Sennheiser has extended its over-ear and on-ear Momentum headphone line into the in-canal earphone realm. The $99.95 Momentum In-Ear  earphones are significantly more affordable than the previous Momentum headphones, but they still come with an air of luxury thanks to their simple, elegant design. The Momentum In-Ears' sound signature is unique, more bright (in the highest frequencies) than crisp (in the high-mids), and fully capable of delivering powerful, distortion-free bass at higher volumes. Is the sound too bright? At times, yes, but in the age of booming bass, that's almost a welcome anomaly. If you can spend a bit more, the Editors' Choice Bowers & Wilkins C5 Series 2 ( at Amazon) offer a less bright, but even better-balanced sound.

One note: The Momentum In-Ear is offered in two models—the Momentum In-Ear G  (for most Samsung, LG, Sony, and HTC mobile devices) and the Momentum In-Ear I  (for Apple iOS devices). Both models cost the same, and the only difference is how the remote works with your device; the drivers and visual design are identical.

Design

Though its on-ear and over-ear headphone siblings in the Momentum family have striking designs, the In-Ear's look is rather subdued. The focus here is on colors, specifically red and black for the only model currently available. The flat cable is red on one side, black on the other, and descends from each ear through a simple, elegant metallic piece with the Sennheiser logo emblazoned on it. The fit is secure, and the earphones are very lightweight.

A remote control and microphone compartment is situated on the cable for the right ear, at roughly chin-height. As previously mentioned, the remote comes in two varieties—one for Apple products, one for all others—but both models can control volume, play/pause/jump through tracks, and answer/end calls, as well.

The Momentum In-Ear is light on accessories, with only two pairs of eartips. The included case is of a higher quality level than most earphone cases twice as expensive: It's a compact, zip-up case with a removable cradle that houses the earpieces while the cable wraps around its contour. There's certainly room for another eartip pair in there, and three pairs is the unofficial standard minimum for earphones in the price range. So, hurray for the case, but boo for the lack of typical accessories.

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Performance

On tracks with tremendous sub-bass content, like The Knife's "Silent Shout," The Momentum In-Ear earphones deliver a healthy, rotund bass response that will please bass lovers, and there's no distortion even at top, very unsafe listening levels. But perhaps the most notable aspect of the Momentum In-Ears' sound signature is their boosted high frequency response rather than bass performance.

A song that better showcases this is Bill Callahan's "Drover." With the In-Ear earphones, his baritone vocals retain their smooth low-mid presence, but also get some tweaking in the highest frequencies that makes them sound less crisp than bright. The high-end attack of the percussion also jumps out, which is a bit of a rarity on this track through most earphones we test.

On Jay-Z and Kanye West's "No Church in the Wild," the kick drum loop receives plenty of high-mid presence to remain sharp and slice through the mix, but the higher frequencies seem more boosted—which, again, is rare. We hear more of the sibilance in vocals than usual, for instance, and we hear vinyl crackle that sits underneath this entire mix as if it were far more prevalent. There's still plenty of bass oomph, as well. The sub-bass synth hits are powerful, as is the sustain of the kick drum loop, but the sound signature is definitely brighter than most on the market.

Classical tracks, like the opening scene in John Adams' The Gospel According to the Other Mary, allow the Momentum In-Ears to shine. The lower register strings come to life, and the higher register strings and vocals have a wonderful balance. The boosted high frequencies don't seem to have as much of a brightening effect on these mixes as they do on more EQ-ed pop and rock mixes. It's still a bright sound overall, but the lows are richly represented and the Momentum In-Ears never sound more balanced than they do on this style of recording.

The Momentum In-Ears are peculiar earphones that can sound too bright on some genres, and just right on others, all while serving up robust bass response. If you're looking for a strong bass response, but perhaps something a bit less bright, consider the B&W C5 Series 2 or the Bose Freestyle ($129.95 at Amazon) . If it's a crisp response you're after, but don't want it to be overly bright in the highest frequencies, the Westone W10 ($135.00 at Amazon) is a solid in-ear option, but also quite a bit pricier. And if you just want to spend less on decent earphones, the Audio-Technica ATH-CKX7iS ($56.87 at Amazon) get the job done on a budget. For $100, you could certainly do worse, but this product is not quite on the same level as its more expensive headphone siblings.

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