The software will also give you battery levels for each bud and offers control of the Transparent Hearing feature, a tool that allows you to hear what's going on around you while listening to something else. Since the multi-tap touch controls on the earbuds themselves were a source of great frustration for me, I found myself just using the app to turn that on when I needed it. You can also toggle other features in the app, like access to a voice assistant or Smart Pause, which automatically pauses whatever you're listening to when you take one of the earbuds out of your ear. Most people will want to leave these things enabled, but it's nice to know you have the option to disable them should you feel the need.

Smart Pause, while handy, was a source of some headaches. The feature works well when you remove one earbud. As advertised, it will pause the music, podcast or whatever you have playing so you can have a conversation or order a cortado. However, the second you remove the other earbud, the music resumes. It's so annoying that anytime I had to take both out, I just put them in the case to avoid the low, grungy hum of the Deftones while I was trying to chat with someone.

When you put the buds in the case, they don't automatically turn off like they're supposed to. Ditto for automatically turning them on when you take them out. If you're listening to music when you nestle the Momentum True Wireless in its case, it will pause, but if you tap "play" on your phone, it will start right back up. The earbuds remained connected to my phone and powered on the whole time. If the case was plugged in, they would consistently turn off, but in my experience, simply stowing them in the case wasn't enough to turn them off or disconnect them from my phone. Sennheiser says the reason for my headaches is that the automatic shut-off feature only works when there's still battery left in the case. If your case is completely dead, the buds won't turn off when you put them away. Again, yet another source of frustration.

The Momentum True Wireless are plenty comfortable. Well, as comfortable as having something shoved in your ear canals can be. The earbuds come with three sets of tips, or "ear adapters," as Sennheiser calls them, to help you find the coziest fit. With some true wireless earbuds, I start to feel discomfort after an hour or so, but that wasn't the case here. There aren't any wings or nubs to keep the buds in place during a workout, but I didn't have any trouble with them falling out at the gym. The Momentum True Wireless is only IPX4-rated, or splash resistant, so you should look for another option if you plan to get super sweaty.

Battery life is always a primary concern on devices like the Momentum True Wireless, but Sennheiser has done a solid job. The company says you can expect up to four hours of playback on a charge, and I was able to muster just under that before needing to tuck the buds away to recharge. This isn't too concerning, since I almost always used the Momentum True Wireless at full volume, which will certainly eat up the battery faster. The included case offers an additional two charges available when the time comes to power up. It also has a battery indicator beside the USB-C port, so you'll know if you're at zero percent, below 50 percent or above 50 percent battery level based on the color of the LED.

I've read reports of issues with Bluetooth connectivity, but I never encountered any problems there. The Momentum True Wireless easily paired with both my iPhone and my MacBook Air, and I didn't experience any dropouts or other issues with the connection. These earbuds will only pair with one device at a time though. Having both my phone and my laptop connected is a luxury I've enjoyed with the Jabra Elite 65t and other units. It's probably not a dealbreaker for most people, but it's certainly something to consider.

Sennheiser shows off its audio prowess with its first true wireless earbuds, but the Momentum True Wireless is hampered by a number of annoying issues. Despite best-in-class audio, frustrating touch controls, a puzzling Smart Pause feature and unreliable automatic shut-off keep it from being truly great. And that's problematic for a set of $300 headphones.