Earbuds set new standards
ACHIEVING rich, detailed music in wireless earbuds is no easy feat.
You need sound engineering expertise that spans decades, not years.
Founded just a few weeks after the end of World War II, Sennheiser is a company known for audio excellence.
My favourite over the air headphones, the ones I use almost every day, are made by them and so are one of my favourite wireless earbuds, the Senheiser Momentum True Wireless.
When I reviewed them when they first came out, I was gushing, describing them as ‘the best sounding things I have put in my ears all year’.
They are the same buds News is currently offering as part of its digital subscription deal.
This year however, even with a new model, the competition is a lot stronger. Apple’s Airpods Pro are exceptional, as are Powerbeats Pro by Dr Dre.
But if you have the right ears for them, the new Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 buds are hard to rival for music, sound and phone talk quality.
Rather than massive changes to the first model, there have been some welcome refinements.
They are slightly smaller to improve comfort levels, they have boosted battery life to seven hours plus another 21 hours with the charging case, and now offer active noise cancellation.
What helps to set them apart, however, is the way you customise the sounds via the app boosting bass or treble or reducing both.
Using your finger, you move around on your phone to change the “wave” and then when you have something you like, create a preset. You can have different presets for different styles of music.
The result is superb sounding buds which give you the music you want.
CNET describes them as “arguably the best true wireless earbuds on the market today”, awarding them their Editors’ Choice Award.
But they are not for everyone.
They are still on the bigger side of earbuds around - so it’s worth giving them a good try out in a store to see if you like the feel of them.
To ensure a proper fit, there are three different tip sizes supplied. Of course, getting the right fit is essential for sound and noise cancellation.
In a quiet room, you probably won’t notice the noise cancellation when you switch from off to on, but in a noisy environment like at a train station or on a plane (remember those) you will.
When you need to hear what is going on around you, you can switch to transparent hearing, so you can start a conversation with someone without having to remove the buds. The controls are easy. Double tap the left bud, for example and you can change to your next track or three times for the previous track.
You can hold the left bud to reduce volume or hold the right bud down and it will up the volume. Tap the right bud to take a phone call or end it or activate voice assistance. Tap it twice and you enable transparent hearing.
You can also use Siri by saying “Hey Siri, next track” or volume up or down.
You can also customise the touch controls in Sennheiser’s Smart Control app on either Apple or Android devices.
Setting the buds up via Bluetooth was easy enough and you’ll love the way they just turn on and connect when you put them in your ears and pause when you take one or both of them out.
They have also worked well with Netflix, games I’ve been playing too much, as well as YouTube.
The 7mm drivers are the same as in the originals, which offer solid bass and treble and everything in between. The frequency range is 5 - 21,000 Hz.
What you will notice is how much more you hear the variety of instruments on your favourite tracks.
The stylish fabric covered case doesn’t offer wireless charging but it is easy enough to plug in a USB-C cable so that’s not a deal-breaker for me. It takes 1.5 hours for a full charge or just 10 minutes for 1.5 hours playtime.
Speaking of style, the Momentum True Wireless 2 oozes it with the Sennheiser spin design rendered in a high-quality metallic finish while the charging pins are gold plated.
Priced at around $500, Momentum True Wireless 2 are available in black and white colour variations.