I don’t tend to exercise a lot but it’s the start of a New Year, which means it’s the time for resolutions, so I’ve been on the hunt for a dedicated pair of exercise-friendly buds to get my next workout going, and Sennheiser's new Momentum Sport earbuds launched at the start of 2024 are especially friendly, thanks to both a photoplethysmography (PPG) heart rate sensor and body temperature sensor.
We hadn't been expecting a new pair of dedicated sports buds but the surprise was nonetheless exciting. I got to try out the new buds at CES 2024 and while they have stayed true to delivering that "signature" Sennheiser sound, with a wide soundstage and strong sense of detail, it’s the extra wearable tech inside them that stands out to me against the best workout headphones.
Of course, not everyone needs to monitor their workouts like this, but the motivational benefits can be worthwhile, and what better place to put these sensors then in the tech you'll always have on you? While watching them in action during a demo, David Holm, the sports product manager at Sennheiser, explained that they found in a survey conducted by the company that “87% of [fitness] enthusiasts use headphones for sport”.
It's this level of research that really shows how much care and attention went into the making of the buds. He says that the Sennheiser Sports Momentum buds have been three years in the making because the company worked with scientists from the Technical University of Munich to test them using athletes' feedback.
The buds work seamlessly with the Polar Flow app’s universe of features, including real-time performance analytics, offline analysis and voice guidance, as well as loads of other prominent fitness apps including Apple Health, Garmin Connect, Strava, Peloton, Samsung Health, Zwift, Nordic Track and “many more”. They also will display that data on other Polar devices, such as the Polar Vantage V3 smartwatch.
In terms of how that information is shown, it will vary from app to app but I did get a glimpse at the main vitals that would be available. As you can see in the image above (look at the second image in the slideshow to see a close up), the data that’s displayed includes the average and maximum of your body temperature or heart rate as well as your duration and calories.
Sennheiser designers and engineers go head-to-head in the development of the Momentum Sport
There’s more to the buds than new fitness features though. The earbuds have a completely new look that’s more oval than the square-shaped Sport True Wireless offering from last year. The Momentum Sport uses new drivers and a redesigned transducer to deliver premium audio quality that sounded close to what you get from the flagship offering based on my short time testing them. They also have the same sound modes available in most Sennheiser headphones, including adjustable Transparency and Adaptive Noise Cancelling as well as an anti-wind mode for running and walking on blustery days.
The Momentum Sports have 24 hours of battery life, which means six hours from the buds themselves with three full charges from the case (it takes just 10 minutes of charging via a USB-C cable to get up to 45 minutes). Speaking of the case, it has wireless charging (via Qi), and its own IP rating of IP54 that means it can withstand some light rain, while the buds themselves are IP55 which means they can take an actual spray of water. This should make them a more durable fitness companion than the likes of the AirPods Pro 2 (which have an IP54 rating).
Speaking to Holm, I found out that the IP rating was a point of contention between the designers and engineers during the development phase as the buds couldn’t deliver effective ANC without adding a hole to the side of the bud for air to escape from, which also equalizes pressure for better sound quality and bass – but holes obviously aren't ideal for water protection. It appears the solution was to add a silicon cover over this to stop water leaking out, allowing the Sennheiser Momentum Sport to be worn during a rainstorm.
With an asking price of $329.95 / €329.99 / around AU$492.14, which is $80 / €80 more than the Sennheiser Sport True Wireless, the buds have been bumped up in costs, though this is understandable considering the new design and extra fitness tracking tech packed into them. We’ll be reporting back with a full review as soon as we can get our hands on a pair but as far as initial thoughts go, we’re mighty impressed.
