Sennheiser ACCENTUM Plus Wireless / Sony WH-1000XM5

Sennheiser ACCENTUM Plus Wireless: ACCENTUM Plus Wireless around-ear wireless headphones; black (700176) and white (700177). The cheaper ACCENTUM Wireless and the higher-end MOMENTUM 4 are separate models.

Sony WH-1000XM5: WH-1000XM5; colours vary by region: black, silver, midnight blue, pink and platinum. The later WH-1000XM6 is a separate product.

SpecificationSennheiser ACCENTUM Plus WirelessSony WH-1000XM5
Release year20242022
TypeHeadband, around-the-ear (circum-aural) wireless headphones; fold flat

Sennheiser promises a light, ergonomic fit with a soft silicone inner headband and cushioned earcups; folded flat it measures about 16.5 × 19.5 × 4.8 cm.

Sennheiser		—
Driver37 mm dynamic; 10 Hz–22 kHz; 106 dB SPL; THD below 0.3%

Sennheiser says the driver is mounted at an angle. Impedance is 560 ohms in active mode and 95 ohms in passive (wired, powered off) mode.

Sennheiser		30 mm dynamic driver, closed back, neodymium magnet Sony
Noise cancellingHybrid adaptive ANC; Transparency mode; automatic anti-wind mode

Hybrid ANC measures noise with microphones both outside and inside the earcup; the adaptive version changes the cancellation strength automatically with ambient noise. Transparency mode lets outside sound in with a touch.

Sennheiser		Active noise cancelling; Integrated Processor V1 and HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN1; 8 microphones in total (4 noise-sensing per earcup)

Auto NC Optimizer adjusts noise cancelling to fit and atmospheric pressure; Adaptive Sound Control switches modes based on the environment. Ambient Sound mode and Quick Attention let outside sound in.

Sony
Bluetooth and codecsBluetooth 5.2, class 1; SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX Adaptive; A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP

aptX Adaptive is a Qualcomm codec that adjusts bitrate to link quality on compatible devices.

Sennheiser		Bluetooth 5.2; SBC, AAC, LDAC; A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP; multipoint (two devices)

Multipoint keeps the headphones connected to two devices at once. Google Fast Pair and Windows Swift Pair offer quick pairing. Range is 10 m.

Sony
Battery800 mAh lithium-ion; up to 50 hours with ANC on; full charge about 3.5 hours; 5 hours from 10 minutes

Sennheiser measured the 50 hours with an iPhone at medium volume; charging is via USB-C at 5 V, up to 700 mA.

Sennheiser		30 hours of music with noise cancelling on, 40 hours off; 24/32 hours of calls

Times are measured under Sony’s test conditions; volume and codec change real-world runtime.

Sony
Controls and sensorsTouchpad on the right earcup; dedicated pairing button; Smart Pause when removed

Tap plays or pauses, sliding up and down sets volume, and swiping sideways skips tracks or answers calls.

Sennheiser		Touch panel on the right earcup; NC/Ambient button on the left; wear sensor; Speak-to-Chat

The wear sensor pauses music when the headphones are removed and resumes when they are put back on. Speak-to-Chat pauses music and turns on ambient sound when the user starts talking.

Sony
MicrophonesTwo MEMS microphones with beamforming for noise reduction; 50 Hz–8 kHz Sennheiser—
AppSennheiser Smart Control (iOS and Android); 5-band equaliser, presets, Sound Personalization

Sound Personalization adjusts the sound to the user with a listening test developed with the Fraunhofer Institute.

Sennheiser		Sony Sound Connect: equaliser, shortcut settings, listening history, Safe Listening

Safe Listening tracks sound exposure against World Health Organization guidelines.

Sony
In the boxHeadphones, USB-C charging cable, carry case, auxiliary (3.5 mm) audio cable, quick guide Sennheiser—
Weight227 g Sennheiser—
Frequency response—Bluetooth: 20 Hz–20 kHz (44.1 kHz), 20 Hz–40 kHz with LDAC (96 kHz/990 kbps); wired: 4 Hz–40 kHz

The wider frequency range applies only with LDAC and high-resolution sources; over AAC and SBC the upper limit is 20 kHz.

Sony
Call microphones—4 beamforming microphones; AI-based noise reduction, wind noise reduction Sony
Charging—Full charge in about 3.5 hours via USB; about 3 hours of playback from 3 minutes with a USB-PD adapter

Quick charging requires a separately sold USB Power Delivery-compatible adapter.

Sony
Spatial audio—DSEE Extreme upscaling; 360 Reality Audio support

DSEE Extreme aims to restore high-frequency detail lost in compressed music files by estimating it.

Sony
Impedance and sensitivity—48 Ω when on, 16 Ω when off; 102/100 dB/mW

The headphones can be used passively with a cable while switched off; noise cancelling does not work then.

Sony
Weight and in the box—About 250 g; soft collapsible carrying case, 1.2 m L-shaped cable (3.5 mm), USB charging cable Sony