Sennheiser’s shopper audio division may be beneath new administration, however that hasn’t held the corporate again from launching new merchandise. The Sennheiser CX and CX Plus have not too long ago been launched in India, and so they each compete with present choices within the mid-range TWS section from Samsung, OnePlus, and Jabra. Immediately, I am reviewing the dearer and better-equipped of the 2, the Sennheiser CX Plus true wi-fi earphones.
Formally priced at Rs. 14,990 in India (the worth on-line is round Rs. 12,990), the Sennheiser CX Plus is a formidable pair of true wi-fi earphones. You get energetic noise cancellation, app assist, and options reminiscent of the Qualcomm aptX Adaptive Bluetooth codec, making this a gorgeous proposition beneath Rs. 15,000. Nonetheless, does the sound high quality dwell as much as expectations? Discover out on this evaluation.
The Sennheiser CX Plus is accessible in black and white in India
The Sennheiser CX Plus is a well-equipped pair of true wi-fi earphones
Sennheiser has been within the private audio enterprise for a very long time, however its true wi-fi vary hasn’t earned a lot acclaim past the Momentum True Wi-fi 2, for my part. With the CX Plus, Sennheiser hopes to make a mark within the rather more aggressive mid-range TWS section, and guarantees a number of options for its asking worth of Rs. 12,990.
With a design much like that of the Sennheiser CX400BT (Evaluate), the Sennheiser CX Plus is significantly bigger than competing choices in its worth section, such because the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 (Evaluate) and Jabra Elite 85t (Evaluate). Not solely are the earpieces pretty cumbersome, however the charging case can be significantly wider.
The earphones can be found in two colors, white and black. Regardless of their dimension, the system seems and feels good. The outer elements of the earpieces are shiny, with a Sennheiser brand and touch-sensitive playback controls on every one. The internal sides of the earpieces have the contact factors for charging, and proximity sensors to robotically play or pause music relying on when the earphones are worn or taken off.
I discovered the match of the earpieces to be snug sufficient, regardless of their barely unwieldy form which causes them to stay out of your ears fairly a bit. They stayed in place whereas strolling and climbing stairs, and though the match all the time felt a bit precarious, I did not really face any conditions when the earpieces may need fallen out. 4 pairs of silicone ear ideas of various sizes are included within the field, together with a brief USB Kind-A to Kind-C charging cable. The earpieces are IPX4 rated for water resistance.
The charging case of the Sennheiser CX Plus is giant, much like that of the CX400BT, and consequently fairly troublesome to retailer in a pants pocket together with anything reminiscent of a pockets or smartphone. The USB Kind-C port is on the again, and there’s an LED indicator on the entrance. On the entire, the headset sticks to Sennheiser’s basic model for TWS earphones.
The touch-sensitive controls on the Sennheiser CX Plus true wi-fi earphones are customisable by way of the companion app. It is potential to manage playback, quantity, ANC and hear-through modes, and invoke the default voice assistant in your paired smartphone by way of numerous faucet gestures. All these gestures labored reliably, and I fairly loved the convenience with which I might function the earphones while not having to tug out my smartphone.
Aside from management customisations, the Sennheiser Sensible Management companion app (obtainable for iOS and Android) enables you to handle paired units, make adjustments to the equaliser, toggle the ANC and hear-through modes, and extra. It is nicely designed, and simple to make use of, masking just about every little thing you will must do with the earphones.
The earpieces of the Sennheiser CX Plus are a bit cumbersome, and consequently, really feel considerably unwieldy when worn
The Sennheiser CX Plus is powered by 7mm dynamic drivers, and has a frequency response vary of 5-21,000Hz. For connectivity, the headset makes use of Bluetooth 5, with assist for the SBC, AAC, aptX, and aptX Adaptive Bluetooth codecs.
Battery life on the Sennheiser CX Plus is respectable for the worth. The earpieces ran for round 5 hours with ANC on and the quantity at reasonable ranges. The case added round two and a half extra prices, for a complete runtime of round 18 hours per cost cycle. That is about what’s anticipated from a TWS headset on this worth vary. This efficiency is definitely a bit higher than what I acquired with the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 and roughly on par with what the OnePlus Buds Professional provides.
