Sennheiser’s Accentum Open Earbuds are not your typical pair of wireless earbuds. Instead of chasing big bass and shutting out the world, these go for a more natural, open-ear listening vibe that keeps you in touch with what’s around you.
At ₹9,990, it’s definitely a bit of a gamble. Most buyers these days seem to want punchy lows, and things like active noise cancellation and high codec support. Sennheiser’s giving you none of that, just pure, clean sound, with a wide open stage, and that signature Sennheiser tuning. But does it work as a package?
After using them every day for the past couple of weeks (and putting my Moonshot Chu II DSP IEMs on pause), I can honestly say it’s been a surprisingly nice change.
The sound is airy and clear, and I haven’t missed that bass as much as I thought I would. It’s just a refreshingly different experience.
Sennheiser Accentum Open Earbuds Review: Sound Quality
When it comes to headphones and earbuds, sound quality is always the biggest deal. Sennheiser’s Open Earbuds stand out right away for delivering a really impressive audio experience.
You get an 11mm dynamic driver that brings out a clear, lively sound that makes everything pop, even though it only supports the standard SBC and AAC codecs. I was a bit sceptical at first about not having high-res wireless, but Sennheiser’s tuning totally makes up for it. Music playback feels energetic and detailed, as long as I’m not in a super noisy spot.
There’s no noise isolation, not even passive isolation ,thanks to open design, and no ANC either. It’s honestly like having transparency mode switched on all the time, which has actually made me feel safer running outside or just walking around the city. I never feel totally cut off from my surroundings.
What really surprised me is the sense of space. The soundstage feels open and airy, which makes it easy to pick out different layers in my favourite tracks. It’s not quite as expansive as any of the open-back headphones that I have played, but I have never experienced such an open sound from wireless earbuds, not in this price range at least.
Mids and highs really come alive, so vocals and acoustic music sound crisp. I’ve been playing tracks like Experience by Ludovico Einaudi, Layla by Eric Clapton, and Africa by Toto, and they just sound so clean.
I even tried movies like ‘Nope’ and ‘Hugo’ and was honestly surprised by how full and immersive the sound felt for such compact buds.
Volume has never been an issue, though when I am travelling by metro, I do have to keep it lower since sound does leak out. You get some bass, but it’s not going to rock your world, and neither is it designed to. It’s all about balance and detail with this one.
One last thing to remember is that there’s no dedicated app for customising the sound, so you’ll have to use your phone or music app’s EQ settings if you want to tweak anything.
Still, if you want open, comfortable, and detailed sound in a lightweight package, these are a great choice. The Open Earbuds is just a super relaxed, enjoyable pair of earbuds.
Sennheiser Accentum Open Earbuds Review: Call quality
Call quality on the Open Earbuds really surprised me in a good way. With two mics in each earbud, background noise is filtered out well enough that my voice always comes through clean, even on busy streets. People I’ve called have had no trouble hearing me.
The only catch is the open-ear design, which means when I’m on a noisy Metro or any other crowded place, I sometimes would struggle to hear the other person clearly, especially if the connection is a little bit sketchy. That’s just the trade-off with this style.
Sennheiser Accentum Open Earbuds Review: Design & Comfort
The first thing you’ll probably notice is that the Open Earbuds’ case gives off some major AirPods energy. It’s got that familiar, smooth shape and flip-top design, so at a glance, you could easily mistake it for Apple’s classic charging case, had it not been for the colour.
But look a little closer and you’ll spot Sennheiser’s own twist. We get a tapered bottom that keeps things feeling fresh rather than like a copy-paste job.
You’ve got two colour options for the buds: a clean matte black and this off-white, almost creamy finish.
I was testing the cream version and, honestly, it’s a champ at hiding fingerprints, though I can already tell it might start showing scuffs and dirt after a couple of months. The black version looks properly slick and feels like a safe bet if you’re worried about marks. The gold charging pin at the end of the stem gives it just a bit of personality, especially in the black version.
The earbuds themselves are designed with that classic stem style. The round bulb just rests on the outer part of your ear, right on the concha, instead of getting stuffed inside your ear canal. This is brilliant if you’re someone who hates that blocked-up feeling from in-ear designs. The flip side is that the fit can be a bit of a gamble.
My ears are small to medium, and while the buds were comfy enough for walking around, they started working their way loose the second I tried jogging. If your ears are on the smaller side, you might have the same issue. There’s really no way to adjust them, so it’s very much a “take it or leave it” fit.
What I love is how light these are, just 4.35 grams per bud. I wore them for hours and did not feel fatigued at all. The case, too, is feather-light at 29.3 grams, and easily slips in and out of your pocket, making it super easy to carry around.
Sennheiser’s given these an IPX4 rating, so a bit of sweat or rain isn’t going to be a problem.
My one complaint is the flip-top lid; it doesn’t feel as sturdy as I’d like, and while the magnets usually keep the buds secure, I did have a moment where a drop sent them tumbling out.
There’s a USB port and a little LED on the bottom, but that’s it. No reset button or extra features. The case keeps things simple and minimal, so don’t expect anything fancy here.
Sennheiser Accentum Open Earbuds Review: Connectivity & Controls
The Accentum Open Earbuds run on Bluetooth 5.3, which might sound a bit old school since a lot of new earbuds already have Bluetooth 5.4.
In day-to-day use, though, I had zero complaints; connection was always quick, and features like fast pairing and multipoint worked smoothly.
I also didn’t notice any lag, not even when gaming, and the connection stayed rock-solid even when my phone was 10-15 feet away or in a different room.
As mentioned before, you don’t get any high-end codecs, and there’s no dedicated app for these earbuds.
The upside is setup couldn’t be simpler—just pair and go. On the flip side, you can’t tweak the EQ or fine-tune any sound settings directly, so you’ll have to rely on your phone or music app if you want to adjust things.
There’s also no way to customise controls, but the built-in touch controls on the stems are super responsive for basic actions like volume, play/pause, and skipping tracks.
Sennheiser Accentum Open Earbuds Review: Battery Life
Battery life on the Accentum Open Earbuds is pretty solid. Sennheiser promises around 6.5 hours from the earbuds themselves, with extra juice from the case for longer listening sessions.
Charging happens over USB-C, but it isn’t particularly fast. Getting the case fully topped up takes about 50-55 minutes. On the plus side though, a quick 10-minute charge gives you about an hour of playback. There’s no wireless charging support, which I feel is a missed opportunity.
Sennheiser Accentum Open Earbuds Review: Verdict
The Sennheiser Accentum Open Earbuds are honestly a nice change from all the in-canal, bass-heavy options out there. If you’re after clear, natural sound and a comfy open-ear fit that lets you keep an ear on what’s happening around you, these definitely do the job.
Call quality is solid, battery life holds up, and the controls are super easy to get used to. You do miss out on some stuff like customisation, fancy codecs, and wireless charging, but in daily use, I didn’t really feel like I was missing out on anything major.
The fit is a bit of a gamble depending on your ears, and yes, some sound does leak. But if you’re bored with the usual in-ear style and want something that just works for everyday life, these are an easy pick.
