Sennheiser Accentum vs. Accentum Plus – Comparison Review

We were all excited to see a more affordable alternative to the Momentum series when Sennheiser released the Accentum. At $179.95, the Accentum offers Sennheiser sound at a fraction of the cost. Now, they’ve released the Accentum Plus at $229.95, which is available for pre-order. This pair aims to add onto the Accentum’s offerings and create a bridge to the next echelon of wireless headphones. Let’s see how the two models compare. 

What You Get:

You can find two key differences between the models in what’s included. First, you get a carrying case with the Accentum Plus. Since these are designed to be portable headphones, an included case is a nice touch by the Plus model. You also get the inclusion of a 2.5 mm to 3.5 mm cable. This means you can listen to your music wired as well as wireless. 

Look and Feel

The Accentum Plus looks and feels about the same compared to the original Accentum. The padding on the headband and ear cups feel the same. Overall, both models feel a bit plasticky. However, they still feel plenty durable for the price. These aren’t cheaply assembled by any stretch of the imagination. 

Design and Functionality

Here there are a few differences between the Accentum and Accentum Plus. First, the Accentum Plus features touch controls on its right ear cup. Aside from a power button, the Accentum Plus is buttonless. The Accentum, however, uses multiple buttons to achieve its controls. So if ease of use is of utmost importance to you, the Accentum Plus offers plenty of control without having to learn complicated button combinations. And on top of that, the Plus model automatically plays and pauses when taken on or off for even more convenience. 

Another key difference between the Accentum and Accentum Plus lies in their noise canceling capabilities. While the Accentum uses hybrid ANC for its noise canceling, the Accentum Plus boasts adaptive hybrid ANC. This means the headphone, in conjunction with Sennheiser’s app, is constantly adapting its noise cancellation based on your surroundings. Ultimately, that means better noise canceling performance. 

Aside from these differences, both models use Bluetooth 5.2, come in black and white colorways, and work with the Sennheiser companion app. The app adds EQ controls, ANC controls, and sound personalization, among other things.

Both sets last 50 hours on a full charge and can get up to 5 hours of music playback off of 10 minutes of charging. 

Sound Impressions

Aside from the soundstage, which I’ll get to later, the biggest difference in sound comes in the bass department. While bass is ample on both headphones, the low end on the Plus sounded cleaner and tighter compared to that of the original Accentum. Listening to pop musicians like Charli XCX, I could tell the Accentum Plus has just a little more speed and detail than its little sibling. 

There’s also a bit more separation in the bass region with the Plus, with kick drums and bass lines feeling a bit more independent of each other. This likely comes from the punchier attack as bass tones don’t get stuck together. 

The mids on both headphones sound quite comparable to me. While they do have a bass boost, they try not to sacrifice presence in the mid range. Snare drums are full and have a nice attack,  feeling nice and present in the track. However, vocals do expose a leanness in the upper mids, causing things to get a little wonky with the timbre. That said, the bass emphasis and mid range elevation give these a more laid back feel than more aggressively V-Shaped cans. 

Finally, the treble. In my opinion, this is where the Accentum is at its best, and that hasn’t changed on the Accentum Plus. The high end is detailed and resolving without coming across as bright. Cymbals are fast and airy. On Kae Tempest’s “More Pressure” the crispy highs met the subtle bassline well, making for an enjoyable listen. 

Soundstage

With the Accentum Plus, Sennheiser changed the driver positioning. Now, unlike with the Accentum, the drivers are angled. Sennheiser claims this widens the soundstage, and I find that to be true. Specifically, I find the soundstage to feel a lot more natural. Tracks like “Kid A” by Radiohead sound a bit in my head on the Accentum. On the Plus, the soundstage comes across as wider and less artificial sounding. Imaging feels a lot more accurate and there’s generally a clearer sense of space with the Plus. 

Summary

The differences between the Accentum and Accentum Plus are not subtle. The Plus model comes with a case and features a touch sensitive casing that replaces physical buttons. The sound on the plus is a bit more refined and new driver placement allows for a better soundstage. If you have the extra $50 to spend, I think the Accentum Plus makes for a nice upgrade. 

You can find the Sennheiser Accentum and Accentum Plus at Audio46.com.