Sennheiser MOMENTUM True Wireless 4 Smart Earbuds with Bluetooth 5.4, Crystal-Clear Sound, Comfortable Design, 30-Hour Battery Life, Adaptive ANC, LE Audio and Auracast - Black Copper

Actually worth listening to, just to listen, not merely as something to kill time and cancel complainers at the DMV.If you like Sennheiser, you won't be disappointed or surprised by the quality.A tight fit is absolutely essential for the best sound. I still need to play with the different ear pieces to find the best, most comfortable fit. Popping those little thingees on and off is very annoying, and the sound Q I'm getting doesn't motivate me enough.Many of the following features may not be unique, but they're new to me, and are useful rather than just bullet points for an ad campaign.The noise cancelling is great. I was listening on the porch when a plane flew overhead. One tap and the plane disappeared. I'm sure the loud explosion that followed had nothing to do with it :-(.A fun fact for the tech minded: With noise cancelling on, I put them both in one hand for a second and heard some Jimi style feedback. It made perfect sense in hindsight: mic + speaker --> feedback.The EQ and "hearing test" to calibrate it work well. More bands wouldn't hurt. The app works great for me: it's basically use once and forget, although I can see people wanting to choose different EQs in different environments. Showing the battery % is nice, but a widget would be very nice.It has remote controls for the 'phone functions if you don't like using the buttons.Sennheiser, if you're reading this: *Please* add a balance control. I'm a few dB down in one ear.Most UIs are very, very bad. When the only input is two buttons, it's even harder. The ascending tones to let you know that multiple taps are actually being recognized means you don't need to guess at tapping at the right speed. Do: pause/play. Do re: |<, Do re mi: >|.Activating a mode, e.g. NC, plays an ascending tone, and vice versa. I've heard that i[am over priced]Pods do this, but Tim Apple's[sic] corp isn't my fave.The ability to remap the buttons implies *real* feedback from users. I never imagined this a mass market product. Being a CompSci type, the more configurable things are the better *cough*Emacs*cough*. The mapping to call up the "Assistant" app was instantly deleted with much rejoicing. Even the default mappings show ergonomic sense. |< and >| on the same side means you don't need to move something in one hand to the other. I often listen to audio books/radio plays with one bud in bed. While trying to fall asleep, rolling over does not help. Volume is easily adjusted on the phone with the side buttons, so the volume up button isn't needed. Volume down on the left is smartThat said, the buttons themselves are kind of wonky. Sometimes it takes a few taps to get it to be recognized. Other times it seems like a breeze sets them off, sometimes actually registering two taps.I've only made a few test calls and they were good.When I got them, it was asking me (quite politely) to upgrade the firmware. Given my background, I know that for anything that doesn't already Halt and Catch Fire (HCF), upgrades are to be avoided. Checking the group mind, it was recommended. Installed it and nothing broke.However, while looking for FW feedback, I noticed that the 'phones were heavily discounted. All fine and dandy, except, the company on which you are reading this review, told me that this was a Unique Sale Just for Me. The price, 1/2 off, was exactly the same everywhere. Ever watched the movie "Despicable Me?" First word. Moves like this can change a go-to place to not. Easy refunds, however, are not to be sneezed at.The only reason I was convinced a sale like that was real was because I've seen a many reports that they are legit, because the RNG sometimes smiles upon us. When an already good product is replaced by a new version, companies legit want to flush olde stocke. To me, that's a selling point. This is actually my preferred way of buying stuff, because the next version is never 2x as good, and can be worse. New products often have problems, and sometimes they are are done to lower the manufacturing costs (aka boost profits) with "acceptable" losses to quality. One gen back is the best way to buy electronics, given that all your requirements are met. Buying a product that's had years of reviews by people w/o $pecific motivation$, are the safest way to go.Hope this helps.

