Sennheiser Momentum Sport review: seriously smart earbuds

I have previously expressed my excitement about the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 earbuds, and they didn't disappoint. Sennheiser maintains its standing as an audio leader with its Momentum True Wireless product line, with a comfortable fit and excellent overall performance.

Can you hear a 'but' coming?

In this case, the 'but' is another win for Sennheiser, because its Momentum Sport model delivers the same audio chops plus a whole lot more for just a $30 premium over its sibling. What you lose in the styling department (the woven case, the metallic chassis design) you gain in serious utility with heart rate monitoring direct from your ear canal plus enhanced ear fit options to ensure you can work hard with minimal fear they'll pop out unexpectedly.

When you're first getting them setup, patience is a virtue. I found the out of the box fit impressive for my ears, with a far more comfortable feel during my runs than I honestly expected. They were gentle and light, which was surprising given their size, and I almost forgot they were there which has never really happened with any other sports earbuds I've used. For my daughter, on the other hand, they were really wanted to fall out fast. This 'default' did not use any of the included wingtip options, so once we swapped to the smaller earbuds and a larger wingtip it stayed in place more securely. So be sure to take the time to get them sitting 'just right'.

If you never install the Sennheiser Smart Control app, they'll work nicely enough but will lack all the added smarts you've paid a premium to access. So, again, take the extra few minutes to get it installed, run a firmware update, and get the features set up the way you want. Alongside a five band equaliser (with 'bass boost' and 'podcast' presets for those who don't want to get too fancy) are the basics for how your controls will respond on the earbuds and what style of active noise cancelling you'd prefer.

With the controls designed around simple tap and long press actions, I found them very easy to use without slowing your running pace (all my focus is around running as it's my primary exercise routine, typically running distances from 5K to half marathon). A smart choice here is splitting volume control across the earbuds. I tap and hold the left for volume down and the right for volume up. When earbuds ask you to slide or perform some other move-based action to make adjustments it typically requires a lot more fiddling to get right, but here the choices made for very easy control.

The active noise cancelling options include the obvious – cancel everything or deliver transparency for enhanced hearing of everything around you. But they also offer intelligent cancelling, such as transparency with wind noise reduction for a more comfortable version of staying alert to the environment. You can also adjust the transparency level and have transparency auto activate when you are making phone calls.

Any device that truly gets better with updates scores bonus points in my book, and Sennheiser has delivered very strong support for its Momentum and Accentum wireless earbuds this year. Recent enhancements include storing the last location the earbuds were seen to help relocate them if lost.

Those additional heart and temperature fitness sensors, designed in partnership with Polar, are also managed through the app. Real time insights are visible here as well as options for connecting the data feeds to other health and fitness services. Heart rate is easy to feed through and seems very accurate when compared with my Apple Watch readings. Sennheiser says the heart rate tracking is compatible with a range of watches, fitness equipment and apps, including Strava, Swift, Polar, and Peloton. Temperature tracking is focused on Polar integration so far, and seems more limited in value, but it's also not a bad option if you're checking your temp if you're feeling under the weather? That's not what they're selling it for so don't rely on it for that, of course...

Overall, the Sennheiser Momentum Sport is a really nice set of fitness earbuds. With heart rate tracking a key reason many people shell out for a smart watch as part of their fitness setup, this is a powerful alternative if you always keep your phone with you when exercising anyway. The audio is great, the feature updates are impressive, and while they're amongst the most expensive options on the market ($529) those extra fitness features are worth hundreds if you're the kind of person who wants them and you're getting some of the best audio quality around.