Sennheiser ACCENTUM Plus Wireless Bluetooth Headphones, Adaptive Hybrid ANC, Smart Adaptive Features. - White

I recently added the new Sennheiser Accentum Plus to my existing collection of Sennheiser headphones, earbuds, and soundbars. Sennheiser has always impressed me with its design and sound quality. As an audiophile, I am constantly on the hunt for the best headphones with unmatched sound quality and features. Sennheiser has been my go-to brand for the best audio quality that doesn't break the bank. The technology is constantly evolving in the headphone space, especially with advanced noise cancellation features. Updating headphones to take advantage of these new features is not a bad idea. This headset is a great mid-range option priced at the lower end but boasts better features and audio quality. Design, Comfort, and Fit The headphones are made of plastic with a smooth finish and are lightweight. The headband is padded with large, comfortable ear cups that are not too tight on the head, making them comfortable to wear all day. They feature intuitive touch controls on the right earcup. The controls are very responsive without any lag. The headphones have on-head detection, pausing the music when you take them off, and automatically turn off after a while. I didn't find any IP rating on the headphones so avoid exposing them to dust or water. They support the latest Bluetooth 5.2 version and have quite a bit of connectivity range. They also have a 3.5mm jack for airplane use. Sound Quality These headphones fall in mid-range category but priced lower compared to other brands, yet they still offer great audio and a few unique audio settings. The equalizer settings on the app now have 5-band settings, which used to be three-band. There are a few interesting and unique features that I haven't seen in other headphones: • Podcast setting: The podcast setting on the app enhances voice for clear narration, which is an amazing feature for avid audiobook and podcast listeners like me. This feature also works well with the adaptive ANC setting in noisy environments. • Sound Personalization Mode: This feature tailors the audio experience to the listener's individual preferences. It allowed me to fine-tune the audio on the Smart Control App Grid to match my sound preferences, dynamically adjusting string and bass volumes for different parts of the track. I am still exploring this feature, but so far, it has provided an immersive audio experience, especially while watching movies with soundtracks. • Sound Zone: Another setting that lets you choose different settings to match the environment (gym, home, office, etc.) you are in. This feature uses your location to switch to user-defined settings. Though not essential for my use, it's an innovative addition. Battery Life Promising 50 hours of listening with ANC before needing a charge. I used it for 15 hours during my travel and still had 60% battery life remaining. The battery life on this headphone exceeded my expectation and is on par with what I have or that's currently on the market. It uses a USB-C port for charging, and it took about 45 minutes to fully charge from 60%. Noise Cancellation It features ANC (active noise cancellation) and an adaptive setting that automatically adjusts the ANC based on the background noise. The audio quality outdoors was good. The person on the other end of the call did hear light background traffic noise, which he said wasn't bothersome. Also, it has an interesting setting called "sidetone" that lets you hear your own voice while on a call, so you're aware if you're speaking too loudly or quietly. App Sennheiser upgraded the "Smart Control App" with improved features and made it a lot more user-friendly than before. However, it's still not on par when it comes to navigating different settings or accessing multiple devices. Overall, this headset is a standout in the mid-range category, offering advanced features typically found in the higher-end models. Its main drawbacks are the lack of an IP rating and HD Codec support, but these are minor when weighed against its overall performance and value

