Sennheiser ACCENTUM Plus Wireless Review

Bottom line: The current mid-range ANC flagship from the company that made the HD 450BT, with adaptive noise canceling, 50-hour battery, touch controls, transparency mode, multipoint pairing, and aptX Adaptive codec support. Everything the 450BT was, improved, at a price that still isn’t the Sony WH-1000XM5 and doesn’t pretend to be, but with a couple surprising changes you should know about.

Scribbright rating: 4.5 out of 5

Get the Sennheiser ACCENTUM Plus on Amazon →

Context: the Sennheiser mid-range grows up

Scribbright has already reviewed two headphones in the Sennheiser family: the HD 450BT, which this review will reference freely, and implicitly the Sony WH-1000XM5 as the category benchmark everything is measured against. If you want the full Sennheiser family tree before reading further, here’s the short version: HD 450BT was the affordable entry point, now discontinued. ACCENTUM Wireless is the current base model. ACCENTUM Plus is what we’re looking at here. MOMENTUM 4 is the flagship. This review lives in the middle of that range, which is exactly where it’s priced.

I’ve been a Sennheiser user since my audio mixing days, and I came into the HD 450BT review with a disclosed soft spot for the brand. That soft spot hasn’t faded. What has changed is that Sennheiser has addressed several of the 450BT’s real limitations in the ACCENTUM Plus unit I got my hands on: the ANC is now adaptive rather than on/off, transparency mode is present and adjustable, multipoint is here, and the battery has gone from 30 to 50 hours. Sennheiser listened, apparently. And yes, that’s on-brand for an audio company.

→ If you’re building out a writing setup, the Scribbright reviews section covers everything from noise-canceling headphones to desk lighting to writing tablets.

The ANC upgrade

The HD 450BT’s ANC was that review’s main issue: good at low frequencies, less effective at higher ones, and binary: on or off, no middle ground. The ACCENTUM Plus tackles this with adaptive hybrid ANC that continuously analyzes ambient noise and adjusts the cancellation level accordingly.

In real practice, this means the headphones are doing the environmental assessment that the XM5 handles automatically, at a price point roughly $100 lower. The ANC effectively cancels out engine rumble on buses (like those on my usual route here in fabulous Long Beach) and reduces general chatter, though higher-pitched noises like brake squeals remain more challenging to soften. That limitation is consistent with every non-flagship ANC headphone in this price range. The XM5 handles it better; the ACCENTUM Plus handles it better than the 450BT; they’re both true.

I mentioned surprises above, and here’s one worth knowing: the ANC can’t be completely disabled. The headphones switch between ANC and transparency mode, and there’s even a slider to smoothly transition between the two, but you can’t turn these features off completely. For writers who sometimes want genuinely unprocessed audio, this is the kind of design decision you don’t discover until you’re looking for the off switch. There isn’t one.

The transparency mode is well-implemented. It has a natural feel, doesn’t overly amplify any particular frequency, and offers an option to automatically activate transparency mode when entering a call so you can gauge your own voice volume. Coming from the HD 450BT, which had no transparency mode at all, this is a real quality-of-life upgrade for writers who take calls.

The sound

The 37mm dynamic driver delivers the same characteristic Sennheiser sound signature: clean, balanced, and unfrakked-with. Controlled bass that doesn’t make a spectacle of itself, good mid-range clarity, highs that are present without being fatiguing. This is a headphone tuned for listening rather than for impressing someone in a store, which is a quality worth making in a market full of the latter.

The ACCENTUM Plus adds aptX Adaptive codec support over the regular ACCENTUM’s aptX HD, which adjusts bitrate dynamically and optimizes wireless performance based on signal conditions. For writers streaming lossless audio from compatible sources, this is the ceiling you’d want at this price. For writers playing Spotify at standard quality, it’s invisible and irrelevant, but it’s there when it matters, IMHO.

The Sennheiser Smart Control app adds EQ customization, ANC and transparency adjustment, and the Sound Zones feature, which lets you create geo-fenced locations where specific audio settings apply automatically. Home: quiet mode. Office: maximum ANC. The café where you write: whatever you’ve decided that environment needs. It’s a clever feature that either sounds instantly useful or like something you’ll configure once and forget, depending on how you work.

The hardware

At 227g the ACCENTUM Plus is lighter than the 450BT’s 238g, which sounds trivial and isn’t after three hours of continuous wear. The earcups use soft pleather padding with enough depth to fully envelope most ears. Earcups are a little small, and the clamping force can be a little tight on larger ears, which is the one comfort issue that appears consistently across reviews from users with larger heads. I’ve got a Charlie Brown melon, but I didn’t notice this. If you’re in that category, try before committing, or verify the return policy before committing.

Another wrinkle: the controls shift from the 450BT’s physical buttons, which reviewers consistently criticized for uncertain tactile feedback, to touch controls on the right earcup. This is an improvement in theory and a mixed result in practice. Touch controls, especially the double-tap to switch ANC modes, aren’t always effective. This is the best-known failure mode of capacitive touch on headphones, where the difference between an intentional tap and an accidental contact from adjusting the fit is not as obvious as the engineers presumably hoped. It’s better than unreliable physical buttons; it is not as good as reliable physical buttons, which remain the correct solution to a problem nobody has managed to definitively solve at this price point.

Sidebar: Why are product engineers so in love with capacitive controls or touchscreens? Cost and perceived “wow” factor, I guess. But I wouldn’t buy a car that lacks physical buttons, and I think twice about it on personal electronics.

Wear detection via a sensor in the right earcup pauses playback automatically when the headphones are removed. It works reliably. Faster charging than the predecessor and USB-C throughout.

