The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 5 are the brand’s newest flagship true wireless earbuds, and they represent one of the most complete upgrades Sennheiser has made to this line. From a slimmer case and smaller earbud bodies to a more comfortable fit, improved feature set, and — most notably — user-replaceable batteries, the Momentum True Wireless 5 aim to fix several long-standing pain points while competing directly with premium rivals such as the Apple AirPods Pro 3 and Sony WF-1000XM6.
Priced at $300, these earbuds enter a crowded segment where buyers can choose from some of the best audio and noise-cancelling hardware on the market. The question, then, is whether Sennheiser’s refreshed approach delivers enough real-world benefit to justify the price.
Design
The first thing you notice is how much smaller everything has become. The charging case is taller and thinner than the previous generation, trading the old fabric-covered, suitcase-like shape for a matte, speckled plastic exterior. It is easier to pocket, though the new finish feels less luxurious and is more prone to showing fingerprints.
The earbuds themselves drop the squared-off, finned look in favor of a compact, jellybean-inspired design. This change contributes to a shallower fit that feels less intrusive in the ear, making them more comfortable for extended sessions. The lack of stems may be a matter of preference; some users will find them easier to wear, while others may prefer the grip provided by a stem.
The Momentum True Wireless 5 are available in five colors: Graphite, Cream, Copper, Denim, and Lavender. The earbuds have a solid build and carry an IP54 rating for dust and water resistance. The case, however, lacks that protection and can feel a bit flexible around the hinge.
Software and features
Control is handled through Sennheiser’s Smart Control Plus app, which is well organized and offers a surprising amount of customization. You can adjust ANC intensity, fine-tune transparency mode, adjust call behavior, and even disable anti-wind processing — a feature I wish more manufacturers included.
On the audio side, the app includes an eight-band EQ, multiple presets, and Sennheiser’s Sound Personalization tool, which lets you shape the mix by adjusting the relative balance of instruments. There is also a Dolby Atmos mode with head tracking that can add spatial effects to stereo sources. That said, Atmos cannot be used when Hi-Res audio toggles are enabled, even if you are not actually streaming high-resolution content.
Sennheiser Smart Control Plus app
The app also lets you manage codec options, prioritize stability over peak quality, and display the active codec and sampling rate in real time. Alongside that are standard utilities such as gesture controls, find-my-buds, a fit test, and a battery protection mode that limits charging to help preserve long-term health.
Audio settings
Despite the breadth of options, the software experience is not without issues. ANC can engage unevenly between the left and right earbuds, transparency mode can begin with an unexpectedly loud burst before settling, and automatic level adjustments can feel restless. Sennheiser still does not automatically switch to transparency when one earbud is removed, and in some cases the feature will not work at all unless both earbuds are worn. There were also occasional pops when ANC was active, and at times the audio itself would glitch or sound sluggish until the earbuds were restarted.
Controls
Another small oversight is the lack of a dedicated pairing button on the case. To pair, you must remove the earbuds and press and hold the touch surfaces. Multipoint pairing is supported and can be managed in the app.
In terms of codecs, the earbuds support SBC, AAC, aptX at up to 16-bit/48 kHz, aptX Adaptive at up to 24-bit/96 kHz, and aptX Lossless at 16-bit/44.1 kHz. As with some other recent Qualcomm-based earbuds, aptX HD is not truly available here, even if the app’s codec screen might suggest otherwise. That means Qualcomm-less phones, such as Google Pixel devices, may fall back to standard aptX. In practical terms, though, the codec differences are unlikely to make a dramatic audible difference for most listeners.
Other settings
Performance
Audio quality
The Momentum True Wireless 5 use Sennheiser’s 7 mm TrueResponse dynamic drivers, a component also found across several of the company’s audio products. The result is a strong, neutral-leaning sound with good detail and a balanced overall character. That said, the tuning is not perfect, and a few tonal choices keep it from feeling truly exceptional.
The bass is lifted across a broad range rather than being narrowly tuned to sub-bass or punch. Some of that energy bleeds into the lower mids, while the mid-mids remain fairly neutral. The upper mids then dip into the lower and mid treble, before the upper treble becomes more prominent. This gives the sound a warm but detailed personality, with crisp articulation of consonants. The downside is that the dip in the lower treble can make certain voices and instruments feel slightly recessed or veiled, prompting listeners to raise the volume for clarity.
