Sennheiser Momentum headphones get personal tuning, hi-res audio

Sennheiser has released an update to its Smart Control software — the companion app that Sennheiser customers use to adjust the settings and upgrade the firmware on the company’s wireless headphones and earbuds. The update contains a number of new features for the Momentum 4 Wireless headphones and the Momentum True Wireless 3 earbuds, including sound personalization, deeper EQ settings, a fit test, and hi-res audio at up to 24-bit/96kHz.

Both the Momentum 4 Wireless and Momentum True Wireless 3 benefit from the new Sound Personalization tuning feature, which has been designed in conjunction with the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology (IDMT). Not sure why that matters? It’s the entity that invented the MP3 file format and it has also done tons of research in the intervening years on how people hear audio.

“The unique feature of Sound Personalization is that it can account for differences in personal sound preferences that naturally occur due to different listening levels,” said Dr. Jan Rennies-Hochmuth, head of the group Personalized Hearing Systems at IDMT in an emailed press release. “For example, some listeners prefer more treble at low levels and more bass at high levels. Sound Personalization easily detects these differences and then adjusts the playback automatically. This ensures that the sound is optimally matched no matter what the listening volume is.”

Adding to the personalization capabilities of the Momentum True Wireless 3 is an expanded equalizer. Instead of just three bands, there are now five that can be adjusted. Owners of the earbuds can also take advantage of the new fit test inside the Smart Control app, which will detect if the wearer has achieved a good seal and make recommendations on ear tip sizes if the test fails.

Finally, Momentum 4 Wireless owners will be able to unlock the full capability of their headphones. Until now, the wireless cans were firmware limited to a hi-res sample rate of 24-bit/48kHz when using the aptX Adaptive Bluetooth codec. The new firmware increases the sample rate to 96kHz, which is the highest rate supported by aptX Adaptive.

The update to the Smart Control app (4.3) for iOS and Android also contains improvements for faster device connections, faster firmware updates, and better app stability. Once you’ve updated the app and reconnected it to your headphones or earbuds, you should be prompted to begin the firmware update: 2.12.33 for Momentum True Wireless 3, and up, version 2.13.18 for Momentum 4 Wireless.

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