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Updated April 11, 2024·
If you're immersed in the Apple ecosystem and prefer something that pairs seamlessly with your devices, the Apple AirPods (3rd generation) would be a convenient choice. They offer good sound quality for music and calls, though they may fall short for gaming and TV due to latency issues. Despite their midrange price, they're still less expensive than the Sennheiser Momentum Sport. The AirPods excel in portability and provide spatial audio features, but they lack active noise cancellation and have poorer noise isolation, making them less ideal for noisy environments. Meanwhile, Sennheiser's Momentum Sport, although more costly, boasts features like a heart rate monitor, body temperature tracking, and compatibility with physical activity tracking apps, making them better suited for exercise enthusiasts. They provide very good noise isolation with active noise cancelling, and the use of AptX Adaptive can curtail latency troubles, enhancing your experience for gaming and TV. Both options support wireless charging and similarly quick charging times, but if you're concerned with sound quality and additional fitness tracking functionalities, the extra investment in Sennheiser might be justified. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Apple Airpods (3rd generation)
Very good for podcasts and audiobooks
Advantages of the Sennheiser Momentum Sport
Very good for gaming
Good for TV and video
Very good for exercise
Key differences
Gaming
5.4/10
8.8/10
The Sennheiser Momentum Sport is very good for gaming, while the Apple Airpods (3rd generation) is poor.
Phone Calls
7.6/10
7.0/10
The Apple Airpods (3rd generation) and Sennheiser Momentum Sport are both good for phone calls, though the Apple Airpods (3rd generation) is somewhat better.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
8.6/10
7.8/10
The Apple Airpods (3rd generation) is very good for podcasts and audiobooks, while the Sennheiser Momentum Sport is good.
TV and Video
5.5/10
7.8/10
The Sennheiser Momentum Sport is good for TV and video, while the Apple Airpods (3rd generation) is poor.
Noise Reduction
2.5/10
8.0/10
The Sennheiser Momentum Sport is very good for noise reduction, while the Apple Airpods (3rd generation) is poor.
Cost
$179
$330
$100
$150
$200
$250
$300
$350
$400
The Apple Airpods (3rd generation) has a price of $179 and the Sennheiser Momentum Sport costs $330.
"The Apple AirPods improves upon the 2019 model with its more ergonomic, yet unsealed, fit, water-resistant build, MagSafe charging case, and advanced software features. You can enjoy a wholly immersive movie experience with the new AirPods' spatial audio with head tracking, and enjoy HD audio during FaceTime calls. Of course, most of these features are limited to Apple hardware."
"We hadn't been expecting a new pair of dedicated sports buds but the surprise was nonetheless exciting. I got to try out the new buds at CES 2024 and while they have stayed true to delivering that "signature" Sennheiser sound, with a wide soundstage and strong sense of detail, it’s the extra wearable tech inside them that stands out to me against the best workout headphones."
Get a great deal on the Apple Airpods (3rd generation) or the Sennheiser Momentum Sport
About Apple
Apple Inc. is an American technology company, founded in 1976, known for its wide range of premium products, including smartphones, computers, and audio solutions. Apple offers the very popular personal audio line AirPods, highly regarded for their wireless, smart capabilities and their seamless integration with the iPhone, iPad and Mac devices. They provide a high-quality sound, comfort and lifestyle features perfect for all users invested in their ecosystem.
About Sennheiser
A family-owned company, Sennheiser is a German, high fidelity, audio equipment manufacturer founded in 1945. Their consumer audio division is now owned by the Swiss hearing aid and cochlear implant manufacturer Sonova. Sennheiser offers a wide variety of, very high quality, audio equipment solutions, from headphones to earbuds, full sets of monitoring speakers, amplifiers and microphones. They also make what is widely regarded as the best, and most expensive, headphones in existence, the HE-1 Orpheus, costing a whopping $59,000 dollars.
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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec earbuds & headphones team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest earbuds or headphones information and makes it digestible for you.
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About the Earbuds or Headphones team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Earbuds and Headphones Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Luis Torres
Earbuds and Headphones Expert
Luis is a Mexico-based headphones expert. He’s been making headphone recommendations for five years and has close to 100 pairs in his personal collection.