The overall presentation remains one of the more neutral options in this price range, especially compared with many competitors. Still, the lower-treble dip is the first thing I would correct with an EQ, as it removes a bit of presence from vocals and instruments.
ANC also affects the sound. Without it, the mids feel fuller and more natural, with a more organic vocal timbre. With ANC enabled, the lower mids are pulled back, which can make the voice sound thinner and slightly tinny, while also making the upper treble a bit more pronounced. I personally preferred the sound without ANC for indoor listening, though that is a matter of personal preference.
Imaging and soundstaging are decent, with a reasonably detailed presentation. The Dolby Atmos mode does a credible job of widening stereo content, adding space without making the effect feel artificial. Unfortunately, it is restricted to SBC, AAC, and standard aptX, and if you are already playing true spatial audio content, the app’s Atmos toggle simply does nothing because the feature is already active.
Microphone
Call quality is a mixed bag. In a quiet room, the earbuds captured my voice very well, with clarity and naturalness that approached the top-tier performance of recent AirPods. The difference was not huge, but it was noticeable.
In noisier environments, though, the earbuds lean heavily on noise suppression. Background sound is greatly reduced, sometimes to a near-inaudible level, but this comes at the expense of vocal naturalness. The voice can sound constrained, with occasional dropouts. Speech remains intelligible, but a tuning choice that preserved more voice quality while allowing a little background noise would have made calls feel more polished.
Noise cancellation and transparency
Noise cancellation is a strength. It is not as instantaneous or adaptive as the best rivals, likely due to less onboard processing, but once it settles, it delivers strong attenuation across a wide frequency range.
In side-by-side testing, the AirPods Pro 3 still managed to block slightly more ambient noise, but the gap is smaller than expected, especially considering the Sennheiser earbuds sit shallower and therefore provide less passive isolation. That makes their active cancellation all the more impressive. It is also a case where comfort and performance are not mutually exclusive; the Sennheiser fit felt more comfortable for longer periods.
Transparency mode is where the earbuds fall short. The adjustable level is a nice feature, and the fact that it engages during calls is useful, but the mode does not always prioritize speech the way I would expect. It can let random environmental sounds through more than human voices, making conversations less easy to follow. A dedicated voice-priority mode or a software recalibration could address this.
Battery and charging
Sennheiser quotes 12 hours of playback with ANC off, and six hours with ANC or transparency active. In our testing with ANC enabled, the earbuds delivered 6 hours and 23 minutes, which is respectable for this class.
The biggest differentiator is the replaceable battery design. The earbud batteries can be removed after loosening two screws on each bud with a PH000 screwdriver and gently prying the shell apart with the included spudger. The case is even simpler: remove one screw from the bottom, and the lid slides off. There are a few cautions. The earbud screws are captive, so they cannot be lost, but the case screw is not. The earbuds also have a ribbon cable connecting the two halves, so you should only pry them apart enough to access the battery. Battery orientation matters when reassembly is required, and the plastic around the prying grooves is soft enough to show minor scuffing if you are not careful.
For most people, that small risk is worth it. Being able to replace the batteries in both the earbuds and the case is a major advantage, since battery degradation is one of the biggest long-term weaknesses of true wireless earbuds. In theory, this could extend the usable life of the product for years. In practice, that depends on how long Sennheiser keeps the proprietary replacement cells available. The earbuds use model BA 501, and the case uses BA 502, and the company has only indicated that replacements will be available in the EU and “further selected countries.”
Charging is flexible, with support for both wired and wireless top-ups.
Conclusion
The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 5 are a significant step forward for the line. They deliver strong sound, a comfortable fit, useful software features, good noise cancellation, and one of the most compelling long-term design choices in the category: replaceable batteries in both the earbuds and the case.
They are not perfect. The app could be more stable, call quality in noisy conditions needs work, and the noise cancellation, while very good, does not quite top the best competitors. Still, for $300, the Momentum True Wireless 5 make a strong case as a well-rounded flagship that balances audio quality, comfort, and longevity better than many rivals.
