Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 5 review: A significant upgrade at the same price

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Any list of safe bets would not be complete without Sennheiser's top-tier wireless earbuds. The company consistently manages to create an enticing sound profile that invites you to get cozy and stay awhile. However, it hasn't been able to complete the package by delivering a set of earbuds that excels in every regard. Still, in terms of audio performance, Sennheiser's Momentum earbuds are always a standout.

The latest installment, the $300 Momentum True Wireless 5, delivers an entirely new design that marks a big departure from the previous two models. There are several noteworthy changes inside as well, including the addition of user-replaceable batteries. I was eager to find out if the company had finally cracked the code to being a top contender, or if sound quality was still the main selling point of these earbuds.

The most obvious change on the Momentum True Wireless 5 is the overall design. The earbuds are noticeably smaller and more ergonomic, and there's a compact new case to match. This model is a lot more comfortable than the previous version as the reduced size and new shape helps the buds sit more securely in my ears. Even after wearing them for several hours at a time, I was never in any discomfort.

Sennheiser extended the battery life on the MTW5 by five hours, so you can now expect to wear them for up to 12 hours with ANC enabled (40 hours total with the case). In addition to a battery health feature that debuted on the MTW4, the company made all the batteries on this fifth-generation model user replaceable. You'll be able to swap out the batteries on the earbuds and the charging case should the need arise, plus there's a tool in the box for prying open the buds when you need to. Sennheiser will sell the replacement batteries on its website, and while final pricing hasn't been decided, the company told me you can expect to pay around $30-$40 for them.

The company brought a few upgrades to sound quality as well. There's now an expanded 8-band EQ and updated Sound Personalization, the latter of which tailors the sound profile to your preferences. Native Dolby Atmos support is onboard this time around, including support for head tracking. Both are disabled by default, but can be enabled individually. If you're like me and don't care much for head tracking on earbuds, it should be a relief that you can still get Atmos sound without it.

Sennheiser says it "enhanced" its adaptive active noise cancellation (ANC), but declined to share specifics. On paper, calls should be improved since the company added two more microphones and a bone conduction sensor plus there's some AI working to extract your voice and minimize background noise (more on all of that in a bit).

Sennheiser's Momentum line has long sat near the top of my list of earbuds with the best audio quality. From the start, the company managed to craft a compelling sound profile for its top-of-the-line buds even when it failed to complete the package. With the MTW5, Sennheiser continues that audio track record, offering excellent sound out of the box with plenty of options for customization.

I enjoy the balanced tuning Sennheiser consistently creates, as it provides enough detail and depth to engross you in a song, show or movie. I felt like I was inside Billy Strings' guitar during the opening runs of "Bluewater Breakdown." Skip over to something more atmospheric and booming, like Russian Circles' "Empath," and you're bombarded with sound in the best way. The chaos consumes you rather than being compressed and smashed together to broadcast to your ears.

As I already mentioned, the smaller size and new shape make the MTW5 very comfortable to wear. I don't think I'll ever be truly relaxed when I have something shoved in my ears, but these earbuds at least lessen the burden to the point I stayed comfortable. Even after consecutive hours of use, the MTW5 felt just as comfy as when I first put the buds in — a rare feat, for sure.

Sennheiser has done well in recent years to offer more advanced features in its Smart Control Plus app. In addition to basics like adjusting the touch controls or switching noise modes, you also get the Sound Personalization tool I mentioned earlier, Sound Zones that automatically adjust settings based on your location and a Find Headphones option in case you lose an earbud. Could there be more? Yes, but I'd argue the company offers enough of these features as is. The only item I really miss is some form of automatic speech detection that pauses audio or lowers the volume when you start talking.

My two biggest issues with the MTW5 are, thankfully, things that can be easily fixed via a firmware update. First, the automatic pausing doesn't stay paused when you take the earbuds out. Wear detection pauses audio when the buds are removed, but I often hear the faint hum of Mastodon riffs by the time they hit my desk.

On a related note, there's a slightly annoying echo when you pause music with Dolby Atmos enabled. It's like a subtle record scratch with a bit of reverb. It's not a huge deal, but it's noticeable nonetheless.

Despite the unspecified changes to adaptive ANC, the MTW5 still lags behind other products in this price range at blocking distractions. You'll find better noise-cancelling performance on Bose's second-gen QuietComfort Ultra earbuds. While Sennheiser does reduce interruptions here to a degree, I found constant noise sources like loud HVAC systems still cut through the defenses. Call quality doesn't live up to the company's promises either. You'll sound decent in a quiet space, but when the earbuds have to kick the AI-powered processing into high gear to block background noise (which they do well), voice quality quickly degrades.

I'll also make a note about transparency mode, only because Sennheiser calls it out in its marketing materials. Ambient sound on the MTW5 is effective at letting you hear through your music to the world around you, but it's nowhere near the level of natural quality that Apple offers on the AirPods Pro (the absolute best you'll find). The earbuds' automatic sidetone doesn't pipe in enough of your voice on calls either, so you'll still feel the need to get shouty to hear yourself — even with transparency mode active. What's more, the MTW5 automatically pauses audio by default when you trigger the ambient sound mode, which I found odd. You can disable this in the app, but it feels like that should be set up the other way around.

I'll admit I'm smitten with the Momentum True Wireless 5. I'm a huge fan of the new design, as previous models were quite large and never really sat comfortably in my ears. I've also enjoyed being able to wear them for hours at a time, something I can't often report during the course of a review. Sennheiser's trademark sound is at peak performance, and the extended battery life means you can enjoy it for longer on a charge. I also commend the company for prolonging ownership with user-replaceable batteries. If you're worried about true longevity, Sennheiser still officially supports the original Momentum True Wireless earbuds from 2018.

As is typically the case with Momentum True Wireless earbuds though, the fifth-generation model still missed the mark in some ways. There are some fixable audio quirks that I'd like to see the company address, but overall ANC performance and call quality both lag behind the best premium earbuds. You'll just have to decide whether those are shortcomings you can live with, because I'll bet the sound quality and comfy fit won't disappoint.