The most important part of my workout is music. Unfortunately, I work out at night after my baby is asleep, so I can’t play any music loudly. My headphones get really hot during a workout, so I don’t like wearing them if I can, which means my only music options are earbuds and a fancy workout app. Fortunately, there are plenty of earbuds to choose from, but only a few models that I know of offer integrated heart rate monitoring, so I jumped at the chance to review the Sennheiser Momentum Sport earbuds.
The Momentum Sport earbuds made waves at this year’s CES with their built-in heart rate monitor, body temperature sensor, IPx5 rating, and five hours of battery life (24 when recharged with the case). The sensors are located on the left ear, and you can see the PPG light flashing when you take them out. Inside the box are the earbuds, the charging case, a USB-C cable, three fins to hold the earbuds in place, and three different sized earbuds.
Sennheiser Momentum Sport Headphones
The Sennheiser Momentum Sport earbuds are designed specifically for exercise. They are IP55 rated and can track your heart rate and temperature while you exercise. With their semi-open design and active noise cancellation, these earbuds could be a runner’s dream.
- Incredible and rich sound
- Body temperature and heart rate monitor
- expensive
- Unstable application
Price and availability
The Momentum Sports are the most expensive earbuds, and Sennheiser sells them for $330. If you’re ready to splurge, you can buy a pair from Amazon or Sennheiser.
What I like about the Sennheiser Momentum Sport earphones
keep the beat
Right off the bat, I thought the built-in heart rate and body temperature monitors were a really cool feature. I’m a big fan of new technology that’s well-executed, and for the most part, Sennheiser has nailed it. Can You can monitor your biometrics via the Sennheiser app, but it’s designed to pair with Polar’s Flow app, which can monitor heart rate zones and other more advanced features. The Momentum Sport does a good job of tracking heart rate. None of my readings were off and they always matched my level of exertion.
I had no problems pairing the heart rate monitor with the Polar Flow, but my Coros Pace 3 didn’t like it (though the headphone functionality worked fine with the watch). Finally, if Google Fit is important to you, the Momentum Sports doesn’t sync directly with it, but the Polar Flow does.
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You’d be hard pressed to find these features at this price anywhere else.
In the past, I’ve used watches to monitor my heart rate while running, but more often than not, I don’t want to wear one just to hop on the treadmill. These earbuds are great for helping me cut down on my workout gear, especially on the treadmill, where I don’t have to worry as much about my step count.
Whether you want a watch depends on what you’re using it for. If you want the advanced GPS features of running, you’ll probably want a watch, but if you’re just a casual runner, you won’t miss it.
Acoustic luxury
In addition to the great tech, they sound great. I’m not an audiophile, but I do enjoy music and podcasts, so I’ve used a lot of headphones over the years. These are the best I’ve ever had. Granted, my first instinct was to buy them cheap and buy them on sale—I’d never really explored high-end headphones before—so getting a pair of $330 earbuds from a major brand was a revelation.
The biggest improvement over my everyday headphones was in the low range. While many headphones approach bass reproduction with an aggressive, heavy-handed hand (I love my Skullcandy Crushers, don’t judge me), the Momentum Sports’ low ranges were rich and fully present without trying to make a statement. When reproducing the midranges, many headphones and earphones get muddy, but with these headphones, every instrumental sound was expressed clearly, and nothing was lost. In the high range, there was no clipping, and every note came through without distortion.
The touch controls are great, and for the most part they work really well. Press and hold to adjust the volume, double-tap to play/pause, and triple-tap to advance a track or change the ANC profile. What works well for me about the Momentum Sport compared to other earbuds is how easy the touch controls are (usually). You don’t have to press the right spot or press a button to click; just touch it, and it works.
What I don’t like about the Sennheiser Momentum Sport earphones
Great sound but at what cost?
The first thing that’s hard to believe about the Momentum Sport is the price. At $330, they’re a luxury item. Are they the most expensive earbuds on the market? No, not even close, but they are the most expensive earbuds in Sennheiser’s lineup. The Momentum Sport aren’t for the average Sennheiser fan.
I hadn’t used the silicone finned eartips that Sennheiser uses with these headphones before, so there was a period of adjustment for my ears to get used to them without them hurting. I had to use smaller ear tips and fins for extended wear. The key to longer use was getting them in my ears correctly, which caused me some issues with accidentally triggering the buttons, particularly turning the volume up too high or too low. However, you can adjust the sensitivity of the buttons through the app, which you may want to do as just touching the back of my ear was enough to trigger the touch sometimes.
Speaking of the app, I really wish it had a tool. It would have been great to be able to adjust the EQ presets while running, as it takes about 5-10 seconds for the app to load. At that point, the app started working. After about two weeks, I was unable to use the app for two days because it didn’t recognize that the earbuds were connected to the phone. The earbuds still worked fine; I couldn’t access any of the app’s advanced features, which is frustrating because the app is great when it works.
Should you buy Momentum Sport headphones?
The Momentum Sport isn’t for everyone. Its $330 price tag puts it at the high end of the earbuds spectrum, which is typically reserved for audiophiles looking for premium sound. What’s more, it’s also a fairly specialized device with built-in heart rate and body temperature sensors. That makes the Momentum Sport the perfect device for music lovers who take their workouts seriously.
There are a handful of other heart rate monitor earbuds out there, all of which cost less than half the price of the Sennheisers. I can’t speak to the quality of these alternatives or the reliability of heart rate monitors, but from a consumer perspective, I need a few very compelling reasons to spend $300 on headphones instead of $100.
What I can say for sure is that if you can afford the Sennheiser Momentum Sport headphones, you won’t regret buying a pair.
Sennheiser Momentum Sport Headphones
If you have the budget to buy the Sennheiser Momentum Sport headphones and the lifestyle to match, you’ll be hard pressed to find a better option than the earbuds.
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