Sennheiser CX True Wireless Review

Wireless earbuds have some strong advantages over their wired cousins. They never tangle. They don’t make line noise when you run. They’re not going to snag on anything and rip the buds out of your ears, or worse, rip the wire out of the buds.

So, if you’re thinking of making the leap to wireless earbuds, or if you’re already there but looking to upgrade, you’re in the right place. In my in-depth Sennheiser CX True Wireless review, I’ll take a look at this pair of wireless earbuds to let you know all the details. They come from a trusted brand name, are mid-range priced, and get some pretty solid reviews.

So, let’s see what all the fuss is about…

Sennheiser – A Company You May Not Have Heard Of

Just before we delve deeper into these buds, let’s have a quick look into the company that makes them. Sennheiser is a Germany-based family company that has been making audio equipment since 1945. Yep, that’s over 75 years already.

So why isn’t their name more well-known?

The simple answer is that Sennheiser is a European company that has had a lot of success in Europe and hadn’t pushed into markets across the pond. Not until lately, anyway. But with a long history of producing super high-quality headphones, microphones, and hearing aids, it’s no surprise they’ve thrown their hat into the headphone ring as well.

CX True Wireless Earbuds – Overview

The CX True Wireless earbuds are, as the name says, true wireless earbuds. This means that they are two independent earbuds that don’t have any wires connecting them or to any device. That means they connect remotely, in this case with Bluetooth technology.

They do come with a cable; however, that’s used for charging their transport/charging case. This is a USB-A to USB-C cable, which is pretty standard stuff. They also come with four sizes of silicone ear tips (XS, S, M, L) so that you can get the perfect fit for your ears. This perfect fit, tight but not painfully so, is important because these buds have no active noise cancellation on board.

That’s not a surprise considering the price…

Sennheiser bills them as “passive noise-canceling earbuds,” although I would prefer to call this passive noise isolation. They don’t actually cancel noise like ANC buds do (by using a mic and digitally canceling soundwaves). They simply have a good, tight fit that blocks outside noise effectively.

For a pair of these buds, you’re looking at an investment of just shy of $100. That’s a mid-range price, and we need to consider that when we look at what these earbuds deliver.

CX True Wireless Earbuds Specs

Let’s look at the numbers to get a good measure of these earbuds. First off, these buds are pretty small but are relatively heavy. Each earbud weighs in at 0.21 ounces (6g), which is a lot heavier than, say, the Apple Airpods (0.14 oz/4g) but just a teeny bit more than the Samsung Galaxy buds (0.20 oz/5.6g).

Despite the weight, they fit well into your ears and don’t feel like they’re going to slip out at all, unlike the Samsung Galaxy buds. The fit with different-sized ear tips is quite snug without being painful. This also creates a good seal that isolates your audio from a fair bit of background noise. As a result, they are some of the best fitting wireless earbuds you can buy.

The CX True Wireless buds are each powered by a 7mm “TrueResponse Transducer” dynamic driver. These drivers have a frequency response of 5Hz – 21,000Hz. Considering the range of human hearing is roughly 20 – 20,000Hz, they’ve got all the bases covered.

But what about the bass?

I would call the bass here middle-of-the-road. It is clear and very natural-sounding. However, if you’re a fan of bass-heavy genres like hip-hop or EDM, you’re probably not going to find the low-end satisfying enough.

You can boost the bass relative to the rest of your levels by selecting Bass Boost in the control app (more on this in a minute). But it still doesn’t blow you away. If you like a well-balanced sound, however, that’s what you’ll find here.

So let’s talk about the connections…

Without wires, you’ve got to depend on Bluetooth to connect to your digital devices. Well, you’re in luck because these earbud headphones support the latest and so far greatest version of Bluetooth available.

They’re compatible with Class 1 Bluetooth 5.2 and support the SBC, AAC, and aptX codecs to ensure all of your devices connect easily and stay connected. Therefore, these are some of the most compatible Bluetooth earbuds on the market.

Finally, let’s look at battery power…

The buds can each hold a playback of about nine hours – this is only an estimate because it depends on both your Bluetooth signal and the volume level you’re listening to. But any way you slice it, nine hours is a decent charge. It also beats the pants off the Apple Airpods (six hours) and Samsung Galaxy Buds2 (7.5 hours).

