Sennheiser ACCENTUM True Wireless TWS headphones review

Last year, Sennheiser released full-size ACCENTUM wireless headphones, which were significantly cheaper than the flagship Momentum 4. However, they had some features of the top model. The company decided to expand this line and released TWS headphones Sennheiser ACCENTUM True Wireless. They will occupy a niche between the flagships Momentum and the budget CX series. Today we will tell you what the new model has to offer.

Specifications of Sennheiser ACCENTUM True Wireless

Package contents

All current wireless headphones from the manufacturer have approximately the same set and packaging. This also applies to the Sennheiser ACCENTUM True Wireless: a small white and blue box with the model name and image.

The package includes the headphones themselves in a charging case, four pairs of ear cushions of different sizes, a 40 cm Type-C cable for charging, and an instruction manual.

Design and usability

The Sennheiser ACCENTUM True Wireless headphones are compact in size and have a streamlined anatomical shape that is devoid of sharp corners. Only the transition from the outer cover to the back of the headphone takes on a more or less defined line.

The earbuds are made of matte plastic, although the outer and inner surfaces are slightly different: the inner one is smoother. In addition to black, there are white and blue versions available. There is protection against dust and moisture according to the IP54 standard. There are glossy Sennheiser logos on the fronts and active noise canceling holes just below.

At the back of the headphones, closer to the top, there are holes for the earpieces. In general, there are two microphones on each headphone. In contrast to the flagship model Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4, which has three.

A little closer to the front of the headphone cases, you can notice another small hole. It looks like these are compensation holes to reduce the pressure inside.

There is a lot on the inside of ACCENTUM True Wireless. In addition to the left and right earbuds, there are LED indicators, charging contacts, and a small glossy "window". This is a sensor that enables the automatic pause function when the earbud is removed from the ear.

The drivers are quite short. Despite this, thanks to the anatomical shape of the cases, it is quite possible to get a deep fit. The diameter and shape of the drivers are standard, which allows you to install third-party ear cushions. No problems arose with SpinFit.

Sennheiser claims that the design of the ACCENTUM True Wireless was based on the results of research into the functioning of the human hearing system and the ergonomics of the ear canals. It sounds pretentious, of course, but the headphones are really very comfortable and are almost not felt in the ears even after several hours of listening.

The charging case is made in the form of a clamshell made of matte black plastic. The linear dimensions are small, but the thickness turned out to be not very comfortable for transportation in a pocket.

The top of the case is decorated with the Sennheiser logo. As with the top-of-the-line Momentum True Wireless 4, the Type-C charging connector is located on the front, with an LED indicator next to it.

The lid has an auto-adjustment in the extreme positions and is well fixed. But when closed, it wobbles a little from side to side. The places with contacts and headphone magnets are moved closer to the user. And a little further, there is a noticeable thickening. It looks like the battery is located in it.

Management

The touch zones of Sennheiser ACCENTUM True Wireless are quite large and have excellent sensitivity. There were practically no false touches during the use of the headphones. And this is a very good indicator for compact TWS models.

The standard scheme is quite convenient. One tap on the right earbud - play/pause, answer a call. To the left - transparency mode. Double-tap the headphones to switch tracks, long-tap to increase or decrease the volume. Triple tap on the left earbud to activate noise cancellation, and on the right earbud to activate the voice assistant.

In the proprietary Smart Control application, you can view the current control scheme and change it if you wish. But with some limitations. For example, you can't change the control scheme for calls and assign volume changes to double or triple taps.

Connectivity and functionality

Sennheiser ACCENTUM True Wireless uses Bluetooth 5.3 LE to connect. There is support for SBC, AAC, aptX and LC3 codecs, as well as an interesting Auracast feature. It allows you to broadcast sound to other audio devices that are nearby. That is, you can share music to compatible gadgets.

