The respected German audio brand has launched a trio of products that span the entire gamut of unwired personal hearing – headphone, earphone and earbuds
Anand Parthasarathy
October 22 2020:  You can have almost identical specifications in two products, even the same look –but class will tell one apart. Some makers get it right—the balance between quality and functionality, that is. I find myself making this argument every time I try out   an audio product from Sennheiser, sometime I grope for words to express that undefinable something that different. So, I won’t even try this time except to report  that the company has launched a trio of hearing devices just  as the  festive season starts, that  live up to the brand’s reputation, even while catering to every  preference, be it large on-ear headphones, or the lighter  in-ear phones  or the ultra-small  earbuds – all three of them Bluetooth wireless capable.
The HD250BT headphones are soft on the ears, but well designed to isolate   much of the outside noise.  Its main claim to fame is probably the significant battery quality that assures a full day’s continuous use.
You can sync you phone to take calls with the built-in mike. Sennheisser’s Smart Control app allows the user to subtly adjust the equalisers to suit   one’s preference and latch on to a Bluetooth-enabled television set or music player. The HD250BT costs Rs 5490.
The CX 120BT  earphones will appeal to those who prefer not to cover their ears entirely, shutting out the rest of the world.  These in-ear phones are a good choice if you combine work and play at your desk, listening to music till that webinar, video conference or conference call kicks in. The onboard batteries are good for about 5-6 hours. The ear phones cost Rs 3490.
The listening device form factor most popular in 2020 seems to be the true wireless buds. Users have discovered pass times like workout and jogging during these lockdown days and don’t like wires hampering their free movement. Sennheisser’s offering in this category is Momentum True Wireless 2.  The previous version launched just over a year ago, were marginally larger by about 2 mm, and about one gram heavier than the True Wireless 2 which weighs 70 grams.  Then as now the buds enable the wearer to leverage Google Assistant or Apple Siri, but the big leap in quality this time comes from the active noise cancellation they have built-in – along with the useful ability to let a bit of ambient noise in. The buds provide about 7 hours of life with the charger case capable of providing another 28 hours.
As always Sennheiser thoughtfully supplies a choice of small, medium and large silicone ear adapters which I personally find very useful since God hasn’t made all our ears the same shape and size.  Among true wireless buds this is something of a premium product and currently costs Rs 24,990 on Amazon and other e-comm sites – that is about twice the asking price of the earlier version today.  I’m guessing much of the cost pays for the significant feat of miniaturization that went into built active non cancellation into such a tiny product. And yes, after some try-outs I can confirm it really works!