50 hours of battery

This is where the ACCENTUM Plus makes the XM5 look slightly embarrassed. Fifty hours with ANC on against the XM5’s thirty. Charging weekly rather than every few days. For writers who use headphones as a constant writing companion rather than an occasional travel accessory, the battery life is the spec that matters most in daily practice, and fifty hours genuinely removes a concern for the OCD among us.

There’s no quick-charge headline feature comparable to the XM5’s three minutes for three hours, but at fifty hours of runtime, the absence of quick-charge is academic. You’ll remember to charge it before the battery becomes a problem.

ACCENTUM Plus vs HD 450BT vs XM5

Three Sennheiser-adjacent headphones, three use cases.

The HD 450BT at closeout pricing is the value play: good sound, functional ANC, 30-hour battery, no frills, Sennheiser quality at a price that makes the comparison embarrassing for more expensive options. If you find it under $100, buy it without guilt.

The ACCENTUM Plus is the current mid-range recommendation: adaptive ANC, transparency mode, 50-hour battery, touch controls, multipoint, and aptX Adaptive. It costs $229 and represents what mid-range ANC headphones should deliver in 2026. It does.

The Sony WH-1000XM5 at $279 to $349 remains the category leader on ANC performance and call quality. The gap between it and the ACCENTUM Plus has narrowed with this generation, but it hasn’t closed. If ANC performance in high-frequency environments or call quality in loud spaces is the priority, the XM5 is still the answer.

Pros

• Adaptive hybrid ANC continuously adjusts to environment; meaningful upgrade over HD 450BT
• 50-hour battery with ANC on is among the best in the category at any price
• Transparency mode is well-implemented and auto-activates on calls
• 227g is light; comfortable for extended sessions in most ear configurations
• aptX Adaptive codec support optimizes wireless performance dynamically
• Multipoint pairing connects two devices simultaneously
• Sound Zones feature is genuinely clever for writers with consistent location patterns
• Wear detection auto-pauses reliably

Cons

• ANC cannot be fully disabled; switches only between ANC and transparency
• Touch controls are unreliable on double-tap gestures
• Earcup size and clamping force may not suit larger ears
• Microphone noise rejection is mediocre; not the right headphone for calls in loud environments
• ANC doesn’t match the XM5 at higher frequencies
• Wired analog audio quality is reportedly below average; use wirelessly

The verdict

The Sennheiser ACCENTUM Plus takes everything the HD 450BT got right — the sound quality, the battery life, the Sennheiser tuning philosophy — and addresses most of what it got wrong. The ANC is now adaptive, the transparency mode is present and useful, the battery has nearly doubled, and multipoint is finally here. At $229 it sits in the most competitive segment of the headphone market, and it competes credibly. It’s not the XM5. It’s also $100 to $120 less than the XM5, and the gap in performance is narrower than the gap in price.

For the lifelong Sennheiser user who watched the HD 450BT get discontinued and wondered what came next, this is what came next, and it’s good.

Get the Sennheiser ACCENTUM Plus on Amazon →

Michael Semer is a writer and editor who has now reviewed three Sennheiser products and has started to wonder if he should be on their payroll. He is not on their payroll. He is, however, open to the conversation.

→ More gear worth knowing about: Scribbright reviews writing tools, notebooks, keyboards, and desk essentials for writers who take the work seriously.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Sennheiser ACCENTUM Plus? The Sennheiser ACCENTUM Plus is the current mid-range wireless ANC headphone in Sennheiser’s consumer lineup, replacing the discontinued HD 450BT. It features adaptive hybrid ANC, transparency mode, 50-hour battery life with ANC on, touch controls, wear detection, multipoint pairing, aptX Adaptive codec support, and the Sennheiser Smart Control app with Sound Zones. Priced at $229.95.

How does the ACCENTUM Plus compare to the HD 450BT? The ACCENTUM Plus is the direct successor. Key upgrades include adaptive ANC rather than on/off, added transparency mode, 50-hour battery versus 30, touch controls versus physical buttons, multipoint pairing, and aptX Adaptive versus aptX. The HD 450BT is discontinued and available at closeout pricing; at the right price it remains a strong value buy. The ACCENTUM Plus is the current recommendation at full price.

How does the Sennheiser ACCENTUM Plus compare to the Sony WH-1000XM5? The XM5 leads on ANC performance, particularly against high-frequency noise and voices, and call quality in loud environments. The ACCENTUM Plus leads in battery life (50 hours vs 30) and costs $100 to $120 less. The sound quality difference is marginal and subjective. For writers prioritizing ANC and call performance: XM5. For writers prioritizing battery and value: ACCENTUM Plus.

Can the ANC be turned off on the ACCENTUM Plus? No. The ACCENTUM Plus switches between ANC and transparency mode but cannot disable both entirely. This is a design choice that differentiates it from most competing headphones, including the XM5. For writers who want completely unprocessed audio, this matters.

What is the Sound Zones feature on the ACCENTUM Plus? Sound Zones lets you create up to 20 geo-fenced locations in the Smart Control app, with custom audio settings that automatically apply as you enter or leave each zone. Home, office, café, commute — each can have a different EQ and ANC profile. It’s a useful feature for writers with consistent location patterns who want their headphones to configure themselves.

Is the ACCENTUM Plus good for calls? Adequately, not excellently. The microphone noise rejection is described as mediocre by most reviewers, making it best suited for calls at home or in controlled environments. In loud environments (a café, an open office, a noisy street) call quality deteriorates. The XM5’s four beamforming microphones handle loud-environment calls considerably better.

How long does the ACCENTUM Plus battery last? Fifty hours with ANC on, which is among the best battery life available in the ANC headphone category at any price. USB-C charging. No specific quick-charge headline feature, but at fifty hours, the need for quick charging rarely arises in real use.