Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 vs MOMENTUM 4 Wireless: Should you upgrade?
The Sennheiser MOMENTUM line has long been the company’s answer to the Bose and Sony ANC heavyweights, solid performers with a little more audiophile sensibility baked in. With the MOMENTUM 5 Wireless now out at $399.95, it sits $50 above the MOMENTUM 4 Wireless’ original $350 price tag. If you already own the MOMENTUM 4, or you’re shopping between the two, here’s everything you need to know.
How has this article been updated?
This article was originally published on May 28, 2026, and this is the first version.
What’s it like to use the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 compared to the MOMENTUM 4 Wireless?
Both over-ear headphones are mainly made of plastic with fabric accents on the band, and a stepless headband adjustment that lets you dial in fit without clicking through notches. Both also rotate to lie flat in their respective cases rather than folding up.
The cases themselves are a bit different. The MOMENTUM 4 ships in a fabric case with a rigid plastic structure, a mesh pocket, and flexible loops inside to hold the included cables — a USB-A to USB-C cable, a 2.5mm-to-3.5 mm TRS cable, and an airplane adapter. The MOMENTUM 5’s case is a similar plastic-and-fabric construction, but with a more polished exterior fabric coating and internal pouches for accessories. They also have an indentation on the backside to create a natural carry handle.
Because the MOMENTUM 5’s ear cups are a bit larger and don’t fold, the case ends up being noticeably wider than the MOMENTUM 4’s, even if it isn’t especially deep. The MOMENTUM 5 also has deeper ear cups overall, which helps it fit a wider range of ears without the pinna making contact with the driver guards. Earpad removal is straightforward on both, though the MOMENTUM 5’s plastic snaps can be a little fiddly to re-seat.
Pop off the driver housing, then lift the battery out and disconnect it from the connector.
The big physical story with the MOMENTUM 5 is the user-replaceable battery. Unscrew four Phillips-head screws on the left ear cup after removing the pad, then pull the entire speaker assembly out to swap the battery. The MOMENTUM 4 does not have this option. If you tend to keep headphones for five or more years, that alone is a meaningful difference — battery degradation is one of the most common reasons otherwise-good headphones end up in a drawer.
Controls are nearly identical between the two: a capacitive touch plate on the right ear cup handles volume, track skipping, play/pause, and toggling between ANC and transparency. Both headphones also have Smart Pause, which pauses your audio and puts the headphones into standby when you take them off.
Do the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 or MOMENTUM 4 Wireless have more features?
The Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless offers more Bluetooth codecs.
Both headphones are managed through the Sennheiser Smart Control app (called Smart Control Plus on the MOMENTUM 5), and both support geotag-based ANC presets and adaptive ANC. The MOMENTUM 4 lets you define up to 20 geotags to automatically switch ANC modes based on your location. Both headphones support Multipoint, letting you stay connected to two devices simultaneously.
The MOMENTUM 5 adds two features worth calling out: a battery protection mode that caps charging at 80% to slow cell degradation over time, and a hearing test that generates a personalized EQ preset. On EQ bands, the MOMENTUM 4 has a 5-band graphic equalizer — originally 3-band, expanded to 5 via a firmware update. The MOMENTUM 5 steps that up to 8 bands. The MOMENTUM 5 review notes that it’s a shame Sennheiser didn’t include a parametric EQ, given it has in higher-end products, but that’s likely a deliberate choice to differentiate it from pricier options in the lineup.
How do the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 and MOMENTUM 4 Wireless connect?
The MOMENTUM 4 Wireless supports SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD, and aptX Adaptive over Bluetooth. The MOMENTUM 5 Wireless supports SBC, AAC, aptX, and aptX Adaptive and bumps the Bluetooth version to 5.4. Sennheiser describes the hardware as “Bluetooth 6.0 ready,” though that standard hasn’t been implemented yet.
The MOMENTUM 5 is also Snapdragon Sound certified. Both headphones support wired listening over a 3.5mm TRS cable and USB-C with data capabilities — not just charging — and the relevant cables are included in the box.
Is battery life better on the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 or MOMENTUM 4 Wireless?
The MOMENTUM 4 Wireless measured 56 hours and 21 minutes in our standardized continuous playback test at 75dB with ANC on. For context, the Bose Noise Canceling Headphones 700 lasted 37 hours, the Sony WH-1000XM5 lasted 31 hours, the Bose QuietComfort 45 lasted 25 hours, and the Apple AirPods Max lasted 20 hours.
