The last pair of earphones I bought was Xiaomi’s wireless earbuds “AirDots”. Within a few months, the AirDots stopped pairing and I could only use one side at a time. Having bought at least 3 pairs of wireless earbuds with the same results, I decided to play safe this time around and opted for a pair of traditional earphones: the Sennheiser MOMENTUM In-Ear.
Overview of Sennheiser MOMENTUM In-Ear
The Sennheiser MOMENTUM In-Ear is a pair of wired earphones with ear cancellation ear tips. It came with a mic, so it could also be used for attending Zoom meetings or simply picking up phone calls.
One could sense the premium feel of the product right from the packaging. Even the tray holding the main product inside the box felt premium. The tray held the earphone case, which in turn held the earphones and extra ear tips.
The ear tips that housed the main speaker mechanism was encased in a sleek, gunmetal material. There were 2 colour options for Sennheiser MOMENTUM In-Ear, but I chose the conservative black gunmetal over the louder red. Somehow, I felt that I got the better colour.
Unique Features of Sennheiser MOMENTUM In-Ear
To protect the connection between the wires and the earbuds, the wire was looped through a hoop extending from the ear bud. This dampens the impact from occasional tugs. It remains to be seen if this design can really prevent wear and tear at the earbuds’ connections over time.
There was also this buckle-ish thing to adjust where the earphones would “split” into the individual sides. I haven’t found much practical value for it. Except when I tightened it so the wires would fit nicely around my chin, I looked like I was wearing some ancient Korean hats with straps.
When I read reviews about the Sennheiser MOMENTUM In-Ear, there were many people who warned that this was not going to work with Apple phones. However, I couldn’t find anything written in the specs that said it was made for Android OS.
Sound and Quality
I had wanted to buy a pair of Sennheiser earphones for its branding – Sennheiser is known for producing top quality audio products, so even a budget, sub-$100 earphones like the Sennheiser MOMENTUM In-Ear should be a safe buy.
I have only 3 uses for the Sennheiser MOMENTUM In-Ear. First, on the commute, second when on Zoom meetings, and third, (sometimes) before I sleep.
My first test of Sennheiser MOMENTUM In-Ear’s quality was right before sleep. The quiet of the night allowed me to test if the sound quality was as good. The music sounded muffled, but when I tried to turn up the volume, my ears started to hurt. That made it felt like perhaps I was unable to pick up the higher frequencies due to age.
Of course, I was listening to Spotify, so the music quality wasn’t top notch too.
The experience was much better when I was in meetings. Voices came out clear and people could also hear me well without me having to bring the mic-piece to my mouth.
I used the Sennheiser MOMENTUM In-Ear mostly for daily commute. That was when the noise cancelling came to good use. Interestingly, I was able to hear the music with mid-range volume, despite the din from the train.
When I was walking, and the wires would sway or brush against my clothes, the noise was also minimal. That whoosh-whoosh was noticeable, but it was not as bad as my other pair of sub $20 unbranded earphones.
I must say that the hard case, fabric earphone casing was worthy of such a premium product. However, if I were to be out and about, I wouldn’t want to bring such a bulky case around. In fact, a casing that could fit easily into my pants pocket would be ideal – but that was not the design philosophy, I guess.
The earphones came with rubber tips of 2 sizes in the packaging. The smaller one fit me the best. I could listen to music on my slightly more than an hour long commute without any feeling any discomfort.
What Didn’t Work For My Sennheiser MOMENTUM In-Ear
A problem that I could not solve was that my pair of Sennheiser MOMENTUM In-Ear could not work with my ASUS VivoBook S14. The sound would still be piped through my laptop speakers even after plugging in my earphones.
Initially, I thought it had to do with the “compatible with Android” feature I mentioned earlier. However, the earphones worked with my work laptop (which was a HP Elitebook). I still couldn’t find a solution to the problem online.
Parting Words
Despite not working with my personal laptop that is ASUS VivoBook, the Sennheiser MOMENTUM In-Ear still exceeded my expectations in many ways.
For one, it still worked on my Google Pixel 4a, which was my main device of usage. It also worked with my work laptop, so the Sennheiser MOMENTUM In-Ear is still functional for my online meetings.
For $99, the sound quality was decent, and the noise cancellation effect made this pair of earphones a good music companion when I’m travelling to and from work. Voices for phone calls and meetings were also crystal clear.
$99 seemed high when there are plenty of unbranded wired earphones under $30. However, those budget options often come with uncomfortable ear tips, bad noise cancelling or simply bad sound quality.
Sennheiser MOMENTUM In-Ear seemed to have hit the right notes at this price range, and I think it will stick with me for years to come.
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Till then, stay hungry!