Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 5 Review: Incredible Sound, Frustrating Design Choices

The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 5 might be the best-sounding wireless earbuds I’ve ever used. So why do I keep reaching for my Apple AirPods instead?

Get the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 5 on Amazon

I’ve been using Sennheiser audio products for years. I have their equipment all over my house, and I’ve always had a great deal of respect for what they do when it comes to sound. There’s a reason the company has such a strong reputation among people who genuinely care about music reproduction. They tend to understand how to make audio sound good without turning everything into a bass-heavy mess that overwhelms the original recording.

Surprisingly, though, I’d never tried their true wireless earbuds. So when I got my hands on the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 5, I was genuinely curious about how they’d compare with the Apple AirPods I’ve become accustomed to using every single day.

And I’m going to tell you something right away. If the only thing you’re interested in is listening to music and getting the best possible emotional response out of that music, these earbuds are phenomenal. There were moments during testing when I listened to songs I’ve heard hundreds of times and found myself getting goosebumps. Instruments had a presence I wasn’t expecting. Vocals had more personality. Little details buried in the recording suddenly seemed more apparent.

I wanted to keep listening. That’s about the highest compliment I can give an audio product.

But earbuds are a strange category of technology because they’re no longer exclusively about listening to music. We use them for phone calls, workouts, virtual assistants, walking around town, watching movies, jumping between devices, and dozens of other everyday interactions.

That’s where things get complicated for the Momentum True Wireless 5.

At around $299, they aren’t inexpensive, and while I’m genuinely impressed by the sound quality, some of Sennheiser’s decisions left me wondering whether anyone spent enough time testing these earbuds as an everyday product rather than primarily as a music-listening device.

Sound quality: The reason I want to wear these everywhere

Let’s talk about the best part first, because I don’t want my complaints later in this review to distract from what Sennheiser has accomplished with the audio.

Have you ever listened to a song you’ve known for years, only to hear something in the background that you swear wasn’t there before? Maybe it’s the way a vocalist holds a note, the sound of a guitar string being picked, or a little detail in the percussion that suddenly makes the entire recording feel different.

That’s what the Momentum True Wireless 5 kept doing to me.

There’s a certain emotional connection that really good audio equipment can create. It’s difficult to communicate through a written review because we all hear things differently, but when something sounds right, you know it. You stop thinking about the equipment and start enjoying the music.

With my AirPods, I generally get a pleasant, relatively neutral listening experience. They’re dependable. I know exactly what to expect. But I rarely find myself getting particularly excited about how a song sounds.

The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 5 changed that.

The bass is enjoyable without needing to dominate the music, and the overall tuning has the kind of character that makes me want to revisit my favorite albums. I found that I could leave the earbuds on their neutral preset, apply a modest bass boost when I wanted a little extra physical sensation, and be perfectly happy.

That really surprised me because I usually spend quite a bit of time tweaking audio settings until I find a balance I like. With these, I didn’t feel the need to do very much.

Sennheiser uses its 7mm TrueResponse dynamic transducer in the Momentum True Wireless 5, and the earbuds support high-resolution wireless audio through compatible devices and codecs. The hardware is certainly capable, although specifications alone don’t explain why I enjoy their particular sound signature so much.

For me, the experience matters more than a checklist of audio technologies.

I’ve listened to plenty of wireless earbuds over the years. Some impress me with their noise cancellation, others with their comfort or the number of features they cram into a mobile application. Very few have made me want to spend more time listening to music simply because I enjoyed their sound this much.

If pure music enjoyment is your priority, the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 5 gets an extremely enthusiastic recommendation from me.

Unfortunately, that’s not where this review ends.

Unboxing and something I wish every wireless earbud offered

The unboxing experience is relatively straightforward. You get the earbuds, their charging case, different ear-tip sizes, and the accessories needed to get started. There are four ear-tip sizes in total, including the set already installed on the earbuds, which should help people find a comfortable fit.

Getting a good seal is important with earbuds like these. The fit affects both passive isolation and how you perceive the bass, so it’s worth experimenting with the included tips rather than automatically assuming the preinstalled pair is correct for your ears.

But there’s another accessory that I found much more interesting.

Sennheiser includes a tool that allows you to open the earbuds and replace their batteries.

