Sennheiser is a brand known for their quality and sound, and that normally comes with a hefty price tag. While that is normally the case, the company’s latest Bluetooth offering, the Sennheiser CX True Wireless Earbuds, bucks that trend by offering fantastic audio, a decent price, and more features to keep you listening on the go in style. The Sennheiser CX True Wireless Earbuds strike a great balance of price and features to make them a serious contender for your next best set of headphones.
At $129.95, the Sennheiser CX True Wireless Earbuds costs much less than the $199 CX 400BT they are replacing. With the features on hand and the sound quality, this is a surprising move by the German audio giant, but one I am a fan of. They even manage to be more affordable than many other competing brands, and even cost less than the Apple AirPods and feel far better.
Once out of the box, the CX True Wireless Earbuds carry forward the company’s signature style, with a minimalist look that does what it needs to while not looking to flashy when wearing them. I personally am a fan of the simple black and grey look of the headphones, but for people that like their earbuds to make a statement, these may not be for you.
The box includes everything you will need to get started, with the headphones, the charging case, a USB cable, and a selection of ear-tips to make it comfortable for a range of ear shapes and sizes. While I often find this style of earbuds hard to use over long periods of time, I was pleasantly surprised with the Sennheiser CX True Wireless Earbuds feeling comfortable right out of the box. Granted, the slightly larger housing could pose an issue for some ear shapes, I did not see this as a problem though.
“I was pleasantly surprised with the Sennheiser CX True Wireless Earbuds feeling comfortable right out of the box.”
The charging case feels solid but also does not really stand out among a sea of flashy offerings from competing brands. The matte black look with the understated Sennheiser logo looks great and is small enough to fit in most bags with ease. The case has a good feel, with the headphones fitting in easily, and I liked how minimalist the overall design is. Sadly, for wireless charging fans out there, you will not get that here, relying on the USB-C as the only way to pump power into these little headphones.
As with most modern headphones, the outer housing on the CX True Wireless Earbuds is touch sensitive. They responded well to all the usual commands you would use on a day-to-day basis, with holding down the right or left earbud to increase or decrease the volume respectively, as a no-brainer option that more companies need to take note of. While touch controls are standard on many wireless headphones, the simplicity and responsiveness really set the CX True Wireless Earbuds apart, especially for options in the same price range. Also, if this were not enough, the Sennheiser Smart Control app allows you to adjust and customize the touch controls to your liking.
At the core of these little headphones is the company’s Sennheiser’s TrueResponse transducer that boasts some fantastic features for people that love audio. According to Sennheiser, this will allow the tiny headphones to deliver “deep basses, natural mids, and clear, detailed treble”. From our time with the earbuds, I am inclined to believe this claim.
“The Sennheiser Smart Control app allows you to adjust and customize the touch controls to your liking.”
From podcasts to music, I found the CX True Wireless Earbuds to sound very good, offering a wide sound stage that delivers clear mids, trebles and bass to keep even the biggest EDM fans happy. While they are not the most natural sounding earbuds you can buy, Sennheiser has found a sound that pleases most buyers, especially for the price they are charging.
From Apocalyptica to the classic Jazz of Herbie Hancock, I found there was a wide range within the audio, giving enough to hear all levels while offering enough separation to make sure you don’t miss the nuances of each musical piece. Even when I threw on the latest from deadmau5, it still delivered a full audio feeling that kept me moving as I went through my day-to-day routine.
If I have any complaint, it is the fact that the CX True Wireless Earbuds’ audio processing does bring out the low end a bit. While I don’t hate this, and it never feels overwhelming, if you are someone who demands the most natural sounding audio possible, these may fall a bit short. The software does let you adjust the EQ, so some of these issues can be worked out provided you put in the effort to find the best sound for your tastes.
“While they are not the most natural sounding earbuds you can buy, Sennheiser has found a sound that pleases most buyers…”
Jumping over to the battery life, and I was very impressed with what the CX True Wireless Earbuds had on offer. From a full charge, you can use the headphones for around nine hours without needing a top-up, and the case will provide an additional 18 hours to keep you on the go without the need to hunt down a wall plug. Compared to past iterations from the company, the CX True Wireless Earbuds really impressed me, although I do hope they can push this higher in the future, especially when other headphones on the market boast well over 30 hours total.
The connectivity in the CX True Wireless Earbuds has also been improved over past iterations, now featuring Bluetooth 5.2 compatibility and SBC, AAC, and aptX codec support. This means all the high-res audio you have been itching to listen to will finally work without issue. Even pairing the headphones feels easier than past models. I was up and running in minutes, with it connecting effortlessly each time I opened the case and put them on.
The CX True Wireless also allow you to use them independently if you wish, with each headphone containing its own microphone. This is great, since these headphones work great on calls, sounding vibrant, with the voice coming through crystal clear without the issues that often face headphones of this nature. There are even settings to allow you to adjust how much of yourself comes through the audio during a call, which I found very useful, especially to make conversations feel much more comfortable and natural.
Sennheiser has exceeded all my expectations for the CX True Wireless Earbuds. They cost less than past iterations, offer plenty of improvements, and still deliver the vibrant, robust audio the company is known for. If you like audio and want the best you can find for the price, few headphones compare to the Sennheiser CX True Wireless Earbuds.
