Two pairs of over-ear headphones stand at the top of a crowded market, and the choice between them is a quiet one, where price, comfort and sound sit so close that the decision begins to depend on how a person lives with their listening. Sennheiser's Momentum 4 Wireless and Sony's WH-1000XM5 are both tuned to be understated, almost invisible objects, and that restraint is itself part of their appeal in an age that prizes technology that blends into the background. Their real separation shows up in endurance and in small matters of taste, which means the verdict belongs as much to the buyer's d
Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless vs Sony WH-1000XM5: Which Noise-Cancelling Headphone Wins?
Thirty hours is impressive, until it sits next to sixty.
Mark
So which one actually wins?
Mimi
Sennheiser, narrowly. TechRadar ranks the Momentum 4 Wireless as its top over-ear pick, with the Sony just behind.
Mark
What tips it?
Mimi
Battery, mostly. Sixty hours with noise cancelling on versus thirty. Sound gets a small edge too.
Luke
Careful with 'edge.' That's a reviewer's listening impression, not a measurement. TechRadar itself calls the gap small.
Mark
And noise cancelling?
Mimi
Close to a tie. The Sony seems a bit better at low rumble, like bus engines or office air conditioning.
Luke
Which they say was hard to call. I wouldn't build a purchase on that.
Mark
What about price?
Mimi
The Sony launched higher, $399 against $349.95, but discounts have brought them within about $20 or £20.
Luke
And TechRadar can't guarantee those discounts are available everywhere or will last. Retailer prices in the piece also differ, so that gap is unsettled.
Mark
Any surprise in the verdict?
Mimi
They still recommend the older Sony XM4 for most people, because it's cheaper and the differences are small.
Le Pouls
- Two flagship headphones sit nearly neck and neck at the top of TechRadar's rankings, leaving buyers with very little room to decide.
- Sony's discounts have squeezed the price gap to around $20, shaking up what was once a clear cost difference.
- Battery life splits the field sharply: the Sennheiser lasts about 60 hours with noise cancelling on, while the Sony manages roughly 30.
- Noise cancelling and sound quality are close calls, with the Sony edging out quieter hums and the Sennheiser claiming a slight lead in detail.
- The overall verdict tips toward Sennheiser, yet buyers are urged to check current retail prices before the discounts shift again.
Two pairs of over-ear headphones stand at the top of a crowded market, and the choice between them is a quiet one, where price, comfort and sound sit so close that the decision begins to depend on how a person lives with their listening. Sennheiser's Momentum 4 Wireless and Sony's WH-1000XM5 are both tuned to be understated, almost invisible objects, and that restraint is itself part of their appeal in an age that prizes technology that blends into the background. Their real separation shows up in endurance and in small matters of taste, which means the verdict belongs as much to the buyer's daily rhythm as to any reviewer's scale.
Two over-ear headphones have pushed their way to the top of TechRadar's rankings, and the choice between them is a narrow one. Sennheiser's Momentum 4 Wireless, launched in August 2022 at $349.95, currently holds the outlet's top pick for over-ears. Sony's WH-1000XM5 arrived earlier, in May 2022, at a steeper $399, but discounts have since brought it within roughly $20 of its rival. Prices vary by retailer, and TechRadar cannot promise those cuts will last, so the wise buyer checks before committing.
In design the two are close. The Sennheiser has large oval earcups, a touchpad on the right cup and a lighter sense of comfort at 293g, while the Sony is lighter at about 250g and relies on two physical buttons. Neither folds into a pocket-sized shape, and both look understated, even a little plain, which TechRadar notes suits a world that wants technology to fade into the background.
The Sennheiser wins on customization. Its app offers EQ tuning and Sound Zones, which can hold up to 20 profiles that switch automatically between places like the office or gym. Sony's Location Awareness performs a similar trick, but with less control. On sound, the Momentum 4 Wireless is rich, detailed and neutral, with a bass that stays clean, while the Sony offers a spacious soundstage that carries its own charm. The edge goes to Sennheiser, though only by a small step.
Noise cancelling is nearly a draw. The Sennheiser silences street noise with ease, but the Sony catches slightly more of the low hum of buses and air conditioners.
