Unusually versatile sport buds, true wireless earbuds that support Auracast “one point to many” Bluetooth streaming, and premium over-the ear-ANC headphones landing at a more “popular” (in other words, cheaper) price.
Those are the takeaways from Sennheiser’s Monday CES press conference, during which the all-new Momentum Sport and Momentum True Wireless 4 earbuds, as well as a new over-hear headphone—the Accentum Plus—were unveiled.
Momentum Sport
Sennheiser’s Momentum Sport have features designed specifically for active people.
Sennheiser
Fitness devotees will have to wait until April 9 for the Momentum Sport ($329.95), but it should be worth it. These wireless earbuds integrate both body temp and PPG (photoplethysmography) heart-rate sensors that communicate findings to many popular sport devices and apps, including Apple Watch/Health, Garmin Watch/Connect, Strava, and Peloton. They’re the first non-Polar product to offer both real-time and offline access to that popular fitness and wellness watch-maker’s Polar Flow platform.
The Momentum Sport also tackles major complaints about earbuds worn in motion. These buds feature a unique “acoustic relief” channel that aims to dampen the vibration noises generated in earbuds from footsteps, breathing, and the like, while their “semi-open” design keeps wearers safely in touch with their surroundings. The latter works in tandem with an adjustable transparency mode, adaptive noise cancelling, and an anti-wind mode.
Sennheiser Momentum Sport earbuds in their charging case.
Sennheiser
Sennheiser is also promising its “best ever” sport bud sound quality here, thanks to a redesigned transducer, plus a shock-proof chassis and IP55 sweat and water resistance. The Sport’s Qi-Enabled carry case is durable, too–it’s rated IP54—and it holds up to three earbud recharges, extending use time from 6 hours to 24. When planted in their carry case and hardwired to a power source via USB-C, Momentum Sport buds can gulp down 45 minutes of quick-charge battery run time in just 10 minutes. You’ll find them in three color options: Polar Black, Burned Olive, and Metallic Graphite.
Momentum True Wireless 4
Momentum True Wireless 4 in-ear headphones.
Sennheiser
Sennheiser is calling its $299.95 Momentum True Wireless 4 its “most capable earbud yet.” Relying on feature-packed Qualcomm chip technology–the S5 Sound Gen 2 platform and Snapdragon Sound—these buds offer aptX lossless/low latency sound from compatible devices, along with advancements made possible with their state-of-the-art Bluetooth 5.4 radio.
There’s support for Auracast, too, a closed-circuit broadcast solution that invites multiple (compatible) earbud wearers to tune simultaneously to a single point source. Just the ticket for a gallery tour, or to get specific flight information at the airport by picking out the appropriate stream from an on-screen menu or with a QR code. These fourth generation Momentum buds also bring improved Adaptive ANC, 7.5 hours of play, a Qi charging case, and quick charging over USB-C. Pre-orders start Feb 15 with availability in Black Copper, Metallic Silver, and Graphite.
Accentum Plus
Sennheiser promises high-end performance from the reasonably priced Accentum Plus over-ear headphones.
Sennheiser
On the over-the-ear headphone front, Sennheiser’s new Accentum Plus brings a feature previously seen only in Sennheiser’s flagship models—a touch-sensitive earcup—to a more affordable price point (available February 20 for $229.95, in black or white). The touch-control panel lets you intuitively move the music along with the wiggle of your finger, adjust the volume, or take a call without searching for the correct button or digging out your phone.
Other Accentum Plus features include Adaptive ANC, wind-reduction, and multipoint connectivity (for sharing the headphones between two devices). Sennheiser promises a generous 50 hours of listening time per charge, aptX Adaptive codec support, Bluetooth 5.2 wireless connectivity, and an audio input jack and included audio cable for hardwiring the earphones to the device of your choice. Sennheiser also supplies a travel case, of course.
