Sennheiser SPORT True Wireless

Package

The Sport True Wireless come with a wide range of accessories: in addition to the in-ears plus charging case, there’s a neck strap, three pairs each of closed and open silicone ear tips, ear fins in four sizes and a USB-C charging cable

Wearing comfort

The Sennheiser Sport True Wireless are not the smallest sports in-ears on the market. They seem almost chunky and protrude from the ears. The weight of 6.8 grams each is in the mid-range, while a stable hold in the ear is ensured thanks to a range of different sized ear fins. Whether for short sprints, bike rides or daily walks, the Sennheiser Sport True Wireless always fit firmly and rarely needed to be pressed in. Unfortunately, due to a lack of fitness and not having a gym subscription, your reviewer cannot say whether they would offer the same stable fit during marathons or weight lifting – please forgive him for that.

The real attraction here is the earpieces, which are available in different versions: a blue ring means that the earpieces are open, i.e. they let ambient noise through to the ear much better than the enclosed version. This not only increases safety when running but also minimises impact sound and breathing noises when using the blue EarTip. This works quite well in practice, although the effect is more subtle than an actively controlled transparency mode with pressure compensation. The closed silicone EarTips, in contrast, seal off more from the environment. Changing the EarTips logically results in a noticeable change in sound, which is why Sennheiser’s “Smart Control” app is an absolute necessity. This allows the sound to be adapted to the respective fitting pieces. But more on that later.

Thanks to IP54, these headphones are protected against dust and splashes of water, although the charging case does not have any certification. But, due to its sturdy plastic construction and the protective rubber cover over the USB charging port, splashes can’t do much harm.

Generally, the Sennheiser Sport True Wireless seem impeccably and robustly manufactured, but there is still one point of criticism. When unpacking the in-ears, we noticed a small grey foam roller, which fortunately did not land on the desk mat, but on the sticky back of the ear tip packaging. Normally, these rollers are tucked into the tiny driver holes of the earbuds.

Bluetooth and battery life

Thanks to the current Bluetooth version 5.2, pairing was quick: insert the earphones, press the touch surfaces for three seconds and select them in the settings of the external player – and they are connected. In our practical test, the Sennheiser Sport True Wireless achieved very good results: In the open air, the first drop-outs only occurred after about 40 metres, and inside an apartment, we had to go up a floor before the first drop-outs could be heard.

With nine hours of playback time and an additional 18 hours of battery life via the charging case, a total running time of 27 hours is on offer. After about 1.5 hours of charge, the earpieces go back to one hundred per cent, while a quick ten-minute recharge gives approximately 60 minutes of runtime. However, the case cannot be recharged wirelessly.

Sennheiser Smart Control

Sennheiser provides its Bluetooth headphones with a wide range of configuration options. In the case of the model being tested here, however, this diversity was less extensive due to the lack of features such as noise-cancelling or transparency mode.

In the app (for iOS and Android), you can choose between two pre-set noise profiles – called “Adaptable Acoustics” – depending on the earpieces. In addition, you can update the firmware and change the touch interface. A simple three-band EQ lets you tune the sound, or you can select a suitable EQ curve from six pre-sets. These can be edited and saved. It is also possible to adjust the frequency individually by clicking through several sound profiles while your favourite music is playing. You can save this hearing-adapted EQ curve and repeat it as often as you like. This requires a free account with Sennheiser so that your own sound settings can be made available across devices. There is a special EQ pre-set for podcasts, which ensures better speech intelligibility by slightly raising the mid-range.

The “Sidetone” setting mixes in your own voice during telephone calls, so you avoid the effect of speaking out loud, which normally occurs when wearing headphones. Here you can choose between “Off”, “Min” and “Max”.

Multipoint is not supported, but it is possible to switch between several devices in the app. It is possible to deactivate the touch control, define the switch-off time, configure notification tones and voice messages (currently in English only), and finally, there is a codec display.

Sound

The seven-millimetre TrueResponse drivers with a frequency response of 5Hz to 21kHz ensure a successful sound performance: the sound was clear, and defined, but not too sharp or even harsh.

The bass range was slightly boosted and provided the necessary basic warmth. If you expect booming or even thunderous bass for your workout, you will be disappointed and may need to use the EQ to help out. Raising the lows by 6dB made the bass range seem muddy and it radiated into the midrange.

The mids were also boosted to give vocals and lead instruments the necessary presence. Thanks to a special podcast EQ curve, you can understand your favourite voices flawlessly, even when running on a treadmill.

The treble behaved inconspicuously, although spikily mixed songs certainly tended towards sibilance. Nevertheless, the Sennheiser Sport True Wireless managed to present spatial details nicely on a broad stage.

Finally, we would rate the quality of phone calls as good – but this is always dependent on your own network quality.