Sennheiser’s $179.95 Accentum Wi-fi headphones provide commendable energetic noise cancellation (ANC) and produce balanced sound with loads of sub-bass energy and high-frequency element for half the value of class leaders from Bose and Sony. They’re additionally snug to put on and look each elegant and understated, making them straightforward to advocate. For $20 extra, we additionally just like the Urbanista Los Angeles headphones, that are simply as trendy, provide related efficiency, and help photo voltaic charging, incomes them our Editors’ Alternative award.
A Comfortable, Tasteful Design
Accessible in black or white, the circumaural Accentum Wi-fi headphones characteristic a matte exterior with tactile buttons on the suitable earcup. The Sennheiser brand on the base of the headscarf is adequately subtle that the headphones seem to not have any branding at a look. The earpads and headband characteristic beneficiant cushioning, in order that they really feel plush over lengthy listening periods. Grilles with L and R markings cowl the 37mm dynamic drivers, which ship a frequency vary of 10Hz to 22kHz.
As for connectivity, the headphones are appropriate with Bluetooth 5.2 and help the AAC, AptX, AptX HD, and SBC codecs. AptxHD is best than SBC, however cannot fairly deal with the identical bit charges as LDAC, one thing you get with the $149.99 Anker Soundcore House Q45. Multipoint pairing is accessible with as much as two units.
The tactile management buttons on the suitable earcup are easy and intuitive to function. A central multifunction button handles playback, name administration, and monitor navigation (press twice to go ahead, or 3 times to go backward), whereas the 2 outer buttons change the amount. Maintain down the central button to get an audible battery life readout. The earcup has a devoted Energy/Pairing button: Lengthy-press it to show the headphones on or off, or faucet it to summon your system’s voice assistant. There isn’t any 3.5mm enter right here for wired listening.
A technique Sennheiser retains the fee down is by skimping on equipment. The field contains solely a USB-A-to-USB-C charging cable for the USB-C port on the suitable earcup. I might have appreciated some form of zip-up, hard-shell case such as you get with the extra inexpensive Soundcore House Q45, or not less than a drawstring pouch.
Sennheiser estimates that the headphones can final a powerful 50 hours per cost with ANC on and the amount set to a medium degree. Nevertheless, your real-world outcomes could be decrease for those who pay attention at loud volumes or select one of many higher-end codecs. It takes three hours to totally cost the headphones from empty, however you need to get 5 hours of playback after plugging them in for simply 10 minutes. For those who do not need to fear about wires in any respect, the solar-powered Urbanista Los Angeles is the best way to go due to its skill to recharge from any gentle supply.
Sennheiser Accentum App Expertise
The Sennheiser Good Management app (accessible for Android and iOS) appears respectable and reveals a battery degree readout on the prime of its most important Units display. Beneath which can be an amazing variety of sections: Connection Administration (which helps you to join as much as two units and handle them), Equalizer (which gives Bass Enhance and Podcast mode switches, in addition to an adjustable five-band EQ), Sound Verify (which claims that can assist you select the most effective audio presets to your music), Sound Zones (this auto-applies audio settings based mostly on registered areas), Energetic Noise Cancellation (this allows you to toggle between ANC and Transparency modes), and Sidetone (which supplies a slider for controlling how a lot of your voice you hear on calls).
Except for switching modes within the ANC part, you’ll be able to allow a wind noise discount characteristic in addition to set the headphones to robotically pause music playback when the Transparency mode is energetic. However there is not any fader for the Transparency mode or any strategy to management the depth of the ANC.
I need to additionally notice that, in testing, making an attempt to regulate the EQ typically simply scrolled the display down, which was irritating. Remember the fact that it is advisable create a Sennheiser account to make use of the Sound Verify and Sound Zones options. You most likely know what sounds finest to you with out the assistance of an app, so it is fantastic to skip these two audio personalization instruments for those who do not need to hand Sennheiser your data.
A Uncover menu on the backside of the display hyperlinks to Sennheiser’s different merchandise, whereas the adjoining Settings menu gives the same old choices. Right here, you’ll be able to obtain firmware updates, toggle voice prompts, alter the auto-off timer, and take away tiles from the app’s most important display.
Largely Profitable Noise Cancellation
The Accentum Wi-fi headphones carried out nicely in my noise cancellation checks relative to their worth. They completely dialed again highly effective low-frequency rumble, however had some bother with a loud recording of white noise. Towards the latter, they considerably reduce the lows and mids, however the increased frequencies got here by with out a lot change. They successfully tamped down a recording of a busy restaurant with out a lot hiss, however once more, could not fairly deal with among the increased frequencies. For reference, the $349 Bose QuietComfort Headphones carry out higher in all of those checks, however that is not shocking given the value distinction. Sennheiser does a decent job right here general.
After I turned on the Transparency mode, I observed that my environment sounded a bit brighter and louder than in actuality. You possibly can’t alter this mode’s degree within the app, as talked about, but it surely’s nonetheless helpful for having conversations with out eradicating the headphones.
DSP Retains the Drivers in Verify
For testing audio high quality, I largely left all of the settings to default, although I did strive the Bass Enhance and EQ features. The Bass Enhance characteristic will increase the lows as anticipated, but it surely additionally cuts the amount barely. Equally, adjusting among the frequency bands through the EQ causes the amount to dip as nicely. In each circumstances, digital sign processing (DSP) is stepping in to forestall distortion.
Nonetheless, on tracks with intense sub-bass content material, like The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” the headphones ship an intense low-frequency response. The bass does not distort at prime listening ranges and the lows nonetheless pack a punch.
They don’t have any bother reproducing the sub-bass on the 34-second mark of Kendrick Lamar’s “Loyalty.” The deepest of the sub-bass on this development comes throughout with a satisfying rumble however with out heavy boosting. In the meantime, the vocals sound crisp and clear.
Invoice Callahan’s “Drover,” a monitor with a extra pure tone, higher reveals the audio signature. The drums right here get some further thump from the drivers, however by no means sound unnatural. Callahan’s baritone vocals obtain a nice mix of low-mid richness and extra treble edge, whereas the higher-register percussive hits and acoustic strums are vibrant and detailed. Though there’s loads of sculpting, nothing ever appears out of stability.
On orchestral tracks, just like the opening scene from John Adams’ The Gospel In line with the Different Mary, the headphones push the lower-register instrumentation ahead within the combine barely, however the higher-register brass, strings, and vocals nonetheless personal the highlight.
The voice mic array works decently nicely. I may perceive each phrase from a take a look at recording to my iPhone with out bother regardless that the sign comes throughout a bit skinny within the lows. This presentation does not affect readability, however my voice sounded much less pure than with many rivals.
Factors for Sound and Type
Sennheiser’s Accentum Wi-fi headphones produce high quality noise cancellation for the value and sound strong, regardless of some minor sculpting. We’re additionally followers of their consolation and stylish appears. We want the in-app EQ was simpler at making adjustments with out decreasing the amount, nonetheless, and that Sennheiser offered just a few extra equipment. We nonetheless advocate them extremely for those who do not want the best possible ANC, although they face powerful competitors from Urbanista’s Los Angeles headphones, which supply related efficiency and photo voltaic charging for simply $20 extra. For $30 much less, in the meantime, we like Anker’s Soundcore House Q45 headphones, however they don’t seem to be practically as trendy.