Think about that for a second.

We’re so accustomed to wireless earbuds becoming disposable once their batteries stop holding a useful charge that we’ve almost accepted it as normal. Spend hundreds of dollars on an otherwise perfectly good product, use it for a few years, and eventually the battery degradation makes it impractical to continue using.

Then you buy another pair.

The Momentum True Wireless 5 takes a different approach. Both the earbuds and the charging case have user-replaceable batteries, using Sennheiser’s compatible replacement parts.

I absolutely love this.

When I was growing up, being able to replace a battery wasn’t considered some revolutionary new feature. It was simply how products worked. The idea that we’d eventually reach a point where consumers would be excited about regaining that ability is a little ridiculous, but here we are.

This is one of the most meaningful design choices Sennheiser has made with this product, particularly when we’re talking about earbuds that cost almost $300.

You should still consider replacement-part availability in your region, along with the practical process involved. This isn’t the same as popping AA batteries out of a remote control. But it is a real improvement over devices that offer no reasonable battery replacement path at all.

If you’re considering keeping these earbuds for several years, it’s a compelling advantage.

The Sennheiser Smart Control Plus app and EQ customization

Once everything is connected, the Smart Control Plus application gives you access to the various listening modes and adjustments available on the Momentum True Wireless 5.

There’s active noise cancellation, transparency mode, and the ability to turn the processing off entirely. You can also adjust sound settings, experiment with different EQ presets, and enable immersive audio features.

The EQ experience is one of my favorite parts of the software.

I experimented with the neutral, movie, classical, pop, and other presets, and I found several that sounded quite good depending on what I was listening to. The movie preset was particularly enjoyable for certain content, while neutral became my standard starting point for music.

Most of the time, I kept things relatively simple: neutral sound with a small bass boost.

The software also offers personalized sound adjustments if you’d prefer to spend more time tailoring the listening experience.

Sennheiser has included Dolby Atmos spatial audio functionality as well, but I generally don’t use immersive processing for music. This is a personal preference rather than a technical criticism. I also tend to keep similar features disabled on my AirPods.

For a film that’s actually designed to take advantage of spatial audio, I can see the appeal. With ordinary music listening, however, I prefer the presentation without the additional processing.

What about active noise cancellation?

The Momentum True Wireless 5 has adaptive active noise cancellation, along with transparency and anti-wind controls.

I appreciate having those options, although the anti-wind feature didn’t particularly impress me during my testing. I eventually disabled it because I didn’t like how it affected the listening experience, and I wasn’t hearing enough of an improvement to justify keeping it enabled.

That doesn’t necessarily mean everyone will have the same experience. Wind conditions, ear fit, and the way you use your earbuds can make a difference.

My primary interest in these earbuds remains their music reproduction. The ANC functionality is useful, but it isn’t the reason I’d recommend buying them.

You can check out the Momentum True Wireless 5 on Amazon if you’re considering them specifically for music, travel, or everyday listening.

The design problem: I finally understand why AirPods have stems

I need to admit something.

I’ve made fun of the appearance of Apple’s AirPods stems for years. I thought they looked silly when they first appeared, and aesthetically speaking, I’m still not particularly fond of having little pieces of plastic sticking down from my ears.

But after spending time with the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 5, I’ve developed a much greater appreciation for why that design exists.

It turns out that having something to grab is extremely convenient.

The Sennheiser earbuds use a compact, stemless design with touch-sensitive controls. They look good, they’re relatively discreet, and once they’re properly seated in my ears, I enjoy wearing them.

The problem happens when I need to adjust them.

I have fairly large fingers, and I occasionally need to reposition an earbud to get the fit exactly where I want it. With the AirPods, I can grab the stem, adjust the earbud, and continue with whatever I’m doing.

With the Sennheiser earbuds, I’m much more likely to accidentally interact with the touch controls.

Maybe I pause the music. Maybe I skip a track. Maybe I change a noise control setting I had no intention of changing.

All I wanted to do was move the earbud a little.

I’ve also dropped them while trying to get a grip. And when one of these little things falls underneath your desk, finding it can be an adventure. It’s like dropping a tiny screw while you’re assembling furniture. You watched it fall, you know exactly where it should be, and somehow it has disappeared into another dimension.

