Sennheiser Accentum Plus Review
Can Sennheiser's Accentum Plus become the king of the mid-range options?
Verdict
Not the flashiest pair of headphones, either in terms of looks or their sound, but the Sennheiser Accentum Plus are nevertheless a very reliable and consistent pair of wireless headphones and an improvement on the original Accentum in terms of their ANC and wireless performance.
Pros
- Good ANC for the money
- Clear and detailed sound
- Excellent wireless performance
- Long battery life
- Good call quality
Cons
- Not big on bass
- Not the most dynamic either
Key Features
- BluetoothBluetooth multipoint and aptX Adaptive streaming
- ANCUpgraded to Hybrid Adaptive Noise-Cancellation
- ControlsCombination of physical and touch controls
Introduction
When I first heard about the Sennheiser Accentum Plus, my initial thoughts were that Sennheiser may have got itself into a pickle.
Why? Well, the Accentum Plus arrived not long after the original Accentum headphones, which lacked some of the features I’d have expected such as adaptive noise-cancellation, auto-pause, touch controls, and even a carry case.
The Sennheiser Accentum Plus rectifies those omissions and puts in a performance that’s a step above the original pair, though it does so with a more expensive price tag attached.
Design
- Same look
- New touch controls
- An actual carry case
From my perspective, it’s tempting to closely compare the Sennheiser Accentum and the Accentum Plus and see what differences there are. According to Sennheiser it’s effectively the same frame, construction, and aesthetics.
Though I’ll indulge myself and say that the clamping force feels a little tighter, although according to Sennheiser this is not intentional and likely just my sample feeling a little tighter on the head.
What’s definitely new is the introduction of touch controls. Where the Accentum used physical controls for playback, the Accentum Plus shifts that to the right earcup. While swipes and taps were responsive, there were times where I felt the desired response came about by accident rather than intentionally with some swipes and taps requiring a few attempts. It’s an issue with most headphones that use touch controls and the Accentum Plus hasn’t fully solved that.
Colours are provided in black and white versions, the Accentum Plus are a functional looking pair like the Momentum 4 Wireless rather than a flashy one. It’s not something I mind, as I’d take comfort over stand-out looks any day, but for those who’d like some style that’s not the direction Sennheiser’s over-ears are going in.
Also new is a carry case and 3.5mm jack. If you don’t like your headphones getting scuffed in your bag, or want to keep accessories like your USB-C charging and auxiliary 3.5mm cables in one place when travelling, that’s one more reason to opt for the Accentum Plus.
Features
- Hybrid Adaptive ANC
- Up to 50 hours battery
- aptX Adaptive Bluetooth
The standard Accentum had Hybrid ANC, which essentially means it blocked external sounds as well as minimise noise between the earcup and your ears. The Sennheiser Accentum Plus swaps that out for Hybrid Adaptive ANC, which automatically adjusts the strength of noise-cancellation applied, depending on how much noise there is around you.
The ANC performance is an improvement on the previous Accentum. It still needs assistance from the volume control to get rid of more external sounds, but worn on a plane and compared to the standard Accentum and it did suppress more of the ambient noises in the cabin.
It’s better at dealing with wind noise, making for a quieter experience, and the distortion on the Tube is kept to a minimum when dealing with loud noises. It’s a better all-round ANC experience, with the Transparency mode being the same (natural enough with good clarity and amplification of external sounds).
Bluetooth support includes SBC, AAC, aptX, and swaps out aptX HD for aptX Adaptive. The result is a much smoother wireless performance than the Accentum was capable of. I haven’t encountered many, if any wireless, drops walking through train stations and central London, whereas with the standard Accentum it was much more prone to connection drops.
Bluetooth multipoint is supported and the Sennheiser defaults to whichever device is playing audio, unless you change it in the settings. Generally, the Accentum Plus offers a better wireless performance than the original Accentum did.
Sennheiser claims a battery life of up to 50 hours with ANC on, and my five hour battery drain resulted in a drop to 90%, so the Accentum Plus hits that target. Looking at the specs it appears to be a slightly longer 3.5 hours for full charge compared to the Accentum Wireless, while a 10-minute charge provides five hours of playback.
Download the Sound Control app and that’s where you can customise the headphones’ settings and performance such as tweak the EQ with a five-band preset (or use Bass Boost and Podcast modes), manually alter the noise-cancelling, change the side-tone (for calls) and update the Accentum Plus’ firmware.
Features like Sound Check allow for a specific EQ to be created that is tailored to your hearing abilities. Sound Zones allows you to set ‘zones’ through geolocation and have preferred audio settings applied whenever you enter or leave these zones. For access to both these features, you’ll need to create a Sennheiser account.
Sound Quality
- Polite bass
- Good levels of clarity and detail
- Similar characteristics to Accentum Wireless
The sound quality for the Sennheiser Accentum Plus is not all that different from the Accentum model, which shouldn’t be a surprise. I was told at CES that, with a different ANC system, the tuning for this model had been slightly tweaked. However, the difference between the two is minimal, if there is a perceptible difference at all.
Comparing both Sennheiser headphones with a listen to GoGo Penguin’s Erased by Sunlight and they sound pretty much identical. High frequencies come across clearly, though the bass performance is an area that’s politely described rather than hammered at; light rather than firm, and without much depth to give the low frequencies impact.
Furthermore, a listen to Kingdom’s Bank Head sees the same result with the bass. It’s prevalent, but not described in big terms; measured and punchy, but with enough weight to it to satisfy, at least for me. If you’re a bass head, I think you’ll be disappointed by the performance. The Bass Boost provided in the app comes at the expense of midrange and treble clarity, and also makes the soundstage smaller. A pair of headphones like the Skullcandy Crusher ANC XT 2 would be much more down your street.
With Nick Mulvey’s Nitrous Man, the Accentum Plus show a good command of the midrange, fleshing it out with good levels of detail, as well as good clarity across the frequency range. Again, they’re not the most dynamic in terms of swinging from quiet to loud, but plug them in using their wired connection and (with an appropriately high quality file) they retrieve more detail, with those dynamic swings more evident.
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Should you buy it?
The most consistent mid-range headphones
The Sennheiser Accentum Plus are a consistently reliable performer from battery life, call quality, wireless performance and ANC; they tick off everything you’d want at this price.
You want more personality from your headphones
If the Sennheiser Accentum Plus were a person, their personality would be more introvert than extrovert. Given how technically strong they are for the price, a little more flavour with the sound would not have gone amiss.
Final Thoughts
The Sennheiser Accentum Plus, like their cheaper siblings, are an easy-going, reliably entertaining pair of headphones. Their noise-cancellation is better, as is the wireless performance. In terms of the group of headphones around the £200/$200 mark, they’re the most consistent performer I’ve come across.
They’re not perfect. Their sense of expression is polite rather than forthright, with bass that’s punchy rather than deep. It’s the type of sound that’s more neutral and measured, and might not appeal to those after more character and personality from their headphones.
Nevertheless, the Sennheiser Accentum Plus put in the best all-round performance from a headphone I’ve reviewed at this price. The king of the mid-range? They may well be. Check out our Best Headphones guide for more options.
How we test
We test every set of headphones we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
Tested across two months
Tested with real world use
Battery drain carried out
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FAQs
The key differences are that the Accentum Plus supports aptX Adaptive Bluetooth, integrates touch controls, features adaptive ANC, and comes with a carry case for travel.
Full specs
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Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
