Sennheiser Accentum Plus Review: The Price Is Right

I dread the time before noise-canceling headphones, and you’ll never see me without my trusted Sony WH-1000XM5s. These headphones don’t just sound terrific, but they also let me work in chaotic cafes or catch some sleep on short flights. Interestingly, while ANC headphones are a dime and a dozen nowadays, it’s still hard to single out a high-quality and affordable ANC headset from a reputable brand. Well, that changes with the Sennheiser Accentum Plus, which undercuts popular alternatives by a healthy margin.

That’s not all; the headphones also have intuitive touch controls, ANC smarts, and more. I’ve been using the Sennheiser Accentum Plus for a hot minute, and quite frankly, the cans deliver on most fronts. That said, there are some things you should know before you snag the headphones. Let’s look at the highlights and the potential drawbacks of the Accentum Plus.

Design and Comfort

I was taken aback when I first took the Sennheiser Accentum Plus out of its carrying case. Right off the bat, the headphones appeared smaller or, should I say, more condensed than most over-the-ear counterparts. The Accentum Plus is also decidedly lighter than the WH-1000XM5 and the Apple AirPods Max, which can be attributed to the use of plastic in its construction.

Having said that, save for the insubstantial prongs that anchor the earcups in place, the Accentum Plus doesn’t feel cheap. In fact, the outer shell sports a slick matte texture that can trick you into thinking it’s made of aluminum. And, although the earcups are not foldable, they can articulate up to 180 degrees, so you can seamlessly lay the headphones flat on a table.

If anything, I wasn’t the biggest fan of the headset’s fit. Put simply, the headphones clamped too tightly to my head, and I struggled to use the Accentum Plus for more than 1.5 hours at a stretch. To better understand the size difference between the earcups, I’ve attached a gallery of some of my most-used headphones alongside the Accentum Plus below.

As you can see, the earcups on the Accentum Plus headphones are noticeably smaller compared to my Sony WH-1000XM5s. On the positive side, the headphones have ample cushioning on the headrest, ensuring it doesn’t cause discomfort.

Additionally, the earcups, although not very breathable, offer good padding. I should also add that the Accentum Plus features an ear-detection sensor that works quite well. To that end, the headphones will automatically pause the music playback when you take them off. 

Although Sennheiser has cut some corners, the overall presentation will suffice for most buyers.  The icing on the cake is that the headphones ship with plenty of accessories and a handy travel case, too. 

App and Controls

The Accentum Plus features just one physical button. The toggle is positioned on the right earcup, letting you turn the headset on or off. Alternatively, you can long-press the button to put the headphones in pairing mode. The music playback, on the other hand, can be controlled seamlessly via gesture-based inputs.

To that end, you can swipe forward or backward on the right earcup to go forward or back a song. Additionally, a swipe up will increase the volume, and a swipe downward will decrease it. You can double-tap the right earcup to sift between the ANC and Transparency modes and tap once to play or pause the music playback.

The gesture-based controls worked flawlessly during my time with the headset, so no complaints here. As for the companion app, Sennheiser’s Smart Control utility has a polished interface where all the features are neatly displayed in the form of cards. Although it looks good from the get-go, you can declutter the home page further by removing some cards, which is great. 

Coming from Sony’s Headphone Connect app, the Smart Control utility was a breath of fresh air. What’s more, the app is just as functional, too, and it can display the codec being used and even lets users tweak the Accentum Plus’ sound signature with a built-in 5-band EQ.

You can even fiddle with a dedicated ‘bass boost’ mode if you yearn for more dramatic beats. Turning it on will improve the low-end output at the expense of recessing the mids. On that note, it’s time to examine the Sennheiser Accentum Plus’ sound quality closely.

Sound Quality, ANC, and Battery Life

The Sennheiser Accentum Plus ships with a pair of 37mm dynamic drivers that can operate from 10Hz to 22KHz. The headphones can relay audio over the AAC, aptX, aptX Adaptive, and SBC Bluetooth codecs. As such, you can pair the headphones with an iPhone, too. For the purpose of this review, I used the Accentum Plus exclusively with my OnePlus Open. The music was sourced from Apple Music at lossless quality.

As for the sound quality, the Sennheiser Accentum Plus offers a strong foundation and gels well with most musical genres. Unsurprisingly, the headphones’ sound signature leans towards the low end.

However, the bass doesn’t overpower the mid-range. This is evident in James Blunt’s song Limit to Your Love, where, at the 55-second mark, there is a strong bass line that can be felt without drowning out the vocals.

Similarly, I reveled in listening to songs from the hip-hop genre. Tracks like Pop Smoke’s Got It On Me, a cacophony of instruments, vocals, and beats, sounded stellar on the Accentum Plus. The headphones overturn adequate details and don’t sound muddy, even at high volume levels. Moreover, the Accentum Plus delivers a spacious soundstage, creating a layered sound that doesn’t feel like it’s coming from just one direction. 

I should also mention that the Accentum Plus has a lively treble. While it doesn’t sound as energetic as my WH-1000XM5s, I enjoyed listening to tracks like AC/DC’s It’s A Long Way To The Top and Foo Fighters These Days on the cans. The strums from the guitar didn’t sound dull, and I could tell one instrument from the other, even when the pace in These Days picked up. 

As for the ANC, the headphones cancel out noise really well. I recently visited Lucknow, and the Accentum Plus effectively blocked out the noise from fellow travelers, my colleague’s snores, and the plane’s engine. Using the headphones in ANC mode all the time did take some time to get used to (the only other profile is Transparency mode), but I doubt that’ll be a dealbreaker for many. 

The same goes for the headphone’s battery backup, and I charged the pair once during my eight-day stint with the Accentum Plus. The company cites the pair can last up to 50 hours off a single charge, and frankly, I don’t think the claims are exaggerated in any way whatsoever. As such, if you want a pair of cans with stellar battery life, the Accentum Plus should be on the top of your wishlist.

Verdict

I quite like the Sennheiser Accentum Plus. The Accentum Plus headphones don’t make exaggerated claims about their sound quality or design, unlike some of their competitors. Rather, they offer a well-rounded package that doesn’t necessarily excel in any particular area but also doesn’t fall short of expectations either.

Needless to say, for its asking price of $230 (Rs 15,990), the Accentum Plus gets a lot right. The headset’s powerful ANC tech should help you get work done in noisy environments. At the same time, the sound signature is well-balanced and maintains clarity across the midrange, treble, and low end. While you could squeeze out more detail in your favorite songs by opting for say, the WH-1000XM5 or the Momentum 4, you’ll also have to pay considerably more. As such, if you’re looking for capable and affordable headphones, you can’t go wrong with the Accentum Plus.