None of this means the Momentum True Wireless 5 has an objectively bad design. Some people strongly prefer stemless earbuds, and I understand why. But in my daily use, the design introduces small frustrations that I simply don’t experience as often with my AirPods.

The annoying part is that these little frustrations accumulate.

If I’m sitting down and listening to an album for a couple of hours, they’re fantastic. If I’m constantly adjusting them while walking around or switching between tasks, I start missing the stems.

Funny how that works.

The microphone quality is my biggest disappointment

Now we need to talk about something that genuinely surprised me, and not in a good way.

Sennheiser promotes the Momentum True Wireless 5 with AI-powered voice isolation, improved call performance, and advanced noise reduction technology.

Those are fairly substantial promises, particularly on a pair of premium earbuds.

And after listening to my microphone recordings, I have some questions.

I compared the Momentum True Wireless 5 directly against my Apple AirPods using a fan blowing toward me. I wanted to hear how each microphone handled speech and background noise under similar conditions.

The difference was difficult for me to ignore.

With the AirPods, my voice remained more intelligible and natural to my ears. The processing wasn’t perfect, and I’m not suggesting that Apple has somehow produced a studio-quality microphone inside a pair of earbuds. But the recording sounded much closer to what I expect from a usable hands-free microphone.

With the Sennheiser earbuds, my voice sounded comparatively thin and processed, almost like something you’d hear from an inexpensive older webcam microphone.

That’s a serious disappointment when you’re talking about a product in this price category.

Why the AI-powered voice isolation claims bother me

Manufacturers are increasingly using the word “AI” to promote features that promise better microphones, smarter noise reduction, and improved speech clarity. Some of those technologies genuinely work well, but the marketing language doesn’t mean very much if the actual recording doesn’t live up to expectations.

Sennheiser advertises advanced voice isolation and improved call performance. Those are features that should be judged by what people actually hear during a conversation.

And in my test, I wasn’t impressed.

I’m not questioning whether Sennheiser has implemented the underlying technology it describes. I’m questioning the results I heard when comparing the earbuds against a direct competitor.

If I’m spending $299 on earbuds, I expect the microphones to perform competently. I don’t expect them to outperform a dedicated broadcast microphone, but I do expect them to handle an ordinary call with reasonable clarity.

This is especially frustrating because Sennheiser has clearly invested a tremendous amount of effort into the music reproduction side of the product.

I would love to see the company improve its microphone processing through firmware if the hardware allows it. Even a moderate improvement would make a meaningful difference in how often I’d choose these earbuds over my AirPods.

For anyone who spends a significant portion of their day on calls, I’d strongly recommend listening to the microphone comparison in my video before buying.

Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 5 vs Apple AirPods: Sound quality isn’t everything

This is where the comparison becomes more interesting because I’m not simply trying to determine which pair of earbuds produces better music.

For me, the Sennheiser wins that particular contest.

What I’m trying to determine is which pair of earbuds I actually want to carry with me throughout the day.

And that question has a very different answer.

I’m heavily invested in the Apple ecosystem. I use my iPhone, Apple Watch, and other Apple devices constantly, and there are conveniences built into that experience that are easy to overlook until they’re unavailable.

For example, let’s say I’m walking outside and my Apple Watch recognizes that I might be starting a workout.

With my AirPods, I can interact with Apple’s assistant and connected devices without much effort. I can respond to prompts, control certain functions, and continue whatever I’m doing without constantly reaching for my phone.

That’s useful.

It’s also useful when I receive a call unexpectedly, need to communicate with someone, or want to move through my day without thinking about whether my earbuds will cooperate with the rest of my technology.

The Momentum True Wireless 5 can connect to an iPhone and function as ordinary Bluetooth earbuds. That’s not the issue. The difference is that they don’t provide the same tightly integrated Apple-specific interactions I enjoy with my AirPods.

And I don’t blame Sennheiser for every limitation there. Apple has a strong incentive to make its own hardware work especially well together.

But as a customer, I still have to consider the experience I’m purchasing.

What if you’re on Android?

If you’re using Android and don’t rely on Apple’s ecosystem conveniences, the Sennheiser becomes a much easier recommendation.

You still need to consider microphone quality, comfort, and whether the touch controls work for you, but you aren’t giving up quite the same set of Apple-specific interactions.

