Sennheiser CX Plus Review: A compelling case for the best TWS earbuds under Rs 15,000

Sennheiser just dropped a new pair of true wireless earbuds in India. The Sennheiser CX Plus TWS earbuds are priced at Rs 14,990 in India, pitting them against other premium earbuds from Apple, Samsung, Sony, LG, Jabra, JBL, and OnePlus, among others.

The Sennheiser CX Plus succeeds the vanilla CX model that was unveiled in 2020. The Sennheiser CX Plus TWS earbuds come with active noise cancellation (ANC), support for Qualcomm’s aptX Adaptive Bluetooth codec, customisable controls, and more. So with a ton of features and upgraded sound, do the Sennheiser CX Plus earbuds live up to expectations, let’s find out.

Design

The CX Plus True Wireless earbuds feature the same design as their predecessor. While the earbuds themselves are rather bulky and bigger than most true wireless earphones I’ve used, although they have a rather comfortable fit. I didn’t experience any discomfort when using the earbuds for two hours straight. They also offer a snug fit with the earbuds staying in place even while running and cycling.

I also liked the fact that the larger size offered a large capacitive touch surface. Sennheiser offers its new true wireless earphones in black and white colours. The earbuds are IPX4 splash resistance, although the same can’t be said about the case. The case itself has a LED on the front and a USB Type-C port on the back, while the Sennheiser logo sits on the lid. It does have a magnetic closing mechanism to ensure the lid doesn’t slam shut.

Features

The Sennheiser CX Plus TWS earbuds are compatible with Bluetooth 5.2. This enables support for the AAC, AptX, AptX Adaptive, and SBC Bluetooth codecs. Additionally, the 7nm dynamic drivers onboard the CX Plus deliver a frequency range of 5Hz to 21kHz. The signal strength on these earbuds is pretty strong and each bud is equipped with a couple of microphones. The microphones are used to invoke Google Assistant or Siri and can also be used for calls.

Before delving into the active noise cancellation (ANC) aspects of the CX Plus earbuds, it is worth noting that the noise isolation design does an excellent job of keeping out most ambient noise. The ANC here only serves as the icing on the cake. The CX Plus earbuds do well to block low-frequency sounds like the noise of vehicles. While cycling, I was able to listen to music without hearing any ambient noise in the background. Additionally, there’s also a Transparency mode that allows noise in your surroundings to seep through.

Software

Sennheiser’s Smart Control app is one of the most intuitive companion apps we’ve seen. Firstly, the app has one of the most essential features you’d demand of a pair of earphones, an Equalizer. You can also set different Equalizer presets with three-band equalizer settings to customise the audio to your liking. Users can switch between Noise Cancellation and Transparency modes with the aid of the app.

The Transparency mode can also be switched to automatically turn on when you play or pause the audio. You also get a Bass Boost mode and a Podcast mode. Touch controls can also be customised to your liking using the app. Additionally, you can head to the ‘Settings’ in the app to enable and disable certain functions on the earbuds. A Sidetone feature that allows you to adjust how much of your voice you want to hear when talking on a call.

There’s a list of all paired devices to allow you to easily manage your connections. Lastly, the Smart Control app offers access to a feature called Sound Zones, which will allow you to customise the audio experience based on the zone you are in by using your location. You can set an equalizer setting and noise cancellation settings for different environments, work or home, and have them revert back to the old settings when you leave that environment.

Audio

The CX Plus earbuds pump out crisp and accurate sound. Bass is emphasized, and playback is cleaner and sharper with high-frequency tones. Instrument separation was on point for the most part, while you can still pick up the little details in complex tracks. The vocals also come through really nicely, although the soundstage isn’t the widest. The low end is solidly punchy, while there’s more emphasis on the mids than the highs.

Overall, the audio quality here is better than most, with vocal-heavy tracks sounding excellent. Additionally, the earbuds are also good for watching movies or listening to podcasts. Call quality was also on point on the CX Plus buds. In noisy environments, I’ve often been unable to rely on wireless earbuds, but the CX Plus had superb call quality in such instances, and I could just answer calls while continuing to cycle, fully masked.

Battery Life

The Sennheiser CX Plus TWS earbuds are touted to offer 24 hours of battery life in total with the charging case. In my experience, the earbuds delivered an impressive seven to eight hours of battery life on a single charge, in-line with the company’s claims. While you don’t get wireless charging support, the earbuds do support quick charging, delivering around an hour of battery life on a 10-minute charge.

Verdict

The Sennheiser CX Plus true wireless earbuds are among the best we’ve heard, for both iOS and Android. The earbuds are quite bulky and the case is not made of the most premium materials, but the design of the buds is rather comfortable and the case gets the job done. Battery life is fantastic, while the ANC works really well and cancels out most ambient noise. Furthermore, the software is intuitive and easy to navigate, while the buds have no shortage of features, including the unique AptX Adaptive support.

I will say this though, the EQ while good, isn’t that effective when customising the sound to your liking. It also lacks the Adaptive Sound seen on the Pixel Buds A Series (Review). Wireless charging is also missing and so is the lack of an IP rating for the case. The design isn’t the best as well, while the soundstage could be more expansive.

There's no doubt that the Sennheiser CX Plus buds are going to have a slightly harder time competing with flagship true wireless earbuds, but their price puts them smack-dab in the mid-range where it is extremely hard to find a better alternative. I think the cons here are going to be very easy to overlook as Sennheiser manages to retain all the key aspects that make a pair of wireless earbuds ‘truly’ great. So, if you are fishing for the top TWS earbuds in this price range, then the Sennheiser CX Plus are worth considering.