Sennheiser is taking another shot at the premium wireless earbud market with the launch of its new Momentum True Wireless 5. 

The biggest change with the Momentum 5 is user-replaceable batteries in both the earbuds and charging case. This addresses one of the biggest weaknesses of true wireless products, and could give the earbuds an advantage over rivals including Bose and Sony.

The batteries can be accessed using a small screwdriver, which means owners can replace them themselves when they deteriorate, rather than replacing the entire product. 

It’s a move that comes as European sustainability regulations look set to place greater emphasis on repairability and replaceable batteries.

Unlike conventional headphones, true wireless earbuds are difficult to repair because of the way they are constructed and their sealed housings. Sennheiser’s decision to make it possible for users to replace the batteries gives the Momentum 5 an interesting sustainability angle that most other premium offerings don’t have.

Sennheiser is positioning the Momentum 5 directly against premium rivals such as the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds and Sony WF-1000XM6. 

The Momentum range is defined by its audio focus and the new model retains this approach. The new earbuds use Sennheiser’s 7mm TrueResponse dynamic drivers, with Bluetooth 6.0 and support for high-resolution audio. The company has also upgraded its adaptive active noise cancellation and microphone, while adding Dolby Atmos spatial audio with head tracking.

The battery life has also been increased, with the earbuds offering up to 12 hours of playback on a charge, or up to six hours with ANC enabled. Combined with the charging case, that’s a total playback of 40 hours.

The earbuds have also been redesigned for improved comfort and stability, and the charging case is slimmer and also supports Qi wireless charging. The earbuds carry an IP54 rating, so they’re protected against dust and splashes.

Sennheiser has focused on call quality too, with the Momentum 5 featuring six microphones and bone-conduction accelerometers, designed to make it easier to hear voices in noisy areas. 

The new earbuds are priced at US$299.95, which matches the launch price of the previous-generation Momentum 4, even with the additional features. They are due to launch in a range of colours internationally on September 3, with Australian pricing and availability yet to be announced.