While AirPods certainly rule the wireless earbuds landscape, there are plenty of brands pushing the boundaries in the space. And one of the areas in the greatest need of said innovation; batteries. Wireless earbuds have become disposable – once the battery dies, you toss them.
Sennheiser has apparently had enough of that arrangement, because its new MOMENTUM True Wireless 5 is designed to be cracked open.
The Screwdriver Comes Included
Both the earbuds and the wireless charging case house user-replaceable batteries, and swapping them takes a few minutes with nothing more than a small screwdriver. Sennheiser even tosses a battery replacement tool in the box.
You get 12 hours of playback per charge from the buds (with ANC off) and 40 hours total through the case, while an 8-minute top-up buys another hour when you’re caught short.
Still Sounds Like a Sennheiser
Seeing that it’s Sennheiser, we knew these would perform well sonically, too. The 7mm TrueResponse transducers are built and tested at Sennheiser’s facility in Tullamore, Ireland, carrying the same acoustic DNA as the over-ear MOMENTUM 5 from earlier this year.
Bluetooth 6.0 handles the wireless side, with aptX Lossless support for bit-perfect streaming up to 24-bit/96kHz. There’s also Dolby Atmos with head tracking, plus an 8-band EQ in the companion app if you like to tinker.
Sculpted by a Few Thousand Ears
Sennheiser also ditched the boxier silhouette of the last two generations for a fin-less shape modeled on scan data from thousands of ears. Per the brand, 73 percent of testers found it more comfortable than the outgoing model.
Calls and noise cancellation get some love as well. Eight total sensors (six mics and two bone-conduction accelerometers) feed an AI algorithm that pulls your voice out of chaotic surroundings, while the revised adaptive ANC gains an automatic anti-wind mode.
Spec Sheet
Brand: Sennheiser
Model: MOMENTUM True Wireless 5
Driver: 7mm TrueResponse dynamic transducer
Connectivity: Bluetooth 6.0 (SBC, AAC, aptX Adaptive/Lossless)
Hi-Res Audio: Up to 24-bit/96kHz
ANC: Adaptive hybrid with anti-wind mode
Battery Life: 12 hrs (earbuds, ANC off) / 40 hrs with case
Batteries: User-replaceable (72 mAh per earbud, 760 mAh case)
Charging: USB-C & Qi wireless
Weather Resistance: IP54 (earbuds)
Weight: 7g per earbud / 55g case
Colors: Graphite, Cream, Copper, Denim, Lavender
Pricing & Availability
The MOMENTUM True Wireless 5 is priced at $299.95, which is exactly what the previous generation launched at, so the repairability party comes with no price increase. Shipping begins September 3rd. Head over to Sennheiser’s website to check them out.
Recap
Sennheiser MOMENTUM True Wireless 5
Sennheiser’s new flagship earbuds pair lossless audiophile sound with user-replaceable batteries in both the buds and the case, meaning a dead cell no longer kills the whole product.
