Sennheiser would not usually veer onto totally different sub-categories of headphones or earbuds, although there are exceptions, like the thought of “sports activities” wi-fi earbuds ruggedly designed to deal with extra lively existence.
The Sennheiser Momentum Sport are a second crack at this, solely this time with an in-ear coronary heart charge monitor and temperature sensor to trace sure health metrics whereas sporting them. Music plus health monitoring is normally reserved for different wearables, however this integration is an innovation that might result in extra prefer it down the road.
Sennheiser Momentum Sport: Value and availability
The Sennheiser Momentum Sport launched in April 2024, and can be found at a variety of retail and on-line shops. They begin out at $329, and it could be a while earlier than Sennheiser (or retailers) start dropping the value for a greater deal. They arrive in polar black, metallic graphite, and burned olive.
Sennheiser Momentum Sport: What’s good
Trying again on the earlier Sennheiser Sport True Wi-fi, the corporate clearly went in a distinct course with the Momentum Sport. A svelte construct coupled with a fairly customized tackle match and placement make these buds higher suited to staying lively. They arrive with three pairs of ear ideas and 4 pairs of wings to assist discover essentially the most steady match. You possibly can take that additional with the Match Take a look at within the Sennheiser Sensible Management app to determine which tip provides you the tightest seal. As is all the time the case with earbuds, the tighter the seal, the thicker the bass.
A lot of the particular floor is matte, coated with the rubberized trim of the wing. This mixture proves very efficient in holding the Momentum Sport buds in place always. Whereas there have been moments after I needed to modify them, they weren’t widespread. If something, the sensitivity of the contact controls made the changes considerably irritating.
What’s simpler to understand is {that a} good match matches nice sound, not least as a result of Sennheiser provides you other ways to get there within the Sensible Management app. The equalizer is a stable choice for utilizing presets or creating your personal, whereas Sound Verify is properly price going via to tweak the audio profile to your ears. It is a non-invasive course of the place you take heed to tones at various quantity ranges to set a benchmark EQ preset that differs from the default one.
Sensible Management is vital to managing every thing the Momentum Sport buds can do. Sound Zones are an alternative choice the place you may have audio and lively noise cancelation (ANC) or Transparency utilized based mostly on the place you might be. It is a geolocation function that requires the app to trace the place you might be as a way to apply the modifications in order that music and ANC sound totally different, say, within the health club, in comparison with in a quiet workplace.
You possibly can’t management noise cancelation the identical means you may with the Momentum True Wi-fi 4, however you do have some flexibility in how Transparency and Anti-Wind work. Given the sound leans extra towards bass response, the earbuds are ideally suited to the sort of tunes you may take heed to whereas understanding or working. Even in the event you want podcasts, there is a preset made for that within the app.
Both means, Sennheiser provides these earbuds the precise sonic remedy. Music sounds nice — even higher when listening to hi-res tunes utilizing the aptX HD Bluetooth codec. You do not have to subscribe to a hi-res audio music streaming service to listen to the products right here, however it’s a bonus in case you have that choice. If the bass is simply too heavy, it is a easy factor to tweak within the app’s EQ.
The larger deal could also be the truth that Sennheiser squeezes coronary heart charge and temperature sensors into the left earbud, letting you retain observe of heartbeat and physique temperature metrics in real-time. You may assume it odd to do it this manner, given smartwatches, health trackers, and chest straps already cowl these options, however in-ear monitoring is arguably extra exact as a result of nothing strikes within the ear. There aren’t any muscle tissues or tendons contracting like these within the wrist that might doubtlessly delay or throw off monitoring. Right here, it feels immediate and steady, which is a cool factor to have.
Sennheiser is not doing it alone; it’s partnering with Polar to make the earbuds tracker suitable with the Polar Stream app. Whereas Sennheiser’s app can all the time present you the fundamentals, Stream tracks your precise exercise, so you may go for a run or hike and glean extra from the info the in-ear sensors assist ship. Polar Stream affords dozens of workout routines to select from, making issues fascinating in the event you ever wish to examine the accuracy of the earbuds with that of a smartwatch or health tracker.
The setup is not all that tough when you’ve each apps put in in your telephone, although you’ll need a Polar account to get it executed (subscription not required). Monitoring is kind of correct when the match is good and cushty, including confidence to any metrics you are keenly monitoring all through a day or exercise.
