Sennheiser is known for producing high-quality audio products and it recently entered a new territory – sports. Don’t get me wrong, it is not like they have started making sports equipment. But, instead, it has launched TWS for athletes – Sennheiser Sport True wireless earbuds. It is priced at Rs 10,990. Today we present to you its review.
What is in the box?
You’ll find a charging and storage case for the SPORT True Wireless earbuds in the box. There’s a USB-C charging cable and a shoelace-style lanyard cord. If you prefer closed or open earbuds, you’ll get three sets of each.
That is meant to provide what Sennheiser calls “Adaptable Acoustics”. (I will talk about it in detail in the latter part of the review)
Set up & pairing
They’ll be in pairing mode when you first put them in, so just look in your phone’s Bluetooth settings and tap to connect. If you want to pair them manually, just press and hold the touchpad of both earbuds for three seconds, and you’ll hear a voice say, “pairing.”
Fit and comfort
Sennheiser Sport earbuds have a huge cubical design, protruding out of my ears significantly, and they’re a bit difficult to seat at first; you have to twist them in and tuck the ear fin under your ear concha to get them seated properly.
The earbuds fit the ear concha to the point where it was somewhat uncomfortable wearing them for long time and personally struggled to get a nice fit. I also explored using the rubber band-only version without a fin, but the buds’ towering stature and lack of hook made it seem like they would fall out of my ears, which is a trade-off. SoI feel fins are needed for a secure fit.
The case is cuboid in shape, with rounded edges and a lanyard slot on one side, similar to the buds. Yet, I’m perplexed why you’d need a lanyard with the case. But, if you want to wrap the buds around your wrist, you have that option.
Sound quality
I put the new Sport earbuds through their paces with a range of music. These have some of the best basses I’ve ever heard in some of the TWS I have tested recently. These earbuds give you a nice vibe, and I put on some of my favourite bass-heavy songs and discovered that they have intensity and resonance. They’re almost perfectly balanced, even so. Calls are loud and clear, with clear audio throughout.
Now, if I talk about “Adaptable Acoustics”, which consists of two types of ear tips. The Blue-tipped ear tips are Open or Aware, while the black ones are Closed or Focus, and there is a small X across the opening in the Adaptable Acoustic.
After choosing the ear tip, one can head toward the smart control app, available both on Google Play Store and Apple App store, and choose the desired mode – Aware or Focus. Sennheiser has said that the Open or Aware setting will help to stay aware of your surroundings. On the other hand, Closed or Focus option insulates you and blocks outside sound for an immersive audio experience.
Technically speaking, Focus mode is meant to lower ambient noise, whereas Aware mode is meant to raise it, but from my usage point of view, there isn’t much of a distinction between the two. Apart from that, they seemed to be practically identical, with just a slight increase in bass when I was in Focus mode. Also, I felt changing tips was too much of a task.
So Basically, Sennheiser has tried to compensate for the lack of noise cancellation or ambient mode via Adaptable Acoustics.
Speaking of the app further, you can manage your Headphone settings inside the app. For example, you may adjust your equalisation options, check battery life, and customise your touch controls.
Water resistance
The water and dust resistance (and yes, they are resistant, not waterproof) capability due to the IP54 rating is one of the plus points of Sennheiser Sport True wireless earbuds. As a result, they’re perfect for outdoor sports activities.
Battery life & charging
The battery life on these headphones will be one of the most appealing features for travellers. The buds themselves should provide 9 hours of use, with the rest coming from the case recharge. That’s impressive battery life, even by comparison. To recharge them, it’ll take roughly 90 minutes.
Touch Controls
You may regulate your music, virtual assistant, and calls by pressing the right or left bud and using a double or triple tap. In the Sennheiser Smart Control app, you can modify or adapt the tap controls to suit your preferences. I liked the tactile controls, but it took me a while to remember them.
Connectivity
The Sennheiser Sport True Wireless has a 10-meter range and connects to your phone, computer, or audio device using Bluetooth. There was no breakup or dropouts when I wore the buds and walked away from my phone.