You can get two more nine-hour charges from the charging case for a total of 27 hours, which is nothing to laugh at. It takes one and a half hours to get these puppies up to a full charge. Although, if you have only a little time to spare, you can quick charge for 15 minutes and get an hour of playback.

Top Features

So far, we’ve seen the specifications and had a look at general information about the Sennheiser CX True Wireless earbuds. But now, let’s have a peek at the Sennheiser CX True Wireless earbuds top features that make these earbud headphones stand out from the crowd.

IP Rating

While previous versions of these headphones (Sennheiser CX 400BT) had no IP rating at all, Sennheiser has stepped things up by delivering a rating of IPX4. This means that, while there is no ingress protection rating for dust (that’s why you get an X), they have a 4 for waterproofing.

This means they can be considered sweat-proof and also splash-proof. And that means you can wear them while working out, even if it rains. I’d stay away from the shower and scuba diving, though, if I were you. But the IP rating makes these some of the best wireless earbuds for workouts currently available.

Sennheiser Smart Control App

This app for wearable tech by Sennheiser allows you to control your earbuds from your phone, tablet, or another mobile device. It can be downloaded for both iOS and Android devices. While the app doesn’t do a whole lot, it allows you to turn on Bass Boost for more impact. It also lets you choose from several preset equalization settings or else set your own custom EQ.

These settings are particularly useful for changing between media types, such as movies and TV shows, music, and speech-based audio. You can choose a setting that brings out the best of each audio type which makes everything more enjoyable and easier to hear when you need it.

Four Onboard Mics

Each earbud contains a two-mic beam-forming array to help pick up your voice and only that. The mics have a frequency response of only 100 – 10,000Hz to help them focus on just the sound range of human voices and block out anything higher or lower.

In general, you get a good clear mic sound from these buds and very little bleed into them from the environment. They’re not as effective as a boom mic, but not too far off, either.

Main Concerns

Nothing is perfect, and of course, these earbuds aren’t either. There are a couple of concerns to flag here to help inform you and let you make the right decision for your choice of wireless earbuds.

Weak low-end

I’ve already briefly talked about the low-end and how the bass isn’t very strong. The bass here isn’t bad – it’s just not anything to write home about. With Bass Boost turned on in the app, you’ll get the maximum thump out of these buds, and that should be fine for most listeners. However, it can get a bit muddy when you crank the volume.

If you’re into ear-crushing thumps, you may want to consider Beats by Dr Dre or Skullcandy. They are two brands known to push the bass far to the forefront.

The App

While the Sennheiser Smart Control app is an easy way to control bass and EQ, it has a downside. The app has to find its connection to the earbuds each time you use it, rather than connecting automatically. And sometimes, it struggles to find the buds. This isn’t the most convenient set-up, and it’s something that Sennheiser may be able to fix with an improved app.

Sennheiser CX True Wireless Review – Pros and Cons

Looking for Great Earbuds?

We can help you with that. Check out our in-depth reviews of the Best Noise Isolating Earbuds, the Most Durable Earbuds, the Most Comfortable Earbuds, the Best Sound Quality Earbuds, the Best Bass Earbuds, the Best Sound Quality Earbuds, and the Best True Wireless Earbuds you can buy in 2023.

Also, have a look at our detailed reviews of the Best Cheap Earbuds Under $100, the Best Noise Cancelling Earbuds, the Best iPhone Earbuds, the Best Wired Earbuds, the Best Wireless Earbuds For Small Ears, the Best Skullcandy Earbuds, and the Best Earbuds for Running currently on the market.

Sennheiser CX True Wireless Review – Final Thoughts

Looking at the big picture, I’m still pretty impressed with these earbuds. For about $100, they’re a pretty good investment. The sound is smooth and clear, and you can get the right balance you need for different types of media by using the Smart Control app. This app is hard to connect to sometimes, but hopefully, that’s something Sennheiser can fix in the future.

You also get some great battery life, with nine hours per full charge. The IPX4 rating means you can wear these buds out in the rain or through a sweaty workout with no worries. All-told, you can find better earbuds for a lot more money, but for this price, you’re getting a solid product for your listening pleasure.

So, until next time, happy listening.