ZDNET’s key findings
- The new Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 are an exceptional mid-range option for audiophiles and are discounted to $195 at Amazon.
- Exceptional sound quality and a marathon battery set these headphones apart from similarly priced competitors.
- However, the build quality is exactly the same as last year’s model, with no improvements in fit, design or materials.
During this year’s CES, audio company Sennheiser announced three new headphones and earphones, including an improved version of the Sennheiser Accentum.
Sennheiser’s Accentum line can be considered the mid-range version of the company’s Momentum series of over-ear headphones. I reviewed the Accentum headphones last December and was impressed by their impressive sound despite their $150 price tag.
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However, the Accentum had a Really tight fit that made wearing it almost unbearable. So I had higher expectations of the new Accentum Pluswhich initially launched for $230 but have since been reduced to just $195. Are the latest headphones worth the money and has Sennheiser improved the fit and finish? Let’s take a look.
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Let’s start with the sound: The output of the Accentum Plus is both rich and clear, and Sennheiser has angled the speaker transducers to optimize the soundstage just enough to provide a great listening experience. By moving the transducers, Sennheiser has given the Accentum Plus an airier and more spacious sound than last year’s Accentum. The new sound is like a cross between static and spatial audio, giving you an immersive experience without feeling like the sound is significantly altered.
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When I heard Lorde’s Green light, the bass was punchy and full, and the synth harmonies were present enough to give me a warm feeling in my ears (that’s a good thing). When listening to Blocked days by Phantogram was an experience of well-tuned bass and mid harmonies that delivered an electrifying and all-encompassing sound.
There is no loss in sound quality from the first model Accentum to the Plus, and no loss in quality from the Momentum 4 to the Accentum Plus. For $230, you get an immersive sound experience with exceptional clarity and depth with the Accentum Plus.
The Accentum Plus has the same design as the Accentum, which is mostly plastic, except for the earcups, which are coated in polyurethane. However, the plastic construction makes these headphones very lightweight, so if the earcups fit your ears, these headphones are a solid option for long commutes and all-day wear.
Still, the fit was too tight for me and I gave up after about an hour of wearing them. If these headphones fit your head, they can last a whopping 50 hours with Bluetooth. And Noise cancellation activated. For comparison: headphones in a similar price range such as the Beats Studio Pro and the JBL Tour One M2 only offer up to 35 hours of battery life with noise cancellation activated.
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Tap and swipe controls on the right earcup replace the buttons on the Accentum and are responsive and reliable. Quick taps let you play and pause music or answer or end a call, while swipes increase and decrease volume. These headphones also feature wear detection, which pauses your music when you take them off and resumes the music when you put them back on.
The first model, Accentum, featured hybrid noise cancellation technology that used microphones inside and outside the ear cups to detect and cancel noise. The Accentum Plus features adaptive noise cancellation, an increasingly popular form of noise cancellation technology. Adaptive noise cancellation detects the sounds in your environment and automatically adjusts to the noise level of your surroundings. This allows you to get more noise reduction in noisier environments and less in quieter areas.
However, the noise cancellation on the Accentum Plus is still weaker than other headphones in this price range, such as the Bose QuietComfort 45. However, the ANC adaptivity helps to quieten your surroundings while keeping your music the focus, and it’s the best noise cancellation I’ve experienced from Sennheiser to date.
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Sennheiser has included a carrying case this time around, which is a bonus. Of course, it’s not as sturdy as the case that comes with the more expensive Momentum 4, but it’s less bulky and serves its purpose, which is to protect your headphones from dust when not in use.
You can listen to the Accentum Plus via a wired connection, but I don’t recommend doing so unless you’re hooking up professional audio equipment. These headphones require more power via a wired connection than your smartphone can provide, so the Accentum Plus sounds quiet, distant, and tinny. If you’re listening via your smartphone, stick with Bluetooth; you get several audio benefits wirelessly by accessing Qualcomm’s AptX codecs.
Buying advice from ZDNET
The Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 Headphones are ideal for music lovers looking for a small and lightweight headphone with a long battery life. They are an improvement over the first Accentum headphones in the areas of sound and noise cancellation and are best suited for people who are willing to spend the extra money for better features.
I would like to point out that the Accentum model without the Plus model is still the cheapest option – especially since it was recently discounted even further. So if you want great sound for less money, give these a try. However, if you want something with an even more stylish design and longer battery life as well as deeper bass response, go for the Dynamics 4.
