Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 Review: The best-sounding TWS below Rs 20,000!

Most people associate truly wireless earphones (TWS) with convenience rather than high-quality audio. And with good reason. After all, TWS are easier to carry and use than neckbands and wired or wireless headphones. It is not as if they sound bad in audio terms, and it is just that audio quality is generally not supposed to be their USP. One of the few exceptions to this is Sennheiser’s Momentum True Wireless series. These TWS pack in the convenience and the smart features found in most premium TWS but also bring some seriously good, balanced audio quality to the table. The latest in the series are the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 (hence referred to as TW4 for the sake of simplicity).

Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 appearance: Exactly like the TW3, which is good!

In terms of design, the True Wireless 4 are very similar to the True Wireless 3. You get the same fabric-covered, slightly thick case (34.8 mm), while the buds themselves have metallic tops and plastic lower portions with no stems, with the option to add ‘wings’ (Sennheiser labels them ‘ear fins’) for greater stability (they do make a difference). There are three color options – white silver, black copper, and copper graphite. We got the white silver one, whose case is slightly greyish in color, while the buds come with shiny chrome tops with the Sennheiser logo engraved on them (classy) with white plastic lower portions.

The buds are slightly chunky but are not too heavy at about 6 grams each and are very comfortable to wear. They also come with IP54 splash resistance, which makes them good enough for the gym and for time spent in the pool. The case, however, has no dust or water resistance. We would recommend using the ear fins while using the TW4 in the gym as they improve stability – they will fall out from time to time, as all TWS do, but the fins make a clear difference.

The TW4 have a smart look to them, and the metallic tops add a premium touch that most other TWS do not have. That said, we wish the case was more compact – it is a little bulky compared to the sleek cases of competitors, although it is light enough at around 60 grams. We would also recommend going for the black variants, as the white silver picks up smudges and stains too easily – and getting them off the fabric of the case can be a pain. If you liked the True Wireless 3, you will like the True Wireless 4. They also remain one of the most distinct TWS out there, thanks to their engraved metal backs and that fabric case.

Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 audio quality: The best-sounding TWS. Period.

The TW4 run on the 7mm drivers with Sennheiser’s TrueResponse transducer system, which seem similar to the TW3. We are not complaining one bit because the TW4 sound every bit as impressive as their predecessors did. They come with support for the most popular codecs, including SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX Adaptive/Lossless, and LC3, but unless you are a hard-core audiophile, all of those will sound equally impressive. We used the TW4 extensively with the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which uses AAC, and were still as stunned by the sound as we were when we used them with the Xiaomi 14, which supports the higher quality aptX Adaptive.

What makes the TW4 stand out from the competition is that they focus on blending exceptional clarity with very well-balanced sound. While the likes of the AirPods Pro, Bose’s QC range, and Sony’s WF-1000XM5 tend to deliver good audio quality with just a hint of a bass accent; the TW4 are the only TWS we have used that manage to perfectly balance bass, treble and even mids.

These are not flat-sounding TWS that audiophiles prefer but come with attention paid to every frequency to ensure that you get the best of each. This makes them great for hearing just about any genre of music, from jazz to rock to underground and hip-hop – whether it is the twang of strings, the bang of explosions, the thump of bass, or the vocals of a singer or the voice of a podcaster, you will be sure to catch them all, without losing detail. The companion app lets you boost bass or enhance speech for podcasts and even lets you create your own settings, but we would recommend going with the default settings because they are perfect in our book.

The TW4 also remain the most ‘spacious’ TWS with ANC that we have used – the sound simply seems spread over a wider area as compared to others. Compare it to listening to an orchestra in a theatre as compared to in a large room. Bassheads might find them too mild, and audiophiles might hem and haw about some frequencies being tweaked, but if you are a mainstream user looking for clarity and pleasant sound, these are the TWS benchmark.

We are actually going to go out on a limb and say that these sound better than many over-ear headphones we have used in terms of sheer audio clarity, including the legendary Sony WH-1000 XM5 (which have MUCH better ANC and call handling, to be fair). They even sound louder than some over-ear headphones without compromising on quality. There is, however, no spatial audio support or head tracking. We do not consider these deal breakers, given the audio quality of the TWS.

Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 ANC, call quality and battery: Big steps forward

They may sound similar to their predecessors, but the TW4 are a clear step ahead of the TW3 in terms of smart functions. They come with adaptive noise cancellation, and while it is not quite in the AirPods Pro class, it is good enough to drown out the hum of the Metro and some traffic noise. We would call them good enough to be used to work in a cafe. There is also an anti-wind mode, which is rather effective when one is in traffic. Transparency mode, however, needs a bit of work. It does let you hear ambient sounds but seems a little muffled in comparison, especially when you increase it to higher levels (there is a slider in the companion app that lets you adjust transparency levels). We would recommend keeping it around the middle for best results. It is curious that while there is a slider for transparency levels, there is none for noise canceling.

Call quality needs a bit of work, too, and is not a big step forward from the TW3. While we could hear the people we were talking to very clearly, we were sometimes told that we sounded a little faint. They can be used for calls, but we would recommend using them from generally quiet locations. Connectivity on the buds is exceptional. We were able to stay connected to our devices even when there was a wall between us and them – we have actually gone down a flight of stairs to pick up our coffee and not lose connectivity. The buds also come with multi-point connectivity out of the box, allowing us to switch between two devices easily.

In general usage terms, we found the most notable improvement in the TW4 over the TW3 to be in terms of battery life. Whereas the TW3 gave us about six hours with ANC, the TW4 gave us seven hours, with another 21 hours or so coming from the case. In all, you can get close to 25-30 hours of usage out of a single charge, which is a couple of hours more than the TW3.

Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 ease of use: Controls that need getting used to

The TW3 had come with a slightly complicated control system, and the TW4 inherit. The controls do work, but you will need to invest some time in getting used to them. The buds had a touch panel on their metallic surface, and all the controls are basically a series of taps. So basically, you have to keep count of the number of times you have tapped the buds every time you give a command. To make matters even more complicated, there are different commands for each bud, So tapping three times on the right bud will get you voice assistance, but doing the same on the left one will turn ANC on or off. We ended up giving commands accidentally so many times while adjusting the buds in our ears that we actually removed any functionality from a single tap. Fortunately, the app can customize the commands.

The app, Sennheiser Smart Control, works similarly on both iOS and Android. It also controls firmware updates, of which we have got a couple since we started our review. It comes with options like an ear fit test, gives you access to the equalizer (and create your own equalizer settings), tweak transparency levels, and change controls – you can even turn off the touch controls (we were tempted to). It also can create a specially personalized sound profile for you, although you would need to sign into a Sennheiser account for this. The buds come with ear detection, so audio pauses when you take them out of your ears.

Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 Review Verdict: A truly sound investment

Sennheiser has been steadily cutting the prices of the True Wireless range. The True Wireless 2 were launched at $299/Rs 24,999, the True Wireless 3 at $249/Rs 21,999, and the True Wireless 4 have been launched at $239/Rs 19,990. While this remains a premium price tag, it makes the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 significantly more affordable than the AirPods Pro (Rs 24,900) and the Sony WF-1000XM5 (Rs 22,990). At its higher prices, the True Wireless range often appeared to be an expensive proposition to us, especially as they could not match their similarly priced rivals in features like ANC and call quality. Those smart feature gaps have however, been reduced with the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4, and so has rather remarkably their price. These are easily the best-sounding TWS out there, and hands down the best TWS you can get for under Rs 20,000. Just be patient with the controls.

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