Sennheiser Accentum Wireless Review

There’s been a deluge of latest lively noise canceling (ANC) headphones launched in past due 2023, and you could have neglected the lower-cost Sennheiser ACCENTUM Wi-fi. On the other hand, it’s your decision to be aware of those if you wish to have new headphones. We have been in a position to get our arms on them for some time — however are they any just right? Let’s take a pay attention.

Editor’s be aware: that is the primary model of the item. Updates will practice because the marketplace adjustments.

What’s it like to make use of Sennheiser ACCENTUM Wi-fi?

While you open the field of the Sennheiser ACCENTUM Wi-fi, you’ll be greeted together with your headphones, a USB cable, and a few varied documentation. There’s no sporting case, which is the primary signal that some sacrifices were made in comparison to Sennheier’s extra top class choices. Fortunately, the headphones don’t appear so fragile that they couldn’t be chucked right into a bag safely.

The very first thing you’ll understand when dressed in the Sennheiser ACCENTUM Wi-fi is that the headphones are very mild and feature ok padding for lengthy listening classes. Regardless that the padding isn’t as thick as on better headsets, it’s similar to the Bose QuietComfort Headphones in that it will get away with fewer convenience options as a result of there’s no longer a large number of weight for your noggin.

I used to be in a position to put on those headphones for hours with none discomfort. Nonetheless, the combo of thinner padding and the leatherette coating intended that my glasses led to problems getting a just right seal. It’s a minor gripe however one thing to pay attention to; a minimum of I didn’t have issues catching my hair within the band or understand any extra drive on my outer ears.

In case you are living in wetter climes or are searching for exercise headphones, those aren’t the cans for you. Certain, they most probably gained’t die from an errant raindrop, however because the Sennheiser ACCENTUM Wi-fi has no ingress coverage ranking, it’s very best to not tempt destiny.

Controlling the Sennheiser ACCENTUM Wi-fi method the usage of both your smartphone or the handful of bodily buttons at the proper aspect of the ear cup. Stated buttons are a bit of small, however they’re simple to seek out with simply your finger — there are small nubs at the multifunction button, and the ability button stands on my own close to the ground of the headphones.

Sennheiser ACCENTUM Wi-fi controls:

After all, the usual gripes about bodily buttons all display up right here. Specifically, urgent them method doubtlessly compromising your seal, as your finger is a ways larger than those tiny issues — you’ll be shifting greater than a small transfer. This isn’t a topic in the event you basically use your telephone for controls.

Will have to you utilize the Sennheiser Good Keep an eye on app for the Sennheiser ACCENTUM Wi-fi?

Regardless that you’ll use the passthrough mode with out the Sennheiser Good Keep an eye on app, putting in the application will assist you to make simple paintings of complex settings. As an example, pairing and forgetting gadgets saved within the headphones’ reminiscence, adjusting sidetone, enabling and disabling options, and appearing a manufacturing facility reset.

Moreover, there’s a 5-band equalizer that lets you make changes in high-quality increments. Whilst to skilled customers, that can appear usual, maximum EQ apps don’t even document what number of dB each and every notch represents, so it is a plus. After all, we’d moderately see a parametric equalizer, and you will need to use the Sound Take a look at function or perhaps a third-party app if you wish to have a distinct sound than the EQ can give.

Then there’s the problem of privateness. Whilst Sennheiser’s app hasn’t come beneath hearth for leaking knowledge not too long ago, that will not be sufficient for somebody having a look to sanitize their virtual existence. So that you don’t have to put in the app, however this can be a just right concept for sure options.

How do the Sennheiser ACCENTUM Wi-fi attach?

That is the primary set of Sennheiser headphones I’ve noticed shortly that doesn’t have a three.5mm jack. Nonetheless, for the reason that the Sennheiser ACCENTUM Wi-fi is squarely aimed on the commuter who desires comfort greater than the usage of their headphones with a high-end DAP, it may be forgiven. On the other hand, that’s to not say that you’ll’t pay attention by the use of a stressed connection — the Sennheiser ACCENTUM Wi-fi helps USB-C audio, which permits lossless listening.

The Sennheiser ACCENTUM Wi-fi can attach on your Bluetooth supply tool by the use of SBC, mSBC (for voice), AAC, aptX, and aptX HD. Relying for your supply, you can be restricted to a lower-bitrate codec. You might want to make a selection your most popular codec manually in developer choices.

