The Sennheiser ACCENTUM Clip is the brand’s first clip-on open-ear earbud, and it retails at S$269. While they’re pricier than budget clip-ons, they are still short of Sennheiser’s flagship earbuds. The clip-on earbud space where it has seen growing popularity due to the comfort and awareness it can provide.
Build quality and battery life
The ACCENTUM Clip is designed with each earbud accompanied by a rounded rear section that hooks behind your ear, and a front piece with a metal grille that aims the driver at your ear canal. In hand, the glossy plastic housings are connected by silicone bridge has has a reassuring flex to it rather than a stiff snap, which allows it to hug different ear shapes without pinching. Design wise, the black or cream colourways are understated, and the stainless-steel speaker grille adds a nice little detail.
The charging case measures a compact 65.5 x 48.0 x 31.2mm and weighs 57 grams with the earbuds. It’s rather slim so it should slip into your jeans pocket without any real bulk, 57 grams total. The earbuds carry an IP54 rating, so sweat and light drizzle on your commute won’t be an issue. They charge over USB-C, no wireless charging offered.
Sennheiser claims up to 9 hours of use per charge, with three top-ups from the case for 36 hours total. For my usage, I never hd them run of our battery during any day of use, even with using it for to and fro commutes and listening to music in office.
Fit and comfort
Sennheiser ACCENTUM Clip is is lightweight at just 6.8 grams, making it comfortable to wear for long listening sessions. The clip design means none of “plugged” feeling you get with in-ears as well. I didn’t experience any soreness behind my ears during extended use. The clip grip itself felt secure enough for walking and light movement. The lack of rubber contact against my ears means I wouldn’t typically use it for a run, but your preference may vary.
The “band” used on the ACCENTUM Clip is also on the flat and thicker side compared to other brands’ thinner wire-like design. So while the overall feel is still lightweight, there is a subtle feeling of wearing the earbuds.
Sound quality
ACCENTUM Clip is powered by a 12mm dynamic driver and from my listening, this is one of the more competent-sounding open-ear buds. There’s actually a reasonable amount of bass weight for a design with zero seal. While there is decent bass presence, don’t expect it to reach into sub-bass territory. Vocals stay clear and there is a nice bit of texture and warmth in the presentation. Treble retains clarity but do note that bass can overpower it in lower volumes (listening in office), but once the overall volume is louder (during commute) then it is more forward.
It is worth noting the sound that you get also depends on the fit you get. The silver-mesh grille that outputs the audio is the main source of the sound. While it’s design to rest naturally near your ear canal, the angle and distance could differ from person to person. The closer the speaker grille is to your ear canal, the more warm and impactful bass gets.
App Support
The companion Smart Control Plus app is straightforward and well-designed. On the main page, you get a quick glimpse of the remaining battery percentage of the case and earbuds, so it serve as a friendly reminder to charge.
As with most companion apps, you also customisations such as a five-band EQ, or one-tap presets, and control customisation (or ability to disable them completely).
Conclusion
At S$269, the Sennheiser ACCENTUM Clip is a premium priced pair of clip-on true wireless earbuds. If you want a genuinely well-tuned open-ear earbud for commuting and general listening, and you don’t mind the lack of noise cancelling then this is a solid pick.