True wireless earphones have come a long way since we popped in the Earin Bluetooth bullets back in 2015. Sennheiser joined the ever-growing space in 2018 with the Momentum True Wireless in-ear headphones, and now the company has announced the second generation – this time with active noise cancellation.
"The new generation builds on its popular predecessor and delivers exceptional Sennheiser sound, while taking the Momentum True Wireless experience to the next level with the addition of Active Noise Cancellation, optimized ergonomics and an outstanding battery life," said the company's Frank Froppe.
The standout new feature here is active noise cancellation, which works with the earbuds' passive isolation to allow the user to focus wholly on the sound. But if you do need to temporarily hear what's going on in the outside world, Sennheiser has included a Transparent Hearing function that allows the users to blend ambient sounds with playback audio, or have conversations with friends without needing to remove an earbud.
This and other functionality is controlled by touching the outer face of the earphone housing. Beamforming microphones cater for clear comms when taking calls or talking with Google Assistant/Apple Siri too. And when you remove the units from the ear, the music will auto pause, resuming when they're popped back in.
Audio is streamed from a source device over Bluetooth 5.1, with codec support including AAC and aptX. Each earphone comes with a 7-mm dynamic driver, and there's a built-in equalizer that works with the company's Smart Control app to tweak the output to personal taste.
Without actually trying these earphones out, we can't tell you whether Sennheiser has cracked top notch audio delivery, but based on our experiences with Momentum – and other Sennheiser headphones and earphones – we'd be inclined to trust that the company can deliver on its promise of delivering "exceptional sound quality."
The Momentum True Wireless 2 earphones offer a seven hour battery life that can be extended up to 28 hours by charging on the move with the supplied case. There are other players in the true wireless game that offer much better per charge and with case battery life, but Sennheiser's main focus here is on sound quality. And battery performance is a big improvement on the first generation.
Sennheiser says that the new earphones should be more comfortable to wear too, thanks to a size reduction for a better overall fit. And they've been treated to IPX4 weather sealing for mobile music listening even when the sun's not shining.
The new earphones in black will be available from April for US$299.95. A white color option will follow soon after.
Source: Sennheiser