Sennheiser is rolling the dice – in more ways than one – with the Accentum. Firstly, it’s diving back into the mid-range market for over-ears having had Momentum flagship headphones at the top-end for ages.

Secondly, it’s ripping up the old naming conventions and introducing an entirely new internal brand, and very much hoping that Accentum becomes a byword for budget brilliance. I’ve been using these headphones for a couple of weeks to see how they stack up.

Specs, pricing and availability

The Sennheiser Accentum launched on 4 October 2023, in a choice of black or white – though the white won’t be available until November. Both cost $179.95/£159.99, giving a considerable discount over the Momentum 4, which cost $379.95/£309.95.

Design

The Accentum do a really terrific job of looking a heck of a lot like the latest version of the Momentum lineup, the Momentum 4 Wireless. They have the same shape to their earcups and headband, but there are contrasts in the detail.

The earcups are slightly smaller, and a little shallower, and there’s no touch controls, using physical buttons instead. They also miss out on some of the lovely fabric details on the Momentum, small details that show the price difference up if you’re looking for it.

That headband isn’t quite as softly and nicely cushioned, either, and the same goes for the earcups – but that’s not to say these aren’t a comfortable pair of headphones. They fall short when contrasted to a posher pair, sure, but on their own merits, they’re great.

They’re super lightweight though, a hugely important variable, and comfortably fit over even larger ears, making them easy to wear for long periods without becoming a burden.

It also has enough flex to let you easily find a size that fits your head, with plenty of extendable space in the headband. While the plastic that makes up most of its build isn’t as high-quality as the Momentum’s, it’s still solid enough.

Those buttons, meanwhile, are actually a great addition – I’ll always favour buttons over touch controls on headphones, so for me, these actually end up being more useful for volume control and playing or pausing.

The power button is incredibly tiny, though, which can make it a slight faff to find with the headphones already on your head, but I’m verging into the realm of true nitpicking there.

Zooming out to how it actually looks, this is a really subtle and almost brand-generic set of headphones, in a good way – it follows the Momentum 4 in being headphones that don’t shout about themselves, so they’re perfect for a range of settings and situations (and indeed outfits).

The only real duff note comes in the form of what arrives in the box – there’s no carrying case of any sort, not even a pouch, which you’d hope for – even if it’s lower cost. These feel like durable headphones, but it’s a bit scary taking the risk of throwing them in a bag without any protection.

Sound performance

Wearing the headphones for more than just fashion, though, confirms that Sennheiser has managed to pretty much thread the needle of making lower-cost headphones that don’t sound much worse.

The drivers here are a little smaller than the Momentum 4 and that does translate to a slightly downgraded audio profile, but for less than $200 this is still a really impressive offering.

The Accentum has that trademark Sennheiser balance – I’ve been using the Momentum 4 for over a year now, and love them for how they allow all genres to shine, and that’s been mirrored by the Accentum.

They have good detail and are great for audiobooks and folk, but with over-ear isolation, they’re more than powerful enough to give drum and bass and electronica a good home.

Volume can get to levels that I struggle to believe anyone would use, which some will be pleased by, and can also get low enough to give you really relaxed listening if you’re in a quieter mood.

The noise cancelling here is also extremely solid for the price – again, it’s not quite as complete as the Momentum 4, or indeed a top-range option like the Bose QuietComfort Ultra.

That doesn’t mean it’s worthless, though, and the Accentum is a huge asset on trains and planes where it can indeed give you the cocooning that most travellers crave.

In less challenging surroundings, it’s even better, and can also easily be turned to a transparency mode if you want to hear what’s going on around you more easily.

Features and battery life

Battery life is all-important in a set of headphones, and with the Accentum it’s again a case of not quite matching the Momentum 4 – and that being a very good showing.

You get 50 hours on a charge, which could well last a lot of people through even a busy week of use, and with fast charging via USB-C, you can get back five hours of listening in just 10 minutes, too.

That’s a seriously good slice of battery life for the price, and it’s bolstered by really solid Bluetooth performance and connectivity and a wide range of supported codecs.

There isn’t any on-ear detection here, though, so you will need to manually pause your music before taking your headphones off if you’d like to save your place, although the buttons make that easy.

Verdict

The Accentum are a really terrific addition to the Sennheiser lineup, a pair of headphones that land at a much more approachable price point for the majority of potential users.

They’re comfortable and sound excellent, but still look almost identical to the more expensive Momentum 4 Wireless, especially to the untrained eye. It’s a seriously impressive bundle.