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Reflections on Takeoff Probability: Apple AirPods with Momentum True Wireless 2

The market for fully wireless headphones has long been waiting for something that creates an adequate alternative to Apple's products. There were regular attempts to move the apple corporation from at least part of the hatched segment, but so far no one has been able to. Sony tried with their WF-1000XM3, but the first version of the “killer” was cumbersome and “thanks” to it had a number of operational ergonomic flaws.



Another attempt will be made by Sennheiser. Grandfather Fritz’s brainchild is also not the first attempt. Unlike Sony, the German test balloon - Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless, achieved intermediate goals, and despite the premium price, it has established itself as a truly sought-after gadget. We figure out how accurately the German “sniper” Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 took aim at the American Apple for the second time.

A little bit about the first attempt


The first version of Momentum True Wireless was not positioned as a competitor to Apple AirPods. First of all, due to the fact that it was created as expensive premium headphones that are needed for music and only then for everything else. Traditionally, Sennheiser paid a lot of attention to driver quality, low distortion, lack of resonance, in short, to everything that music lovers and other philophonists appreciate the products of this company.

However, the calculations of conceptualists and marketers Sennheiser were not entirely correct. The ideas of the mass market about “how it should be” are very far from what music lovers want. The market needed, if not fundamentally different headphones, then a device where the emphasis from “breathtaking sound from small plugs” is shifted towards functionality and comfort. And this is with a tolerable (in the worst case), and ideally, decent, sounding by music and audiophile standards.



Thus, Momentum True Wireless worked only in the segment of people with a certain claim to gold ear, claims for harmonic distortion, intermodulation, and those who want frequency response equally. They have traditionally been distinguished by the proprietary “Sencheiser sound” with emphasis on low, high mid and treble, which again pleased mainly those who appreciated Sennheiser before.

Error handling


After analyzing what the market really needs, the flagship European headphone manufacturer decided to do what in theory could compete with the new developments of Japanese and Korean companies, and ideally, squeeze a piece of the market from Apple. Thus, the second version of Momentum True Wireless (2nd Gen) received active noise reduction, a redesigned design, as well as increased battery life. At the moment, after one charge, the device can work autonomously up to 7 hours, and with the use of a charging case (+3 autonomous charges), the possibility of autonomous use increases to 28 hours. It is important to note that I indicated the maximum time, with very intensive use it will be reduced by 3-4 hours, but even in this case it is a day of battery life (i.e., in the worst case scenario, no less than the ceiling of AirPods Pro).



In addition, the headphones are really loud and “bass”, a powerful amplifier with a sensitivity of 107 dB and a 7 mm driver create a really deep bottom. In the first model, the diameter of the diffusers was even larger, meanwhile, its decrease did not affect the low-frequency performance very much.



As a “smart” innovation - the headphones pause music playback when the device is removed from the ear and start playback when inserted back. Also, if necessary, noise reduction can be turned off and use the “transparent hearing” mode, which skips external noise and loud speech when necessary. The gadget works with the Sennheiser Smart Control application (for Android / iOS). With it, you can configure the touch panels on each of the headphones to control playback, volume, and also call Google Assistant or Siri.

Controversial moments with dimensions


Compared with the apple counterpart, their volume is much larger. On the one hand, this is good for sound, since the larger the volume of the speaker system, the higher the fidelity of playback, on the other, it is ergonomically less profitable and can scare away users who are used to the small size of AirPods. It should also be noted that the dimensions are not as large as those of the Sony WF-1000XM3, while the fidelity of playback is quite comparable with the Japanese, and possibly even surpasses them.

Characteristics
Most specifications of the next potential apple killer are already known:

  • Soundproofing - Active with Active Compensation
  • Emitter Type - Dynamic
  • Material Ear Pads - Silicone
  • Type - intra-channel, fully wireless
  • Speaker Diameter: 7mm
  • Frequency range: 5 - 21000 Hz
  • : 107
  • : 58
  • : 1.5 .
  • : 7
  • : 7+21
  • : 6


The official start of sales will begin in April. Judging by the specifications, the device surpasses both the Apple AirPods Pro and the Sony WF-1000XM3 headphones positioned by their killers. At the moment, the only controversial point is the overall dimensions, which, all other things being equal, are better than the Sony version. The value announced at the start of sales will be $ 299, i.e. almost identical to the cost of the gadget of the apple company. If pitfalls do not appear during operation, then Sennheiser has every chance to squeeze Apple in the segment, and possibly even take a leading position. Photo

content used:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjyTP4CEDvY
www.ixbt.com/news/2020/03/15/sennheiser-momentum-true-wireless-2.html

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