About the Accentum Plus Headphones The Accentum Plus headphones by Sennheiser are a feature rich headphone in the under $250 price range. They boast an up to 50 hour battery life, have Active Noise Cancellation, and touch controls. A downloadable app allows for additional controls and features. What They Come With Inside the box you will find the headphones, a carrying case, a USB-C to USB-A charging cord, mini plug cable, and instructions. Set-up The set-up was really easy. Headphones were already partly charged, but it’s recommended to charge for at least 10 minutes prior to setting up. Pair the headset with your phone. These use Bluetooth connectivity, and paired really easily for me. There’s a Sennheiser Smart Control app to download for more control of the headphones. Upon establishing an app connection a firmware notification was listed. I always recommend starting with the latest firmware. Quality Disclaimer – I tend to buy headphones that retail for twice as much as these do, so I am used to higher-end products. My opinions here may be pickier than most folks. The headphones had a cheaper build/feel to me. These are mostly plastic instead of metal. It made for a lighter feeling over the ear experience (which isn’t necessarily bad). They are smaller than some of the other premium brands which may actually be better for a younger/smaller individual. There’s a carry case with these headphones. It has a cheaper feel to me as well. The case is soft, so there’s not as much protection as I’d like. Storage for the USB cord is a fold and jam under a loop type. I think that could have been done better. Having this case is better than not including a case. Comfort I found these to be pretty comfortable. Lightweight design is easier on the neck. The headband has a soft top and stiff sides. The ear pads were good, but not the most comfortable I have used. Overall it had a good feel. Charging As I mentioned, you need to charge these before setting up. When fully charged, the manufacturer states that you should get up to 50 hours of use. I have not put 50 hours in with these yet, but I am still on my first charge. 10 minutes of charge should get around 5 hours of use. To get the maximum, it may take around 3.5 hours of charging. Audio Quality The sound quality was surprisingly good. Great bass and capable of playing some very low frequencies. One thing in particular that I noticed was that turning up the volume turned all the frequencies up equally. Usually, even in some of the more expensive headsets, you get to a certain volume and the higher frequencies get louder, but the bass doesn’t. These headphones did not do that. If you wanted more, you got more of everything. The presets weren’t that great, and the bass boost was pretty bad. If you turned any of those on, they seem to diminish the upper sounds to make the bass heavier. It was an overall loss of sound trying to use these features. You can make your own preset to work around this. These headphones have an Adaptive Noise Cancellation (ANC) feature which can help you hear only the sounds from your headset. The Accentum Plus headset uses a slide bar to adjust how much of the Transparency sounds (outside noises) you want to hear. You can tune out coworkers or allow the ambient sounds of traffic for safety. Your choice. These headphones had the best ANC of any headphone I own, and it was easy to control. The app has something called Sound Zones, where you could preset the ANC or Transparency a certain way for specific locations. Examples of sound zones could be home, work, gym, walking, etc. Whatever you want to create. Controls The controls for the Accentum Plus were almost exactly like my higher-end Sony headphones. Slide your finger up or down the right ear piece to change volume. Slide it forward or back to change the track. Touching the center pauses or interacts with calls. Overall These headphones seem to be good at their price point. They have a great bass production and an awesome noise cancelling feature. Battery life seems good, and I do like the lightweight feel while wearing them. The build quality could be better and so could the carry case. Presets and bass boost features weren’t very good. I give these 4 out of 5 stars for a headphone in the under $250 range.

Sennheiser has released their next iteration of Accentum headphones in the "Plus" variety. They build off of the previous generation and get some more features and a case. The box includes the headphones, 4-ft USB-USBC cable, 4-ft aux cable, carrying case , and quick user guide/paperwork. The headphones come with a manufacturer's 2-year warranty. PROS: ----------- * These carry the known high quality audio of what we know is Sennheiser. They have high-end sound with great personalization features. * Features I like include: Long ANC playtime, great craftsmanship, strong noise cancellation, intuitive sound settings in the Sennheiser app... did I mention playtime? 50 hours is great. My previous set of headphones (another brand) had a 40-hr playtime. * The ANC really adapts well to your surroundings. Though you can still hear some sounds though the ear cups, Sennheiser did a great job of making those outside sounds very little of a distraction that they might normally be. I was very impressed with the ANC on these headphones. * 10 minutes of fast-charge time gets you 5 hours of playtime. * In the app, there are features such as Bass Boost, Customizable EQ, Smart Control, Smart Pause, and Sound Zones. They are all pretty useful along with the touch and voice controls which work very well due to the array microphone. * Includes an AUX port in case your headphones run out of battery power, you can continue to listen to music if an AUX port is available on your source. * Taking calls is easy and the mic works great. The mic also has one of the best wind resistances I have seen and reduces whooshing effects to a high degree. * The headphones come with a nice slim zippable case with 2 elastic bands inside which keep the 2 provided cables squared away nicely. A little instruction sheet also has its own spot in case you need a quick refresher on what finger motions do what on the right earpiece. * The ear cups are made with quality materials and soft. * There is only 1 physical button to worry with - the Action button. It can enable the power on/off, pairing mode, and your digital assistant if used. CONS: ----------- * The worst thing for me is the tight fit to my head. After only a few minutes of wearing, I was already feeling discomfort. This was a huge turn-off for me because I would want to wear these for hours, not minutes, and on multiple days. Sennheiser made them snug and tight perhaps so they wouldn't fall off your head, but there comes a point where it actually hurts after some time. * The price point is a bit high compared to some of the competitors with similar headphones and features. OTHER OBSERVATIONS: ----------- * The Right and Left earpieces are designated with an R and L inside the cup area, so it's hidden from view when wearing. * When removing the right cup from your ear, the audio/video will automatically pause which can be great if you're removing them... however, if you're simply repositioning them a little, it might be a little annoying to pause in the middle of using them when the intent to remove them is not there. They will auto-start once the right cup is put back over the ear (as long as they have not gone into standby mode). CONCLUSION: ===================== Overall, the audio and ANC on these headphones could go up against any other headphones in the industry at this "level". They are that good; however, if I can't wear them due to head pain, that defeats the purpose of having them - they need to be comfortable, period. These, at least to me, were not quite as comfortable as I'd like, and I have a normal-sized head. I'm certain they work great for other people though, so try them out first before passing on them, because the sound quality and features are really that great.