STEREO GUIDE verdict
+ natural, warm sound image
+ deep, round, musical bass
+ plays silky and long-listening
+ very good app with many functions
- Spatiality could be wider
- not the most dynamic TWS on the market
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Sound: naturalness / transparency9.2
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Sound: Bass / Dynamics8.6
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Practice / Connectivity9.2
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Price / Performance9.6
According to the paper form, the Sennheiser CX Plus True Wireless could actually roll up the market: True Wireless Earbuds from a renowned manufacturer with app control and noise-canceling, eight hours of autonomous battery life, the most important high-quality codecs, and an unbeatable price with a current retail price of 120 euros. Is there anything to be said for the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3, which we recently reviewed?
Done. The case of the CX Plus True Wireless already shows that it is an economy solution. The plastic is not the highest quality, and the affair is relatively clunky as well. In return, the two somewhat angular earbuds, which are available in black or white, have a total playtime of 24 hours including the reserve in the case. Eight hours without recharging is in the upper range of True Wireless Earbuds. Active noise cancelling and IPX4 splash water protection round off the practical package positively.
What’s inside the CX Plus
Dynamic transducers with a diameter of 7 millimeters operate in each capsule. They not only ensure the conversion of the music signal into sound waves. By means of an array of four microphones, they also enable active noise cancellation – Active Noise Cancelling (ANC). The microphones can also better capture speech when making calls with the in-ear headset by taking into account the direction from which the sounds are coming. This serves to improve speech intelligibility during calls by suppressing ambient noise.
Music is played according to the Bluetooth 5.2 standard. With AAC and aptX Adaptive, high-quality codecs for the Apple as well as the Windows and Android worlds are on board.
Four ear adapters and one depth hole
Included with the CX Plus True Wireless are rubber adapters in four different sizes. We admit it – we missed a bit the comfortable and smoothly closing foam adapters of the passive Sennheiser models like the IE 200. You also get the CX Plus True Wireless placed tightly and securely in the ear canal at the end of the day. However, you have to screw quite a bit and apply pressure. No tightness can be achieved with loose insertion, and no sealing means absolutely no bass with the CX. So it’s a matter of maximizing pressure and screw movement until the two Ear Buds are very far submerged in the ear canal. Despite a slight feeling of pressure during insertion, however, they hold there without a hint of annoyance. On the contrary, they are very comfortable to wear. Apart from the fact that they protrude quite far from the ear, which might be a disadvantage when resting the head on pillows.
The operation via the touch surfaces was successful right away. Although there are a few commands to learn by heart – like the triple tip for noise cancelling – the CX Plus acknowledges every click with a beep. In general, it often speaks up to announce the battery status and maximum volume.
The versatile app that does things differently
The Sennheiser Smart Control app for iOS and Android is structured a bit differently than we are used to from other manufacturers. On the other hand, tethering was quick as a flash and went without a hitch. At least, if you disregard some permissions and device rights, which you have to confirm all manually. We can’t understand the sometimes bad reviews in the App Stores: there are some really useful and clear features built in.
First and foremost, the personalization of the touch functions with an overview screen is simply exemplary. In addition, there is a function that makes the acoustic perception of one’s own voice a bit more natural during calls. It can be adjusted in three stages and is supposed to ensure that you do not involuntarily speak louder than necessary when talking on the phone in the train. We think that’s great!
The Sennheiser Smart Control App shows what you hear
The automatic pause function when removing a handset is more common, but nevertheless just as useful as the automatic standby function. And: Finally, an app shows the currently used audio codec. This gives the reassuring feeling to the listener that they are not listening to SBC now, but enjoying high quality music in AAC or aptX.
In the “Equalizer” submenu, there is a classic 3-band EQ, an additional dynamic bass boost function and a special curve for podcast and voice transmissions.
We can only recommend the app. Only direct access to transparency mode and noise cancelling is missing. Here, you have to rely on the touch commands and do not always know immediately which mode is currently activated.
We found the noise cancelling to be inconspicuous in the best sense. It is not the most effective on the market in the low frequency range, but sounds natural, pleasant and does not cause strange dropouts even in windy conditions.
Sound test Sennheiser CX Plus True Wireless
Sound-wise, the CX Plus True Wireless particularly surprised with its smooth resolution and finely shaded, tending warm timbres. In a direct sound comparison with the twice as expensive Momentum True Wireless 3, it was by no means clear who was the master here and who was the servant. The Momentum offered more dynamics, thrust and treble resolution, but the CX Plus countered with a beguiling transparency and a rather calm dynamic gait.
Together with the very good wearing comfort, we can unreservedly recommend it as a long-term TWS. Especially since, despite a certain upper bass/ground fullness, it sounded anything but hung over and delivered a very good resolution albeit with some slowed down impulse energy. However, the impression of braked impulses can be changed in the direction of dynamic in a flash with a minimal turn of the bass control (-1 dB) and treble control (+0.5 dB). Which in turn takes away a bit of the silkiness, but you can’t have both at once.
Keeping tight is the top priority
When the sound channel is sufficiently deep and tight in the ear canal, the CX Plus surprised with sonorous bass fullness and a rich, round beat. Its low-frequency range was perhaps neither the deepest nor the most pop on the market. However, it offered a fair amount of foundation and blended very well with the music, especially on leaner recordings. If it becomes a bit too much of a good thing down below, a minimal grip on the equalizer filter is the perfect and quick solution.
The CX Plus True Wireless was rather modest in terms of spatiality: Even with classical recordings with a lot of surround sound, it remained noticeably compact and sometimes even presented voices in the head. However, it did so in a very precisely staggered manner and ensured that the somewhat compact sound image remained spatially extremely stable.
We did not want to hear the CX Plus True Wireless too loudly. Because at very high volumes it loses a bit of its composure and seems slightly strict. Thus, an all-around positive conclusion of the listening test round remained at the end: The Sennheiser CX Plus True Wireless is the ideal choice with noise cancelling, especially for mobile music listeners who like it a bit softer and more long-lasting and do not need the last ounce of dynamics and booming.
Conclusion and alternatives
With a market price of currently around 120 Euros, the Sennheiser Bluetooth earphones belong to the affordable branded in-ears with active noise-canceling. With a mixture of lush timbres and silky transparency, they played far above their price range from an audiophile perspective in our review. If you want a long-term listener with very good resolution and a homogeneously integrated foundation, you can grab it without thinking about competitors. The JBL Tune 230NC offers more dynamics, rich bass and playability, but it also lags behind the Sennheiser in terms of resolution. The Final ZE3000 offers a slightly wider, more homogeneous room at a similar price and basic character, but has neither the deep bass of the Sennheiser nor noise cancelling or an app.
Technical data Sennheiser CX Plus True Wireless
- Manufacturer’s suggested retail price: 160 euros
- Type: In-Ear
- Transducer principle: Dynamic
- Weight: 6 g
- Features: Charging case, IPX4 splash protection, app control, bass boost, active noise-canceling.
- More at: www.sennheiser.com