Battery is where the two part ways. The Sennheiser runs for about 60 hours with noise cancelling on, among the best TechRadar has tested. The Sony manages half that, around 30 hours, which still serves most people but looks modest beside its rival.
In the end the overall tilt favors Sennheiser, though TechRadar still points most buyers toward the cheaper XM4, since the gaps are too slim to justify the premium. For anyone choosing today, the practical step remains the same: check current prices first.
Two pairs of over-ear headphones sit at the top of TechRadar's rankings, and a buyer deciding between them faces a choice with very little daylight in it: the Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless, which the outlet currently names its top pick in its best over-ear headphones guide, and the Sony WH-1000XM5, which sits not far behind. Both also appear in TechRadar's best noise-cancelling list and make the top five of its overall best headphones guide.
Start with the money. Sennheiser launched the Momentum 4 Wireless in August 2022 at $349.95 / £300 / AU$549.95. Sony's XM5 arrived a few months earlier, in May 2022, at $399 / £380 / AU$649, which made it significantly more expensive. Discounts on the Sony have since narrowed the gap to within roughly £20 or $20 of the Sennheiser at the time of writing, though TechRadar says it can't promise those cuts are available everywhere or will last. Listed prices vary by retailer: the Sennheiser at $274.95 at Crutchfield, $279 at Walmart and $349.98 at Best Buy; the Sony at $398 at Amazon, Crutchfield and Walmart.
On design, the two are close. The Sennheiser has big oval earcups, is easy to adjust, has a single physical button, and turns its right earcup into a touchpad that TechRadar found easy to use. It weighs 293g and spreads pressure across the crown well. The Sony is lighter at about 250g, with just the right padding, two physical buttons and a touch-sensitive right earcup. Both lie flat rather than folding, so they fit their hardshell or domed cases but won't collapse into something pocket-sized; the older Sony WH-1000XM4 did that better. TechRadar calls both understated, even a little boring, and notes that people increasingly want tech that blends in. For something with more presence, it points to the Apple AirPods Max.
Features favor customization on the Sennheiser's side. Its app offers EQ adjustments and a Sound Check that builds custom presets from your own music. Its Sound Zones feature lets you create up to 20 profiles, such as office, gym or home, each with set EQ and noise isolation levels that switch on automatically as you enter or leave. Sony's Location Awareness does something similar, learning your routine and adjusting Ambient Sound Control by place, but Sennheiser's system is more customizable. Both use Bluetooth 5.2. The Sennheiser supports aptX and aptX Adaptive; the Sony offers LDAC, a hi-res option with greater wireless bandwidth, plus DSEE Extreme, which uses AI upscaling to recover detail lost in lower-quality streams.
Sound is where TechRadar hears a small gap. The Momentum 4 Wireless came across as rich, detailed, open and neutral, with no congestion and no muddiness in the bass. The reviewers said FKA Twigs' Two Weeks had never sounded so deep through the low end, with inflections audible in her vocal that other headphones miss. The Sony impressed with a spacious soundstage: Kirk Hammett's high-register tapping cut through in Metallica's One, and Jeff Buckley's Grace let the acoustic strum, harmonised vocals, walking bassline and strings each find a place, even outside the 360 Reality Audio settings. The verdict is that the Sennheiser has the edge by one extra step of detail and dynamism, but a small one.
Noise cancelling is nearly a draw. Out on the street, the Sennheiser drowned out cars, barking dogs and everyday noise. TechRadar thinks the Sony cuts slightly more low-level noise, such as a bus engine on the top deck or an office air conditioner, but says the race was close and hard to call.
Battery is the clearest separation. The Sennheiser lasts 60 hours with noise cancelling on, among the best TechRadar has tested in over-ears. The Sony manages 30 hours with ANC on, half as much, and its only improvement over the XM4 is reaching 40 hours with ANC off. Thirty hours still suits most people, but next to the Sennheiser it looks modest.
The overall tilt goes to Sennheiser, though TechRadar still recommends the cheaper XM4 over the XM5 for most people, since the differences aren't big enough to justify the premium. With Sony discounts shrinking the price gap, the practical step is to check current retail prices before deciding.
Citations marquantes
The Sennheiser has the edge in sound, just an extra step of detail and dynamism, but it's a small gap.— TechRadar
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