The Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 Wireless is one of the most useful pairs of premium headphones you can buy. It offers decent ANC, a replaceable battery, and enough features to justify its premium price tag. Add USB-C audio support and exceptional battery life, and it’s easy to see why the MOMENTUM 5 has earned a place among the best wireless headphones available today.
Still, spending $400 on headphones gives you a lot of great options. If I were shopping in this price range, these are the three headphones I would consider before buying the MOMENTUM 5.
Sony WH-1000XM6 ($449.99)
Sony WH-1000XM6
Good sound quality • Top of the app • Excellent ANC
The next iteration of Sony’s best headphones
The Sony WH-1000XM6 is as worthy a successor to Sony’s other ANC headphones as you’d hope. They sound great, have great ANC, and are equipped to handle demanding users. However, the lack of edge connection options can become a problem as the years go by.
If you’re willing to spend a little more than the MOMENTUM 5 costs, the Sony WH-1000XM6 remains the flagship wireless headphone. Although the MSRP is $50 more, Sony headphones rarely stay at full price for long, and discounts are already common.
Sennheiser finally has a serious competitor in the wireless headphone space with the MOMENTUM 5, but Sony still has the edge. The WH-1000XM6 offers robust noise cancellation, a powerful companion app, and more ways to customize your listening experience. Sony includes a 10-band EQ, compared to Sennheiser’s 8-band implementation, and features such as DSEE Extreme, which restores detail to compressed audio files. The result is a pair of headphones that sound infinitely versatile without being complicated to use.
The MOMENTUM 5 counters with a user-replaceable battery and USB-C audio support, neither of which Sony currently offers. But if you’re looking for the most complete package in wireless headphones, I’d still spend the extra money on the Sony WH-1000XM6.
JBL Tour One M3 ($399.99)
If you would like to stay at the same price as the MOMENTUM 5, I would strongly consider the JBL Tour One M3. While Sennheiser focused on practical improvements like a replaceable battery and improved ANC, JBL focused on adding as many features as possible.
The title feature is JBL’s SMART Tx transmitter. Besides acting as a headphone remote, it can connect wired sources to your headphones, share audio with compatible Auracast devices, and help solve many of the interoperability issues that still plague wireless audio. Add Auracast, LDAC, USB-C lossless audio, personal amplification features, and 12-band EQ, and you end up with one of the most feature-packed pairs of headphones available today.
The MOMENTUM 5 remains an easy long-term purchase thanks to its user-replaceable battery, but if you’re the type of person who likes to try new features and want headphones that can plug into almost anything, the JBL Tour One M3 is a very interesting option.
Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4 Wireless ($299.99, usually less)
Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4 wireless
EQ adjustments app • Simple, elegant design • USB-C charging
High quality ANC headphones with a focus on style and comfort
If you need to be completely immersed in your music, you need some ANC headphones. The Sennheiser Momentum 4 focuses on style and comfort while delivering the essential features that consumers need in their headphones.
Not everyone needs to spend $400 on a single pair of headphones. If you’re looking for the best value for premium wireless audio, the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4 Wireless remains an easy recommendation. While it launched at $299.95, it’s currently available for around $229, making it one of the best headphone deals you’ll find today.
MOMENTUM 5 improves on its predecessor in several important ways. The ANC is noticeably better, the battery is more manageable, and Sennheiser has added a few useful quality-of-life features. Still, the MOMENTUM 4 remains a great pair of headphones with over 56 hours of battery life, USB-C audio support, multi-point connectivity, and support for both aptX HD and aptX Adaptive. It also offers sound quality that follows the SoundGuys’ preferred curve out of the box, making it a good choice for listeners who prefer a more balanced sound.
If I was choosing between the two at full price, I’d buy the MOMENTUM 5. But the MOMENTUM 4 doesn’t sell at full price these days. At about $229, you save about $170 while giving up surprisingly little profit. That’s what makes the MOMENTUM 4 one of the best headphone deals around.
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