A Pleasant In-between for ANC Buds

I was eager to test Sennheiser’s Accentum True Wireless earbuds, a mid-priced alternative to the flagship Momentum True Wireless 4 buds that I reviewed a few months ago. Now I can confidently say that, regardless of the price, Sennheiser knows how to dial in the decibels!

Sennheiser Accentum True Wireless

$180 $200 Save
$20

Enjoy the incredible details created by TrueResponse acoustic technology, developed, and manufactured in-house to deliver Sennheiser’s signature sound. Need a sound that matches your mood? Use the Sennheiser Smart Control App to curate your sound experience with 5-band EQ, Pre-sets and Soundcheck.

Pros

• Bright and bass-forward sound quality
• Comfortable fit
• Solid ANC
• Great companion app
• Supports aptX, Bluetooth LE, and Auracast

Cons

• The flagship Momentum 4 TW is only $70 more
• Not the widest soundstage
• Some issues with vocals

Price and Availability

The Sennheiser Accentum True Wireless is $200 and can be purchased online and in stores through major retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, B&H Photo, and Target. You can also purchase the earbuds directly from Sennheiser’s web store.

Design, Fit, and Controls

The Accentum True Wireless are offered in black, white, and blue colorways. While not as glossy as Sennheiser’s Momentum True Wireless 4 (one of the best ANC buds I’ve ever reviewed), the Accentum True Wireless have a similar body shape to those flagship in-ears. An IP54 rating defends the earbuds against sweat and splashes, making them a decent choice for the gym, though the charging case itself is not weather-rated.

A hidden LED beneath the magnetic charging contacts on each bud provides connection status. You’ll find a similar light on the front of the charging case for battery level. Charge levels are indicated in green, yellow, and red, so it’s easy to see your battery status at a glance.

You’ll also get four pairs of silicone ear tips in the box, though I fared best with the pre-installed medium size. I did have a couple of issues getting the left bud to stay in place, and when I’d go to rotate it back into my ear canal, I’d frequently press the touchpoint even if I didn’t intend to. But when I wanted to initiate a tap or long-press command, the earbud touchpoints were fast and responsive.

I actually recommend customizing the taps and press-and-hold commands via the Sennheiser Smart Control app. The default mapping doesn’t allow you to adjust playback volume from the earbuds; you’re forced to adjust the volume from whatever device the buds are paired to.

Thankfully, setting up the Accentum True Wireless earbuds is a breeze. Press and hold both earbuds to enter pairing mode, and you’re off to the races. After installing the latest firmware from the Sennheiser app, connecting the buds to my MacBook Pro was as simple as opening the charging case and selecting the buds from the list of Bluetooth devices.

A Warm Mix Meets a Narrow Soundstage

I thought the Accentum True Wireless buds delivered exceptional sound quality. I’m also the kind of listener who likes a little extra oomph in my low-end. Fortunately, Sennheiser gives you several EQ presets and a customizable sound profile to cycle between if you’re not pleased with the out-of-the-box audio. I put a little icing on my audio cake by creating a custom preset with V-shaped mids and a bit more treble.

Songs like God Shuffled His Feet by the Crash Test Dummies, from top to bottom, sounded incredible. For those unaware, vocalist Brad Roberts has an iconic bass-baritone voice that might be the biggest staple of the Canadian band, and it was an absolute thrill to hear through the Accentum buds. Brad’s vocals do a lot of the legwork at the start of the track, joined eventually by warm acoustic guitar. The rest of the band kicks in during the chorus.

As far as sound stage size goes, the Accentum doesn’t quite reach the level of immersion that the Momentum True Wireless 4 can achieve. So, even though the actual highs, mids, and lows were nicely balanced, I at no point forgot that I was listening to two-channel stereo.

I also had a little trouble with vocals and sibilance. Green Day’s Macy Day Parade is a touching ballad that puts most of the focus on frontman Billie Joe Armstrong’s singing. At times, the vocals were a bit harsh in the mix, especially during sibilant moments. When Armstrong sang “To tell the difference between thieves and crooks,” the final S-syllable made me wince. Dropping the treble helped some, but the trade-off was that the vocals were less loud.

