Sennheiser Momentum Sport Review: New Gym Buddy in Town!

PROS

• Temperature Sensor & Heart Rate Monitoring
• Sport Focused
• Accurate in-ear temperature readings

CONS

• Bulky design
• Heart rate sensor accuracy varies during running

Design, Fit and Comfort

The earbuds themselves are interesting. They have a flashing light that indicates connection status, charging contacts, a microphone, and an IR sensor to detect if they're in your ear. Only one earbud has the optical heart rate sensor and temperature sensor, so you can wear just one to get biometric readings.

Fit is crucial for workout earbuds, and the Momentum Sport excel in providing a secure fit. Equipped with ear tips and wingtips, they stay snug during physical activities, minimizing the risk of them falling out. However, due to the integrated sensors, the earbuds themselves are slightly larger, which may not be ideal for users with smaller ears. Additionally, the requirement to use proprietary ear tips for sensor functionality limits customization options compared to earbuds that support third-party tips.

Biometric Sensors: Heart Rate and Body Temperature Monitoring

The integration of Optical heart rate and body temperature sensors distinguishes the Momentum Sport from conventional earbuds. Designed for fitness monitoring, these sensors provide real-time biometric data directly through the Sennheiser Smart Control app. Users can monitor heart rate trends during workouts and track changes in body temperature, leveraging this data to optimize training intensity and overall health management.

The Momentum Sport's heart rate sensor, though not the first of its kind, offers unique features. Unlike the Soundcore Liberty 4, which only worked with its native app, the Momentum Sport can connect to various apps and fitness equipment like Apple devices, gym equipment, Strava, Peloton, and Zwift. Partnered with Polar, you can use the Polar Flow app for free. Though I'm no expert in fitness watches, the heart rate tracking seemed accurate compared to my old Apple Watch during runs and weight training sessions. However, body temperature tracking is only available with Polar devices or the Polar Flow app.

One significant advantage of ear-based heart rate sensors is freeing up your wrists, especially useful for activities like powerlifting where wrist wraps are common. Ear-based sensors also avoid issues with wrist-based optical sensors that can be affected by increased blood flow to muscles. In my real life testing heart rate sensor, it works well for certain activities, but I found it less reliable for running. Perhaps software updates could address this issue. For activities like running, relying on another device like your watch might be more dependable.

Accuracy and Performance of Biometric Sensors

In testing, the accuracy of the Momentum Sport' biometric sensors generally performs well, offering comparable readings to dedicated fitness wearables like chest-worn heart rate monitors. While instances of sporadic sensor anomalies were noted during testing, overall performance remained commendable for daily fitness tracking and workout monitoring. Integration with third-party fitness platforms like Polar Flow enhances versatility, enabling seamless data synchronization across different devices for comprehensive health tracking.

Sound Quality: Transducers and Sound Profile

These earbuds feature a 10 mm transducer or driver, which is larger than Sennheiser's other earbuds. This allows for a more vivid sound profile with a bit more emphasis on the low end straight out of the box. This sound profile is particularly suited for workouts and maintains a balanced, full range with a lot of depth on the low end and crisp, clear highs. You can hear intricate details in various music genres, from the subtle scratches of guitar strings to the raspiness of voices. While I enjoyed the default sound profile, I did make some adjustments using the customizable equalizer to suit my preferences. Overall, I'm a huge fan of how these earbuds sound across all types of music, from singer-songwriters and acoustic to rock, electronica, and hip hop.

Hardware Overview

Comparing their size to other earbuds, the Sennheiser Momentum Sport are a bit larger than the Beats Fit Pros and Apple AirPods Pro 2, but not by much. They fit in my jeans pocket. It's a slight bulge, but nothing too intrusive. The design is quite unique, without the typical clamshell hinge you find on most earbuds. Instead, the Momentum Sport have a rubbery texture with a solid rubber piece wrapping around the bottom, covering the USB-C charging port. This rubber piece also acts as the hinge, snapping shut with a satisfying magnet. Plus, they're shock, dust, and sweat resistant, boasting an IP54 rating.

Charging is handled via USB-C and they also support Qi wireless charging. The earbuds themselves have a flashing blue light indicating connection, with charging contacts, a microphone hole, and an IR sensor for detecting when they're in your ear. One earbud houses the heart rate and temperature sensors, while the other doesn't, so you only need to wear one for biometric readings.

