconnect, then reconnect with the new device.
Phone calls: it's still not that
Many users complained about the quality of phone calls with the previous model. Unfortunately, not much has changed on that front. My friends understand me very badly, especially when I'm out and about. When I walked past a playground about ten metres away, my girlfriend could hear the children playing better than I could. But if I'm in a closed room, everyone understands me fine.
Sennheiser has integrated a local tone function for making phone calls. Local tone is the feedback in your voice when you speak. This feature is designed to stop you speaking too loudly because of the noise reduction and passive isolation of the headphones. But even though I've activated the function, I'm not sure I'll accidentally shout while talking to my girlfriend. With an update, Sennheiser has improved the feature a little - before, my voice sometimes sounded like I was in a big empty room - but I'm still not convinced. Telephoning without the sidetone feature works, but the risk of speaking too loudly is even greater.
Conclusion: top-notch sound, the rest is OK
Sennheiser has learned from the mistakes of the previous model. The Momentum True Wireless 2 are definitely much better than their predecessors. The worst problems, with the headphones constantly losing connection and discharging into the case, have been solved.
The fact that the phone doesn't work properly is annoying enough, especially when you're taking advantage of your travels to make phone calls. They're much better than the first generation of headphones, but there's still room for improvement.
For me, in headphones, it's the sound that comes first. If I had to choose one of the current wireless models, I'd go for the True Wireless 2 headphones. I can live with the fact that calls aren't great quality or the active noise reduction isn't exceptional. For the price of these headphones, you can get several models that are better in these respects. You will, however, have to make some big concessions when it comes to sound.
If sound is your number one priority, I highly recommend the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2.
Testing devices and gadgets is my thing. Some experiments lead to interesting insights, others to demolished phones. I’m hooked on series and can’t imagine life without Netflix. In summer, you’ll find me soaking up the sun by the lake or at a music festival.
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