Sony ULT Wear Vs Sennheiser Accentum Plus Comparison Review

The Sony ULT WEAR and Sennheiser Accentum Plus are two headphones that have a lot in common. The main aspect that brings them together is the fact that they are both the lower-tier options for both brand’s flagship products. Sony has the XM5 and Sennheiser has the Momentum 4, but they can be pretty pricey for some. So the ULT WEAR and Accentum Plus are good options that are more inexpensive options that hold most of the same features. So which one should you choose between the two?

What You Get

Look & Feel

Both of these headphones have all-black plastic builds that aren’t exactly eye-catching. The ULT WEAR has bigger ear cups than the Accentum Plus, so it might be more comfortable if you have bigger ears. Neither pair of headphones should be that uncomfortable though, as they have the same seal.

Design & Functionality

The drivers in the ULT WEAR are slightly bigger than the Accentum Plus, but the Accentum Plus angles its drivers to increase its soundstage properties more naturally. However, if you prefer the characteristics of spatial audio, then the ULT WEAR will offer that. The ULT WEAR also outclasses the Accentum Plus is noise-canceling, which shouldn’t surprise anyone who’s heard a pair of Sony headphones before. I also prefer how the touch gestures respond on the ULT WEAR compared to the Accentum Plus. It’s just sensitive enough to be responsive, but the Accentum takes a bit more delay in between actions. They both have their own companion apps with similar features like EQ. The biggest advantage the Accentum Plus has over the ULT WEAR in terms of design is its MEMs microphones that will give it better call clarity.

Bluetooth

Both headphones support Bluetooth 5.2 and will pair quickly. The ULT WEAR is the only one of the two that features LDAC, but the Accentum Plus gives you aptX Adaptive.

Battery Life

The Accentum Plus is the clear winner here, as it sustains a fifty-hour battery life. With the ULT WEAR, you get 30 hours, which is still respectable for the price, but the Accentum Plus far outclasses it.

Soundstage

While the ULT WEAR sports a good soundstage for what it’s worth, the Accentum Plus goes a step further. Sennheiser headphones tend to give you a wide stereo scope from left to right, and while the ULT WEAR also features this the Accetum uses its width to greater effect. Its slightly angled drivers add a lot of depth to the sonic environment it portrays. You can get a sensation similar to the ULT WEAR, but you would need to use it in 360 mode, which might not be available to you.

The way the Accemtum uses its imaging feels more natural and accurate than the ULT WEAR. It’s not significantly worse in comparison, especially when the extra bass features are switched off, but there’s much clearer space between sounds on the Accentum Plus. This gives the stereo image more depth, and it feels more engrossing to listen to overall.

Low End

If the soundstage is one of the most engrossing aspects of the Accentum Plus, then the bass is the ULT WEAR’s. The whole sound signature of the ULT WEAR is built around this, and it succeeds magnificently. You get a completely different flavor with Accentum Plus. It also drives enough bass frequencies to feel significant, but it obviously won’t reach the scale that the ULT WEAR offers. This is even without the ULT WEAR’s “ULT” bottom active. You can mess around with both of these headphones with EQ, but the ULT WEAR will always come across with this cinematic slam. If that’s not your style, then the Accentum Plus will bring more separation and clarity to its bass.

Mids

Neither the ULT WEAR nor the Accentum Plus have a particularly elegant midrange. Of course, the ULT WEAR is going to be very low-mid dominant and will be more bloated than the Accentum Plus. However, the Accentum Plus doesn’t offer anything that much more exciting in comparison. There’s more weight to certain instruments on the ULT WEAR, but neither headphone carries much detail. They’re both relatively inoffensive for what they are, just don’t expect the mids to be the focus of either of these headphones.

Highs

The Accentum Plus is much stronger in the highs than the ULT WEAR. There’s a much clearer sheen of detail there compared to the ULT WEAR. The ULT WEAR isn’t dull, but there’s a hard barrier that limits the height it can reach. You get a much more colorful spark of energy to the highs in the Accentum Plus, and it completes the sound signature more satisfyingly than the ULT WEAR does.

Summary

There are a ton of great advantages to both headphones, but it comes down to sound and ANC. The ULT WEAR wins in noise-canceling and bass, which nearly all Sony headphones have in common. I prefer the Accentum Plus for its natural soundstage and more expressive highs, but with that said I can see that not being enough to warrant the purchase over the ULT WEAR. The ULT WEAR is just a ton of fun to listen to and for wireless headphones for less than two hundred dollars that might be the deal-breaker. However, the Accentum Plus’ battery life and MEMs microphones might be more valuable to you if you plan on using your headphones for more than just listening to music.

The Sony ULT WEAR and the Sennheiser Accentum Plus are available at Audio46.