As for sound management whereas staying lively, do not anticipate ANC to match the perfect within the enterprise, comparable to Sony or Bose. I might even argue Sennheiser’s Momentum True Wi-fi 4 are higher at blocking out background noise, however the Momentum Sport are nonetheless shut. They dampen the clinks and clangs of the health club, in addition to road noise, although aren’t fairly as efficient with droning feels like these on a subway prepare.
Transparency and Anti-Wind are stable, letting you management the impact you need. Anti-Wind is excellent at slicing again gusts sufficient to make podcasts and telephone calls sound clearer. You will not want it in quieter areas, nevertheless it’s nonetheless good to have when it’s important to take a name outdoors. Onboard put on sensors additionally mechanically pause playback whenever you take away both earbud.
Multipoint connections imply you should use the Momentum Sport with two gadgets concurrently, good in the event you plan to make the most of them for work or to observe one thing on one machine whereas taking calls on one other. I additionally like you can settle for an incoming name by merely taking both earbud out of the case, the place it immediately connects and takes the decision. Doing this finally ends up being a battery-saving transfer and negates having to put on the earbuds on a regular basis in case calls are available.
Name high quality is sweet, too. Sennheiser has lengthy been good at this type of factor, although I observed callers felt it was apparent I wasn’t speaking via a telephone.
Sennheiser Momentum Sport: What’s not good
I’ve examined a ton of wi-fi earbuds, and the Momentum Sport could also be some of the delicate pairs I’ve tried so far as onboard controls go. Anytime I needed to modify the match, I ran the danger of inadvertently resuming play, skipping a observe, or worse but, hanging up on a name. The default sensitivity is ready to Medium, which solely makes the Excessive setting really feel like tapping on eggshells. Low is not unhealthy, however even there, you could find yourself with unintended penalties. Non-responsive controls are sometimes an issue for wi-fi earbuds, however these in some way take that to the opposite excessive.
Battery life is one other one that can require compromise and persistence in your half. Sennheiser claims as much as six hours per cost, however you are not more likely to get that far in the event you consider ANC, quantity ranges, and health monitoring. There’s a Battery Eco mode to assist squeeze extra life out per cost on the expense of the aptX codec. I get between 4 and 5 hours per cost, which is greater than sufficient for exercises and runs however not fairly as excessive as I want to see for the value.
That additionally goes for sturdiness. The IP55 safety for the buds themselves is fairly good, although I might assume “sport” earbuds costing this a lot would ramp that up a bit. The case itself is IP54, and has a pleasant rubberized coating, solely the lid is not as safe accurately. Therefore, I might be cautious of utilizing the included lanyard to hold them. These are all the time higher off in a pocket.
Sennheiser Momentum Sport: Competitors
Sporty earbuds aren’t that tough to seek out today, and you could possibly make an argument sure pairs among the many greatest wi-fi earbuds are worthy. The Jabra Elite 8 Lively actually stand out as opponents within the seek for sweaty earbuds, particularly given their spectacular IP68 safety, bodily button controls, superior battery life, and cheaper value. They’re additionally virtually totally rubberized and supply a comfortable match for all kinds of ears.
You possibly can additionally think about the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Professional as an choice, although their IPX7 score is not pretty much as good for mud resistance. In addition they do not supply a customized EQ however are in any other case resilient and full of a spread of different options. If you’d like extra primary options but need an much more safe match with ear hooks, you could possibly additionally strive the JLab Epic Air Sport ANC for a a lot lower cost.
Sennheiser Momentum Sport: Do you have to purchase them?
You should purchase this if…
You need extra ruggedized earbuds for runs or exercises.
You need superb sound and noise cancelation.
You need customization and personalization.
You desire a snug match.
You should not purchase this if…
You need one thing much more ruggedized.
You need extra battery life.
You favor to spend much less.
The Sennheiser Momentum Sport supply rather a lot out of the field and thru the Sensible Management app, however it’s important to pay a premium to get all of it. These are costly wi-fi earbuds by any metric, leaving it to you to make a calculated resolution each to your personal funds and the worth you assume you’d achieve from the distinctive integration obtainable right here.
They clearly sound nice, and are rugged sufficient to deal with most runs and exercises, together with all of the customization within the app, so it is a compelling bundle. You will not come away disillusioned with what they’ll do, although solely you may determine if it is all price it in the long run.
Sennheiser Momentum Sport
Sennheiser reinvigorates its sporty earbuds with a brand new search for the Momentum Sport, full with nice sound and in-ear sensors to trace coronary heart charge and physique temperature.