Sennheiser’s Consumer Audio Division Might under new managementBut that hasn’t stopped the company from launching new products. Sennheiser CX and CX Plus were recently launched in India, and they both compete with the existing options in the mid-range TWS segment samsung, oneplus, and Jabra. Today, I’m reviewing the more expensive and better devices of the two. Sennheiser CX Plus True Wireless Earphones.
Officially priced at Rs. 14,990 in India (price online is around Rs 12,990), the Sennheiser CX Plus are an impressive pair of true wireless earphones. You get features like active noise cancellation, app support, and the Qualcomm aptX adaptive Bluetooth codec, which make it an attractive proposition for under Rs. 15,000. However, does the sound quality live up to the expectations? Find out in this review.
Sennheiser CX Plus is available in Black and White in India
The Sennheiser CX Plus is a well-equipped pair of true wireless earphones
Sennheiser has been in the personal audio business for a long time, but its true wireless range hasn’t earned more praise than Momentum True Wireless 2, in my opinion. With the CX Plus, Sennheiser hopes to make its mark in the more competitive mid-range TWS segment, and promises a lot of features for an asking price of Rs. 12,990.
with similar design Sennheiser CX400BT ,Analysis), the Sennheiser CX Plus is significantly larger than competing options in its price segment, such as Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 ,Analysis) And Jabra Elite 85t ,Analysis) Not only are the earpieces quite heavy, but the charging case is also quite wide.
The earphones are available in two colours, white and black. Despite their size, the device looks and feels good. The exteriors of the earpieces are glossy, with a Sennheiser logo and touch-sensitive playback controls on each. The inner parts of the earpieces have contact points for charging, and proximity sensors to automatically play or stop music, depending on when the earphones have been worn or taken off.
I found the earpieces to be quite comfortable to fit, despite their slightly bulky size that makes them pop out of your ears quite a bit. They stayed in their place while walking and climbing stairs, and although the fit always felt a little erratic, I haven’t really encountered any situations where the earpieces have fallen off. Four pairs of silicone ear tips in various sizes are included in the box, as well as a short USB Type-A to Type-C charging cable. The earpieces are IPX4 rated for water resistance.
The Sennheiser CX Plus’s charging case is as large as the CX400BT’s, and as a result is quite difficult to store in a pocket with anything else like a wallet or smartphone. The USB Type-C port is on the back and the LED indicator is on the front. Overall, the headset sticks to Sennheiser’s classic style for TWS earphones.
The touch-sensitive controls on the Sennheiser CX Plus true wireless earphones are customizable via the companion app. It’s possible to control playback, volume, ANC and hear-through modes, and invoke the default voice assistant on your paired smartphone via various tap gestures. All of these gestures worked reliably, and I enjoyed the ease with which I could operate the earphones without needing to pull out my smartphone.
In addition to control customization, the Sennheiser Smart Control companion app (available for . iOS And Android) lets you manage paired devices, change the equalizer, turn on ANC and listen-through modes, and more. It’s well designed, and easy to use, covering everything you need to do with the earphones.
The Sennheiser CX Plus’s earpieces are a bit bulky, and as a result, feel somewhat cumbersome when worn.
The Sennheiser CX Plus is powered by 7mm dynamic drivers, and has a frequency response range of 5-21,000Hz. For connectivity, the headset uses Bluetooth 5 with support for SBC, AAC, aptX and aptX adaptive Bluetooth codecs.
The battery life of Sennheiser CX Plus is good for the price. The earpiece lasted about five hours with ANC on and volume at medium level. The case added about two and a half additional charges, for a total runtime of about 18 hours per charge cycle. That’s about what you would expect from a TWS headset in this price range. This performance is actually a little better than what I got Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 and is roughly equal to oneplus buds pro Proposal.
Very good audio and ANC performance on the Sennheiser CX Plus
For a market value of Rs. 12,990, the Sennheiser CX Plus offers a lot including lots of customization, good active noise cancellation, and most importantly, great sound quality for the price. Support for Qualcomm aptX and aptX adaptive Bluetooth codecs makes for better sound when paired with a supported device.
The Sennheiser CX Plus is a no-nonsense true wireless headset at its core, and it shows in sound quality. Listening to Living On Video (Claptone Remix) by Trans-X was an energetic experience from the start, with the earphones’ natural tuning offering plenty of attack and drive. There’s a subtle bump in the lows that make for very refined and pleasant bass. The mid-range also came across as imposing, while the Treble felt a bit relaxed. I also liked how the Sennheiser CX Plus was able to easily maintain the fast tempo of this track.
This harmony and tempo was also evident in other quick, beat-driven tracks such as Go by the Chemical Brothers and The Great Divide (Soundprank Remix) Velveteen. The sound was loud and catchy, making this type of bass-focused track an absolute pleasure to listen to.
Sound quality and ANC performance is great on the Sennheiser CX Plus
With slower, down-tempo tracks such as the Waze by Brasstracks, the Sennheiser CX Plus allowed detail in the lows and mid-range to shine. The soulful saxophone riffs blend perfectly with hip-hop beats and rap verses. Although the tight and well-tuned bass kept my attention on everything, it was hard not to focus on any of the many elements of this track.
This level of detail was particularly noticeable when using the Sennheiser CX Plus with an Android smartphone, which allowed it to benefit from the Qualcomm aptX Adaptive Bluetooth codec. When using an iPhone, the same sound signature and general feel was retained by the earphones, but there was a noticeable difference in the details of the sound. I used these earphones to listen to audiobooks as well, and while the experience was good, the Sennheiser CX Plus definitely tops out for music.
Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) performance on the Sennheiser CX Plus was pretty much the same as what I’ve heard on other true wireless earphones, priced at Rs. 15,000. It has been optimized for indoor use, where it has done a decent job with reducing noise levels in typical office environments such as the rumble of central air conditioning, and even less chatter in common areas Felt very soft too.
The ANC on these earphones certainly made it a lot easier to listen to music both indoors and out, and there was no impact on sound quality. The hear-through mode on the Sennheiser CX Plus was effective when needed, and a useful option in the app lets you choose whether audio playback should continue or stop when hear-through mode is activated.
Connection stability was good on the Sennheiser CX Plus, with the earphones performing steady at distances of up to 4m from the source device. Call quality was good indoors, and was acceptable outside for short calls, although when I was in noisy urban areas, my voice sounded a bit muffled to the caller.
Decision
Sennheiser has been relatively quiet in the mid-range true wireless segment in India for a while now, but the CX Plus marks a strong comeback for the established and well-known brand. When it comes to sound quality these earphones are feature-rich, well-tuned, and well priced for what’s on offer, if you have around Rs. 15,000. It’s a music-focused headset and is ideal for anyone looking for sophisticated bass and lots of detail in a sound.
The earpiece and charging case on the Sennheiser CX Plus are a bit bulky, but that’s about it when it comes to the shortcomings. Decent ANC and a very good companion app are useful bonuses, making this TWS headset one of my top picks for its price. consider it Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 If you have a Samsung smartphone, or oneplus buds pro If you want to spend a little less, but for all other use cases, the Sennheiser CX Plus is the one to go for.