The MOMENTUM 5 Wireless claims over 50 hours with ANC on, but we haven’t completed our battery test at the time of publishing. Sennheiser’s estimates have historically been accurate or conservative, so we expect the final result to land close to or above that figure. Check back for updated results.
Where the MOMENTUM 5 adds something the MOMENTUM 4 can’t match: the battery protection mode caps charging at 80% to prolong the installed battery’s life. And if the battery does eventually degrade, you can replace it — something that isn’t an option on the MOMENTUM 4.
Do the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 or MOMENTUM 4 Wireless block noise better?
The MOMENTUM 5 makes pretty significant improvements to ANC over the MOMENTUM 4, attenuating the perceived loudness of outside noise by an average of 86%, compared to the prior models 76% average. As you can see in the chart above, the MOMENTUM 5 maintains more than 20dB of noise reduction below 1.1kHz more consistently, with roughly 3–5dB of additional attenuation in that range over the MOMENTUM 4. That’s a noticeable difference, and the deeper ear cups on the MOMENTUM 5 also improve passive isolation.
Do the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 sound better than the MOMENTUM 4 Wireless?
The MOMENTUM 4 still sounds great, with good bass depth that’s easy to manage in the app, and no serious issues to speak of. The MOMENTUM 5 sounds a bit different — it has more bass strength and weaker treble strength than the MOMENTUM 4, and the tuning is more mass-market than audiophile. If you were hoping for a cheaper version of the HDB 630, you’ll be disappointed.
Objective Measurements
The MOMENTUM 4 Wireless sits close to our house curve, with a modest bass shelf and well-represented highs — no major problem areas. The MOMENTUM 5 Wireless is a bit of a different story. The low bass and sub-bass get a heavy shelf peaking around +11dB over our normalization point, and there’s a noticeable wobble between 1kHz and 2.5kHz. Treble rolls off past 10kHz, which can make recordings with audible reverb and room sound feel slightly off.
The EQ presets in the app can help bring things closer — Rock and Jazz both dial back the low end, and the Classical preset applies a shelf filter to bring the lows down — but the baseline tuning is a meaningful departure from the MOMENTUM 4.
How would most people rate the sound from 1 to 5?
MDAQS uses measurement data to predict how a panel of around 200 untrained listeners would rate a headphone’s sound on a scale from 1.0 (very bad) to 5.0 (very good).
The MOMENTUM 4’s Timbre score of 4.8 reflects its well-regarded frequency response. The MOMENTUM 5 drops slightly to 4.6, likely due to the 1–2kHz wobble and treble rolloff. The Distortion score tells the opposite story — the MOMENTUM 5’s 4.6 is notably high for wireless headphones, and a significant jump over the MOMENTUM 4’s 3.5. It’s an unusually good result. Immersiveness is similar between the two, with the MOMENTUM 4 holding a slight edge.
What do the Multi-Dimensional Audio Quality Scores mean?
- Timbre (MOS-T) represents how faithfully the headphones reproduce the frequency spectrum and temporal resolution (timing information).
- Distortion (MOS-D) represents non-linearities and added noise: higher scores mean cleaner reproduction.
- Immersiveness (MOS-I) represents perceived source width and positioning: how well virtual sound sources are defined in three-dimensional space.
Do the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 or MOMENTUM 4 Wireless have a better microphone?
The MOMENTUM 4 has a 4-microphone array — two per side — with beamforming for noise reduction. The MOMENTUM 5 doubles that to 8 microphones, four per side. That increased mic count is part of why the ANC is so much stronger on the newer headphone, but it also benefits call quality. Take a listen for yourself below:
Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 Wireless microphone demo (Ideal conditions):
Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4 Wireless microphone demo (Ideal conditions):
Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 Wireless microphone demo (Office conditions):
Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4 Wireless microphone demo (Office conditions):
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For calls, the MOMENTUM 4 does pretty well but has some issues with noise rejection — something you’ll run into with other headsets in this category too. The MOMENTUM 5 handles wind and reverberant spaces well, but interestingly struggles more with incidental office noise, which is a little strange given the upgraded array. Neither headphone will embarrass you on a call, but neither is a standout for microphone performance either.
Should you get the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 or MOMENTUM 4 Wireless?
The MOMENTUM 5 Wireless improves on the MOMENTUM 4 in ANC, build longevity, and connectivity. The MOMENTUM 4’s strengths — its sound quality and battery life — remain, and it can often be found on sale at a price well below its launch price.
Both headphones are strong options. The MOMENTUM 5 is the more practical long-term buy, but the MOMENTUM 4 remains a solid pair of headphones, particularly if you find them on sale.
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