
Product highlights
What's in the box
Written by Crutchfield's Jeff Miller
Once again, I've named the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 earbuds our "best-sounding" wireless earbuds. Even against their strongest competition yet, this is the fourth time the Momentum line has won the honor in that crowded category. They've made small refinements to the (already top-tier) drivers and sound tuning of their predecessors, while adding some cutting-edge wireless technologies.
The Momentum TW 4s look very similar to the Momentum TW 3s and feel more comfortable to my ears. I found the ear tips were softer and better avoided pressure points – specifically in my left ear. They also create a nice, secure seal to help the effectiveness of the noise cancellation — which is strong and well-above average for earbuds.
As for the sonic performance, I heard the familiar nuance and well-defined sense of place that I expect from Sennheiser earbuds. The midrange is delightfully prominent without being too forward. And the highs are smooth, but they're articulate enough that they don't sound unnatural.
I was most struck by the full, controlled bass. I heard an impressive amount of nuance in that region on the album from Christian McBride and Edgar Meyers — two standup bass virtuosos — named But Who's Gonna Play the Melody? It's a tongue-in-cheek title, especially through the Momentum TW 4s, where the impact from the initial thump and the trailing low-end residuals all come through in musically pleasant detail.
They weave between genres and take turns plucking strings by hand and playing with a bow. It's less dueling bass and more a sympatico conversation — and the Momentum TW 4s are here for it, delivering an outsized presentation with a distinct sense of place.
Music plays wirelessly via Bluetooth 5.4 — a newer, reliable version of the popular wireless technology. WIith a firmware update, these earbuds support Bluetooth LE Audio, which is a leap forward for sound quality. It allows for lossless streaming with compatible devices.
Also included is aptX™ Adaptive technology. This versatile wireless audio codec automatically detects if you're in an area with competing Bluetooth signals, and it will optimize either reliability or sound quality accordingly. It can also sense when you're watching a video on, say, Netflix or YouTube, and keep latency low. So, the audio and video should be better synced up.