Jabra Elite 65t
Jack of all trades
$138 at Amazon
Pros
- Reliable
- Sound quality
- Battery life
Cons
- Micro-USB for charging
- No wireless charging case
The Elite 65t are a reliable pair of truly wireless earbuds and check all of the right boxes with excellent battery life and solid sound quality.
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless
Excellent sound quality
$300 at Amazon
Pros
- Sound quality
- USB-C charging
- Premium charging case
Cons
- Serious battery draining issues
- No wireless charging case
- Discomfort over long periods of time
These are the best truly wireless earbuds out there when it comes to sound quality. They have a great charging case, using a leather-like exterior and USB-C for charging.
Both earbuds are unique in their own way. The Elite 65t is trying to include as many features as humanly possible but in that pursuit makes sacrifices in sound quality. While the Momentum True Wireless puts sound quality first, and that forces things like battery life and comfort to take a toll.
How different are they?
With both being genuinely wireless earbuds, you’d think these two headphones would be similar, right? If you’re under that impression, you’d be right. They share a lot in common: they both require a charging/carrying case, have features such as auto-pause/play when you remove one bud and have the ability to use one earbud at a time.
| Battery Life | 5 hours | 4 hours |
| Additional charges from case | 2 (10 hours) | 2 (8 hours) |
| Auto play/pause | Yes | Yes |
| Charging cable | Micro-USB | USB-C |
| Wireless charging | No | No |
What changes is how they each implement these features. For example, the execution of the auto-pause/play feature on the Momentum True Wireless is lackluster at best. It auto pauses every time you take one out of your ear, but whatever tech they’re using under the hood to detect when they’re in your ear isn’t accurate. Often, I’d take one out of my ear and hold them for a few seconds only to realize they started playing again. The Elite 65t don’t have this issue.
In terms of battery life, both headphones are decent. The Jabra Elite 65t get five hours on their own, with an additional 10 hours of charge from the charging case. The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless last four hours with up to 12 hours with the charging case. The biggest issue here is the Momentum True Wireless have a significant battery draining issue. The earbuds themselves still last the rated four hours, but the charging case will drain at a rapid pace. Even when the earbuds are in the case and are at 100%, the case will still drain. I didn’t see this issue with the Jabra buds.
The charging case for both earbuds are solid, too. Both cases give their respected earbuds an additional two charges, although the Elite 65t charge over Micro-USB and the Momentum True Wireless charge over USB-C. Neither charging case has wireless charging of any kind so you’ll need to rely on the wired options. Both charging cases are relatively small and will be easily pocketable. The 65t case is made primarily of hard plastic while the Momentum True Wireless use a leather-like material for its outer shell which feels great but probably won’t have a chance against heavier weather.
The most significant differentiating factor, however, is with sound quality. The Momentum True Wireless sound absolutely phenomenal for their size. Within the limits of Bluetooth and truly wireless tech, the Momentum True Wireless are in their own class with the second-best being a distant second. In terms of sound quality, it’s what you expect from high-end Sennheiser audio equipment. Almost neutral and flat across the board with excellent dynamic range and a wide soundstage.
However, wireless performance comes at a cost. In more busy or crowded areas, we noticed that the Momentum True Wireless has some severe connection stability issues. This is despite both the Elite 65t and Momentum True Wireless using Bluetooth 5.0 technology.
The Elite 65t, on the other hand, take a different approach and cater their sound to what consumers are more used to; a slightly more treble-forward sound with even mids and slightly lacking bass due to the form factor. And while you won’t get the better dynamic range or soundstage with them, you can customize the Elite 65t’s sound with a basic 5-band equalizer in the Jabra Sound+ app. The app is available on both iOS and Android.
In the end, the Jabra Elite 65t ultimately is the earbud to go for. Unfortunately, until Sennheiser can fix its widespread battery life issues with the charging case, the Momentum True Wireless cannot be recommended despite its stellar sound quality. We’ve not seen many problems with the Elite 65t in terms of connection or battery life. Both have been solid.
Jabra Elite 65t
Reliable and consistent
$138 at Amazon
Overall the better option between the two. The Jabra Elite 65t checks all of the boxes.
Checks of all the boxes. The charging case is light and portable, holds multiple charges, and offers an excellent, consumer-friendly sound.
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless
Unrivaled sound
The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless proves that you don’t have to sacrifice sound quality on truly wireless earbuds.
$300 at Amazon
They offer the best sound quality of any true wireless earbuds by a long shot. However, battery draining issues cannot be ignored.
