Sennheiser SPORT TW Review

Sennheiser is continuing its push into the absolute war zone that is the True Wireless Earbud Market with its latest model, the SPORT TW. Sennheiser is known for its top-quality consumer products for a wide range of lifestyles/situations. At the time of writing this, the SPORT is still only available for preorder, and I’m super excited to get an advance copy. At $130, the SPORT has a lot of serious competition and I’m going to see if it can live up to the challenge.

What’s in the Box

• Sennheiser SPORT True Wireless earbuds
• Charging case with lanyard
• USB-C charging cable
• Closed and Open ear adapter sets (S/M/L)
• Ear fins sets (N, S1, S2, S3)
• Quick Guide & Safety Guide

Look and Feel

Sennheiser made sure that the SPORT could withstand physical activity at any intensity. The ear tips are customized to fit multiple styles of workout, and the detachable ear fins ensure that the SPORT can fit securely with nearly any ear type. The design is sleek and the construction feels incredibly solid and heavy, including the charging case. That being said, these are some of the bulkiest True wireless headphones I’ve seen and that might be a deterrent for some, but I liked that they had a bit of weight to help them feel secure.

Design

Sennheiser designed the SPORT to handle any level of performance. The housing is made to be both durable and ergonomic and has IP54 Water Splash and Sweat resistance. The drivers are Sennheiser’s own 7mm dynamic drivers that they assure still give full bass tone, despite being smaller drivers. The SPORT also features adaptive noise cancellation, EQ, and customization through its app, Sennheiser Smart Control.

The Sennheiser SPORT True Wireless has a frequency response of 5 Hz – 21 kHz and a battery life of 9hrs plus 27hrs in the case, with a 1.5 hr full charge time.

Sennheiser Smart Control App

Like most modern TW headphones, SPORT has its own control app that allows users to customize their listening experience. It has most of the standard true wireless headphone features, such as EQ, environmental acoustic settings, and touch control customization. The EQ allows users to save presets, and Sennheiser’s Sound Check service helps users pick EQ settings tailored for their music. The EQ only has 3 bands (low, mid, high) which doesn’t allow for much fine-tuning. The SPORT doesn’t have true adaptive noise cancellation but instead has Adaptable Acoustics which lets you pick between two preset noise profiles, requiring users to switch ear tips to get the full effect. I found Adaptable Acoustics to be underwhelming, especially considering how common active noise cancellation is in earbuds at the same price point. The touch controls are intuitive and feel smooth, which is essential for any workout headphones.

Soundstage

The soundstage on the SPORT is great for athletic use. It’s very middle of the pack and still represents the stereo field well without becoming a hindrance to performance. It provides a nice sound and image that’s clear enough for listening even during challenging physical activity but doesn’t become distracting or misleading to the point where it might become distracting and potentially hazardous depending on use. The dynamics are pushed up front to make sure you can still hear everything during your workout.

Lows

The Lows on the sport sound very good. While there is a boost, it’s to ensure that you can still hear them during your workout. They do occasionally crowd the mix, but for the most part, they do a good job of adding impact to the sound. You aren’t going to get the most detail out of the low end, but you will get presence and energy.

Mids

The mids are pushed as well to bring lead instruments and vocalists up front. This is very necessary for the context of use. While the sound is by no means an accurate representation, it’s sculpted to provide everything you need to hear to get the full picture. You wouldn’t be able to hear finer details on a treadmill anyways, so getting a clear sound for the more essential aspects is much more important.

Highs

The highs on the SPORT are pretty standard sounding and they don’t provide too much detail. However, they also don’t detract from the sound in any way. I rarely heard them distort or become harsh, and sometimes heard some surprisingly nice reverb tails and spatial details. Like everything else, the SPORT sculpts the highs to emphasize more essential ranges for the core sound, which is important.

Overall

The Sennheiser SPORT TW is a great workout headphone. Despite their size, you don’t have to worry about them falling out or getting damaged. They provide a clear image of the sound and can give you just the right amount of immersion/escape from the outside world while still giving a sense of awareness. I would highly recommend these if you’re looking for a hassle-free, quality workout earbud that still sounds good.

You can buy the Sennheiser SPORT True Wireless at Audio46