Transparency Mode

Transparency mode is crucial for outdoor activities, allowing you to hear your surroundings. The Momentum Sport's transparency mode uses the earbuds' microphones to let in ambient sounds, unlike the older Sport model, which relies on two types of ear tips: regular ear tips that block noise and aware ear tips that allow some noise. While these ear tips are a hybrid between regular ear tips and semi-open designs, they aren't as efficient as transparency mode. With transparency mode, you can easily toggle it on or off through the earbuds, offering clear and adjustable ambient sound. The Momentum Sport's transparency is among the best, with voices sounding slightly amplified but clear.

However, wind noise is a significant issue. Even on moderately windy days, the microphones pick up wind loudly, detracting from the listening experience, especially at low volumes. Although this is somewhat inevitable with transparency modes, it's more pronounced here compared to other models. Both the Momentum 4 and Momentum Sport have an anti-wind mode that cuts out microphone wind noise but turns off transparency mode, providing a low-level noise cancelling effect instead. On the Momentum Sport, you can only cycle between anti-wind, transparency, and noise cancelling modes, with no option to turn off noise cancelling entirely.

Active Noise Cancelling (ANC)

For weight training, good noise cancelling is essential to block out background noise and gym music. The Momentum Sport's noise cancelling is on par with the Momentum 4, among the best in strength. While it won't eliminate loud sounds completely, it reduces them to manageable levels, so you don't have to max out your music volume. There's also minimal EQ shift when switching between noise cancelling and transparency modes. Compared to the older Sport model, which lacks noise cancelling, the Momentum Sport is far superior in blocking out low-frequency sounds, making it ideal for noisy environments like gyms. When running or cycling, you might want to use the anti-wind reduction mode for light noise cancelling or just use one earbud to keep one ear open for ambient sounds.

App Walkthrough / Features

The Sennheiser Smart Control app is essential for these earbuds. After pairing, you can manage connections, view sport sensor feedback, and see your heart rate and body temperature when the earbuds are in use. The app also includes an equalizer with presets for bass boost and podcast mode, active noise cancellation (ANC) settings, customizable tap controls, and a fit test to ensure the best fit possible. You can even update the firmware and adjust audio resolution to utilize the aptX codec for 24-bit playback.

Controls

The controls on these earbuds are tap-based, allowing you to tap anywhere on your head around the earbud to control playback, adjust volume, and skip tracks. While the controls are generally reliable, they can be finicky while running. Adjusting the sensitivity in the app can help improve the experience.

Connectivity

The Sennheiser Momentum Sport supports Bluetooth 5.2, offering a connectivity range of up to 40 meters. They support multi-device playback, allowing you to connect up to two devices simultaneously, and they intelligently swap between devices. They also support aptX, AAC, and SBC codec playback, which you can enable in the settings for high-resolution audio.

Battery Life

Battery performance is competitive, offering approximately 6 hours and 40 minutes of playback on a single charge, with the case supporting both USB-C and Qi wireless charging. This longevity aligns well with other premium earbuds in the market, providing ample usage time for extended gym sessions or daily commutes.

Verdict

Overall, the Sennheiser Momentum Sport earbuds offer a blend of advanced features and some challenges. Their fit and comfort may vary depending on ear shape, but they provide excellent security with the wing tips. The transparency mode and noise cancelling are top-notch, though wind noise can be an issue. Heart rate and body temperature tracking add valuable functionality, especially for wrist-free monitoring.

In-ear temperature readings will be much more accurate than skin temperature measurements from the wrist, so I think this feature could be useful where it provides pretty consistent readings. With all that considered, what do I really think of these? Well, I don't necessarily believe that the heart rate sensor is the primary reason you should buy these. But that's not the main draw here. It's probably not the biggest reason to consider these in the first place, which is more about getting the best sound quality possible from a Sport-focused set of earbuds.

If you're an audiophile who's into sports, these could be a good choice. Just keep in mind that the heart rate sensor works well in some situations, but for activities like running, it might be better to rely on another device. However, if you prioritize awesome sound quality and engage in activities like weight training, these earbuds will be an excellent choice.

The case and battery life are satisfactory, and while the controls have room for improvement, they introduce a novel approach. These earbuds are a solid choice for athletes and fitness enthusiasts, provided the price is justifiable for the user's specific needs and preferences.