Seamless. That’s how the switch felt between my ‘go to’ music earbuds – Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2, and the CX 400BT, the brand’s brand new True Wireless ear buds. I wasn’t just switching earbuds; I was also shuffling three songs that have been on the top of my playlist for the past few days. I still can’t figure if I dig Smashing Pumpkins’ first release since 2018 – The Color of Love but it was perfect to test these ear buds; almost as perfect as Goo Goo Dolls’ 2019 power ballad Tonight Together for a verdict on how these buds sound.
My expectations in terms of sound quality were tempered by the price – these buds are about 30% cheaper than the premium Momentum True Wireless 2; but I couldn’t tell the difference in sound. The CX 400BT buds are kitted with the same 7mm dynamic drivers that deliver deep bass, natural mids and very detailed treble. Just like their elder and pricier sibling, these buds are just what you need to immerse yourself with your favourite music and isolate yourself from the world around you. Pairing is a breeze – I paired them with at least three devices without a fuss. The buds offer multiple touch controls that allow you to get quite a bit done without having to pull your phone out of your pocket.
The ergonomic design adds to the isolation experience. While you get a choice of different tip sizes, the default (medium size) were perfect for my ears. We dig the elegant square shape; they sit tight and don’t fall off easy. The CX 400BT don’t offer active noise cancellation (ANC) but the snug fit has you covered. The charging case doesn’t boast of the same luxurious fabric finish as the Momentum TW2 but it looks premium and is also more compact. Aside from ANC, there are a couple of other features that the CX 400BT misses out (vis-à-vis the Momentum TW 2). There’s no IPX4 Splash resistant protection and there’s no smart pause – that automatically pauses your music when you remove one of the buds. There’s no wireless charging for the case either.
The CX 400BT uses the same intuitive Sennheiser Smart Control App. One of my favourite features of this app is the equaliser that you can customise to suit your mood or playlist. Battery life is quite solid – each charge gives you seven hours for the buds and the total battery life with the case is about 20 hours. We’re not sure if the spurt of online meetings in a post-COVID world was one of the triggers for Sennheiser to launch a more aggressively priced pair of True Wireless Bluetooth buds. With all-day meetings and calls, most folks holding on to their wired headphones have been ditching them for lighter earbuds. These buds handle calls quite well, although there were a couple of instances when my callers couldn’t hear me as clearly when I had only one earbud on.
But ultimately these earbuds are not just for calls. These are for audiophiles who take their music seriously and need to occasionally step back into the real world for a Microsoft Teams meeting or an annoying client call. Sennheiser has hit a sweet spot with the price – these are easily the best Bluetooth Earbuds in terms of sheer sound quality and acoustics in the sub Rs 20,000 price band.
The Sennheiser CX400BT cost Rs 16,990 and come in black and white
