Now that its 2020 there are plenty of great
truly wireless earbuds to choose from whether
you’re an iPhone user or an android user.
AirPods 2, Galaxy Buds Plus, and Jabra Elite
75T’s are all sensible options to choose
from.
But if you’re looking into getting a pair
of Premium ANC truly wireless earbuds then
the most popular options that come to mind
right now are the AirPods Pro, Sony WF-1000XM3,
and the new kids on the block… the Sennheiser
Momentum True Wireless 2.
Now like I’ve said in the past I think that
paying upwards of $200 for a pair of true
wireless earbuds is a lot, so if you’re
looking for a pair of cheaper wireless earbuds
then the ones I mentioned earlier are all
great options to choose from.
But with that being said… the Sony WF-1000XM3
retail for $220 and they’re actually the
oldest earbuds here by comparison.
But they only came out in the summer of 2019
so they aren’t THAT old.
Next up are the AirPods Pro which retail for
$250 and then there’s the Momentum 2’s
which retail for $300.
Obviously making them the most expensive earbuds
here by quite a good amount.
But nonetheless if you want to pick any of
these earbuds up they’ll be linked down
below.
Now first off we’re going to address each
of these carrying cases cause whenever you’re
looking at truly wireless earbuds then the
size of the carrying case is a pretty big
deal in my opinion.
By far the AirPods Pro have the smallest carrying
case here and Apple clearly knew that having
the smallest carrying case possible is very
important for wireless earbuds even when they
first came out with the original AirPods.
Then there’s the Momentum 2’s carrying
case which is noticeably larger than the AirPods
Pro’s carrying case… but I think that
they’re definitely still manageable.
And also the Momentum 2’s carrying case
feels the most premium here thanks to their
fabric body.
But then there’s Sony’s carrying case
which is the largest here by a lot.
Even though Sony’s carrying case is thinner
than the momentum 2’s carrying case… since
it has so much surface area this carrying
case is very noticeable whenever you’ve
got it in your pocket.
Now when it comes to battery life, technically
the Sony’s are the winner’s here cause
they have a combined battery life of 32 hours
if you use them with their ANC turned off.
Where as the Momentum 2’s have a combined
battery life of 28 hours and the AirPods Pro’s
have a combined battery life of 24 hours.
But personally I would rather sacrifice a
little bit of battery life if it means I get
a smaller and more manageable case….
Cause I just think this is way too big by
today’s standards.
But I also gotta point out that the AirPods
Pro are the only earbuds here that have wireless
charging.
Which is pretty ironic cause they’re also
the smallest carrying case here.
Now like I’ve said in the past I don’t
really care for wireless charging on my earbuds
and I actually forgot the AirPods Pro had
wireless charging up until I was writing this
review.
And I think that wireless charging on earbuds
is really only useful if you’ve got a phone
that supports power sharing.
But with all that being said I think the AirPods
Pro have the best carrying case here cause
its the smallest one here, you get a 24 hour
battery life, and it also have wireless charging
is you need it.
I think the Momentum 2’s come in second
here cause they’re carrying case is still
manageable and at least you’re getting a
28 hour battery life…
But I do think the Sony’s come in dead last
here cause this carrying case is just way
too big and it also feels the cheapest here.
But now let's talk about fit cause even though
all three of these earbuds are in ear ear
buds they all fit very differently.
Now the Momentum 2’s fit like your standard
in ear ear buds just like how the Jabra Elite
75T and Galaxy Buds Plus fit.
If you get the correct size ear tip they create
a really good seal, they don’t fall out,
and they’re also fairly comfortable to wear.
Then there’s the AirPods Pro which are also
in ear earbuds but they don’t go in as deep
as the Momentum 2’s.
AirPods Pro rest at the edge of your canal.
I think AirPods Pro are the most comfortable
in ear earbuds I’ve ever worn but I have
noticed that I frequently have to readjust
them cause they might slip out a little and
not have as good of a seal… but they don’t
fall out.
But then there are the Sony’s which I personally
think are the lest comfortable earbuds here.
The reason why I think these earbuds are so
uncomfortable is cause they go in super deep
into your ear canal.
These earbuds go in significantly deeper into
your ear canal then the Momentum 2’s do.
Now yeah they create the best seal here but
I find that these earbuds get itchy very quickly
and they just doesn’t feel natural.
So when it comes to comfort again it goes
AirPods Pro, Momentum 2’s, and in last are
the Sony’s.
Now when it comes to bluetooth connectivity,
all of these earbuds have stable connections
and they’re all perfectly fine for watching
movies or videos on your phone cause they
don’t have any latency issues which is good.
But I do want to point out that the Momentum
2’s are still using a Hero and sidekick
set up.
Meaning that one earbud, in this case the
right ear bud establishes a connection with
your phone and then relays that signal over
to the left earbud.
Which means if you want to use one earbud
at a time you gotta use the correct earbud,
in this case the right ear bud.
Where as the earbuds on both the AirPods Pro
and Sony’s each establish a connection with
your phone… meaning that if you want to
use one earbud at a time you can use either
one, it doesn’t matter.
But also keep in mind the AirPods Pro have
that H1 chip which means you can hot swap
between any of your apple devices which is
great for a power user that heavily invested
in Apple’s eco system.
Where as both the Momentum 2’s and Sony’s
can only be connected to one device at a time.
So can’t switch from one device to another
as seamless.