If you like using earbuds to watch movies or play video games, the Accentum buds are an awesome choice. Even with the narrower soundstage, Sennheiser made me feel like I was immersed in the action. The meteor shower scene in Midnight Special was a cacophony of frequent explosions, joined by a kinetic film score with lots of synth and bass drone. But even more dialogue-driven scenes, such as this sequence from The Master, fared well. Similar to music playback, though, the spoken word grabbed a little less attention in the mix.

ANC That Does Its Job and Does It Well

The Accentum buds delivered a rock-solid ANC experience. Obtrusive droning from HVAC systems, construction crews, passing vehicles, and even chatter from folks surrounding you is significantly deadened. The occasional high-frequency push from a sink or hair dryer would make its way in, but the overall volume was reduced. While I did notice a slight ANC hiss when audio wasn’t playing, that’s pretty normal for wireless earbuds.

Switching between the “Anti-Wind” and regular ANC settings in the Smart Control app didn’t seem to yield much difference when actually encountering wind. I could hear a slight effort to cancel out more low-end when Anti Wind was chosen, but that’s about it.

The Transparency mode was pretty great, too, though I wished I could hear my own voice a bit more clearly. For whatever reason, spoken words are actually less audible with Transparency activated. And while I appreciate that Sennheiser gives you the ability to switch between Low, Medium, and High ambiance in the Smart Control app, I didn’t notice much difference from one preset to the next.

A Passing Grade for Call Quality

The Accentum True Wireless is nothing special when it comes to taking calls. I feel that they get a passing grade in this area. Allow me to place more emphasis on passing—there, I did it.

My test chats were discernible but packed with the usual Bluetooth compression. While I could hear what my test caller was saying, the lack of a true side-tone feature (allowing you to listen to your own voice during calls) made my voice sound too bass-heavy, which was pretty distracting. Yes, the Transparency mode automatically kicks in during calls (which was nice), but that didn’t make my mic-captured voice sound any clearer.

My test caller reported lower-than-normal volume levels for me, too. Sorry, Sennheiser. You shall not be taking home any trophies for phone call perfection.

Music and Podcasts for the Whole Work Day

Sennheiser claims that the Accentum True Wireless earbuds should last up to eight hours on a full charge. And a fully charged case should provide an extra 20 hours of playback. The charging case can be topped off via USB-C or with any number of wireless charging accessories. Pop the earbuds in the case for 10 minutes, and you’ll get an extra hour of playback!

As with any pair of wireless earbuds (especially ones with ANC capabilities), variables like ANC, volume level, and other features will ultimately determine how much charge your buds can hang onto. In my case, I’m able to stand behind the lab-tested numbers that Sennheiser provided.

Using the Sennheiser Smart Control App

I’ve used the Sennheiser Smart Control app (for iPhone and Android devices) before, and I was glad to use it again. Not only does the app give you an intuitive dashboard for customizing your Accentum buds, but it’s also where you’ll want to go for firmware updates and customer support (should you need it). Updates seem to be pretty frequent, too. I installed three firmware updates in the couple of weeks I had to test the buds.

The main page gives you a battery breakdown for both the earbuds and the charging case. I liked that all the main audio tools were on this panel, too, including EQ, ANC, and Transparency controls. You’re also able to customize the earbud’s onboard touch controls, minus some of the default touch gestures.

Sennheiser is also kind enough to provide a Find Headphones function for tracking down your lost Accentum buds. Another feature, called Sound Zones, lets you create a group of audio settings (EQ, ANC, and Transparency) that you assign to a specific place, such as your home, your workplace, or the gym.

Should You Buy the Sennheiser Accentum True Wireless?

I’m giving the Sennheiser Accentum True Wireless a solid thumbs-up. While I’m not thrilled about the $200 price, it may not be long before these buds are a little cheaper. From a performance standpoint, they’re not the perfect wireless earbuds, but they sound great, fit comfortably, deliver decent ANC, and are supported by a strong companion app.

You may also want to check out my review of the Sennheiser Momentum 4 True Wireless if you’re on the fence about the Accentum’s mid-range quirks. I also suggest taking a look at our roundup of the best noise-cancelling headphones if you’re looking for great over-ear options.

Sennheiser Accentum True Wireless

$180 $200 Save
$20

Enjoy the incredible details created by TrueResponse acoustic technology, developed, and manufactured in-house to deliver Sennheiser’s signature sound. Need a sound that matches your mood? Use the Sennheiser Smart Control App to curate your sound experience with 5-band EQ, Pre-sets and Soundcheck.