Sennheiser’s Sport True Wireless Earbuds ($129.95) are a bit of a head-scratcher. They deliver a quality audio experience with bass-forwarding, but nothing about them lives up to the “Sport” part of their name. For example, the earbuds only have meager water resistance and rely on a totally impractical ambient audio implementation that requires replacing the earbuds. Additionally, the in-app EQ isn’t very customizable or effective. The Editor’s Choice Tribit Flybuds 3 ($35.99) are a superior option for the gym, not to mention a much more affordable price. We’re also fans of Jbara’s Elite 7 Active Earbuds ($179.99), which offer active noise cancellation (ANC), a better app, and a superior IP rating.
Clumsy design, medium durability
Available in black, the Sport True Wireless earbuds are a bit chunky, but that helps them fit better. On the outside is a toned rose gold Sennheiser logo.
In addition to silicone straps that fit around the ear pieces and can be combined with small, large or no ear fins, the package includes a wide range of ear tips. According to Sennheiser, the earbuds with a blue inner ring are for Aware listening mode and the all-black earbuds are for Focus mode (you select these modes via the app). The earbuds are essentially trying to passively (and physically) alter the amount of outside noise you hear. One set aims for transparency of ambient noise and the other opts for a design that blocks more outside noise.
This pair isn’t the first to try this approach, but few of those who have tried see success – the recent Sony LinkBuds are an example, with an open design and subpar audio. Here the open design is less consequential – it doesn’t ruin the audio experience, although the earbuds also let in far less outside noise than the Sony pair.
We’re just not sure why Sennheiser hasn’t opted for a microphone-based transparent listening mode that you can toggle on or off. This approach is far more convenient than users regularly swapping out earbuds. For the price, we’d expect better execution, especially since you don’t even get a carrying case to hold these earbuds. That omission makes us feel that Sennheiser doesn’t really expect you to change tips frequently, further leading us to question the practicality of this system.
(Image credit: Tim Gideon)
Internally, dynamic drivers deliver a frequency response of 5 Hz to 21 kHz. The earbuds are Bluetooth 5.2 compatible and support AAC, AptX, and SBC codecs — solid coverage for the price.
The outer panel of each earpiece features a capacitive touch control area. Tap one of the headphones once to control playback and answer calls. Double-tap to end calls or control track navigation (left for backward and right for forward). Triple tap to bring up your device’s voice assistant. Finally, hold to adjust the volume (left to decrease and right to increase). This control layout works quite well, giving you easy access to the most useful controls. But if you don’t like the layout, you can always adjust the control scheme through the app.
The IP54 water resistance here is underwhelming given the focus on motion. The “5” in the rating means the earbuds are very dustproof, but the “4” is probably the lowest water resistance a manufacturer would mention (we haven’t seen many IPX3 ratings). In terms of real-world use, the earbuds can withstand light splashes from all directions. They should stand up to sweaty workouts and light rain, but don’t try rinsing them under a tap or submerging them.
We regularly see an IPX4 rating (which is equivalent to IP54 in terms of water resistance) for models with ANC, but the Sport True Wireless earbuds don’t offer any special features that excuse this low rating. Even some noise-cancelling pairs, like the Jabra Elite 7 Active, boast a superior rating (IP57). And some far cheaper options like the Tribit FlyBuds 3 (IPX7) fare better here. Both models are among the best earbuds for runners.
The black charging case has an integrated lanyard loop and a covered connector for the included USB-C to USB-A charging cable. Both the lanyard and the cable are a reasonable length. There is a tiny status LED on the front and the case’s hinged lid reveals the internal charging stations.
Sennheiser estimates that the earbuds can last around nine hours on a charge, and that the case will hold power for another 18 hours. This estimate is too high, but your results will vary based on your typical listening level. The charging time is about 1.5 hours.
app features
The Sennheiser Smart Control app (available for Android and iOS) is a requirement, as you’ll need to adjust the earbuds via the EQ, depending on which earbuds you choose; Focus EQ mode is for the closed earbuds and Aware EQ mode is for the open ones.
The app also lets you customize the layout of the on-ear controls, tweak the in-ear sidetone (how much you hear your own voice on calls), and access a three-band EQ. Aside from using three bands instead of the usual five, the EQ delivers poor results. Raising the bass fader to its maximum level, for example, only slightly increases the bass and allows the digital signal processing (DSP) to intervene. Here the DSP compresses the signal and influences the maximum volume output. It’s a bit confusing that an audio powerhouse like Sennheiser is among the worst in-app EQs we’ve tested.
Shaped sound with strong bass
With the Aware earbuds and the appropriate EQ mode enabled in the app, the audio experience is solid – the open design results in boosted bass response, and outside noise is audible (though not to the extent of a more sophisticated mode that relies on it to ambient microphones to amplify the signal).
(Image credit: Tim Gideon)
We tested the headphones in Focus mode, albeit with the correct Focus earbuds and the appropriate mode enabled in the app. On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” they deliver a boomy low-frequency response that pairs well with higher-frequency content. The bass does not distort at top listening levels and the basses still sound robust at moderate volumes.
Bill Callahan’s “Drover,” a track with far less deep bass in the mix, better reflects the pair’s sonic signature. The drums on this track can reach unnatural levels with bass-forward headphones; here the drums sound full and don’t threaten to overwhelm the mix. Callahan’s baritone vocals maintain a pleasing balance of low-mid richness and high mid-definition, while the acoustic strums and percussive hits in the higher registers have a bright, detailed presence.
On Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “No Church in the Wild,” the kick drum loop gets enough high-mid presence for its attack to retain its punch. The crackle and hiss of the vinyl, which normally stays in the background, steps forward a little – suggesting heavy sculpting in the high-mids and highs. The sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the beat come across with commendable depth – you get a sense of the subwoofer-like power this pair can deliver, but the lows (at least with the EQ off) aren’t intensely boosted. The result is a rich bass presence that doesn’t dominate the highs and leaves enough space for vocals in the mix
Orchestral tracks, like the opening scene of John Adams’ “The Gospel According to the Other Mary,” sound excellent. The brass, strings and vocals in the higher registers present themselves with clarity and detail, while the instrumentation in the lower registers is rich and serves as a natural anchor.
The four-microphone array works well. We had no trouble understanding every word of a test recording from our iPhone, but we did notice some Bluetooth artifacts in the signal.
Not quite a bronze medal
Sennheiser makes some top-notch audio products, but the Sport True Wireless earbuds don’t live up to that distinction despite their quality audio performance. Ultimately, they don’t live up to the aspirations of their practice-focused name. We’re not fans of the interchangeable eartip design, lackluster water resistance, or ineffective EQ. Accordingly, we recommend looking elsewhere, such as the Tribit Flybuds 3, which offer a stronger IP rating for far less money. The Jabra Elite 7 Active earbuds also offer a stronger water resistance rating, a superior app, and a more comfortable ambient mode. Additionally, we don’t see a major advantage of this pair over Sennheiser’s other non-exercise-focused models, including the CX True Wireless ($129.95). In order to be successful in this competitive environment, Sennheiser needs to address the needs of gym goers better than this.
Sennheiser Sport True Wireless
Disadvantages
The final result
The Sennheiser Sport True Wireless in-ears deliver solid sound but suffer from disappointing water resistance and a boring design with interchangeable earbuds.
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