Sennheiser was still missing the Accentum Plus Wireless

With the Accentum Plus Wireless, Sennheiser is bringing a headphone onto the market that was still missing from the manufacturer's portfolio. It is intended to be the perfect solution for users who enjoy a few extras in addition to great sound, but don't want to pay a flagship price.

Last fall, Sennheiser released the Accentum Wireless, a headphone that sounds almost as good as the top model Momentum 4, but is significantly cheaper with a current price of just under 150 euros. But buyers have to make do without all the extras. That's why Sennheiser is now bringing the Accentum Plus Wireless onto the market, which is said to represent the perfect middle ground for around 230 euros. ntv.de tried out whether the extra charge for the cheaper version is worth it or whether it's better to go for the flagship straight away.

With pocket and touch operation

You can see the first difference when you open the box, because the Wireless Plus comes with a robust transport bag. The headphones themselves are initially hard to distinguish from the cheaper version; the only thing that is noticeable is that they only have one button on the right shell. This is because the Plus version, like the Momentum 4, has touch controls.

These headphones cannot be folded up either, but they are very compact anyway and take up hardly any space in their bags. At 227 grams, it is only five grams heavier than the simple Accentum and, thanks to its generous padding, it is very comfortable to wear despite strong contact pressure. The workmanship is, as expected from Sennheiser, of high quality. Although the headphones are made almost entirely of plastic, you don't hear any creaking or rattling.

Great sound

There is no noticeable difference in sound compared to the cheaper model. That was hardly to be expected, since the same 37 millimeter speakers with a frequency response of 10 Hertz to 22 kilohertz are installed. This gives you the typical Sennheiser sound, which is characterized by a fundamentally neutral tuning, excellently defined mids and crystal-clear highs with lots of details.

Despite the slightly smaller sound transducers, the bass feels a bit stronger than with the Momentum 4. This is fine in most cases, but depending on your taste it can go a little over the top with one or another song.

In the extensive Smart Control app you will find the option to lower the lows in a 5-band equalizer. You can save several individual settings and try out what works best. The application also allows you to carry out a test to adapt the sound to your own hearing ability or personal taste.

Strong adaptive ANC

You can also see an important difference in the app: like the Momentum 4, the Plus model has adaptive active noise cancellation (ANC), while with the simple Accentum you only have the choice between on and off or a transparency mode. The ANC adjustment works reliably and you can usually rely on it.

However, it is also possible to leave the noise cancellation on at the highest level throughout, although you can hear that it is working at a very high level. In addition, the ANC can be adjusted manually. If you move the control all the way to the right, you will hear external noises amplified so much that you are guaranteed to understand every announcement in the waiting hall. However, the transparency mode is not excessive or even unpleasant.

Successful controls, great endurance

When making phone calls, you can easily understand yourself and the other person you are talking to. Thanks to two beamforming microphones, the voice is effectively isolated, meaning you can make calls without shouting even in louder environments.

If you temporarily remove the headphones, playback pauses with almost no delay. The simple Accentum cannot do this; you have to press a button like all other actions. The Plus model, on the other hand, has touch controls like the Momentum 4. With one or two taps and swipes on the touch-sensitive outside of the shells, everything can be controlled for playback and phone calls.

The surfaces react precisely and quickly, and special features such as interrupting the music and activating the transparency mode with two taps at the same time are pleasing. However, the physical buttons on the simple Accentum are less complicated. You can hardly operate them accidentally, as can easily happen with touch surfaces.

Fortunately, there are no major differences between the variants when it comes to endurance. The Plus also offers a runtime of around 50 hours in Bluetooth operation with ANC activated. If the battery is exhausted, the headphones will last up to five hours after ten minutes on the charger. If Bluetooth operation is not possible, you can also wire it to a playback source.

It's better to spend a lot less or a little more

Yes, Sennheiser was still missing the Accentum Plus in order to offer users strong ANC Bluetooth headphones between the entry-level and top models. At least that's technically true. However, if you pay attention to the price-performance level, the reality of online retail thwarts Sennheiser's plans. The basic Accentum is now available for around 130 euros, and if you really want touch controls, adaptive ANC and a carrying case, you only have to pay 30 euros more than the Plus to get the Momentum 4.