My favorite earphones are now even better: Sennheiser Momentum TW 3 in test
17.5.2022
Translation: machine translated
Pictures: Thomas Kunz
With the Momentum True Wireless 3, Sennheiser improves on its best in-ear earphones and gives them a new coat of paint along the way.
The original Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless enchanted me three years ago. Since then, they have been my daily driver in the hot season and during sports. With the Momentum TW 3, Sennheiser is releasing a new version of the in-ear headphones. The manufacturer changes the design and improves the already excellent sound. However, Sennheiser still has to go over the books for a fourth version: The microphone and the still missing option to connect the earphones to more than one device detract from the otherwise very good impression.
Fresh design
Sennheiser has completely revised the design of the Momentum TW for the third version. That starts with the charging case. It again comes in an anthracite fabric cover, but is slightly smaller than the case of the predecessor. The USB-C port for charging has moved from the back to the front.
When I open the case, I notice that Sennheiser has eliminated a lot of empty space. The earpieces are now closer together. The TW 3s now support wireless charging with Qi charging technology.
The differences are even more obvious in the earpieces themselves. Instead of being round with a chrome look, they are less round and available in three colors. My test sample is in graphite, and there are also black and white.
Overall, I like the new design better. It looks more modern and less obtrusive. The TW 3s also seem much smaller than the TW 2s, although the actual differences are small.
The sound further improved
I still really like the sound of the new earphones. I also tried the direct predecessor Momentum TW 2 before reviewing the TW 3. Compared to the TW 2, they sound more balanced, especially in the mids. The TW 3 go one better: The seven millimeter True Response drivers perform better, especially in the deep bass.
Overall, the bass is powerful, but controlled. The highs sound brilliant and detailed, the mids balanced. I can perceive different instruments and voices with fine resolution.
But the TW 3s don't only convince me with music. I watch the animated movie "Le Sommet des dieux". The sound design of the film is ingenious and so is their reproduction with the Sennheiser Momentum TW 3. The crunch of the shoes when they step in the snow or the pick when it hits the ice make me think I'm right in the middle of it. The spatial reproduction is also great. When someone walks from right to left in the picture, I perceive the transition finely accentuated and the sound does not simply jump from right to left.
Adaptive noise canceling catches up with Sony
Sennheiser has also improved the noise canceling. The manufacturer calls it adaptive noise cancelling. Here, the ambient noise is continuously analyzed and the noise cancellation is adjusted in real time. Surprisingly, this works very well, especially in windy conditions. If there is wind, I only hear it for a very short time until the adaptive noise canceling recognizes that it has to filter out the noise.
With the TW 2, I noticed a slight noise on the earphones when noise cancelling was activated and no sound was played. This is not the case with the TW 3. Another indication that the noise cancelling is better on the TW 3 than on the TW 2.
Overall, Sennheiser has caught up with Sony's prime WF-1000XM4 in terms of noise cancelling. I find the quality to be about the same. That this is subjective and rarely corresponds to exact measurements has already been stated by colleague Livia in her article with the acoustics experts from Rocket Science.
The TW 3 offers the transparency mode as a counterpart to noise cancelling. This amplifies ambient noise so that I can hear traffic better on the bike, for example. This works well, but to be on the safe side in heavy city traffic, I prefer to take the earpieces out for cycling. I prefer to use the mode when racing. That way, in addition to the podcast, I can hear the birds chirping and the leaves swaying in the wind.
Microphone
The microphone still has a lot of room for improvement. If it's quiet around me, I sound like I'm coming from a barrel on the following recording. As a Diogenes, I also lack any volume in my voice.
It is even worse when it is noisy around me. The earphone's noise cancellation can't handle wind at all.
The microphone works, but it's best to use the cell phone itself to make calls - for the sake of your conversation partners.
Sitting comfortably
In addition to the case and the earpieces, the package includes a charging cable and various silicone adapters so that they fit in every ear. The adapters are available in sizes SS, S, M and L. The ear fins are new on the TW 3. Thanks to them, the earpieces should hold even better in your ear cup, because they can be rotated in their relief elements.
In fact, thanks to the attachments, the TW 3 hold much better in the ear than the TW 2. When running, or even sometimes upside down on the high bar, they sit bombproof. They are also very comfortable, at least for two hours. After that, I feel pressure points. This especially with the adapters. However, this happens to me with all in-ears and usually the complaints appear sooner.
Other features
With seven hours of runtime without and six and a half with noise canceling, the TW 3 are average. With the case, you get another three complete charges, which is enough for a total of up to 28 hours. Thanks to fast charging, ten minutes in the case provide you with sound for one and a half hours.
The TW 3 are IPX4 certified. That means they are protected against splashing water from all angles.
The connection is established via Bluetooth 5.2. The codecs are SBC, AAC, aptX and aptX Adaptive. The latter is new compared to the predecessor. The connection is basically stable. However, it only reaches ten meters in my apartment before I have interruptions with my OnePlus 8. I also had one or two short interruptions in the forest on the Vitaparcours. The device was more than 20 meters away. The biggest negative point with the connection is that Sennheiser still does not pack a multipoint into the True Wireless. So you can only connect it to one device at a time.
Speaking of connecting: Pairing with new devices works as before by pressing on both earpieces for three seconds. Thanks to wearer recognition, they automatically turn off when you take them out of your ears. You can also listen to music on one earpiece alone.
Like its predecessors, you control the TW 3 via touch. Both earpieces respond to your taps. This works well as long as I am not physically active. When I'm running, for example, I can't manage to tap the earpiece three times in succession to activate the desired function. I can change the assignment in Sennheiser's "Smart Control" app so that I can optimize the control for racing, but I can't save the whole thing in profiles. That would be a super addition to the app.
The app
You personalize the earphones in the Sennheiser "Smart Control" app. The equalizer, sound check, transparency mode, adaptive noise cancellation, sound zones and touch control are available here.
In addition to various preset profiles, you can create your own equalizers. Or you can use the Sound Check. You listen to your favorite song and select the one that sounds best to you from three profiles. The app then makes the appropriate adjustments to the equalizer. In my case, by the way, Sennheiser recommends not making any changes.
You can activate the transparency mode in the app or additionally set that the playback is paused when you start talking. You can also turn adaptive noise cancellation on or off in the app. With Anti-Wind, the feature focuses primarily on suppressing wind.
With the sound zones, you can create zones and define which sound profile should be active in one of the up to 20 zones. For example, you can create a profile without noise suppression at home and one with it at work in an open-plan office.
The touch control can be customized. You can define four gestures per earphone - up to three taps and holds.
You can also use the app to perform firmware updates or set what should happen when you take the earphones out of your ears.
Conclusion
The Momentum True Wireless 3 are top notch in terms of sound. Sennheiser has further improved the noise cancelling compared to the predecessor. The new design convinces me, especially since they no longer seem so clunky.
The quality of the microphone is negative. I don't want to use it for longer conversations. It is also a pity that it is still not possible to connect the TW 3 to more than one device at the same time.
The price is pleasing: at launch, they cost around 250 francs / euro, which is 50 francs / euro less than the predecessor at release. This also makes them more competitive, for example in comparison with Sony's WF-1000XM4.
Overall, the Momentum True Wireless 3 convince me compared to other earphones in the sound - and that is the most important for me. That is why I recommend them.
Kevin Hofer
Senior Editor
kevin.hofer@digitecgalaxus.chFrom big data to big brother, Cyborgs to Sci-Fi. All aspects of technology and society fascinate me.
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