Review: Sennheiser Accentum Plus ANC Headphones

Sennheiser may be known for their high-end products such as their Momentum series of earbuds and headphones, but they are clearly entering the more affordable segment with its Accentum Plus headphones. The Sennheiser Accentum Plus retails for S$349, but you realistically find it for S$299 on many platforms and sales channels.

Unboxing

Inside the box, you will find the following items:

• Sennheiser Accentum Plus Headphones
• Carrying case
• 3.5 mm audio cable
• USB Type-C charging cable
• Quick start guide

Tech specs

Build quality and features

The Sennheiser Accentum Plus is available in two colours – (1) Black or, (2) White. The unit I have is the White colour option, which has a light brown accent colour for its cushioning. The design is kept minimal with a clean design that is topped off in a matte finish, which a shiny Sennheiser branding embossed on both sides of the headband.

Even though the Sennheiser Accentum Plus is constructed from plastic, it doesn’t creak when adjusting the mechanisms of the headphone. And it is probably a good thing that plastic was used as Sennheiser managed to keep the Accentum Plus lightweight at just 277 grams. The headband has a step-less adjustment rail. The headphones doesn’t come with any water resistance, so it’d be best not to use this for your workouts.

The Sennheiser Accentum Plus doesn’t fold down, but the ear cups can be flattened down for storage. Sennheiser throws in a carrying case that is on the softer side, but still decently padded to provide protection. I like how the case comes with cable slots for the USB-C and AUX cable.

Fit and comfort

One of the strengths of the Sennheiser Accentum Plus is its comfort that mainly comes from the light weight of it. I like how the headphones just feels light on my head. The comfort would be better if Sennheiser had used a soft leather headband instead of what feels like silicone.

Thankfully, the ear cups comes with soft PU leather ear cushions. They aren’t the plushiest I’ve used, but they do a good enough job. Clamping pressure is alright as well. There is also a sensor inside the right ear cup, which allows the Sennheiser Accentum Plus to auto-pause/play your music when you put on or remove the headphones.

Sound quality

Bass is slightly boosted to give an impactful thump, and can even offer a satisfying rumble on tracks with deep sub-bass presence. While adding warmth and body, the bass never really clashed with the midrange. Vocals and instruments remain clear and detailed. Sound separation is good as well, allowing different elements to be accurately identified in its comfortable soundstage.

Highs on the Sennheiser Accentum Plus is on the gentle side. They offer enough shine to balance out the overall sound signature, but if you are more used to treble with more sparkle and height then the Accentum Plus can feel a little lacking. I find the Sennheiser Accentum Plus to sound better at higher volumes, at least at 50% and above for better clarity and engagement.

ANC & Transparency performance

ANC of the Sennheiser Accentum Plus is largely effective. It is by no means performing at the levels of flagships, but it is surely good enough to cancel out the engine rumble noise on buses. General chatter and surrounding noise are also effectively reduced, though higher pitched noises like engine squeals on MRT/trains are more challenging to soften. This level of ANC performance is fair to warrant its current discounted S$299 price.

Transparency mode of the Sennheiser Accentum Plus allows external surroundings come into the headphones. The implementation has a natural feel to it, not overly amplifying any particular frequency. Fan and wind sounds does get picked up more than usual but it isn’t too overly processed. There is even an option to automatically turn on Transparency mode whenever you enter a call so you can gauge your own voice volume.

Microphone quality

Microphone of the Sennheiser Accentum Plus is fairly decent, and is best used at home or at controlled environments. Voice output was clear and well volumed, but does lack a bit of bass and body for warmth. When noise was introduced, there isn’t much attempt at cancelling out the noise, but the Sennheiser Accentum Plus still managed to keep my voice slightly forward in the mix. Having said that, this still means the other party would be hearing all the background noise that is happening.

Controls and App

Sennheiser Accentum Plus uses mainly touch controls, which are all done out of the right ear cup. There is no way to customize these controls but thankfully the default controls are quite intuitive and easy to learn. Volume is handled by upward/downward swipes, while skipping of tracks is done by swiping left/right. Play/pause and switching of sound modes is done via tap – single tap for play/pausing, and double tape to swap between ANC and Transparency.

Like other Sennheiser audio gear, the Sennheiser Accentum Plus works with the Smart Control app. You gain access to customisation of the EQ, fine-tuning settings for ANC and Transparency modes, as well as adjusting small quality-of-life settings.

Battery life and Connectivity

Sennheiser Accentum Plus utilizes Bluetooth 5.2, and has support for audio codecs of SBC, AAC, aptX. If you’re using iPhone then AAC is the best you got. During my time of testing, I did not encounter any connection issues. There is also no latency when it comes to audio-video sync when watching YouTube videos from the YouTube app on my old iPhone 11. You can choose to use the headphones wired via the 3.5mm AUX cable provided as well.

Another strength of the Sennheiser Accentum Plus is its battery life, which is expected to last a whopping 50 hours on a single charge with ANC on. There is also a quick charge feature that gets your 5 hours of listening time from a mere 5 minutes of charging.

Conclusion

The Sennheiser Accentum Plus strengths makes the headphone a strong option for those who are always on the go. It’s lightweight for comfort, ability for quick charging, and long battery life means you always get to use them as long as you have them with you. At its retail price S$349, it is a tad expensive for what it offers compared to the competition. But luckily you can now find the Sennheiser Accentum Plus selling at S$299 on many platforms making it more appealing.