Sennheiser Accentum Plus Review

February 8, 2024 4:21 pm

Not long after the Sennheiser Accentum was released, the Accentum Plus was announced. This new version of the Accentum would add some of the features that were missing from the original, and enhance others for a small jump in price. It also promises slight tuning changes, which I’m excited about, as the sound of the original Accentum was a bit lackluster for me. Does the Accentum Plus make everything about the original better?

What You Get

ACCENTUM Plus headphone
Carry case USB-C charging cable
Audio cable 3.5mm and 2.5mm jacks

Look & Feel

Minus the inclusion of a new carrying case, everything about the design of the Accentum Plus is the same as the original. Everything from the earcups to the headband is unchanged. It’s the same size, and they feature the same earpads. So, if you’re familiar with the original Accentum, the Plus will have the same fit and level of comfort.

Design & Functionality

The Accentum Plus features the same 37mm driver that the original had. It also contains the same MEMS mic principle, which is the latest indicator of good call clarity for Bluetooth headphones. This is where the new features start to crop up, starting with noise-canceling, which has been upgraded to adaptive hybrid ANC. When activated through Sennheier’s Smart Control app, you can enjoy good noise-canceling that adjusts itself based on your environment.

Another big addition to the Accentum Plus is its new touch controls. These controls are similar to those seen in the 1000x series from Sony, but I feel they are well better implemented here. Every gesture is much more responsive, with little delay and smooth feedback. Dragging your finger up and down the right ear cup to adjust volume has never felt more natural than how it does on the Accentum Plus. In addition to that, the Accentum Plus will automatically pause and play your music when the headphones are removed from your head and put back on respectively.

Other Sennheiser Bluetooth headphone staples like EQ and Sound Zones also make a return here, which add more personalization to your sound.

Bluetooth

The Accentum Plus supports Bluetooth version 5.2 and has fast pairing with great stability. It features a lot of the same CODECs as the previous Accentum, but it adds aptX Adaptive, adding more seamless adjustments in bitrate depending on the environment of your wireless signal.

Battery Life

A change I’m happy that the Accentum Plus didn’t make is its battery life. The Accentum Plus keeps the original Accentum’s 50-hour battery life, which automatically makes it the best for its price.

Soundstage

If you’ve listened to the original Accentum, you’re going to find some similarities in its sound signature with the Plus. However, I think the soundstage received the most significant upgrade. Although these are the same drivers, I’ve read that they are angled in a way that widens the soundstage. This is exactly my impression of the Accentum Plus, as not only is the stage wider but the positioning of musical elements feels more spatially distinct.

The original Accentum had a bit of trouble identifying layers, but the Plus is capable of a bit more depth. Everything floats around your head a bit more clearly, keeping accurate displays while opening up the headspace. This results in vocal performances that hover over you rather than stay in the middle of your head. It’s more of the roomy, studio presentation that Sennheiser is known for, which already makes the Plus a worthwhile upgrade for me.

Low End

Without EQ, the Accentum Plus offers enough bass to envelop yourself in. It’s a boosted frequency range like the original, but the tone is stacked a bit more evenly. Separation is a bigger factor while applying the same impact and body that the original had. This enhances the clarity of the frequencies and offers a more dynamic range in between its sub-bass vibration and mid-bass punch. Using EQ doesn’t do the default tuning of the bass a lot of service in my opinion, but it’s there if you need it.

Mids

While the midrange still isn’t the most detailed or expressive tuning, nothing ever comes across as hollow as the original. The timbre of the mids are very similar, but it feels like there’s a bit more space for instruments to play around in. Some of the fundamental midrange frequencies still lack some weight that you can only marginally adjust with EQ, but the Plus is more forgiving. The v-shaped tuning comes across as less of a flaw, as its shortcomings are less distracting. It’s more of an even presentation of sound that rarely comes across like something is missing.

Highs

The timbre of the highs shares the most similarities with the Accentum’s original sound signature. Brightness blooms from the top end with good control, and does a fine job giving the sound profile some edge. It produces a nice spark for hi-hats that cuts through the mix without featuring any fatigue. Sometimes the coloration of the treble becomes pretty crisp and gratifying, especially with vocals, which gain accented tails that sound great with reverb.

Summary

When I listened to the first Accentum, the flaws in its sound stood out to me more than its more positive aspects. That is not the case with the Accentum Plus, as its sound is much more refined and houses many great features that put it a step above most other Bluetooth headphones in its price range. What impressed me the most was its touch controls, which sold me more on hand gestures than any pair of headphones to feature it previously. Other features like its massive battery life, sound zones, EQ, and improved noise-canceling all help the Accentum Plus become everything that you could want out of an entry-level set of wireless headphones.