I guess I'm what you'd call an "audiophile". I own multi-thousand $ headphones like the Abyss AB-1266 Phi TC, RAAL SR1a, Abyss Diana Phi, Audeze LCDi4, Sennheiser HD800S, and JH Audio Layla custom IEM played through even more expensive DACs and amps. But I'm also a very mobile kinda guy who spends hours at the gym and going on long hikes on a daily basis. I can't use those things for such endeavors. I wanted the "best-of-class" for my daily gym workouts and I had owned the original Sennheiser MTW for some years but decided I could use an upgrade. I also own the AirPods Max for business travel for trans-Pacific and cross-country flights in the US.My use of the MTW2 is limited to gym usage but I can compare how these NC earbuds sound compared to the MTW and the WF-1000XM3 which I've now passed on to my wife and son, respectively, as well as the TOTL audiophile headphones and IEMs. First off, the Sennheiser "voicing" has always been pleasant to my ears. Every headphone/IEM manufacturer has their own "house sound" and Sennheiser's sound has always sounded better *to me* than that of other "mainstream" brands like Sony, Bose, AKG, Beyerdynamic, etc. It isn't a bass-heavy sound and that's good because I don't like hip-hop, rap, synth-pop, EDM, etc. The Sennheiser house sound is more suited for a more natural, neutral and balanced sound for classical, jazz, acoustic, rock, and genres using acoustic and electric (not electronic) instruments.If you need lots of boomy bass, I'm sure there are better options. This is not to say that the MTW2 is "bad" for hip-hop, EDM, and synth pop. I like good tight and punchy bass as well but I simply want it balanced with the mids and treble, not stand out on its own. With the stock ear tips, the MTW2 sounds a bit thin and lacking body so I use the Comply TrueGrip tips and I get the fullness in the lows without losing the clarity and transparency in the mids and the highs.I only use the MTW2 for the gym and occasional outdoor outings. For hiking and most outdoor usage, the Audeze LCDi4 has no peer but it only sounds its best with its own CIPHER cable with built-in DAC. The LCDi4, even with the BT module, is too cumbersome for gym usage. For intense physical activity, only wireless in-ears will do and that's why I had the MTW and why I upgraded to the MTW2. I'm only focused on sound quality for what I do with it, which is gym usage - including playing racquetball. I do not use the MTW2 for anything else. I don't use it for phone calls or for watching videos, etc. So, I cannot comment how it performs for such usage cases.I'm only going to comment on the sound quality for the money and I can say that it sounds really, really good for $250. In-ears won't have the "big sound" factor of over-ears but I actually prefer the sound of the MTW2 over the AirPods Max. For me, the AirPods Max is mainly about having a comfortable ANC headphone for long flights and the occasional hot tube usage. But, if I had a choice for "pure" music listening experience, I'd choose the MTW2 over the APM. The MTW2 has clearer and more transparent highs even though the APM has the bigger sound and deeper bass.Obviously, the MTW2 is not going to compare to the $2500 LCDi4, $5000 Abyss AB-1266 Phi TC ($3000 more for their TOTL cable option) or the $2700 JH Audio Layla and other "audiophile" headphones and IEMs that often require DAC/amps that cost even more but I can say that I'm quite impressed with the sound quality - especially for gym and mobile usage. It has a very balanced sound (especially with the bigger and better sound-isolating Comply ear tips) that has a wide soundstage (if not in depth and height) with good imaging and separation of instruments across the stereo spectrum. For $250, it really delivers an excellent sound. I have a home setup that costs more than a nice car and I never feel like I'm "lacking" when listening through the MTW2.Although I mainly listen to classical, jazz and acoustic, for gym workouts I'll play energetic rock, metal, synth pop and EDM because, well, you need energetic music to get you pumping iron and running around in the racquetball court to whack the ball against the wall. Beethoven's string quartets and Diana Krall jazz crooning just won't do. So, with the MTW2, I'm blasting Meshuggah, Prince, Grimes, Zeppelin, Korn, Orbital, Armin van Buuren, etc. to get through the workouts. After the workouts on the way home from the gym, I'd play relaxing classical stuff to unwind through the MTW2 and I can say it all sounds great.I'm very happy with MTW2 and I had the MTW for years. I wouldn't say the improvement is night-and-day or anything like that but it's enough to justify the upgrade. The soundstage is wider, the highs and the mids are clearer with improved imaging and the bass is tighter and punchier. I recommend different tighter-fitting ear tips to improve the bass response and better sound isolation to complement the "okay" ANC. With the Comply ear tips and loud energetic music playing, I can be inside the deafening racquetball court and not hear the ball bouncing and be immersed in the music. Most of all, the MTW2 delivers excellent sound quality for the money. If the SQ is the most important factor in your decision for BT in-ears, I highly recommend the MTW2.