In that situation, I would put considerably more weight on Sennheiser’s excellent audio quality.

Check the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 5 price and availability on Amazon.

The everyday convenience problem

Here’s how I know there’s something frustrating about this product.

If I could choose earbuds entirely based on music quality, I would reach for the Momentum True Wireless 5 over my AirPods. I wouldn’t need to think about it very much.

But I don’t spend my entire day sitting still listening to music.

Sometimes I’m walking. Sometimes I’m working. Sometimes I know I’m going to have phone calls. Sometimes I want to listen to a podcast while remaining available to the people around me.

Every one of those activities introduces another consideration.

Will I need the microphone? Will I be using Apple’s workout functionality? Am I going to be adjusting the earbuds constantly? Will I need to interact with Siri?

Suddenly, choosing which earbuds to bring becomes a decision rather than an instinct.

And that is the problem.

The AirPods may not give me the same emotional response to music, but they’re extremely good at disappearing into my normal routine. I don’t spend much time thinking about how they work because, for my needs, they generally do what I expect.

I want the Sennheiser earbuds to reach that same point.

The audio quality is already there. It’s the rest of the experience that needs refinement.

The charging case has an odd little design decision

I actually like the charging case. It’s a substantial part of the overall package, and it feels appropriate for a premium pair of earbuds.

But Sennheiser has made a design decision that left me scratching my head.

The case has a flat portion that looks as though it should make standing the case upright convenient. However, the USB-C charging port is located on that same flat area.

So when you’re charging the case with a cable, you can’t use that flat surface to stand it in the way you otherwise might.

Is this a catastrophe? Absolutely not.

Will anyone throw these earbuds away because the charging port is in an inconvenient position? I certainly hope not.

But it’s another example of something that feels slightly less thought through than it could have been.

In isolation, I’d barely mention it. Combined with the touch controls and microphone disappointment, however, it adds to the feeling that the hardware could benefit from more attention to everyday ergonomics.

It’s worth pointing out that the case also supports wireless charging, which provides another option if you’re not using the USB-C port.

The single-earbud issue I encountered

There’s one more behavior from my testing that I found particularly frustrating.

I frequently listen to audio with only one earbud in my ear.

Sometimes I’m having a conversation with someone. Sometimes I want to remain aware of my surroundings, and sometimes I simply don’t want to have both ears occupied.

This is especially relevant when walking outside, where situational awareness can be important.

With my AirPods, using a single earbud is an ordinary part of the experience. I can take one out, continue listening, and go about my day.

During my testing of the Momentum True Wireless 5, I ran into a situation where playback required both earbuds to be in my ears. That wasn’t what I expected from a modern premium earbud product.

I want to be precise here: this describes the behavior I experienced with my review setup, rather than a claim that all Momentum True Wireless 5 units permanently lack independent earbud playback. Settings, wear detection, and firmware behavior could affect this, and it’s an issue worth investigating further.

But regardless of the cause, it was frustrating during my time with the product.

Transparency mode is useful, but it isn’t always a substitute for physically removing an earbud and leaving one ear completely unobstructed.

If this behavior can be addressed through settings or a firmware update, I would very much like to see it resolved.

Battery life and long-term ownership

Sennheiser advertises up to 12 hours of listening time on a single charge, with up to 40 hours of total playback when using the charging case. Actual battery life will depend on your listening volume, codecs, noise cancellation, and other enabled features.

Quick charging is also supported, with an advertised hour of additional listening after approximately eight minutes of charging.

Those are competitive specifications for premium wireless earbuds, although I wasn’t conducting a controlled battery rundown during this particular review.

What interests me more is the ability to replace the batteries when they eventually degrade.

It’s unusual to find true wireless earbuds designed with that kind of long-term serviceability in mind, and I hope other manufacturers follow suit.

Battery degradation is one of the biggest reasons people end up replacing otherwise functional wireless earbuds. Addressing that problem directly makes the Momentum True Wireless 5 much more attractive as a product you might want to own for several years.

