Best Headphones

Head to head · for music listening

Sony WH-1000XM5 vs Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4 Wireless

More people recommend the Sony WH-1000XM5 overall (96 vs 46). Only 1 of the 47 comments naming both explicitly choose one (0 for the Sony WH-1000XM5, 1 for the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4 Wireless), too few to call a winner.

Comments naming both
47
Say they own both
5
Choose the WH-1000XM5
0
Choose the MOMENTUM 4 Wireless
1

Counted across 17 review videos, harvested Sep 2026. A comment counts as a choice only when it says so in plain words (prefer X over Y, upgraded from Y to X); questions never count. Quotes are whole sentences of 12 words or fewer, linked to where they were said. How we count.

At a glance the better number on each row is highlighted
Sony WH-1000XM5Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4 Wireless
Typical price$300$250cheaper
Overall rank#6higher#15
People who recommend it96more46
Say they own it149more63
Mentions1,124more456
Typewireless ANC over-earwireless ANC over-ear
Known forCommuteNoise cancellingBatteryCommuteSound firstBattery
Best forThe default noise-cancelling pick for planes and trains, if you can live with plastic hinges.Commuters who care about sound quality and battery more than the very best noise cancelling.
BuyAmazon · $300DirectAmazon · $250

#6 overall

Sony WH-1000XM5

5 of the 47 comments naming both come from people who say they own this one.

What owners love

  • Noise cancelling that owners rank at or near the top of anything they have tried
  • Comfortable, light, and the touch controls grow on people
  • Several owners bought them on a deep sale and call them the best headphone they have used

The complaints

  • The hinges and swivels: more than one owner had a pair break within a year
  • No longer folds flat, which travellers miss from the XM4
  • Bass is thick out of the box; audiophile commenters call it bloated and point at the Momentum 4
  • Ear pads are not user-replaceable; not sweat resistant

In their words

#15 overall

Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4 Wireless

8 of the 47 comments naming both come from people who say they own this one.

What owners love

  • Best sound of the mainstream ANC sets according to several people; tuning is good enough that one owner never touched the EQ
  • Around 60 hours of battery
  • Better fit and finish than the Bose equivalent

The complaints

  • Swipe controls are unintuitive
  • Auto-pause and adaptive ANC did not work for one owner
  • Noise cancelling is a step behind Sony and Bose; no mic-plus-audio over USB
  • One AudioKarma member returned his for too much mid-bass

In their words

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