It's been a while since I last reviewed Sennheiser's noise-cancelling headphones, and the veteran audio maker's product update cadence hasn't been fast, so this release of Accentum Plus caught my attention.
It is an evolution of the Accentum series, which retains the lightweight design, comfortable fit and ease of use of the Accentum series, while borrowing the best features of the Momentum series. For example, the "Adaptive Noise Cancellation" and "Automatic Wind Noise Suppression" functions, which I think are very useful, as well as the touch buttons integrated into the right earcup panel, greatly improve the user experience.
So in my opinion, these headphones make me feel like I'm savoring a bottle of old wine, with a different freshness in the classic taste. After a week of experience, today I will share with you my overall experience of using it.
Exterior & Design: Modern and traditional
When I was reviewing Sennheiser's headphone products before, I said that the German audio manufacturer's design has always been relatively conservative and stable, such as the momentum series from wired to wireless, the design language has always been relatively uniform, and it is difficult to see exaggerated design elements. But being conservative doesn't mean that there is no design, on the contrary, among the many headphone products, it is easy to identify Sennheiser's products at first glance.
Coming back to the Accentum Plus headphones, "modern and traditional, simple but not simple," this is my most direct reflection of the Accentum Plus design. The black version I have in my hand is still the understated design style of the series, and the corners of the details are very well handled.
Actually, I personally think that the black version is a bit too calm, and of course there should be a white version later. Judging from the official announcement**, the color combination of light gray and milky white is more fresh, and I guess the white version may be more pleasing to young people after it is launched.
The overall size of the Accentum Plus can be said to be very compact, and when folded and stored, it fits perfectly with my backpack and the small 20-inch suitcase that I usually use on business trips. The biggest feature is that it can be completely folded flat at 180 degrees, so it does not take up extra space due to the volume and shape.
Comfort & Endurance: Sleep soundly on long-haul flights
As a heavy user of headphones, wearing comfort and battery life are undoubtedly the two most important criteria for me. First of all, the wearing experience of this earphone is good, the weight is very light, the ergonomic head beam with wide and soft ear cushions makes the earbuds very well wrapped, and I don't feel the pressure of my ears and the top of my head for a long time. I was able to wear it to bed on a plane on a business trip to Beijing and Shenzhen last week, which is a good indication of its wearing comfort and noise reduction effect.
The long battery life of 50 hours makes me not need to think about charging in many recent business trips, and basically one charge in about three days is enough to meet the needs of a week's use. Even if you suddenly want to watch a movie to relax on the plane, you don't have to worry about the power limit of the headphones at all - a 10-minute charge can extend the ** time by 5 hours.
In addition, Accentum Plus's Smart Pause feature automatically stops** when I take off my headphones, and resumes when I put them on again**. I also find it very useful to have the auto-power off feature that allows the earbuds to turn off after as little as 15 minutes to further save unnecessary power consumption.
In my opinion, this convenience of being able to carry around and be available at all times is what Accentum Plus brings to my daily life and business trips.
Headphones sound: It's like savoring a bottle of good old wine
The Accentum Plus uses the 37mm dynamic drivers of the series, and the overall sound quality is very rich and full, especially in the low-mid range, and the clear vocal communication is impressive.
*For the audition, I chose the "Spring" movement from the orchestral "Four Seasons". Starting with a gentle violin sound, and gradually adding more wind instruments, harps, and drum beats, the whole piece is delicate and rich without clutter under the tuning of Accentum Plus. This kind of detail restoration and layered performance, combined with the elastic low frequency of Accentum Plus, is easy to please the ears of mass users in terms of hearing.
In fact, if you listen carefully, the sound style of Accentum Plus is somewhat close to the sound characteristics of Momentum (wooden steamed buns): loose and warm, and the clarity of vocals and instruments is undoubtedly the highest level in this price range. Despite being a closed-back headphone, the Accentum Plus still has an open soundstage and excellent dynamics.
On the downside, the Accentum Plus low end gives me a slightly thicker feeling, and the control in large dynamics is good, but the resolution is slightly lacking, especially when listening to some large classical music, the low frequency will be a little "stuffy". However, this is the solution in the "Smart Control" app.
Users can adjust the three frequencies of the headphones in the equalizer, such as the pop, hip-hop, rock and other ** styles that we usually listen to, I personally prefer this tuning (as shown in the picture above), here for your reference.
Overall, the sound quality of Accentum Plus is undoubtedly the first echelon performance in the price segment of 2,000 yuan. It can not only control pop, rock and roll, but also take into account classical music, jazz and other ** styles. For the sound quality party, I don't think the sound performance of the Accentum Plus will disappoint.
Noise cancellation: "Adaptive" is the most comfortable choice
In addition, the active noise cancellation performance of Accentum Plus cannot be ignored. Although I didn't find its noise cancellation depth parameters, in terms of daily experience, its noise cancellation effect is on the same level as Sony's and Bose's current flagship headphones. At the same time, the ear pressure is well controlled, and there will be no dizziness or chest tightness after wearing it for a period of time.
The noise reduction effect of Accentum Plus can reach the point of "** ear training". Whether it's a daily subway commute or a business trip, I can even keep my mood to myself with the soothing jazz music in my headphones while the dining car attendant pushes by, without being disturbed by the noise of the aisle.
Of course, this is also thanks to the addition of Accentum Plus' adaptive noise cancellation feature. The earbuds can automatically adjust the noise cancellation effect according to the external environmental noise, and you can also manually control the noise cancellation transparency mode by double-clicking on the touch panel of the earphones, which is very flexible to operate. In addition, the new anti-wind noise mode of the earbuds will be well blessed for outdoor use in windy environments, which can effectively reduce the interference of wind noise when listening to songs and voice calls.
Intelligent control: The smoothness of operation has been improved in an all-round way
In terms of operation, if you can adapt to the touch gesture operation of Accentum Plus, it will be easy to use. Only one power switch on the headset is the Bluetooth pairing key, and everything else is integrated into the gesture touch area on the right earcup. One finger can control different gestures such as tapping, double-tapping, and swiping to adjust the volume, switch noise cancellation, transparency mode, and other operations.
For daily use, the advantage of the touch operation experience of this headset is that it is very responsive and almost lag-free; Like a tap**Immediately pause, noise reduction The response speed of the transparent mode is also very fast, and the whole operation experience is very smooth. The downside, of course, is that these gestures are somewhat complex and may take up to two days to get used to. When your fingers get used to these operating logics, the experience becomes very good, far more convenient and intelligent than traditional physical buttons.
In addition, the "Smart Control" mobile app has further enhanced the ease of use of Accentum Plus. I can customize some of the shortcuts, and it also allows me to fine-tune the sound based on the type. In addition, the audio codec hints in the app also allow me to optimize the connection of my device in time. In my opinion, this combination of software and hardware is just right, which not only ensures the simplicity and ease of use of basic control, but also gives it a more advanced intelligent interaction experience.
Summary: The best choice for sound quality parties
After this experience, I found that on the basis of retaining the classic design and portability of the series, the Accentum Plus is on par with the flagship Momentum series in terms of sound quality, noise cancellation, and intelligent control, which also makes the overall performance of the earphones reach a higher level. The ultra-long battery life of 50 hours and the light and comfortable wearing experience also make this headset suitable for most daily use scenarios - not only to meet the needs of those who pursue high sound quality, but also to bring a more convenient and intelligent experience to business people.