Pure listening pleasure, if you know Morse code

The German audio giant has delivered an impressive piece of kit for runners and other athletes who appreciate fine sound. Just make sure you master the sparse instructions, and taps and touches.

Sennheiser's Momentum Sport can measure heart rate and body temperature.

Sennheiser’s new Momentum sport earbuds took me back to a bygone era – when I was a boy scout, happy to pitch tents and end up getting so filthy from trips out in the bush that my mother wouldn’t let me inside until I had stripped at the backdoor.

They were glorious times, but probably might not be the best image the German audio giant wants to project for its $529.95 earbuds – which compares with $399 for Apple’s AirPods Pro.

Wireless audio can be a pain, particularly when used for sports. It’s easy to forget to charge them, lose one half of them, or have that phantom feeling of them feeling like they are about to fall out of your ear. And this is before we get to fidelity.

Thankfully, Sennheiser has solved many of these problems. Like most high-end earbuds, they come in a charging case, which means if you remember to charge it every now and then, the earbuds are always ready to go. It also helps prevent them from being lost.

As for the phantom feeling, Sennheiser offers a range of earbud tip covers and fins to ensure you the perfect fit. It will even double-check your fitting via its Smart Control app.

The Sennheiser Momentum sport is priced at $529.95.

So why the boy scout memories? It starts with the instructions. The small sheet is a masterclass in German efficiency, and that’s not necessarily a good thing. There are only short subheadings, with sparse illustrations and no full sentences. This meant that on unboxing, I didn’t give the attention it deserved – which meant failing to realise I had to master something akin to Morse code to operate them while on the fly. So much for remembering the scout motto: ‘be prepared’.

But today, the best technology is designed to work straight out the box – which Sennheiser achieves, to a degree. The headphones were charged and ready to go. I didn’t need to even switch them on, with the Momentum having ear sensors, which detects when they are being used. Pairing was easy via the app.

So with all this so far being seamless, I was raring to go for a run and see if they were an improvement on my trusty Plantronics Backbeat Fits, which have lasted two marathons – one 350km north of the Arctic Circle – not to mention several cycles through the washing machine (all accidental). The Backbeat Fit may not be the best sounding earbuds, but the tech that would make a Mawson or Shackleton proud.

The Sennheiser Momentum Sport's instructions are sparse but worth mastering.

A few kilometres into my usual run around the Barrabool hills -which has views of the Southern Ocean and winds fresh from Antarctica – I was impressed with the Sennheiser Momentum Sport and thinking why had it taken me so long to consider an upgrade. I was surprised how effective they were in cutting out the wind. They are equipped with anti-noise cancelling in three modes: anti-wind, transparency and the usual ANC (anti-noise cancellation).

The tech works by a small microphone that measures unwanted sounds and inverts the sound wave to effectively cancel these sounds out. It works a treat, particularly in blocking out the blustery Barrabool winds, which I can feel whip my face but my nothing but George Harrison’s What is Life blast through my ears. The bass lines are clear and punchy, a testament of Sennheiser’s commitment to fidelity.

Sennheiser Momentum Sport's charging case can greatly extend battery life.

But my failure to read the instructions thoroughly lets me down. I adjust the left earbud and a robotic voice says ‘transparency’. Wind starts whistling in through my ears, drowning out poor George, whose vocals are already struggling to compete with Phil Spector’s wall of sound production.

I try to work out how to fix it but end up turning the volume down and then switching it off all together. About a kilometre later – and more fiddling – I manage to trigger ANC mode, and that does a pretty good job of blocking out the wind. When I get home, I re-read Sennheiser’s spartan instructions, and learn its ‘Morse code’. If I tap the left earbud three times, that will allow me to change anti-noise cancelling modes. Two taps on either earbud will play or pause while pressing on the left earbud will turn down the volume, while doing the same on the right will increase it.

Mastering these taps and touches – which you can also customise on the app – is essential in making the most of Momentum Sport, which are impressive. (And yes, they put the Backbeat Fits to shame).

For the sport enthusiast, they also measure your heart rate and body temperature – with the inside of the ear presenting more accurate readings than wrist sensors. (AirPods Pro is yet to feature such tech). This data can also be integrated into popular sport devices and apps, such as Apple Watch/Health, Garmin Watch/Connect, Strava, Peloton and the Polar Flow app.