First Impressions: Sennheiser Accentum Plus Wireless
A brief look and listen of Sennheiser's latest Accentum headphones
First Impressions
First impressions of the Accentum Plus augur well, with a more convenient experience than the original Accentum along with its higher calibre of features.
Key Features
- BluetoothBluetooth multipoint and aptX Adaptive streaming
- ANCUpgraded to Hybrid Adaptive Noise-Cancellation
- ControlsCombination of physical and touch controls
Introduction
Of the three headphones Sennheiser announced at CES 2024, the Accentum Plus was the most unexpected.
Announced only a few months after the Accentum Wireless, the Plus model features adaptive noise-cancellation, auto-pause, touch controls, and a slightly tweaked sound resulting from integrating the new Hybrid Adaptive ANC system.
It also comes with a more expensive price tag, putting them between the Accentum Wireless and Momentum 4 Wireless.
It’d be tempting to be cynical about the Accentum Plus Wireless given how soon they followed the original. Nevertheless, I was interested in forming initial impressions about how they performed, and whether the extra features could be worth the jump in price.
Design
- Same look
- New touch controls
- An actual carry case
Much like the Momentum True Wireless 4 and its predecessor, the design Accentum Plus matches Accentum Wireless, though they’re slightly heavier (looking at the specs) by 5g (222g vs 227g).
Colours match the original Accentum with black and white versions whenever it goes on sale. What’s new is the introduction of touch controls. The Accentum used physical controls for playback, the Accentum Plus shifts that to the right earcup. From my brief time using them, swipes and taps were responsive.
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 a reason to opt for the Accentum Plus.
Features
- Hybrid Adaptive ANC
- Up to 50 hours battery
- Bluetooth aptX HD support
The Accentum had Hybrid ANC, which essentially means it blocked external sounds as well as minimise noise between the earcup and your ears. The Accentum Plus shifts the noise-cancellation system to Hybrid Adaptive ANC, and that automatically changes the strength of noise-cancellation applied depending on how much noise the microphones sense around them.
A Las Vegas hotel room wasn’t the best conditions to give the Accentum Plus a listen with regards to noise-cancellation, but the noise-cancelling seemed a little better than the Accentum Wireless, and while I could still hear people around me, music remained the focus.
The original Accentum struggled in loud and windy conditions, so it’ll be interesting to see if the same problems befall the Accentum Plus. With the anti-wind ANC mode activated automatically, it seems as if Sennheiser was aware it’s an area Accentum Wireless could struggle in.
Bluetooth support remains SBC, AAC, aptX, and aptX HD, and the Accentum Plus is again compliant with Bluetooth 5.2. Walking from one busy room in the hotel to the balcony section didn’t cause any blips or connection drops, but it also wasn’t the toughest of conditions for a headphone to face.
Battery life is up to 50 hours with ANC on (Sennheiser tested this with an iPhone at medium volume so it could change depending on device). It’s a slightly longer 3.5 hours for full charge than the Accentum Wireless, and a 10-minute charge provides five hours of playback.
Sound Quality
- Slightly smoother midrange
- Similar characteristics to Accentum Wireless
Because the Accentum Plus features Hybrid Adaptive ANC, I’ve been told Sennheiser had to account for the effect the different ANC system would have on the sound, so the tuning has been slightly tweaked for this model.
I’ve also been told that the Accentum Plus is closer in sound to the Accentum Wireless than it is to the Momentum 4 Wireless, and that does seem to be the case. It has the same 37mm driver, and like the original Accentum, it plays better at higher volumes than it does at its default.
With Keith Jarret’s My Song there was some nice impression of dynamism evident, the dynamic range was solid too with its sharp reproduction of the piano’s treble notes and some oomph to the low frequencies.
With Katy B’s On A Mission, the tone of the bass sounded as I remembered it on the Accentum – not rich but more measured and balanced, and as the volume gets pushed up the low frequencies seem to have more room to breathe. Whatever changes were made to the tuning; my guess is the focus was the midrange. It sounds a little smoother and not quite as crisp, especially the way the Accentum Plus Wireless describes vocals.
First Impressions
The changes to the Accentum Plus seemed to work from the brief time I had playing with the headphones. The Accentum Plus feels like the headphone I’d have expected from Sennheiser instead of the Accentum.
The point of having two Accentum models appears to be choice: either (potentially) better performance and slightly higher price; or less expensive and more accessible pricing. I wonder whether Sennheiser has made it slightly awkward for itself, but hopefully I’ll have a clearer idea of which is better once the Accentum Plus Wireless is on sale.
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Full spec
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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.
