Confession time – I am a die-hard full-sized headphone addict. Give me over the ears, all encompassing, sweat-on-the-train in summer because you’re basically wearing earmuffs – headphones kind of gal. At times they’ve made me look slightly ridiculous (bigger has always been better), and more often than not they’ve ended up covered in makeup and awkwardly stuffed into a small bag, but I’ve never been able to listen to my tunes any other way.

Like most music lovers, I’m uncompromising when it comes to great sound. I like my bass to thump, my treble to sparkle and my vocals as clear as day. So, naturally I had a good old chuckle when I realised I’d be spending my weekend listening to my favourite tunes through the earbuds I had always deemed the lesser choice. But here we are. I put my tried and tested Sennheiser HD 206’s aside and instead picked up the new CX 400BT True Wireless Sennheiser headphones(opens in a new tab) to finally give these earbuds a little airtime. 

Design

Compact and easy to store in a sleek black case with minimal branding, these earbuds passed my first test. Aesthetically, they look and feel classic and stylish yet they’re unassuming. Functionally, the case ensures the earbuds remain firmly in place in their individual compartments. This case is also small enough to fit in any pocket, making it easy to take the earbuds anywhere. 

As for the earbuds themselves, they’re ergonomically designed and have been crafted with comfort in mind. And comfy they are. For the first time, I was able to use a pair of earbuds without wanting to immediately remove them and throw each one at the wall. One of my many reservations about using earbuds has always been the fear that I would spend big bucks acquiring the best-sounding headphones but eventually lose one or both earbuds over time. I’m not as worried about this with the CX 400BT True Wireless Sennheiser headphones. One earbud did struggle more than the other to remain in place, however these earbuds come with an additional three pairs of silicone adapters. From XS to L, Sennheiser has done their bit to ensure there’s a size for every ear. Once I swapped mine from M to S, the problem sorted itself out. 

Importantly, my ears didn’t feel like they’d been destroyed after using the earbuds consistently for a number of hours, and what’s more, I really enjoyed not feeling the weight of full-sized headphones on my head or having to tuck away headphone wires during my morning walks. 

Lifestyle fit

From keeping me company on a long Uber ride home to helping me concentrate during a late-night working session, these earbuds didn’t leave my side. While they’re everyday headphones, they’re also high-end acoustic tech earbuds, which means you’re not compromising on that high-fidelity stereo sound Sennheiser is best known for.

To really put them to the test, I listened to my top 3 headphone tunes. The first song I always go with is the live and unplugged 1992 version of “Layla” by Eric Clapton (the arrangement is so perfect it beats the original in my opinion). With the right headphones, this song is such a delight. Clapton’s guitar is crisp, the bluesy, jazz piano in the background comes through clear and the beat sounds as if the drums are right next to you. If you listen to this song and feel as if you’re actually in the room, you’re on the right track. 

For a change of pace, my second tune is always the main title of Alan Silvestri’s score to “Father of the Bride.” It’s such a rich soundtrack and this particular composition builds and swells beautifully throughout the whole song, switching from a contemporary classical piece to a jazz piece throughout, so you get to hear and test both styles of music. 

Lastly, I always choose a tune with a bit of attitude, like No Doubt’s “Just a Girl.” This allows me to test the quality of the vocals at high volume, the clarity of heavy guitars and the depth of the basslines (which are killer on this track).

The balance, the audio detail, as well as consistency in sound quality, was key for me. Thankfully, these headphones feature Sennheiser’s signature 7mm dynamic drive and a built-in equaliser, which also allows you to personalise your audio experience – no matter what you’re listening to. This is what will give you that deep bass, detailed treble and pinpoint clarity. A nice bonus was that I also couldn’t hear any outside noise when I had the headphones on thanks to the passive noise cancellation feature. 

Unexpected benefit

Simplicity! Say it with me! After this year, I have no bandwidth left for anything that isn’t straightforward and easy, so I was very pleasantly surprised by how simple it was to use the customisable touch control on each earbud. This allowed me to skip, rewind, repeat my favourite songs, activate voice assistant, as well as accept and reject calls with a simple tap (or two). 

I was also able to finetune this experience through Sennheiser’s Smart Control app, which allows you to update the earbuds as necessary. Even pairing and charging the earbuds, as well as connecting them to the laptop or phone, was straightforward. In three taps, I was sorted.

Giftability

There’s nothing worse than giving (or receiving) a gift that fails to live up to its purpose. The CX 400BT True Wireless headphones deliver the goods in a number of ways. They’re no fuss, no muss, with a battery that will allow up to 7 hours playback time, and an additional 13 hours charging via the case – even if you’re not connected to a power source. 

But it’s really the Sennheiser superior sound that has won me over. Best of all, these earbuds provide that same great sound whether you’re an iPhone OR Android user, so there’s no fear of buying something that won’t be compatible with whatever devices your friends or family use.