How lengthy does the Sennheiser ACCENTUM Wi-fi battery final?

In our usual take a look at, designed to emulate real-world use, the Sennheiser ACCENTUM Wi-fi lasted 46 hours and 40 mins. It’s no longer rather the 50 hours marketed through Sennheiser, however their checking out most probably differs from ours. As at all times, your mileage might range relying on use behavior, battery age, and so forth.

How neatly do the Sennheiser ACCENTUM Wi-fi cancel noise?

Due to a just right cup design, company band, and somewhat low mass, the Sennheiser ACCENTUM Wi-fi creates a good seal together with your head. That is vital no longer just for sound high quality but in addition for isolation. Our lab assessments discovered that the Sennheiser ACCENTUM Wi-fi may bodily block out 30-40dB of noise above 1kHz, which is ready a 90% drop in loudness. Below 1kHz, the ANC can cancel about 15-20dB of noise, which lags at the back of competing headphones from Bose, Sony, and Apple. On the other hand, that also reduces the loudness of out of doors noise through as much as 75% — nonetheless lovely just right.

You could in finding this to be a bit of missing in spaces with excessive quantities of noise. Don’t mistake ANC headphones for listening to coverage, as they don’t paintings that manner.

How do the Sennheiser ACCENTUM Wi-fi sound?

I used to be pleasantly shocked through how the Sennheiser ACCENTUM Wi-fi sounded out of the field, however I did in finding myself tinkering briefly order. Regardless that I could be an excitable nerd who can’t assist himself, there are a few issues that it’s possible you’ll understand upon first listening. Specifically, the sub-bass is somewhat intense, and there’s a slim under-emphasis the place our ears naturally spice up. It doesn’t make tune unlistenable, nevertheless it’s nonetheless price noting that there’s no EQ preset or adjustment within the app that can alleviate it.

This sound works nice for traditional rock and different power-band-style ensembles. As an example, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard’s Kepler-22b sounds superb at the Sennheiser ACCENTUM Wi-fi, as does any ABBA observe. However it’s your decision rather less bass and extra within the higher midrange. That is rather obvious in some rap tracks, particularly in film content material.

True to shape for a suite of wi-fi headphones, the Sennheiser ACCENTUM Wi-fi can be utilized for telephone calls. The two-microphone array of the headset makes use of beamforming to pick out up your voice over the din of the out of doors international and cuts off pickup at 8kHz — it wouldn’t make it over a cell community anyway.

Sennheiser ACCENTUM Wi-fi microphone demo (Perfect prerequisites):

As you’ll most probably listen, there’s a topic with noise rejection and mitigating wind noise, however intelligibility is ok.

In case you have been hoping for a sale on Sennheiser ANC headphones that has but to materialize, the Sennheiser ACCENTUM Wi-fi can be on the proper value for you. No longer most effective do they provide just right sound high quality, however additionally they include rock-solid options for a suite of sub-$200 headphones. The one genuine problem is the ANC, which is simply “ok.”

Those aren’t the headphones for you in the event you’re searching for complex options like LE Audio or head monitoring. Whilst there’s not anything incorrect with the Sennheiser ACCENTUM Wi-fi, it falls quick on ANC and mic high quality in comparison to spendier choices. However for the associated fee, we’re no longer complaining.

What must you get as an alternative of the Sennheiser ACCENTUM Wi-fi?

Discovering choices to the Sennheiser ACCENTUM Wi-fi is tricky as a result of it is important to center of attention at the particular person efficiency facets to get enhancements which might be price the associated fee hike. As an example, you’ll want to shell out for stepped forward ANC or sound high quality, as competing choices from Anker, Monoprice, or Sony aren’t obvious upgrades over the Sennheiser ACCENTUM Wi-fi. As an example, the Anker House Q45 has higher ANC however worse sound high quality.

If you wish to have higher efficiency and aren’t apprehensive about value, then you’ll spend extra and get stepped forward ANC or sound high quality. As an example, uncapping your finances may get you the Focal Bathys ($699 at Amazon) or Sony WH-1000XM5 ($387 at Amazon, although that’s an excessive choice. In case you’re extra apprehensive about sound high quality, you might want to elect to seize the Shure AONIC 50 (2d Gen) ($349 at Producer web page), which comes with a parametric EQ constructed into the app. That mentioned, even the least dear of the fashions I simply discussed is $350, so we’re speaking a few considerable value building up for issues that can or would possibly not subject to you.