Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless and Sony WH-1000XM5 are considered the two best noise-canceling headphones at the moment. In addition to good sound quality and effective noise cancellation, the two headphones also possess many extremely cool features.
So between Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless and Sony WH-1000XM5, which is the better quality noise-cancelling headset? Let’s come to the detailed comparison below!
Table of Contents
Packaging and accessories included
Many people will think that this is an unnecessary comparison, but for Biareview, a headset with eye-catching packaging and comes with many accessories will bring many exciting experiences to users. In this category, it seems that Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless did better.
The noise-canceling headphones from the Sennheiser brand are packaged in a cardboard box with a neater and more eye-catching design. The fact that the color-coordinated cover box looks very eye-catching helps Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless immediately attract the attention of audiophiles. Regarding accessories, the only difference between the two headphones comes from the fact that Momentum 4 Wireless is equipped with an Airplane Adapter for use on airplanes.
Design and wearing experience
To be fair, although both have a more compact and modern design, the most inconvenient point in the design of the two headphones is that they cannot be folded. This makes the box a bit bigger and bulkier. However, both Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless and Sony WH-1000XM5 make major design changes compared to their predecessors.
With the Sony WH-1000XM5, the headband has been shrunk and has a new design to hug the listener’s head more closely while still creating the most comfortable feeling. The swivel joints have better finishing and do not make sharp noises when used. This is also the biggest plus point for WH-1000XM5.
The next plus point of WH-1000XM5 is the wearing experience. The fact that the headband is covered with synthetic leather, while the earpads are made of a completely new material that is softer and lighter, makes the wearing experience on the WH-1000XM5 not only smoother but also more airy. The frustrating phenomenon of wearing headphones for a long time in the previous version has been eliminated.
For Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless, the new design helps it become more youthful, dynamic, and modern. The newly redesigned earcup with an elliptical shape plus soft ear cushions helps the M4W hug the listener’s entire ear and create an airy, comfortable feeling.
Similar to the WH-1000XM5, the swivel joints on the M4W operate very smoothly and do not make noise when used. The highlight of the M4W’s design is that the headband is covered with fabric on the outside. This fabric reminds many people of the tws Sennheiser M3TW model that was launched not long ago.
Overall assessment: Compared to the synthetic leather layer on the WH-1000XM5, the fabric layer on the M4W has a better finish, and looks more beautiful and luxurious. However, the minus point of the M4W is that the outer shell and inner frame structure are made entirely of plastic. Meanwhile, the WH-1000XM5 only has a shell made of plastic while the frame structure is still made from metal. A small detail that few users notice is that the earpads of the M4W will wrinkle after use. This phenomenon does not appear on the WH-1000XM5 earpads.
Control feature
The interesting thing about both Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless and Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones is that the control feature is through touching/swiping on the earcup surface. Thanks to that, the buttons are almost completely reduced, there will be only one multi-function button on each headset.
In addition to the control operations being quite similar, the M4W and WH-1000XM5 can both stop playing music if the user removes the headphones. However, the WH-1000XM5 will have additional alarm sounds. The ability to respond to touch/swipe gestures is very responsive, but M4W offers faster response speed and is easier to operate.
Both headphones have their applications developed to make customization easier and more convenient. For M4W, it is the Sennheiser Smart Control application, while Sony Headphones Connect will be the control application for WH-1000XM5. In terms of quality, 10 is the score for both of these applications as they fully support all functions from adjusting EQ, turning on/off ANC, adjusting the level of noise cancellation, customizing control operations, …
Connect ability
Both Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless and Sony WH-1000XM5 are equipped with Bluetooth 5.2 standard, supporting SBC, AAC codec, and a high-quality codec. With M4W are aptX, aptX-HD, and aptX codecs. Meanwhile, the WH-1000XM5 uses its proprietary codec, LDAC. Of course, both support a wired connection.
Although it does not support as many codecs as M4W, with only LDAC codec, WH-1000XM5 provides faster and more accurate wireless connectivity.
Battery life
Although both of these over-ear headphones have good battery life, the final winner is the Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless. In our test, with a volume level of 80%, the WH-1000XM5 could continuously play music for 31 hours and 53 minutes with ANC on and more than 53 hours off. Compared to the previous generation, this is an unexpected result.
However, M4W can do more than that when the battery life of this headset is up to 56 hours and 21 minutes when ANC is turned on. This means that when ANC is turned off, battery life will be much better. Having a longer battery life means you’ll be less likely to have to constantly charge your headphones. Thanks to that, the battery life becomes longer and more durable.
Noise-canceling ability
To have the best moments of enjoying music, noise cancellation is very important. And the Sony WH-1000XM5 did this better. Although compared to its predecessor, the M4W has much better noise cancellation ability, but with low-frequency noises below 100Hz, the WH-1000XM5 can suppress noise a bit more effectively. Most notably, the Adaptive Smart Control feature allows WH-1000XM5 to automatically detect sounds in the surrounding environment to adjust the noise canceling level effectively.
Sound quality
Honestly, both the Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless and the Sony WH-1000XM5 have amazing sound performances. However, there is still a slight difference in the sound quality of the two headphones.
With 360 Reality Audio technology, the soundstage on the WH-1000XM5 has better volume and sounds more natural. With M4W, everything is even better. In addition to the relatively deep and wide aperture, Sennheiser’s headphones also have more accurate sound imaging and clear layer separation. This makes the sound stage staged by M4W more realistic and more complete.
Both have strong bass ranges, but the approach is not the same. With the WH-1000XM5, the timbre of the sub bass depends heavily on EQ. Using the Clear Bass feature will help the bass range on the WH-1000XM5 become stronger and more vibrant. However, with some music genres, the bass range will overwhelm the other two sound ranges and users are forced to use EQ to limit this.
M4W’s more subtle approach will help make the bass range not only cleaner but also have better depth. The bass on the M4W sounds richer and smoother, less invasive to other sound ranges.
Moving on to the mid-range, this is the strength of the M4W as this headset possesses a mid sound with higher detail, more openness, and a more realistic timbre. Most especially, the vocal part sounds more attractive and catchy. As for the treble range, the M4W has a slightly sharper treble sound, but in terms of melody, the WH-1000XM5 is more beautiful.
As two of the best noise-cancelling Bluetooth headphones available today, it’s difficult to choose which is the best product. Because Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless and Sony WH-1000XM5 both possess their strengths. Choosing which headset is better will depend on what you want in that headset (good noise cancellation, good sound quality, great battery, …)
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