JUL 5, 2024
NimishAndAkriti
Sennheiser is known for its audio quality, and its Accentum series is designed to bring some of that sound goodness (and good soundness) to consumers at slightly lower prices than its flagship devices. We got our hands on the Accentum Wireless, the budget ANC headphones of the series.
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The first thing that will strike you about the Accentum Wireless is just how compact they are. While the ear cups do not revolve inwards, the headphones can still easily be held in one hand. They are also remarkably light at 222 grams (the relatively lightweight Sony WH-1000XM5 weigh 250 grams, for comparison).
And they are pretty smartly designed too. The headphones are made of plastic and do not exactly scream "premium" but are sturdily built. They need to be - there's no carrying case accompanying them, so until you get a case (or IF you get one), you will be chucking them into your back or wearing them around your neck quite often!
What we love about the Accentum Wireless is the padding on the ear cups and also on the band. This, combined with their light weight, makes them super comfortable to wear for hours on end. They do not press too tightly on one's head, either. As a result they do not get too warm, reducing the chances of sweating. And praise the lord, they are labelled L(eft) and R(right) very prominently - no fiddling with coloured dots or hidden letters in tiny fonts!
In terms of controls, the Sennheiser Accentum Wireless come with button controls, which we like (we are not fans of the touch panels, that take some getting used to). You have buttons for increasing and decreasing volume, power on/off, and a multi function button for pause/play and take and end calls and also to move to the next or previous track.
It is here that the Accentum Wireless show signs of being relatively lower priced - the buttons and small and not the easiest to use. We would recommend keeping your phone handy for controlling this one!
You also get ANC, and most important of all, the promise of that high-quality Sennheiser sound delivered through the brand's famous transducer system and large 37 mm drivers (the WH-1000XM5 have 30 mm drivers - mind you, there is more to this than just numbers, but still...). You can tweak audio using the equaliser than comes with the companion app, but we think the default sound is the best one - it is a little more bass-y than the flagship Sennheiser sound, but very pleasantly mainstream and very clear for its price.
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Add 50 hour battery life, and and the Sennheiser Accentum Wireless seem quite decent deal at their price of Rs 11,990. We wish they had added a case to the package and also used better quality buttons for controls, but that apart, these seem perfect for those who want very comfortable headphones with high-quality sound with decent-ish ANC (ANC levels do tend to fluctuate with price) , for a price in the vicinity of Rs 12,000!