Sennheiser Consumer Audio Momentum True Wireless 2 - Bluetooth in-Ear Buds with Active Noise Cancellation, Smart Pause, Customizable Touch Control and 28-Hour Battery Life - Black (M3IETW2 Black)

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.

Look up my reviews by clicking on my name to see my lengthy positive review of the 1st Gen Momentum True Wireless. I loved the MTW1 sound that was full and rich, spacious and refined, but maybe slightly darker sounding. My only concern of the original was the shorter battery life (about like a 4 hr AirPod), and the battery would drain when sitting unused in the case, forcing me to leave them plugged in all the time in order to be ready to use at a moment's notice.I have 2 pairs of 1st Gen, one for my computer and another for on-the-go with my iPhone; because with 1st gen if you went to another room with them in the case and then popped them into my ears they would accidentally connect to the computer in the first room (the last used device). Then I couldn't always get them to connect to my phone that was with me unless you went back to the computer in the other room and manually disconnect from it.With MTW 2 you can go into the Sennheiser app and disconnect or connect to any devices you have paired with, without physically going back to the 1st connected device to disconnect. Jabra 75t can be connected to 2 devices at the same time, which would be nice to have here (watch movie on PC, answer call on phone).With the MTW 2 the battery doesn't drain when in standby while in the case anymore, and now I don't pick them up after being unused for a while to find the battery flat. Although I haven't tested the 7hr battery life claim from full to dead, they outlast my 1st gen for sure. I can only tolerate universal fit in ear monitors for about 4-5 hours at a time, as my ear canals feel itchy from the silicon tips (I prefer to use custom molded acrylic earpieces). When I need to use a true wireless all day long, I have to use my Powerbeats Pro which rest at the opening of my ear canal instead of sealing inside the canal.The transparency mode isn't too quiet anymore, so I feel safer when walking down the street with these in my ears - it's almost as good as Apple AirPods Pro transparency, but not quite, as it is slightly more "hissy" in transparency mode than Apple. The transparency mode sounds that are filtering in aren't tinny sounding like Samsung GBuds+ or Jabra 75t, but rather it lets full frequency sound through. And, with passive mode or with ANC on there is no hiss.The Sennheiser ANC mode is an appreciated addition vs the 1st Gen, again not quite as good as AirPods Pro or Sony WF1000-XM3, but it does help a lot with fans and running water or car engines. It's maybe as good as Master and Dynamic MW07 Plus ANC or slightly better. If my ear canal size wasn't somewhere in-between medium and large silicone tips, I guess I'd have a better seal and better ANC performance.Sound quality beats the AirPods Pro again with more realistic timbre and tone than Apple; and it also adds more detail and clarity vs the 1st Gen Momentum TW, without losing the open and spacious soundstage of the 1st Gen. Sometimes I turn up the bass in the Sennheiser app just a little for quiet listening, and it remembers those settings when I switch to using them with my MacBook - the Sennheiser BT LE app will let you control the EQ and settings from your iPhone while listening with your MacBook, if you need to make changes.But I am perfectly happy with the Momentum True Wireless 2 with no EQ as well, just like my original 1st Gen MTW that sounded a little darker without EQ. The Jabra and Sony can be EQ'd via their app to make them sound closer to the Sennheiser, unlike the GBuds+ (horrible in-app EQ) or AirPods Pro (no EQ). My Master and Dynamic MW07 Plus have a U-shaped frequency response and no app to EQ at all, so Sennheiser wins there. However, the EQ'd Sony XM3 doesn't sound as spacious and open as the Sennheiser.EQ'ing via the Sennheiser app doesn't introduce any distortion that I have noticed, and you can use two different interfaces to EQ the sound, depending on which way is easier for you - a single slider to get a curve, or 3 sliders for bass, mids, treble. I'd like to see a 10 band EQ, but there aren't enough flaws in the sound to need that fine of tuning.The programable features available in the app are much more complete than with the Gen 1 MTW. I can choose how I want taps and press-to-hold to work, but out of the box the settings are good. Now I can get "play" with a single tap on the left side and "Siri" with a single tap on the right side. Same with Transparency and ANC mode vs skip forward and back, where each side is doing something different - I can double tap on the right to go into transparency and triple tap do ANC, but I have the left side do skip forward and back with double and triple taps. Press and hold left is volume down, and on the right it's volume up. That's 4 functions per side, 8 total, and nothing is missing. Some of my ear buds can only do 6 functions with taps/press due to duplication of a tap on both sides, and so I can't control volume or some other feature.Overall, the Momentum True Wireless 2 are a great option for music and phone calls, having added sidetone (your voice) when on a phone call, which Momentum TW 1st Gen doesn't have. These have improved battery life, great sound (via AAC, SBC, or Aptx), and a lot of features of which you are in control.Now my main complaint is that while the charging case is slightly smaller it's not as small as I'd like for keeping in a front pants pocket vs the inferior sounding Jabra 75t, Samsung GBuds+, or the AirPods Pro. And of course, I miss the Qi charging of the Galaxy Buds+ and AirPods Pro. If Apple and Samsung can squeeze that into a smaller case, Sennheiser should have tried too, especially at this price point.