When a pair of earbuds commands a $300 price tag — and have a headline this complimentary — it’s only right to start with the negatives.

The Momentum True Wireless 4, from audio-equipment legends Sennheiser, cost $120 more than their now discounted predecessors, but despite this, sound quite similar, as does the quality of their noise-canceling, and the fabric covered case remains far  bigger than competitors like AirPods, Sony WF-1000XM5, and Jabra Elite 10 — my go-to earbuds since I reviewed them in October. 

However pretty, the pale silver and white case of my review sample will doubtlessly lose that with time as the fabric dirties, and though I’ve been informed an upcoming firmware update should resolve these, I’ve had various Bluetooth issues, such as crackling with one ear in, connection issues when simultaneously connected to two devices, and it doesn’t appear in the Bluetooth pairing options in Windows unless you set ‘device discoverability’ to ‘Advanced.’

$300 is a lot of money for a pair of earbuds — I recently reviewed a exceptional phone, the Nothing Phone (2a), which starts at only $50 more — and I do wish the case was smaller. However, despite these qualms, my primary takeaway from my initial week with the Momentum 4 is unequivocal: these are the best earbuds on the market, bar none.

No earbud so neatly combines customizable software, top-tier noise-canceling, stylish design, and excellent battery life; and the sound quality is unbeatable. The sound is the most rich, detailed, and dynamic you’ll find in a pocketable case; and trumps many over-ear headphones I’ve tried.

Describing how a pair of earbuds sounds is somewhat like describing the taste of a glass of a wine — they make sense when you’re actively listening or tasting but are too arbitrary to help a potential customer. The best way I can put it then is that the Momentum 4 makes music you’ve heard before truly come alive; every song is richer, more energetic, more detailed, and bigger than you’ve ever heard it before.  They sound amazing; and though the sound profile is similar to their predecessors, the Momentum 3, it’s a marked upgrade in sound quality.

If you want to hear the music exactly how it was mastered in the studio, in the most neutral style possible, you should not buy these; instead, look for a pair of monitor headphones, like the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x. But these are just so so so much more fun to listen with. Whether putting on Ryan Gosling’s I’m Just Ken, Immaculate Conception from Ransom, or the new Maggie Lindemann pop-rock album, the blend of detailed highs, rich mids, a surprisingly wide soundstage, and a deep thumping bass makes every song into a club hit; and makes calmer genres like jazz and classical light up in your ears.

It is worth noting that — because Apple does not support the high-fidelity Bluetooth standards, such as the ‘aptX Adaptive’ codec — the best sound quality will be found for Android users, particularly using Apple Music or Tidal, but they still sound great on an iPhone. 

And aside from the quibbles I opened with, everything around the music works well too. You can get them in chic brown or brown colorways, along with the white and silver look, and though the buds are large in hand — to account for their beefy drivers — they do not look bulky in your ears. The battery life is among the best I’ve experienced on a pair of earbuds, the case charges wirelessly and wired, the buds are so comfortable and easy in the ears that I frequently forget I’m wearing them; and even if they aren’t for you out of the box, Sennheiser includes a series of added winglets and ear tips to get the size and placement just right. 

For potential buyers; though the Momentum doesn’t have the usual toggle command between its excellent noise-canceling and transparency modes, this can be achieved in settings by keeping noise-canceling turned on and setting a single tap function to turn transparency on and off.