So these are the new Sennheiser CX 400BT’s… they’re sennheiser’s latest pair of truly
wireless earbuds that sound just as good as the Momentum 2’s but at a more affordable
price point. Now for those who may not know… the momentum 2’s are my favorite pair of
truly wireless earbuds to listen to when I can’t use headphones but they are a little
pricey. But nonetheless if you are looking for a pair of great sounding earbuds then
these might be up your ally.
So first off there’s price. Like I mentioned the momentum 2’s are a little pricey coming
in at $300. But besides sounding great the momentum 2’s also have good active noise
cancelation and an ambient mode. Where as the CX 400BT’s have a retail price of $200.
Putting them more in line with more main stream wireless earbuds. Nonetheless if you want
to pick either of these earbuds up they’ll be linked down below.
But now lets talk about the case. The CX 400BT’s come include with a fairly small case that
has a very similar footprint to the AirPods Pro’s case. But this case is noticeably
thicker. You’re not going to notice this case too much when you’ve got it in your
pocket but a lot of other main stream cases like either AirPods, or Galaxy Buds Live are
going to be less noticeable when they’re in your pocket cause they are thinner. However…
this case is noticeably smaller that the Momentum 2’s case. Now this plastic case has a powder
coat finish to it which does help you get a good grip on it when you’re taking your
earbuds out, the lid has a very satisfying snap to it when ever you open or close it…
and this case also has strong magnets which helps when putting your earbuds away. Overall
I like this case and its decently small for everyday carry truly wireless earbuds but
there are thinner cases out there. However… I do want to point out that the Momentum 2’s
fit inside the CX 400BT’s case… so here’s hoping that the momentum true wireless 3’s
get a smaller case in the future.
But now lets talk about tech specs… just as you’d expect this carrying case charges
via a USB C port as it should. But this carrying case does not have wireless charging. Now
personally I don’t case about wireless charging on my earbuds but I did want to point it out
either for the people who use a phone that has power sharing or for people who have already
invested into a few wireless chargers.
Now when it comes to battery life… these earbuds have a combined battery life of 20
hours. The earbuds themselves can for up to 7 hours and the case can supply an additional
2 full charges. Now a combined battery life of 20 hours will definitely get the job done
but these days we are seeing more and more main stream earbuds hit that 25 hour mark.
But now lets talk about the earbuds themselves. Fit wise these earbuds are identical to the
Momentum 2’s. These earbuds fit like your standard pair of in ear ear buds. They don’t
go in super deep into your ear canal like the Sony WF-1000XM3’s do which does feel
very unnatural and they also don’t just rest at the edge of your ear canal like AirPods
Pro do which you do have to constantly have to readjust. These earbuds fit just like your
Galaxy Buds Plus or Jabra Elite 75T’s. Now even though yes, these earbuds look huge they’re
actually very light weight weighing in at 6 grams and they don’t have a falling out
issue. Once you put them in they’re in.
Now when it comes to their bluetooth connectivity… just like the momentum 2’s these earbuds
are still using a hero and side kick set up. Meaning that one earbud in this case the right
earbud actually establishes a connection with your phone and then relays that connection
to the left earbud. So if you just want to use one earbud at time you gotta use the correct
earbud in this case the right. And also, these earbuds can only be connected to one device
at a time.
But more importantly, when it comes to actually watching movies or videos on your phone…
these earbuds have zero latency across the board whether your using an iPhone or an android
device. And when it comes to audio codecs these earbuds have support for SBC, AAC, and
APTX.
But now lets talk about listening to music with these earbuds cause this is what these
earbuds are all about. The CX 400BT’s sound identical to the Momentum 2’s. Which is
awesome. Besides having great clarity, great instrument separation, and a wide sound stage…
these earbuds have a very clean bass to them that resonates very deep. Now for the most
part I just like using these earbuds with their stock EQ cause with their stock EQ these
earbuds just sound very balanced. You can hear vocals and small details just fine…
but when the bass comes in it comes in hard. But if you want to you can always adjust their
EQ. Now thankfully a few weeks ago Sennheiser Updated the EQ in their app. You’ve still
got their classic single knob adjuster… but you can now independently adjust the bass,
mids, and treble on these earbuds giving you more control. So if you want a bass heavy
EQ you can raise the bass on these earbuds but you can also up the mids and treble on
these earbuds so that you can actually hear the vocals. Cause before if you wanted a bass
heavy EQ on Sennheiser’s earbuds or headphones then they would sound shallow cause the mids
would get pushed down. Or if you want a more vocals focused EQ but still want a little
bass you can also do that. But in general… the sennheiser momentum 2’s are my favorite
sounding pair of truly wireless earbuds and I truly feel that these earbuds are actually
a good alternative to a pair of over ear headphones. But I will admit that they are pricey and
could be hard to justify for some people. So thats why im so amped about the CX 400BT’s
you're getting that same great sound but at a more affordable price. And whether you’re
someone that like a rich bass heavy eq or a more neutral or vocals heavy EQ these earbuds
should be able to please everyone.
Now when to comes to media controls just like the Momentum 2’s the CX 400BT’s have touchpads.
Now these touch pads are strictly tap based meaning that they don’t actually have any
swiping gestures. You can tap to play or pause you music, you can double tap to skip a track,
triple tap to go back a track and you can press and hold to adjust your volume. And
overall these touch pads are very accurate. Very rarely do they actually miss any inputs
for me. But if you want to you can always customize these touch pads to your liking.
Now even though im a really big fan of the CX 400BT’s cause of their sound… ultimately
these earbuds are a watered down version of the Momentum 2’s. Now obviously these earbuds
don’t have active noise cancelation and I think that a given. But unfortunately these
earbuds don’t have an ambient mode nor to they have proximity sensors so that aren’t
going to pause you’re music when you take them out of your ears.
And to be frank, proximity sensors and an ambient mode are very standard features these
days for main stream earbuds in this price range. Now even though I do love how these
earbuds sound… I do gotta point out those two major short comings which are very useful
for commuters
and just everyday use.
But finally here’s the microphone test and over all the microphone on the Sennheiser
CX 400BT is decent. Now no this microphone isn’t doing the best job of blocking out
ambient noise like this AC unit ive got here but it is going something. Cause if we were
to switch over to my lapel microphone you’re going to clearly hear that AC unit. But if
we switch back over to the CX 400BT’s it is reduced a little bit.
But now this is me in a quiet room and in this situation this microphone is definitely
usable for phone calls.
But for comparison sake here’s a microphone test with the Galaxy Buds Live where not only
does my voice sound great but this microphone is also doing a great job of blocking out
ambient noise. Cause again if we were to switch over to my lapel microphone you’re going
to clearly hear that AC unit. But if we were to switch back over to the Galaxy buds live.
Its gone.
But with all that being said… if you’re looking for a pair of truly wireless earbuds
and sound is your main priority than the CX 400BT’s are a great option and they should
be able to please people who either like a bass heavy EQ or neutral EQ. And if you’ve
been hesitant about picking up the Momentum 2’s cause of their price… then the CX
400BT’s are a great alternative. And they even have the smaller case here which is a
plus. But these earbuds do come with some compromises… their lack of an ambient mode
and proximity sensors really sticks out like a sore thumb when compared to other truly
wireless earbuds at this price point. But like I said, if sound is you main priority
these will not disappoint.