Superb audio and ANC efficiency on the Sennheiser CX Plus
For a market worth of Rs. 12,990, the Sennheiser CX Plus provides rather a lot together with loads of customisability, good energetic noise cancellation, and most significantly, superb sound high quality for the worth. Assist for the Qualcomm aptX and aptX Adaptive Bluetooth codecs makes for higher sound when paired with a supported system.
The Sennheiser CX Plus is a no-nonsense true wi-fi headset at its core, and that exhibits within the sound high quality. Listening to Dwelling On Video (Claptone Remix) by Trans-X was an lively expertise from the get-go, with the earphones’ pure tuning providing loads of assault and drive. There’s a delicate bump within the lows which makes for very refined and gratifying bass. The mid-range additionally got here throughout as imposing, whereas the treble felt a bit laidback. I additionally preferred how the Sennheiser CX Plus was in a position to sustain with the quick tempo of this observe with ease.
This cohesiveness and tempo had been additionally evident in different fast, beat-driven tracks reminiscent of Go by The Chemical Brothers and The Nice Divide (Soundprank Remix) by Velvetine. The sound was quick and fascinating, making this form of bass-focused observe an absolute pleasure to take heed to.
Sound high quality and ANC efficiency are superb on the Sennheiser CX Plus
With slower, down-tempo tracks reminiscent of Reverse Methods by Brasstracks, the Sennheiser CX Plus allowed the element within the lows and mid-range to shine by way of. The soulful saxophone riffs blended completely with the hip-hop beats and rap verses. Though the tight and well-tuned bass held my consideration over every little thing else, it wasn’t onerous to deal with any of the quite a few parts of this observe.
This stage of element was significantly noticeable when utilizing the Sennheiser CX Plus with an Android smartphone, which allowed it to profit from the Qualcomm aptX Adaptive Bluetooth codec. When utilizing an iPhone, the identical sonic signature and common really feel had been retained by the earphones, however there was a noticeable distinction within the element of the sound. I used these earphones to take heed to audiobooks too, and whereas the expertise was respectable, the Sennheiser CX Plus is certainly tuned for music above all else.
Energetic noise cancellation (ANC) efficiency on the Sennheiser CX Plus was largely on par with what I’ve heard on different true wi-fi earphones priced beneath Rs. 15,000. It is optimised for indoor use, the place it did a good job with lowering the noise ranges within the typical workplace surroundings reminiscent of the hum of central air con, and even the low chatter in frequent areas felt noticeably softer.
ANC on these earphones undoubtedly made music rather a lot simpler to take heed to, each indoors and outdoor, and had no influence on sound high quality. The hear-through mode on the Sennheiser CX Plus was efficient when wanted, and a helpful choice within the app enables you to select whether or not audio playback ought to proceed or pause when hear-through mode is activated.
Connection stability on the Sennheiser CX Plus was good, with the earphones performing stably at distances of as much as 4m from the supply system. Name high quality was respectable indoors, and acceptable outdoor for brief calls, though my voice sounded barely drowned-out to the particular person calling after I was in noisy city areas.
Verdict
Sennheiser has been comparatively quiet within the mid-range true wi-fi section in India for some time, however the CX Plus marks a robust return to kind for the established and well-regarded model. These earphones are feature-rich, well-tuned on the subject of sound high quality, and well-priced for what’s on provide, making this an excellent choose when you have a price range of round Rs. 15,000. This can be a music-focused headset and is good for anybody on the lookout for refined bass and loads of element within the sound.
The earpieces and charging case of the Sennheiser CX Plus are a bit cumbersome, however that is about it on the subject of drawbacks. First rate ANC and an excellent companion app are helpful bonuses, making this TWS headset amongst my prime picks at its worth. Think about the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 when you have a Samsung smartphone, or the OnePlus Buds Professional if you wish to spend a bit much less, however for all different use circumstances, the Sennheiser CX Plus is the one to get.