Now let's get back to Smart Control. The app has many useful features. On the main screen, there is an image of the headphones with an indication of the charge of each of them and the case. Below are tiles with access to various functions. Their set can be edited. The first item is the connection manager for the Multipoint function.

The next menu item is the equalizer. It has several ready-made settings for different styles of music and a five-band graphic for manual adjustment. Additionally, there is a bass boost function, as well as a Podcast mode to improve voice audibility.

The Sound Check feature allows you to create a custom equalizer. To do this, you need to turn on your favorite music, then the application offers three sound options, adjusting different parts of the range, from which you need to choose the best one. It's not a bad idea, but Noble Audio FoKus Pro implements it better: the headphones play sounds of different frequencies to test the user's hearing. And they pull up the parts that are poorly or not audible at all.

The next two items are responsible for the transparency mode and active noise reduction. The former has three levels of intensity, as well as the ability to auto-activate when there are incoming calls and auto-pause when manually activated, which is very convenient. ANC has three modes: active, off, and wind protection.

Another interesting feature is Sound Zones. It allows you to set up to 20 zones by geolocation, for which certain settings will be automatically activated. You can also set the range.

The last item is touch control, which we discussed earlier. There are two more tabs at the bottom. Discover is the company's news. And Settings contains all the additional settings. Namely, updates, audio mode (standard and low latency), battery saving, auto-pause, auto-call acceptance, auto-off, voice and sound notifications, reset, battery protection (slower speed and incomplete charging capacity) and home screen tiles settings.

Sound and noise reduction

Technically, Sennheiser ACCENTUM True Wireless uses the same dynamic 7mm TrueResponse drivers as the flagship Momentum True Wireless 4. But the sound depends on a bunch of other factors, including the internal structure, the acoustic chamber, etc.

The overall mood of the sound is similar to the flagship model. So we have a fairly neutral sound without too much bass or treble. This is one of the strengths of the headphones, they are versatile both in terms of music genres and not too picky about the quality of the material.

Low frequencies are, of course, slightly accentuated. This applies mainly to the midbass, which is very well controlled, has a good texture and a springy attack, thanks to which a clear rhythmic pattern is drawn. There is enough sub-bass, but it is a bit slower and sometimes a bit smeared. But it perfectly adds massiveness to the sound.

The midrange sounds surprisingly natural and lively. They are not relegated to the background and have quite good detail, considering the class of the headphones. Vocals and live instruments, including brass and drums, sound very pleasant and emotional. The high frequencies are tuned as they should be in a mass universal model. They are slightly softened, have no irritating or cutting sounds. But they are sufficient in quantity and quality.

The width and depth of the imaginary scene are moderate, but the separation of instruments is quite clear. The headphones do not impress by this indicator: a certain volume is felt, but there is no sense of space and clear positioning. However, it should be understood that this is quite normal for closed in-ear headphones of this level.

Active noise control works at a level typical of good modern TWS models. This means that ANC cuts off monotonous noise, repetitive low-frequency sounds, and voice quite well. So nothing distracts you from listening to music on the street. Of course, the headphones can't handle random sounds and some high-frequency noise, which is normal for most similar models. The transparency mode works well, everything is heard clearly, although there is a slight effect of artificiality.

The microphones for conversations generally fulfill their function and it is possible to convey information to the interlocutor. However, the quality is not the best: the voice is a bit muffled, and the interlocutors complained several times about the lack of volume. So it can be difficult to hear in noisy environments.

Battery life

The Sennheiser ACCENTUM True Wireless have smaller batteries compared to the Momentum flagships. Each headphone has a 55 mAh battery, and the case has a 420 mAh battery. The headphones provide approximately 6 hours of music playback using aptX at 90-100% volume with active noise cancellation.

By turning down the volume and turning off ANC, you can reach the claimed 8 hours. The charging case adds another 20 hours of operation. Qi wireless charging and fast charging are supported: 1 hour of operation after 10 minutes of charging. The headphones charge in about 1.5 hours via Type-C.