Headphones and earbuds · Sennheiser
Owners keep the MTW4 for its sound, which several rank above pricier rivals once personalised, and they accept a trade-off: middling noise cancelling and a real worry about how long a pair lasts.
Sound is the reason most owners bought and kept them. Several who have owned or auditioned Sony, Technics, Apple and Samsung buds still put the MTW4 ahead on vocal clarity and top-end sparkle, especially with the sound personalisation set up.
The clear complaint is durability. A number of owners describe the same failure: crackling in one earbud that worsens over weeks until it stops, sometimes across multiple replacement pairs, and some say it happened with no moisture exposure at all.
Pick up to three. You get a page with just those, side by side, on the subjects owners raised.
What still delights people after months is the tuning. Owners comparing side by side with newer flagships keep coming back to the MTW4 for vocals and high-frequency crispness, even while admitting rivals have more low end or a wider stage. The sound personalisation feature comes up repeatedly as the thing that makes the difference, and a few say it is why they have not switched brands despite frustrations. Battery life gets steady, unqualified approval from the owners who mention it.
The adjustments are around noise cancelling and fit. Owners are divided on ANC: some coming from Sony call it an obvious step down, others find it fine for daily use, and one moving on to the successor model found that noticeably better. Fit is a concern for slightly more owners than not, though a couple of people coming from Samsung's stem design say the MTW4 sits better in their ears. Calls and video meetings work without complaint for the owners who use them that way.
The durability theme is a concern, and it is specific. The failure owners describe is crackling in one earbud that gets worse over time until that side dies. Several had this happen to more than one pair, and a few insist their later pairs were used only indoors, sitting down, with no sweat or water involved. The typical response is a warranty return, a store refund, or eventually giving up on the brand. One owner warns plainly not to wear them wet or sweaty. The build durability theme is more divided: some owners use them outdoors and for exercise regularly with no problems, and one points to the IP54 rating as reason to feel comfortable doing so.
Long-term accounts here are mostly from people who had a pair fail. Owners whose buds are still working tend to say less, so the picture skews toward the failures and should be read that way. Customer support comes up in only a handful of accounts and none of them are positive, though half are mixed rather than outright negative. If you buy, keep the receipt and pay attention to the warranty window: owners who caught the fault inside it got a replacement or their money back.
Counted from the owners who raised each subject, not from everyone. A subject is judged once at least 4 owners raise it.
12 more subjects came up from fewer than 4 owners each, which is not enough for a fair reading. To see how it stacks up, compare it with another machine.
The same owner, asked again at each point. Fills in as owners answer.
Two questions: how long you have had it, and anything you would like to say about it. Then we ask again as it ages. This helps our mission.
More in headphones and earbuds: Sennheiser Momentum 4, Sony xm5, Sony xm4.
Among the 3 owner accounts here that gave a duration, 2 described a failure. Parts named most: battery, driver.
Before you buy one used, ask the seller: how old it is, whether it was ever repaired and by whom, and whether any of the parts above have been replaced. Ask to see it run. A receipt tells you the warranty start date; most makers honour the term only for the first owner.
Public discussions we read and summarised in our own words. Nothing here was submitted to Still Kicks.
Counted from public accounts by people who said they own it, and summarised by Still Kicks in its own words. Not a manufacturer claim, a lab test or an estimate.
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