Sennheiser Momentum 4 vs. Sony WH-1000XM5 Comparison Review

Both the Sennheiser Momentum 4 and Sony 1000XM5 have proven to be supremely popular mid-priced wireless headphones since their release earlier this year. Both are similarly priced and come from well-established wireless series from their respective manufacturers. If you're reading this review, you might already know all of this, so I'll just cut to the chase. We'll be going over some of the tech that goes into both pairs of headphones before we talk about what they sound like.

What's in The Box?

Sennheiser Momentum 4:

-Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless Headphones

-USB-C to USB-A cable

-3.5mm Headphone Cable

-Carrying Case

-Airplane Adapter

-Warranty and Instructions

Sony WH-1000XM5

-Sony WH-1000XM5 Headphones

-3.5mm Headphone Cable

-USB-C Cable

-Carrying Case

-Instruction Manual

Battery, Bluetooth, Design and Specs

If battery life is what you're after, the Sennheiser Momentum 4 is your choice, period.

Sennheiser Momentum 4:

Battery: 60 hours playback

Bluetooth: 5.2

Codecs: SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX adaptive

Driver: 42mm Dynamic

Frequency Response: 6 Hz to 22 kHz

Sensitivity: 106 dB

Sony WH-1000XM5

Battery: 30 Hours

Bluetooth: 5.2

Codecs: AAC, SBC, LDAC

Driver: 30mm Dynamic

Frequency Response: 4 Hz – 40 kHz

Sensitivity: 100 dB

Look and Feel

In a lot of ways, these two wireless headphones look a lot alike with their sleek black build, ovular cans and narrow headbands. Honestly, they feel pretty similar as well. Both have very comfortable and soft synthetic leather ear pads and fairly light headband pressure. Both are fairly lightweight, but the Sony WH-1000XM5 is considerably lighter with its 254-gram weight versus the Momentum 4's 292 grams. Though the Sony is lighter, I somewhat prefer the Momentum 4's look and feel just because of the nice cloth texture on the headband that gives it a little extra maturity and character.

Sound Stage

Going by what is technically possible with both units, the Sony WH-1000XM5 would appear to have better staging capabilities as it supports spatial audio. However, I found the stage on the Sennheiser Momentum 4 to be exceptionally wide and outdid the XM5 when I was listening to music in stereo. While neither unit offered a particularly significant depth, this is about what I would expect from wireless headphones in this price range. I personally don't find spatial audio to be the most compelling technology in its current state of development, so while the Sony WH-1000XM5 did undeniably open up quite a bit when engaged in spatial audio, I preferred the wide and spacious stereo experience of the Sennheiser Momentum 4.

Lows

Both the Momentum 4 and XM5 have a powerful low end that seems to be the defining quality of their overall balances. The XM5 boosts its lows more broadly, emphasizing mid bass and even higher bass frequencies a bit more than the Momentum 4. This gives it a little more energy but less definition than the Momentum 4, which appeared to focus most of its low end emphasis on its subs and the lower end of its mid bass. It's also worth noting that the Sony WH-1000XM5 has a “Clear Bass” setting that further boosts its low end – I can't say I was such a fan of the setting as I thought it was somewhat of an overkill and resulted in a loss of definition on a lot of mixes, but there are definitely some sadistic bass heads out there who will appreciate having the option to rattle their head off their neck.

Mids

While there appears to be a mid scoop with both pairs of headphones, they go about it in pretty different ways. The Momentum 4 loses some of the heft of vocalists' deeper fundamentals with its attenuated lower mids, but contains a center mid boost that realistically emphasizes energetic overtones of those very same vocalists. Though I think the Momentum 4 could have afforded just a little more in the way of low mids, Sennheiser's decision to place a boost in the center mids rather than waiting until the high mids allows vocals (as well as guitars, pianos, and other core supporting instruments) to find a unique expression that doesn't sound as thin as you might expect from a mid scooped headphone. The Sony WH-1000XM5, on the other hand, is still in the process of cooling off from its bass boost, and has traces of emphasis in its low mids region before recessing the vast majority of its mid range. The XM5 has more characteristics of a typical mid-scooped EQ, such as attenuated vocals that possess a touch of warmth in their character. I'm a bit more critical of the XM5's mids balance, which I found had a way of masking portions of guitars and other driving center mid instruments.

Highs

The Momentum 4 has surprisingly crisp and cracking highs for a wireless headphone, giving hi-hats a sharp point and vocals smooth air. This moderately present high end lands poignantly against the boosted subs and deep bass and gives a welcome lift to the overall timbre. As for the WH-1000XM5: where did my highs go? A heavy handed boost from what sounds like 2 to 8 kHz brings some bright twang into the guitars that lay low in the mids, and then the XM5 seems to nosedive and obliterate frequencies after 10 kHz. I understand wireless headphones frequently are prioritizing comfort and “easy listening,” which frequently means they're more cautious with the treble. But the XM5 takes this way too far. Don't go looking for vocal air: you're simply not going to find it. Very, very luckily for us, there are customizable EQ settings on both headphones' respective apps. I encourage you to boost the higher frequencies on the XM5 straight away if you end up getting it.

Overall

As far as default balance and EQ is concerned, I was far more impressed with the Sennheiser Momentum 4. However, there are some things to be considered here: the Sony WH-1000XM5 probably has the Momentum 4 beat in most other categories, from its featherweight fit to its spatial audio capabilities. As both units have customizable EQs in their respective apps, these extra qualities may deserve a little more focus than the headphones' default tuning. Ultimately, I understand why both of the are immensely popular despite their differences. Both are comfy and lightweight wireless headphones that will do the trick for hours of listening on a train, plane, or office chair.

The Sennheiser Momentum 4 and the Sony WH-1000XM5 are both available for purchase from Audio46.