- Sennheiser unveils Accentum Clip earphones
- They are the first ‘proper’ open earphones from the brand
- Strong focus on sound quality… which the competitors have delivered
Everyone – and I mean it all — and their moms seem to have their sights set on our best open-back earphones list these days. And now (not before time) audio heavyweight Sennheiser has joined the cuff-style craze.
The product is the new Sennheiser Accentum Clip, released as part of the brand’s more affordable Accentum line. Believe it or not, these are the brand’s first true open earbuds, not counting the Accentum Open, which were AirPods-like wireless earbuds without tips, (so an ‘open fit’ option, rather than truly open in design).
Clip-style earbuds are designed to hang around the lower part of your ear—yes, like an ear cuff—and keep the driver near your ear canal, but not enter it, blocking out some background noise. They are great for cycling on busy roads or running in populated areas while being aware of your surroundings. The first major iteration of the form factor? The gorgeous Bose Ultra Open Earbuds, launched in February 2024.
Of course, if you can hear traffic and crowds, the sound quality often suffers. Add to this the lack of sealing between the ear canal and the driver, and historically people like me have beaten the bass clarity and impact that such a design is capable of delivering. But times have changed, technology has improved and you can trust the company behind HDB 630 to solve this. In its announcement about the Clip, the brand says it addresses the “sonic compromises” of the open form factor.
It’s certainly an issue I’ve historically faced with open sport-hook-style earbuds and bone-conduction options, but I’ve found that the clip-on model reliably delivers solid sound thanks to the drivers being much closer to your ear canals. The likes of Shokz OpenDots One and Soundpeats Clip1 impressed me in the past, so I can’t help but feel that Sennheiser is solving a problem that was solved relatively long ago.
Emphasize the positive
Sennheiser has equipped the Accentum Clip with 12 mm drivers, which are on the large side for this type of set. It’s paired with its own sound setting and Dynamic EQ, which it says adjusts your equalization based on volume to ensure a natural sound and avoid distortion no matter how loud you listen.
Thanks to Bluetooth 6.0 compatibility, the buds can support LDAC as well as AAC and SBC, and the brand’s app offers a 5-band equalizer as well as presets.
Looking at practicality, the buds weigh 6.8g and last for 9 hours of playback on a single charge. The small carrying case increases that to 36 hours.
Bad news for some potential buyers: the Accentum Clip isn’t set to go on sale in the US, at least not until they go on sale on July 23rd. You can buy them elsewhere for £149 / AU$289 (about $120), but it’s unclear at the time of writing whether or not they’ll ever sell in the US.
The best open-back earphones for all budgets
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