Sennheiser's Sport True Wireless represent a new category for the company, wireless ear buds designed for sports. With that, there are a lot of expectations that come with competing in a crowded fitness wearables market. So does the Sport True Wireless deliver where it matters? Let's find out.
Design and Fit
Right off the bat, the first you notice is that the Sport True Wireless look like chunky commas that sprang out of your keyboard. That isn't to say its a bad thing, in fact, I like the design and the feel of the device in hand.
They feel sturdy, have some weight to them and the materials used feel premium. Sennheiser also includes different sizes of ear wings and buds, which is neat because it allows you to customize a fit according to your needs.
The included wings have three sets of options for those who prefer closed earbuds, and three sets of open earbuds. The idea here is that the closed buds are meant for situations where you need to block outside noise, like during a gym workout and the open ones are meant more for situations where you need some awareness of the surroundings around you, like jogging or cycling.
To go with these options, are four pairs of ear wings that rest on your ear's Antihelix. Of the four, I found the default a little too slippery for my taste, so I switched over to the largest size available.
The Sports True Wireless also have a distinctive cube shape to them, which looks great in the matte black finish of our review unit. The black breaks up the Sennheiser logo embossed in gold font in the center.
The Charging Case
Like the buds, the case is cuboid in design with rounded corners and a slot for a lanyard on one side. Though, I struggle to see why you would use a lanyard with the case. But if you have the urge to rope the buds around your wrist, the option is there.
The case itself is well-built and feels premium but it is also larger than cases you normally see with wireless earbuds, meaning its not going to fit snugly into your pocket. The earbuds attach magnetically and won't fall off even if you turn the case upside down.
Included is a USB Type-C charging cable and Sennheiser says that you can expect nine hours of battery life with a single charge, and an extra eighteen hours of standby on the case itself, which totals to almost thirty hours of battery life.
In my experience, these heavily depend on the volume levels you are using on the buds and whether you are running the buds in Focus or Aware mode. The Aware mode tended to last a little longer but the Focus mode isn't that far behind.
Software and Controls
These buds work with Sennheiser's Smart Control App, that is available both on Android and iOS. It handles firmware updates automatically and offers a full equalizer to shape the sound the way you want.
Depending on the type of buds you have equipped, your Sport True Wireless will either be in Aware or Focus mode. The blue rimmed buds are meant for use with Aware mode and the black rimmed ones are for the Focus mode.
Theoretically, Focus mode should reduce outside environmental noise while Aware mode should increase it but to my ears, I couldn't tell much of a difference between the two. All I noticed was a little bit of boosted bass while in Focus mode but apart from that, they felt relatively same. There is even an option to control side tone, which is the sound of your own voice that is caught by the speakers.
The app also allows customization of the touch controls on the buds themselves. Both buds have a capacitive layer over the surface that allows for taps. You can customize what you want your buds to do when you tap once versus when you tap and hold, for example.
There are no gesture controls here, and some commands overlap such as taking calls and switching tracks both require a double tap on the buds. Sometimes, if you get an annoying missed call, and you attempt to pick it up, the buds do get confused and change the music track.
Another problem is that the app feels sluggish on Android, even on Samsung Galaxy S22+'s 120Hz display, there were noticeable frame drops and hitches. The interface itself is very minimal and nicely designed, though I wish it was a little smoother.
Sound Quality
Okay, so the review seems like it's a bit mixed so far, but to me what tipped my opinion about the buds over the scale was the sound quality. The 7mm drivers work wonders here with clear mids and crisp highs.
They are a little on the 'bass'-ier side of the spectrum though, which means rock or metal music didn't quite sound as it should, with the bass guitar and the kick drums being a little too prominent.
These are perfect for electronic music however, with each 'thump' and 'oomph' represented with gutso. They also work well with Bollywood music or jazz, where the buds capture that smoky timbre perfectly.
Thankfully, there are EQ settings that you can control with the app though, and with a little fiddling around you can get them to sound as flat or as colored as you want.
I didn't take many calls during my time with buds, but the ones I attended sounded clear and crisp, the parties at other end, also confirmed that they could hear me just fine.
Conclusion
At Rs 10,990, these are a pricey set of wireless earbuds. Another knock against it, is the lack of any true ANC or noise cancelling. If you narrow down the market to just workout or sports earbuds, then the price is in line with the more premium options out there.
The lack of noise cancelling hurts it a bit but the sound quality makes up for that in spades. If you are looking for a good pair of buds to be your workout companion, and don't mind the absence of noise cancelling, then these are a great choice.
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