The Sennheiser CX True Wireless are the German audio giant's latest wireless earphones. Following in the footsteps of the CX 400BT, they're less expensive than their predecessors, despite a slew of new features such a longer battery life and improved connection. The Sennheiser CX 400BT were already a great pair of true wireless earbuds, with a wide sound field and responsive touch controls – but the CX True Wireless outperform them in practically every aspect.

Sennheiser's audio quality is as expected, with a wide soundstage, clean mids, precise trebles, and strong bass tones. Even so, we were pleasantly impressed by how nice these earbuds sounded for the price. Although audiophiles may like a more balanced soundscape (the bottom end is rather prominent), the Sennheiser CX delivers a really pleasurable listening experience.

Sennheiser CX True Wireless Headphones
The controls and app are simple to use, and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity assures a secure connection with your smartphone. For those who want to extract every single detail from their music, there's also high-resolution audio support.

The Sennheiser CX True Wireless' design, which we felt much too large for our ears – in fact, they became unpleasant to wear at times – is our only serious gripe. We're hesitant to pass too severe a judgement on Sennheiser because the majority of consumers will most likely be able to utilise them without trouble. Just keep in mind that if you have tiny ears, the CX True Wireless may be unpleasant. Even still, it's not enough for us to dismiss these earphones. For the money, you get fantastic music quality, a long battery life, simple controls, a useful app, and superb connection.


Price and release date for the Sennheiser CX True Wireless

Sennheiser CX True Wireless headphones cost $129.95 / £119.99 / AU$199.95. The Sennheiser CX 400BT cost $199 / £169 / AU$299 at introduction in September 2020, making them much less expensive than their predecessors. They're also cheaper than Apple AirPods, if you can locate a good price on the popular wireless earphones.

There are less expensive wireless earbuds on the market, but few demand the respect that a name like Sennheiser commands. If you're on a tight budget, the Lypertek PurePlay Z3 is a good option. The new Sennheiser buds are priced in direct rivalry with the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Plus, which we gave five stars for its great audio performance and simple controls.


Design

The Sennheiser CX True Wireless has a similar design to the previous generation, with a more practical aesthetic that will appeal to minimalists – but it may not appeal as much to those who want their earphones to make a statement.

The earbuds come in matte black or white and have huge, square housings with the Sennheiser logo embossed on them. The box includes a variety of eartips, making it quite easy to find a good fit - assuming the hefty housings don't get in the way. Because our ears are on the smaller side, we found the housings to be really unpleasant. This will not be the case for everyone, but it's something to consider if your ears are little.


The Sennheiser CX True Wireless charging case hasn't altered much from the previous iteration, either: it's still thick and difficult to fit into a pocket. The case is powered by a USB-C connection; wireless charging isn't included, but we wouldn't expect it at this price. An LED light on the charging case's outside displays how much battery life is left. Depending on how much power is left in the case, it will light up green, yellow, or red.

Each earbud's housing is touch-sensitive, enabling you to use a series of tap combinations to control music playing, accept, end, and reject calls, and summon your device's voice assistant. We found the touch controls to be quite responsive, with sensible and easy-to-remember combinations. Holding down the left or right earbud to boost or decrease volume was a feature we appreciated, as it isn't often available with true wireless earbuds. You can now tweak the touch controls via the Sennheiser Smart Control app, according to a recent firmware update, which is a great feature that makes these buds seem a bit more personal.


Performance of sound

Sennheiser's TrueResponse transducer is built into each earbud, allowing it to offer "deep basses, natural mids, and clean, detailed treble," according to the firm. Based on our experience with the CX True Wireless, the earbuds are more than capable of delivering on those promises. We were struck by the depth of the bottom frequencies in Al Green's Let's Stay Together, which pushed the track with control and power. The synchronised background vocalists provide lots of detail to the vocals, which are very clear. Overall, the soundstage is unexpectedly large, with strong separation between the various frequencies and a high level of clarity throughout.

Overdriven guitars sound rich without dominating the vocals on Catatonia's Mulder and Scully, while the bass lines are forceful and well-controlled. The bass can become slightly overbearing in tracks with a highly prolonged bottom end, like as The Cardigans' My Favourite Game; as a result, some may prefer the more balanced soundstage given by the CX 400BT. Nonetheless, the new Sennheiser earphones provide an extremely pleasurable listening experience that will have your toes tapping. If the sound isn't quite right, you may tweak the EQ settings using the Sennheiser Smart Control software, either manually adjusting the frequency sliders or selecting from a number of presets.


Connectivity and battery life

The new Sennheiser buds have a longer battery life than the CX 400BT, with 9 hours from the earphones and an additional 18 hours from the charging case — a 7-hour boost. Still, it's not the best in the class – many wireless earbuds these days provide more than 40 hours of listening – and it's a shame that the case doesn't hold more charges given its size.

With Bluetooth 5.2 compatibility and support for SBC, AAC, and aptX codecs, connectivity has also been enhanced. As a result, you should have no trouble streaming high-resolution audio tracks. The earbuds were easy to pair with our phone, and we didn't have any irritating dropouts during our testing.

If you choose, you may use each earbud individually, and twin microphones within each bud should give crisp communications. A new Sidetone function has also been developed to make it easier to hear your own voice during calls. This may be adjusted with a slider in the app that controls how much of your own speech is heard.


Should you invest in a Sennheiser CX True Wireless headset?

The Sennheiser CX True Wireless earbuds are a good option if you want a quality set of true wireless earbuds on a budget. Sennheiser's CX True Wireless isn't without flaws. The lack of wireless charging and ANC, as well as lingering quibbles like high-range audio and lacklustre battery life, keep it from being amazing. If you're searching for the ideal device for a certain task, such as working out, commuting, or taking a lot of calls, this isn't it.

However, these earbuds do a lot of things well, so it's difficult to hate them. They have a pleasant sound and provide good isolation. Sennheiser Smart Control works nicely, and the IPX4 rating is a great advantage. For most individuals, a single day's battery life is sufficient. Basically, if you're searching for a product that can handle a little bit (or a reasonable quantity) of everything, this is it.


What are other Sennheiser CX True Wireless alternatives?

Sennheiser's CX range has been upgraded with the Sennheiser CX Plus True Wireless, which has active noise cancellation, a similar design as the CX True Wireless, Bluetooth 5.2, and enhanced high-quality codec support. At $179 USD, the headset is less expensive than the Momentum True Wireless 2. The Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus are a perennial favourite if you want truly wireless earbuds that last a long time and don't require ANC. These earbuds can play for over 12 hours on a single charge, and because they're a few models behind, getting a bargain shouldn't be difficult. Look at the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 if you enjoy Samsung products and want something in between the Buds Plus and Buds Pro.