“A superior sound at an accessible price”, that is the message that Sennheiser conveys when it comes to the Sennheiser CX True Wireless earplugs. With a price of 129 euros you do not pay the main price for the set. But what about the sound and the other functions?
Sennheiser CX True Wireless
Price €129,-
wireless Bluetooth 5.2
Battery life 9+27 hours of listening time
Bluetooth codecs SBC, AAC and AptX support
Additional Splash-proof (IPX4)
Website www.sennheiser.com
7 Score 70 
- Pros
- Bluetooth 5.2
- equalizer
- Clear app
- Negatives
- muddy soundstage
- No ANC
The earplugs market has been experiencing a growth in popularity lately. Many manufacturers have released a new model in recent months and for good reason. More people are working from home or taking long walks due to the pandemic, which simply means more demand for earplugs and headphones. The competition is fierce and as a manufacturer you have to be in good hands to attract customers. What about the Sennheiser CX True Wireless?
Specifications at a glance
Sennheiser is anything but an unknown audio brand. The products are often loved by audiophiles. Because of the sound quality, but also because of a number of additional features. The CX True Wireless features a TrueResponse transducer. This is patented and custom-made driver technology that should ensure deep bass, natural mids and clear highs. In addition, there is support for the SBC, AAC and aptX audio codecs and bluetooth 5.2. That’s a welcome addition, because sending music from a smartphone to the earbuds now uses less energy, without sacrificing audio quality.
The battery life is nine hours for the earplugs. If you charge them in the meantime in the included charging case, which also serves as a power bank, you can extend the usage time by another 27 hours. There is also an ipx4 certificate, which makes them splash-proof and can therefore withstand a drop of sweat when you want to exercise with the earplugs. You don’t have to worry about them falling out while running, for example. In total, Sennheiser supplies four caps for the ear, so there is most likely a good fit between them. For the undersigned it was immediately hit with the set that was already installed.
The Sennheiser CX True Wireless earplugs have two microphones on board, so you can be heard clearly on the phone. We have had no complaints about that, except when the wind was blowing too hard. With the Sidetone function, you can also hear your own voice while on the phone, so that you don’t shout too loudly to hear yourself properly. In addition, you operate the earplugs with the touch-sensitive interface on the side of the product. You can pause music, take calls and call up a voice assistant. Within the app (more on that later) you can adjust the settings for the touch-sensitive functions.
Sound can sometimes sound muddy
Specifications are nice and nice: it’s about what the hardware does with it. The first impression that the Sennheiser CX True Wireless leaves behind is that the sound is a bit muddy. Like hearing the sound while swimming underwater. We notice that the CX True Wireless has some difficulty with a balanced soundstage, especially in the busier genres. When we listen to metal, it sounds like the earplugs are having trouble with the wealth of sounds and emotion. Some layers, like the fast and high guitar work, fall too far into the background and you really miss it.
Now metal is a difficult genre for such products. Earplugs and headphones have to be of good quality to do justice to that genre. Other genres, such as pop, the quieter rock, dance and more music styles towards the digital spheres, do well on the Sennheiser CX True Wireless. Only then do you notice what the earplugs have in them. The vocals come out very nicely and are really supported by the different musical layers that make up the song. The underwater effect fades slightly, but never really gets rid of them. That impression lingers, even after hours of listening. Then your product may be slightly cheaper in a busy market, but you still don’t have to settle for a sound that isn’t quite what it should be.
It is also striking how on the one hand the bass is very pleasantly present, but sometimes leaves its mark a bit too much. It never gets irritating, but that idea does come up often. So often that it stands out. The Sennheiser CX True Wireless does not really offer a neutral sound field, but the question is whether that is a bad thing. If you are a fan of the hard guitar work and singers who sing their hearts out, then you might want to look elsewhere. If you like genres such as dance, pop, synthwave and related genres, you will be presented with a launched listening experience. The music sounds good, as long as it isn’t too complicated. The same goes for R&B and rap.
Application and in use
The earplugs fit well in the ears and have a minimalist design. That is a trend that we have seen more often lately, also with competitors such as Sony. You may make much less of a statement, but luckily they fit quickly and do not fall out. There are touch-sensitive surfaces on the side of the earplugs. With that, you pause music, go to the next song and speak to Siri or the Google Assistant. The earplugs respond accurately and quickly and fortunately confirm a tap by emitting a small beep. The app received an update during the review process that allows you to adjust the functions. This way you decide what happens when you tap once, twice or three times on the left or right side.
The app is well-arranged and quickly shows which headphones or set of earplugs you are connecting to. You can also see how much energy is left in the battery and how the equalizer is set. If you do not change the settings, you will see the word Neutral. If you change anything, it says Custom. The app also offers few things that you can adjust and that is completely fine. Because that way you won’t be overloaded with superfluous functions and possibilities. You can still adjust the level of Sidetone, so that you also influence the sound level of your own voice during a call. All this ensures that you can customize the Sennheiser CX True Wireless to your own taste, for the functions that matter.
This is especially true for the equalizer. That is a functionality that we recommend everyone to use. Maybe it can help with the underwater effect. You can use a slider to adjust the sound level of the bass, mids and treble. Otherwise, there’s a visualizer that you simply slide around until you hear what you like. Admittedly, it doesn’t completely solve the problem of that underwater effect, but you can make the music sound better and more in line with what you like to hear yourself. The equalizer is accessible and quick to operate; during the adjustment you immediately hear what effect the adjustments have on the music. So this is a quick process.
Sennheiser CX True Wireless – Conclusion
Is the Sennheiser CX True Wireless a bad product? Certainly not. But we are used to the company better. We understand that concessions are made when you make electronics for a lower segment (although 129 euros is still not a low amount), but that means that something is sacrificed. And in this case it is on the soundstage, so that not all genres sound equally good on the compact earplugs. In addition, it is a pity to see that there is no (basal) noise canceling available, so that you can still be disturbed by your environment while working or exercising. In short: in terms of audio, the earplugs disappoint a bit.
The rest of the functionality is fine. It’s nice that you can hear yourself well during the call, so you don’t have to yell. It is also great to address a voice assistant, for example when you are on a bicycle or running. The Google Assistant and Siri can then read things to you, such as notifications, or look up things, such as the weather forecast, while you can keep your phone in your pocket. Bluetooth 5.2 is also very nice, because of the less high energy consumption. And the fact that the battery lasts 9 plus 27 hours is a big win for lovers of portable audio products.
However, we would like to focus your attention on alternatives. For example, we recently tested the Lypertek PurePlay Z3 2.0, which came out very well. Compared to the Sennheiser, the earplugs are cheaper, they have a better battery life and IPX certificate, but they also lack exciting functions that are present at the competition. If you don’t have that budget either, there’s the JLab Go Air, which at 39 euros is an attractive product for many more people. In terms of sound quality, you may sacrifice something compared to the Sennheiser, but that is a trade-off that you can make for yourself. The CX True Wireless offers quite a bit of quality and features for an affordable price, but also leaves the impression that the earplugs are not suitable for everyone.
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