It’s all nicely and good having a number of the finest headphones to compete within the premium market, however what are you going to do for these of us who’re on the lookout for the perfect inexpensive headphones and who don’t have cash to burn?
Effectively, in case you’re Sennheiser, you serve up these Accentum Wi-fi noise-cancelling over-ear headphones. They’re round half the value of the corporate’s range-topping Momentum 4 over-ears, and – on paper, at the very least – they’re outfitted to convey somewhat of the celebrated Sennheiser magic all the way down to a extra attainable value.
Thoughts you, everyone knows a false economic system once we see (and listen to) one. So which is it, Sennehsier? Are the Accentum a again door into high-end efficiency or do they minimize too many corners? T3’s Accentum Wi-fi evaluation reveals all…
Sennheiser Accent: Worth & Launch Date
The Sennheiser Accentum are on sale now, and in the UK they promote for £159. In america they’re priced at $179. In Australia they go for AU$299.
Attractive although that price-point is, it’s not as if Sennheiser has the sector clear. Corporations with simply as a lot credibility – like Sony, for instance, or JBL – have equally inexpensive and alluring options with which to tempt you.
Sennheiser Accentum evaluation: Options & What’s New?
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There’s not a lot proof of cost-cutting occurring relating to the feature-set right here. The headline might be battery life: the Sennheiser Accentum will run for 50 hours from a single cost (so long as you’re not caning the amount, after all) and may go from ‘flat’ to ‘full’ in round three hours through the USB-C socket on their proper earcup. A ten-minute burst will maintain you for 5 hours of playback, too.
Bluetooth 5.2 wi-fi connectivity isn’t a budget choice, both – and the Accentum are suitable with SBC, AAC, aptX and aptX HD codecs, too, so fairly hi-res audio is on the menu. Sound is finally delivered by a pair of 37mm full-range drivers with, in accordance with Sennheiser, a frequency response of 10Hz – 22kHz. To this point, so very spec authorized.
Sennheiser Accentum evaluation: Efficiency
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At first acquaintance, the sound of the Sennheiser Accentum may appear barely dispassionate and tutorial – each aspect of a recording is current and proper, decently detailed and given the house through which to precise itself, however an preliminary pay attention isn’t enough for the extra energetic ‘enjoyable’ points of the efficiency to disclose themselves.
Keep on with them, although: the Sennheiser Accentum will not be the life and soul of the celebration, however they’re very happy to indicate up and have a great time as soon as they’re there.
With the EQ settings left nicely alone, these headphones’ tonality is on the cool aspect of impartial – however in lots of ways in which’s preferable to a wealthy or overheated various. Element ranges are excessive throughout the board, and the combination of the frequency vary is, from prime to backside, effortlessly achieved.
There’s enough dynamic headroom out there when recordings demand large shifts in depth, and an equally attentive manner with the extra delicate harmonic variations manifest in solo devices or unaccompanied voices. The soundstage the Accentum create is broad and correctly organised, and there’s house in even complicated, instrument-heavy recordings for every aspect to speak totally.
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Low-frequency data is deep and properly textured, and sufficiently managed to maintain momentum up and rhythmic expression convincing. The Accentum assault low-end stuff with well mannered willpower, and whereas some individuals might hanker after extra out-and-out ‘punch’, the remainder of us will benefit from the realism of the Sennheiser presentation.
The other finish of the frequency vary is equally even handed. There’s a level of ‘chunk’ to treble sounds, however the Sennheiser by no means threaten to get unruly or – god forbid! – ‘onerous’, even in case you wish to pay attention at greater volumes. Simply as elsewhere, there’s greater than sufficient management on present to make sure the highest finish stays strictly in its lane.
In between, the midrange is sort of eloquent, ahead to the extent that vocal traces are straightforward to observe and are introduced with confidence and positivity. Once more, the Sennheiser cans aren’t probably the most demonstrative relating to permitting singers to precise themselves, however you’re by no means in any doubt as as to whether or not you’re getting the entire image.
The lively noise-cancellation (ANC) that’s on provide is simply as completed because the music copy, and there appears subsequent to no distinction within the high quality of the sound the Accentum make no matter whether or not ANC is on or in case you’re listening in ‘transparency’ mode.
The kind of eerie blanket of silence that some (inevitably dearer) designs can provide eludes the Sennheiser, particularly the place low-frequency sounds are involved – however there’s no denying that exterior distractions are lowered by a major diploma. Which implies that within the majority of conditions you’ll be free to get pleasure from your audio content material with out exterior interruptions.
Sennheiser Accentum evaluation: Design & Usability
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The Sennheiser Accentum Wi-fi are yours in both black or white – and regardless of which end you go for, your cash buys you numerous easily tactile, fastidiously constructed plastic. The usual of construct and end right here is nicely as much as the extent you count on from Sennheiser – and, once more, there’s nothing overtly budget-conscious about the best way the Accentum are designed.
The headscarf and the earpads are judiciously padded, and the hid headband adjustment mechanism operates easily. The yokes holding the earcups enable them to swivel by 180 levels, in addition to permitting numerous ‘on/out’ motion too – this, mixed with an all-in weight of simply 222g, means it’s easy to get comfy inside a pair of those headphones. Barely much less comfy, although, is the quantity of your physique warmth these earpads retain and return – and the way comparatively shortly they accomplish that.
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There aren’t any touch-controls right here – as a result of financial savings must be made someplace – however nonetheless it’s straightforward to take management of the Accentum. There’s a beam-forming mic in every earcup – they handle telephony, voice-assistant interplay and noise-cancellation. Your supply participant’s native voice assistant will be woken utilizing one of many 4 bodily management buttons on the correct earcup – the ‘voice assistant’ management additionally takes care of ‘energy on/off’, ‘Bluetooth pairing’ and toggles by your ANC choices. The opposite three are in command of ‘play/pause’, ‘skip forwards/backwards’, ‘quantity up/down’ and ‘reply/finish/reject name’.
Noise-cancellation is of the ‘adaptive’ selection, that means it should assess your environment periodically and regulate itself accordingly. There’s no ‘off’ choice for ANC right here, solely ‘on’ or ‘transparency’ – however the Sensible Management app that’s free for iOS and Android does at the very least provide a ‘wind noise discount’ setting. The app additionally features a five-band EQ, ‘bass enhance’ and ‘podcast’ settings, the flexibility to pause music playback when ‘transparency’ is chosen, and an adjustment of the quantity of your personal voice you hear throughout calls. And in case you’re ready to subscribe, the app additionally has entry to the ‘sound test’ and ‘sound zone’ options that enable bespoke EQ settings for particular environments and can swap robotically between them.
Verdict
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The Sennheiser Accentum Wi-fi are clearly extra inexpensive than their extra celebrated siblings, however nothing about them is actively ‘low-cost’.
And relating to balanced, insightful and, above all, real looking sound, they’re as efficient a technique to spend your hard-earned cash as you will discover at this value level.
Additionally contemplate
The Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 are the alternative of the Sennheiser Accentum in angle and presentation – however they’re very succesful headphones in their very own proper. If it’s a celebration you’re interested by, the Skullcandy are prepared and keen to kick the door in.
The Jabra Evolve2 65 Flex, in the meantime, have an entire stack of choices relating to customising the sound, and make plenty of sense if it is advisable to put on headphones for hybrid working or comparable.
