Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 vs Sony WF-1000XM5

What actually differs

The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 and the Sony WF-1000XM5 sit at almost the same list price. Tom’s Guide describes them as the same price 1, and the records show $299.95 for the Sennheiser 2 and $299.99 for the Sony at its July 2023 launch 3. Engadget, TechRadar and RTINGS each weigh the two directly 425.

The pattern in those direct comparisons is consistent. The Sony is the more rounded product: Engadget says its earbuds offer better noise cancelling and a host of handy features 4, and TechRadar says the Sennheiser is bested by the Sony for apps and spatial audio 2. The Sennheiser’s counterpoints are a better published IP rating, per Tom’s Guide 1, and Auracast, which SoundGuys calls the main reason to pick it over the Sony 6. Neither product is the newest of its line. RTINGS names the Momentum True Wireless 5 as the Sennheiser’s successor 5, and says the Sony WF-1000XM6 replaced the WF-1000XM5 7.

One caution runs through the whole page. Each review reaches only one of the two models unless noted, so a verdict resting on a single side-by-side is attributed by name. Where the evidence is single-product coverage alone, the dimension is called unsettled, as with Tom’s Guide, whose Sennheiser review says its face-off against the Sony was not yet complete 1.

Which one has better noise cancelling?

This is the dimension with the clearest signal. Engadget says the Sony offers better noise-canceling than the Sennheiser 4. SoundGuys, in its Sony review, says the Sony edges out the Sennheiser in active noise cancelation performance 8. HiFi Oasis finds the Sennheiser’s ANC respectable but slightly short of the Sony 9, and Trusted Reviews calls the Sennheiser’s noise cancellation impressive yet not as good as the Sony’s 10.

RTINGS gives the dissenting view. It calls the pair neck and neck on noise isolation, with the Sennheiser filtering a bit more midrange noise and the Sony blocking a bit more bright, trebly noise 5. That is a statement about the kind of noise each handles, not a loss for either. Tom’s Guide, in its early listen, compares the Sennheiser’s ANC only with the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds and does not address the Sony 1.

Verdict: Sony, by a modest margin. Four outlets place it ahead, and RTINGS calls the pair level on isolation.

Which one sounds better?

The verdicts diverge, and the wording matters. Engadget says the Sennheiser has the edge in sound quality 4, and SoundGuys says the Sennheiser offers superior sound quality that audiophiles will appreciate 8.

What Hi-Fi? listened to both and describes a different balance rather than a winner. The Sennheiser favors richness and luxury, while the Sony has a more neutral balance and digs out more detail with greater precision 11. Trusted Reviews says the Sennheiser is perhaps not as insightful as the Sony, though still engaging 10. TechRadar describes the Sennheiser’s profile as neutral and says it may not excite people who like the Sony’s bass 2. Note that TechRadar and What Hi-Fi? each use “neutral”, but for opposite products, so the label alone says little.

Tom’s Guide titled its Sennheiser review as sound to rival Sony’s best-ever buds and called the competition a close contest, but said its full face-off was still pending at the time 1. RTINGS frames the choice as one of sound-profile preference 5.

Verdict: unresolved. Two outlets favor the Sennheiser’s sound outright, two describe the Sony as the more detailed or insightful, and the rest call it taste.

Which one lasts longer on a charge?

Manufacturer figures compare cleanly here. Sony rates the earbuds at up to 8 hours with noise cancelling on and 12 hours with it off, and 24 or 36 hours in total with the case 3. Sennheiser lists 7.5 hours with noise cancelling off and up to 30 hours in total 12. With ANC off, that is 12 hours against 7.5 per charge, and 36 against 30 hours with the case, which Tom’s Guide also states as ANC-off for the Sennheiser 1.

Measurements point the same way. SoundGuys measured 7 hours 45 minutes for the Sennheiser 6 and 9 hours 32 minutes for the Sony, without stating the ANC setting for the Sony result 8. TechGearLab measured 7.5 hours for the Sennheiser 13 and 14.0 hours for the Sony with ANC off at 75% volume 14. Test conditions may differ between those two write-ups 14. HiFi Oasis got about 6.5 hours from the Sennheiser with ANC on 9.

Tom’s Guide makes the comparison explicitly: the Sennheiser’s battery life falls short of the Sony’s 1. SoundGuys says the Sony lasts slightly longer 6. On quick charging, Sony claims 60 minutes of playback from 3 minutes 3; SoundGuys measured about 51 minutes 8. Sennheiser claims one hour from 8 minutes 12.

Verdict: Sony.

Which one is more durable and sweat-resistant?

Sennheiser lists IP54 for the earbuds only, not the case 12. Sony lists IPX4 for the earbuds and says the case and ear tips are not water resistant 3. Tom’s Guide makes the comparison itself, calling the Sennheiser’s rating better than the Sony’s IPX4 1.

