Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 5 review: swappable batteries
Sennheiser's new flagship earbuds are its first with user-replaceable batteries, something none of the direct rivals offer. A review of the $300 Momentum True Wireless 5 finds that swap is the best thing about it, while the software lacks stability and polish.
Smaller case, swappable cells
The earbuds are much smaller than the Momentum True Wireless 4, with a stemless jellybean shape and an IP54 rating. The case is taller and thinner, covered in speckled matte plastic instead of fabric. The reviewer says it picks up smudges, feels less premium and creaked around the hinge. It has no dust or water rating.
Both earbuds and case open with simple tools. Earbud batteries come out after two captive screws and some prying with the included spudger. The case needs one screw, which is not captive. The reviewer warns about a ribbon cable inside each earbud, cells that can go in the wrong way round, and soft plastic that can show marks after opening.
The cells are proprietary, model BA 501 for the earbuds and BA 502 for the case. Sennheiser says only that replacements will be sold in the EU and "further selected countries", so how long they stay available is unknown.
Sound and the Atmos catch
The 7mm TrueResponse drivers give a warm, neutral-leaning sound with a wide bass lift. The lower treble dips and the upper treble is bright, which can make vocals and instruments sound quieter and slightly hazy. The reviewer would correct that first with the 8-band EQ.
Turning on noise cancelling thins the lower mids, so the reviewer preferred it off indoors. The new Dolby Atmos option with head tracking widens stereo sources. It works only with SBC, AAC or standard aptX, and not when the Hi-Res toggles are on.
Software, calls and battery
The Smart Control Plus app offers ANC modes, an adjustable transparency level, a wind-mode switch, codec choices and a battery protection mode. In use, noise cancelling sometimes switched on unevenly between the two ears. Transparency mode started loud and works only with both earbuds in. The reviewer also heard popping and a few glitches that needed a reboot.
Voice quality in a quiet room was very good, second only to recent AirPods. In noisy places the earbuds favored suppressing background noise, and speech sounded stifled with occasional dropouts.
With ANC on, Sennheiser claims 6 hours of battery life; the test gave 6 hours 23 minutes. Without ANC the claim is 12 hours. Noise cancelling is close to AirPods Pro 3 but lets in more background noise.
Our view
The battery design is the part that changes ownership: a worn cell no longer means a new pair. That promise depends on Sennheiser: the reviewer found no concrete information on how long the cells will be available. The reviewer says a software update with a voice priority mode could fix the weak transparency mode.
Source: GSMArena.com