While the core features of true wireless earbuds remain the key to differentiate a product on release, making it stand out in the extremely competitive environment, the adoption of powerful processing platforms such as those offered by Qualcomm, allow products to gain new features over time via updates. This is again a concept that was popularized by Apple in the AirPods, establishing a new model that allows products to remain attractive for longer, while rewarding consumer's brand connection. Nevertheless, it's extremely important for manufacturers to push updates that clearly are perceived as "improvements" by existing users.
Multipoint connectivity is one of those features that jumped quickly to become one of the most desirable for consumers and is actually possible to implement and improve in the latest Bluetooth platforms that power current TWS designs. The Sennheiser consumer division now operated by Sonova under license clearly understood this to be a very powerful feature to add to the premium Momentum True Wireless 3 via update.
The latest update allows users to instantly switch between two paired devices for dynamic management of active connections. Examples include streaming a podcast on a smartphone before switching over to an incoming video call, shifting from a television series on a tablet to a mobile voice call, and balancing voice calls between work and personal phones. Multipoint also switches back to the original audio source device if a call is answered mid-stream, and otherwise allows for effortless switching between two Bluetooth audio devices. Lastly, the multipoint update allows for seamless switching through all mutually supported codecs, such as aptX Adaptive, and SBC – even across mobile operating system platforms from various manufacturers.
"Our latest update reflects the dynamic ways people want to use Momentum True Wireless 3, including our most-requested feature – multipoint. For example, one can switch from their favorite music streaming app to join an incoming conference call from their laptop – and back again – without having to reconnect manually," says Frank Foppe, Sennheiser True Wireless Product Manager. "And our new high-resolution sound mode enhances the listening experience even further, letting customers enjoy wireless audio that rivals the rich and lively detail found in a wired connection."
While the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 earbuds were announced as supporting all aptX Adaptive audio codecs, apparently, optimized support for aptX HD was only introduced now with this firmware update. This introduces a high-resolution sound mode featuring 24-bit depth and 96kHz sample rate capability, when connecting the Momentum True Wireless 3 earbuds to an audio source also using the aptX Adaptive codec. This mode increases the Bluetooth bitrate up to 420 kilobits per second, which might be a challenge in some usage situations.
"In RF-challenged environments, such as bustling public transportation, the Momentum True Wireless 3 may utilize the codec’s data scaling capabilities to seamlessly adapt the connection integrity at any given moment. Users can enable the high-resolution sound mode via Sennheiser’s Smart Control App, making Momentum True Wireless 3 the ideal companion for all popular music streaming services and their highest quality subscription tiers," explains the company.
The firmware release 2.10.19 or higher for the Momentum True Wireless 3 earbuds is loaded and activated by updating the Smart Control App (App Store, Google Play; release 4.1.5 or higher). The release also contains numerous optimizations and enhancements for Bluetooth and touch control features.
www.sennheiser.com
www.sennheiser-hearing.com