But also keep in mind, the AirPods Pro work
best with an iPhone specifically cause you
have always listening Siri support… which
I personally really love cause I can say hey
Siri call so and so and it done.
Where as with both the Momentum 2’s and
Sony you can tap on their touch pad and they’ll
activate your voice assistant… but I think
just being able to verbally activate your
voice assistant is just better and it also
comes in very handy when you’ve got your
hands full.
So up until this point I think we’ve given
the AirPods Pro a lot of praise here.
They have the smallest carrying case here,
they’re the only earbuds here with wireless
charging, they’re subjectively the most
comfortable ear buds here, you can hot swap
between apple devices and they have always
listening Siri.
Without a doubt the AirPods Pro are the most
convenient truly wireless ear buds here and
I love using them…
But they definitely aren’t the best sounding
earbuds here.
Now granted AirPods Pro sound way better than
the AirPods 2 mainly cause they have a brighter
sound signature… but they still pale in
comparison to the Momentum 2’s and Sony’s
mainly cause all you really hear on the AirPods
Pro are the mids.
Where as both the Sony’s and Momentum 2’s
have significantly better instrument separation,
detail and they both have way better bass
response.
But when it comes to choosing between the
Sony’s and Momentum 2’s when it comes
to sound quality, I gotta go with the Momentum
2’s here.
The Momentum 2’s just sound more open than
the Sony’s and the bass on the momentum
2’s hits harder and resonates deeper than
the bass on the Sony’s.
But the thing the Sony’s do have going for
them is that they have a full customizable
EQ so you can tune them to sound how ever
you like.
But still I feel that no matter how much you
play around with their EQ I think the Momentum
2’s still sound the best here.
So the line up here when it comes to sound
quality goes Momentum 2’s, followed by the
Sony’s, and then AirPods Pro are pretty
far behind.
Now when it comes to active noise cancellation…
I think things get very interesting here.
Now just to tapper expectations non of these
earbuds are going to block out more noise
than a proper pair of Over ear ANC headphones…
but they are still useful.
Now with that being said I think the Sony’s
have the worst performing active noise cancellation
here which I think might come to a surprise
to a lot of people cause the Sony 1000XM3
headphones have had the best performing ANC
for awhile now.
But I've noticed that with the Sony WF-1000XM3’s
they mainly only block out low frequency sounds
but everything else just gets through.
Where as both the AirPods Pro and Momentum
2’s do a much better job of not only just
blocking out low frequency sounds, but they
also suppress mid and higher frequency sounds.
But over all I feel that the momentum 2’s
block out a little more noise than the AirPods
Pro but that could be because the Momentum
2’s go a little deeper into your ear canal,
thus creating a better seal for better passive
noise isolation.
But like I’ve said in the past I only use
active noise cancellation on my earbuds and
headphones when I have to… what really matters
to me on truly wireless earbuds is the quality
of their ambient modes.
And long story short, I think the AirPods
Pro have the best ambient mode here.
Now all three of these earbuds have natural
sounding ambient modes which is good… but
what sets the AirPods Pro apart is that they
rarely pick up any wind noise.
You can be out doors in a windy day and get
caught in a strong gust and the AirPods Pro
still won’t pick up any wind noise.
And if they do its very minimal.
Where as both the Sony’s and momentum 2’s
do a very good job of rejecting wind noise
in general but they do pick up wind noise
in situations where the AirPods Pro just don’t.
But just to be clear, non of these earbuds
pick up an excessive amount of wind or sound
over amplified like the Galaxy Buds Plus.
And finally this now leads us to the microphone
test.
And sadly the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless
2 has the worst sounding microphone here.
Specifically it sounds very shallow.
Where as the Sony’s sound a little clearer
but I do think they sound a little echo.
But non the less I do think the microphone
on these earbuds are usable.
But simply put, the AirPods Pro have the best
sounding microphone here for phone calls.
And this is another thing that apple go right
the first time, cause the original AirPods
also sound great for phone calls.
But with all that being said… here are my
thoughts when it comes to choosing between
these three earbuds.
If you’re an iPhone user looking for the
most convenient pair of earbuds here than
the AirPods Pro are clearly the way to go
here.
Their carrying case is tiny, they have a 24
hour battery life, they have wireless charging,
they’re comfortable to wear, they have always
listening Siri, they have the best performing
ambient mode here they also have very good
active noise cancellation and they also have
the best sounding microphone here for phone
calls.
I really think the AirPods Pro are the best
earbud here for passively consuming content
and just for day to day life.
But if sound quality is your top priority
then hands down you gotta go with the Sennheiser
Momentum True Wireless 2 no questions asked.
These earbuds truly sound amazing and I really
think they’re a great alternative for a
pair of over ear headphones.
And I also think they block out a little more
noise than the AirPods Pro and their ambient
mode is still decent.
But finally, lets address the Sony WF-1000XM3’s
whether you’re an iPhone user or Android
user I don’t think that you should pick
them up cause I think they’ve really fallen
behind all of the current competition.
I think Sony’s huge carrying case just doesn’t
fly by today’s standard cause the Jabra
Elite 75T’s case is tiny and they still
have a 28 hours battery life… they aren’t
all the comfortable to wear, and they don’t
block out all the much noise when compared
to the AirPods Pro and Momentum 2.
I think Sony is really going to have to go
back to the drawing board with their WF-1000XM4’s.
So ultimately I think this all boils down
to if you want maximum convenience you go
AirPods Pro and if you want maximum Sound
you go Momentum 2.
