The Sennheiser Momentum Sport promises to be more than just another set of sweat-resistant earbuds. The inner ear uses technology from sports watch manufacturer Polar and can also measure heart rate and body temperature, so you don’t need a watch while exercising. How (well) does this work in practice and what is the point of measuring temperature? We tested €300 earplugs to find out.

Momentum Sport is a set of compact earbuds available in three different colours. In addition to the glossy black ‘Graphite Metallic’ variant we tested, it’s also available in olive green and matte black. In all cases, the in-ear headphones are accompanied by a matching colored charging and storage box. The box is nice and flat and therefore can easily fit into your jacket or pants pocket. It has a USB-C connection for charging the built-in battery, but this can also be done wirelessly using a Qi charger. The practical battery charging time is approximately seven hours, which is ideal for even the longest sports sessions.

The earbuds come with soft, clear domes in three different sizes, and “fins” in three sizes are also included. Optionally attachable fins press onto the edge of the Sympia, the inner part of the earcup, so ears stay in place better during exercise.

Designed for sports

At the end of last year we reviewed eleven true wireless earbuds from the mid- to high-end price ranges, including the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3. We liked these earphones for their good sound quality with a full, powerful sound, nice dynamics and good stereo presentation. The Momentum Sport is of course related to this headset. For example, it uses the same app and offers largely the same setup options. But since the Momentum Sport was actually developed for sports, Sennheiser also made a number of other choices. First, the Momentum Sport earphones have an IP55 rating, which means the earbuds are dust-resistant and “splash-proof.” They are therefore able to withstand sweat or rain, but are not completely waterproof and are therefore not suitable for swimming, for example.

These in-ear headphones are more compact in shape than previous Sennheiser headphones. There is less weight outside your ear, which helps keep it in place better. The optional fins also help with this. In my ears, many of the earbuds will sometimes become loose or fall out, but using the correct fins with the Momentum Sport I have had no problems with this. I also found the earbuds comfortable to wear while exercising, and they didn’t bother me after a longer period of time (sweating). However, fit is very subjective, so my experience may not be yours. Colleague Saif, who also tried the Momentum Sport, noticed that he sometimes unintentionally executed touch commands, for example while talking or chewing. I haven’t had this problem myself, but it can happen depending on the shape of your ears. If you encounter this problem, you can make the touch controls less sensitive or even turn them off.