Sennheiser ACCENTUM True Wireless review

We had a lot of praise to give out to the Sennheiser ACCENTUM Wireless over-ear headphones. Now, Sennheiser has added true wireless earbuds to its ACCENTUM line. Do they live up to their namesake? Find out in our Sennheiser ACCENTUM True Wireless review.

Editor’s note: this article was updated on June 28, 2024, to include a video review of the Sennheiser ACCENTUM True Wireless. 

What’s it like to use the Sennheiser ACCENTUM True Wireless?

With a plastic earbud and case design, these earbuds don’t have the luxury feel of their more expensive siblings the Sennheiser MOMENTUM True Wireless 4. While the earbuds may not be as bad and bougie as their more expensive siblings, the design is lightweight and durable. The charging case is also very portable; I had no problems fitting it in any pant pockets.

You get four different sizes of silicone ear tips included in the box, and I was able to attain a snug fit that didn’t slide out of my ears during a workout. I can wear these earbuds for hours without encountering comfort issues, but those with small ears will struggle with how large the earbuds are. Some of our team members in the office immediately complained about a painful fit when placing the earbuds in their ears.

Should you use the Sennheiser Smart Control app for the Sennheiser ACCENTUM True Wireless?

The Sennheiser Smart Control app provides a comprehensive set of features to augment the Sennheiser ACCENTUM True Wireless. There is a custom five-band equalizer, as well as many EQ presets to choose from. If you aren’t sure how to EQ your earbuds, you can use the Sound Check feature to take a listening test that determines your preferred sound.

From the app you can toggle your preferred strength of Transparency mode, and switch ANC to Anti Wind mode for outdoor listening. The Sound Zone feature allows you to toggle different earbud settings depending on your geographic setting, which is helpful for enabling ANC at work or boosting bass at the gym. To access some of the features inside the app, you need to sign up for a Sennheiser account with your email, which could be a concern if you are worried about headphone companies collecting your data.

How do the Sennheiser ACCENTUM True Wireless connect?

The Sennheiser ACCENTUM True Wireless use Bluetooth 5.3 to connect to devices. This means the earbuds support Bluetooth LE and Auracast. You also get support for aptX, along with the more standard SBC and AAC Bluetooth codecs. Rounding out the robust connectivity technology inside these earbuds is Bluetooth multipoint, which allows you to pair to multiple devices simultaneously. I didn’t experience any connection issues using the earbuds over an AAC connection with my iPhone and Macbook.

How long does the Sennheiser ACCENTUM True Wireless battery last?

Our battery testing for the Sennheiser ACCENTUM True Wireless is currently ongoing. Sennheiser states that the earbuds will playback music for up to 6 hours with ANC enabled, which is about average for true wireless earbuds. With the charging case, Sennheiser states that you can get up to 28 hours of total music playback time.

How well do the Sennheiser ACCENTUM True Wireless cancel noise?

The Sennheiser ACCENTUM True Wireless create a tight seal in the ear, which passively isolates a significant amount of environmental noise. Once you enable ANC, the earbuds attenuate a noticeable amount of noise from a train or loud office. While the ANC isn’t as good as the best noise canceling earbuds, it’s still good enough for most people’s needs. I also found the Anti Wind mode works great for blocking out wind noise while running by the ocean.

For staying aware of your surroundings, the Sennheiser ACCENTUM True Wireless have great transparency features. Within the app, you can toggle the transparency mode to Low, Mid, or High. I found the High setting amplifies high-frequency noises such as keyboards clicking to an even louder level compared to without the earbuds on. If you’d like, you can also have Transparency mode automatically turn on when you answer a call or pause your music. These may seem like small details, but they go a long way to creating an experience that is enjoyable throughout the entire day, and I hope other earbud manufacturers take notice.

How do the Sennheiser ACCENTUM True Wireless sound?

The Sennheiser ACCENTUM True Wireless have passable sound quality. Most people won’t be thoroughly impressed or disappointed by the sound quality, as it is in line with other wireless earbud offerings.

Multi-Dimensional Audio Quality Scores (MDAQS)

The chart below shows how the sound of the Sennheiser ACCENTUM True Wireless was assessed by the Multi-Dimensional Audio Quality Score (MDAQS) algorithm from HEAD acoustics.

The Sennheiser ACCENTUM score an Overall score of 4.1 on a scale from 1-5. This is a good score, but it isn’t great, especially considering what else is available in the market around this price. There is a good chance you won’t like the sound quality of these earbuds as much as alternative offerings.

Reviewer’s notes

Editor’s note: this review uses a hover-enabled glossary to describe sound quality based on a consensus vocabulary. You can read about it here.

Objective Measurements

The chart above shows the default frequency response of the Sennheiser ACCENTUM True Wireless compared to our headphone preference curve. The earbuds over-emphasize low frequencies by a couple of decibels compared to our target, which amplifies the sound of kick drums and basslines. They also under-emphasize the mids around 500Hz and 3kHz by up to 5dB, which is where vocals typically live. In the highs, there is a boost of a couple of decibels around 13kHz, which can make cymbal sounds painful, depending on your hearing ability.

Can you use the Sennheiser ACCENTUM True Wireless for phone calls?

The microphones on the Sennheiser ACCENTUM True Wireless aren’t great for taking phone calls in most environments. In a quiet room, the microphones work well, but step outside your room and you’ll run into some issues. In our microphone tests, the microphones struggle to attenuate simulated office, street, and wind noise.

Sennheiser ACCENTUM True Wireless microphone demo (Ideal conditions):

Should you buy the Sennheiser ACCENTUM True Wireless?

The Sennheiser ACCENTUM True Wireless are fine earbuds, but you can get more bang for your buck elsewhere. The sound quality is only passable, which is underwhelming for earbuds with a price tag this large. With potential fit issues and poor microphone quality, these wouldn’t be the first earbuds I recommend to someone in this budget.

What should you get instead of the Sennheiser ACCENTUM True Wireless?

My go-to recommendation in this price range are the Nothing Ear, $149 at Amazon. These earbuds are extremely comfortable, sound great, and are packed full of features. If you want the best sound quality, the Creative Aurvana Ace 2 are also a great option, $149.99 at Amazon.

If you have the budget, it is worth upgrading to the Sennheiser MOMENTUM True Wireless 4, $269.95 at Amazon. They are among our favorite earbuds on the market thanks to their luxurious design, great sound quality, and excellent noise canceling. They are a noticeable step up from the Sennheiser ACCENTUM True Wireless, and we recommend them to pretty much anyone looking for the best wireless earbuds money can buy.

Apple device owners should take a look at the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd generation), which you can occasionally find on sale for around $200. Right now you can find them for $239 at Amazon. On the other hand, Android users should take a look at the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, $179 at Amazon.

Frequently asked questions