Pros and cons

What I love

• Outstanding music reproduction. These are among the most emotionally engaging wireless earbuds I’ve listened to, with a sound signature that makes me want to revisit familiar songs.
• Excellent tuning straight out of the box. I rarely felt the need for significant EQ changes, although a little bass boost was enjoyable.
• User-replaceable batteries. Both the earbuds and charging case are designed for battery replacement, which is a genuinely meaningful improvement for long-term ownership.
• Useful sound customization. Smart Control Plus provides EQ presets, personalized audio options, ANC, and other listening adjustments.
• Compact premium design. I like the appearance and feel of the hardware, even if I have some complaints about how it works in practice.
• Strong appeal for dedicated music listening. When I want to concentrate on a song, album, or soundtrack, these are the earbuds I want to use.

What needs improvement

• Disappointing microphone performance in my comparison. My recordings sounded substantially worse to me than those from my AirPods, particularly with fan noise.
• Accidental touch interactions. Repositioning the earbuds frequently triggered controls I hadn’t intended to use.
• Stemless design can be awkward to grip. I’ve dropped the earbuds while trying to adjust them, something I find less troublesome with AirPods.
• Less convenient Apple integration. They don’t replicate the same Apple-specific interactions and connected-device experience.
• Unexpected behavior when using one earbud. My review setup gave me trouble when I tried to listen with only one earbud.
• Inconvenient charging-port placement. The USB-C port interrupts what could otherwise be a useful flat standing surface.
• Premium price demands more consistent functionality. At roughly $299, I expect the non-audio features to be more competitive.

Who should buy the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 5?

I think the answer is actually fairly straightforward once you separate music quality from everything else.

If you are primarily interested in listening to music, and you’re the kind of person who gets genuinely excited when a pair of headphones reveals something new in a familiar song, I think you’re going to love the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 5.

They’re also especially interesting if you care about repairability and want the option to replace aging batteries rather than immediately buying another pair of premium earbuds.

If you’re using an Android phone, don’t spend much time making calls, and generally prioritize listening over ecosystem-specific convenience, these would be high on my list.

But if you’re deeply invested in Apple’s ecosystem, frequently use your earbuds for hands-free calls, or depend on easy interactions while exercising and working, I would be more cautious.

The audio quality advantage is substantial to my ears, but whether it’s worth sacrificing some of the everyday conveniences depends entirely on your priorities.

For someone who spends most of the day in meetings or calls, I wouldn’t recommend buying these without first hearing their microphone performance.

And for someone whose AirPods are already doing everything they need, the decision becomes less about whether the Sennheiser sounds better and more about whether that sound improvement is worth changing an established routine.

Final verdict: I love the sound, but I want Sennheiser to finish the job

I’m in a strange position with the Momentum True Wireless 5.

I absolutely love listening to them.

I want to put them in my ears whenever I’m enjoying music, watching a film, or settling into a podcast. The audio has a richness and personality that makes me genuinely excited about listening, and that’s something I don’t take for granted.

But I also want to make phone calls without worrying about microphone quality. I want to adjust an earbud without accidentally skipping a song. I want to comfortably use one earbud when I need to hear the world around me, and I want the overall product to feel as carefully considered as the sound itself.

Sennheiser has delivered something very special in terms of music reproduction. That’s the frustrating part. They’re already so close to making these my everyday earbuds.

If the microphone quality improves and some of those interaction issues are addressed, I’d be far more willing to leave my AirPods at home. As things stand, though, I expect to keep both around.

The Sennheiser earbuds will be the pair I reach for when I want the best music experience. The AirPods will remain the safer option when I know my day will involve calls, workouts, and constant interaction with my devices.

And I really wish I didn’t have to make that distinction.

Would I recommend the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 5? Absolutely, for people who put sound quality first. Would I recommend them to everyone? No. Not until the rest of the experience catches up with the audio.

If that sounds like the kind of trade-off you’re comfortable making, you can find the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 5 on Amazon here.

Just understand what you’re buying. Exceptional music reproduction, genuinely useful replaceable batteries, and a few everyday compromises that are difficult to ignore.

And Sennheiser, if you’re listening, please work on that microphone. I want to use these things everywhere.

FTC Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. If you purchase through one of these links, Crafting Worlds may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. All opinions and testing observations are my own.

About the author: Tristan Pope is an Emmy Award-winning director, technology reviewer, and founder of Crafting Worlds. His reviews focus on real-world experience, usability, and the details that matter after a product becomes part of everyday life.