Two caveats apply. Tom’s Guide describes the Sennheiser’s gain as dirt-ingress protection, with moisture protection unchanged from its predecessor 1, and no source tests the two in sweat. Rating records also disagree: TechGearLab’s table lists the Sennheiser as IPX4 13, and HiFi Oasis shows IPX5 in its spec box but IP54 in its text 9.

Verdict: Sennheiser on the published rating, with no source testing the difference.

Which one is smaller and more comfortable?

On weight the two are close. Sennheiser lists 6.2 g per earbud 12 and Sony’s help guide lists 5.9 g 15. TechRadar’s Sennheiser review puts the Sony at 4.2 g and calls the Sennheiser the bulkier option 2, but Sony’s own figure and TechGearLab’s measured 5.95 g for the Sony both disagree with 4.2 g 14. RTINGS says the Sony is slightly less chunky 5. HiFi Oasis lists a bulky charging case as a con 9, GSMArena calls the case’s chunky shape not very pocketable 16, and Tom’s Guide calls the Sennheiser’s design bulky compared with price rivals 1.

Comfort has no direct comparison. For the Sennheiser, What Hi-Fi? lists a comfortable fit 11, while GSMArena calls the comfort poor 16. For the Sony, Tom’s Guide had to size up to the largest ear tip to get a seal 17, and What Hi-Fi? says the fit could feel more secure 18. SoundGuys adds that the Sennheiser looks more fashionable, with metallic accents 8.

Verdict: Sony on size; comfort is not settled by the sources.

Which one has better features and app support?

Engadget credits the Sony with a host of handy features, naming Speak-to-Chat automatic pausing and DSEE Extreme audio upscaling 4. TechRadar says the Sennheiser is bested by the Sony for apps and spatial audio 2. Tom’s Guide calls the Sennheiser app one of the strongest around, but not quite as sophisticated as Sony’s Headphones Connect 1. RTINGS adds that only the Sony supports virtual surround sound, and that the Sony has greater wireless range 5.

The Sennheiser has its own strengths: Tom’s Guide credits a five-band EQ and an effective Sound Personalization mode 1, though GSMArena notes personalization requires an account 16. Both earbuds support multipoint, per their manufacturers 123. On connection stability the sources do not line up: TechRadar reports Bluetooth drop-outs on the Sony 19, and TechGearLab reports problems with iOS devices on the Sennheiser 13.

Verdict: Sony for features and apps; connection reliability is unresolved.

Which one handles codecs and future wireless standards better?

Codec lists differ. Sennheiser lists SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX Adaptive and LC3, plus aptX Lossless 12. Sony lists SBC, AAC, LDAC and LC3 15. RTINGS treats the choice between LDAC and aptX as a matter of taste 5. On iPhone both fall back to AAC, and Tom’s Guide says iOS users cannot use the Sennheiser’s aptX or LE Audio codecs 1.

On future-proofing, SoundGuys says the main reason to choose the Sennheiser over the Sony is Auracast, if its benefits would matter to you 6. Sennheiser says Auracast arrives only through a firmware update 12, and Engadget notes it was not yet available at review time 4. The Sony records are silent on Auracast 15, so how it compares is unknown.

Verdict: depends on your phone; the Sennheiser is ahead only on Auracast readiness.

Which one is better for calls?

Only What Hi-Fi? compares the two directly. It says the Sennheisers stop outside noise intruding into calls better than the Bose, but still are not quite as accomplished as the Sony at subduing ambient noise 11.

The single-product evidence is mixed. For the Sennheiser, SoundGuys found microphone quality well below its tier 6 and GSMArena called the microphone surprisingly poor 16. For the Sony, Digital Trends lists superb call quality 20, while TechGearLab ranked its call quality lowest of the five earbuds it tested and called a subway-noise recording terrible 14, and RTINGS calls the microphone’s recordings poor 7. TechGearLab scored the two in separate review rounds, so its call-quality figures are not a head-to-head result 1314.

Verdict: slight edge to Sony on one direct comparison; otherwise the sources do not settle it.

Which one costs less?

At list price this is a tie, as Tom’s Guide describes both at the same price 1. At the time of its review, Engadget found the Sony $22 cheaper than the Sennheiser’s $300 4, and What Hi-Fi? notes that Sony pairs get regular price drops 11. Both remarks are dated, and current street prices are not recorded here 3.

Verdict: tie at list price; the Sony was the cheaper one in Engadget’s dated comparison 4.

Which one to buy

Get the Sony WF-1000XM5 if noise cancelling, battery life and app features are the priority. Sources that compare the two directly put it ahead on noise cancelling, battery life, apps and features, and size 4125. The Sennheiser is ahead on the published IP rating and Auracast readiness, and sound is split.

Get the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 if you prefer a richer sound signature 11, want the higher IP54 rating 1, or care about Auracast 6. Sound quality is the one area where Engadget and SoundGuys side with it 48, while What Hi-Fi? credits the Sony with more detail 11, so treat it as a preference, not a win.

Both models have since been succeeded 57, which is worth weighing if a newer model sits near the same price.