Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2: A closer match than you’d think

If you’re spending around $400 on wireless headphones, the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 and the Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen) are two popular options. They share a lot in common, but they also have different strengths, and depending on what you’re after, those differences matter. Here’s how they compare and which one is right for you.

What’s it like to use the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 compared to the Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2?

Both headphones are primarily made of plastic with a few metal accents, and neither carries an IP rating, so you’ll want to keep them out of the rain. The MOMENTUM 5 opts for a flatter, more minimal profile, with a stepless sliding band that adjusts to fit your head without the notch-clicking you get elsewhere. The Bose is more conventional, with a yoked earcup design that folds up more compactly for storage, and when it does lie flat, it also auto-pauses playback.

Comfort is solid on both. The MOMENTUM 5’s ear cups are well-sized and shouldn’t press against most pinnae, while the QuietComfort Ultra’s ample padding makes it easy to wear for extended sessions. Neither is going to fall off your head, and neither is going to be a pain to wear for a long flight.

Where the MOMENTUM 5 clearly wins on design is repairability. Unscrew four Philips-head screws, and the entire speaker assembly slides out, giving you direct access to a user-replaceable battery. That’s a rare feature at this price, and it changes the long-term calculus on ownership.

Do the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 or the Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2 have more features?

Both headphones have companion apps with EQ presets, ANC controls, and connection management. The Sennheiser app offers an 8-band EQ, while the Bose app’s EQ is more limited, offering only a 3-band interface that won’t satisfy anyone looking for precise control over their tuning.

The Sennheiser Smart Control Plus app adds GPS-triggered automatic profile switching, which is pretty cool, as your headphones can swap to your commute settings the moment you leave your front door. They also have an optional hearing test that generates a personalized EQ. Battery protection mode, which caps charging at 80% to extend cell longevity, is also available here and pairs nicely with the replaceable battery story.

The Bose app has a feature called CustomTune that plays a calibration tone at startup to adjust the response to your ears. Bose also added a Cinema spatial mode aimed at movie content, though the results there are hit-or-miss, depending on your taste for processed audio.

How do the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2 connect?

Connectivity specs are identical for the most part. Both run Bluetooth 5.4, support multipoint, SBC, AAC, aptX, and aptX Adaptive, and are Snapdragon Sound certified — meaning users with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 or newer can take advantage of the full aptX Adaptive codec stack. Wired options are identical too: both include a 3.5mm-to-2.5mm TRS cable and support USB-C audio.

One difference here is that the MOMENTUM 5 is listed as “Bluetooth 6.0 ready,” meaning its hardware can support the standard via a future firmware update.

Is battery life better on the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 or Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2?

Sennheiser claims over 50 hours of ANC-on listening from the MOMENTUM 5 — and based on the MOMENTUM 4’s track record of matching or beating its estimates, that figure is credible.

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen) lasted 27 hours and 12 minutes in our standardized testing, which actually beats Bose’s 24-hour claim. That’s a solid result by most standards, but the MOMENTUM 5 is in a different tier entirely. If battery life is a top priority — especially for long-haul travel or infrequent charging — the Momentum 5 has the advantage, hence the name.

Do the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 or the Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2 block noise better?

Both headphones have strong ANC performance, with the Bose QuietComfort Headphones attenuating the perceived loudness of outside noise by an average of 87%, and the MOMENTUM 5 by an average of 86%, with ANC enabled. That difference is pretty much imperceptible in everyday use.

The Bose headphones have a seal that’s easy to achieve, which contributes to better passive isolation without ANC on. It also includes an ActiveSense feature in transparency mode that automatically blunts loud sounds.

Do the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 sound better than the Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2?

Both headphones are tuned for a consumer audience — bass is emphasized on both, and neither is going to satisfy the pickiest listeners straight out of the box. The MOMENTUM 5 leans darker and heavier in the low end, which works well for a lot of music but can feel like too much depending on your taste; just make sure the bass boost isn’t toggled on in the app before you judge it. The Bose has a similar consumer-friendly tilt but benefits from CustomTune, which calibrates the sound to your ears at startup and results in a more consistent experience from the moment you put them on.

Objective Measurements

Both headphones have a significant bass overemphasis relative to our preference curve — the MOMENTUM 5 by around 6–7dB in the sub-bass, the Bose slightly less so at around 4–5dB. Both will sound fuller and weightier in the low end, with the MOMENTUM 5 leaning more heavily in that direction. Through the midrange, both track closely, which is good news for vocals and instruments. The MOMENTUM 5 shows a noticeable underemphasis around 1–2kHz, which can take some presence out of certain sounds. Both headphones spike in the upper presence region around 8–10kHz, with the MOMENTUM 5 more sharply before rolling off steeply — meaning it may sound lacking in air at the very top end compared to the Bose, which holds closer through that range.

How would most people rate the sound from 1 to 5?

Both headphones score a 4.7 out of 5 overall according to our simulated panel of listeners. The MOMENTUM 5 stands out with an unusually high distortion score of 4.6 for a wireless headphone, while the Bose scores well on immersiveness. Most listeners will enjoy the sound of either.

Do the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 or Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2 have a better microphone?

Neither microphone will replace a dedicated conference mic, but each has its own strengths. The MOMENTUM 5 handles wind and reverberant environments well, but struggles with incidental office noise, which is a bit of an awkward weak point given that’s precisely where you’d expect to use a premium ANC headphone for calls.

The Bose microphone is generally effective at rejecting outside noise, though aggressive noise reduction can occasionally cause audible dips in the speaker’s voice. For most call scenarios, such as outdoors, in transit, and in reverberant rooms, Bose delivers more consistent results.

Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 microphone demo (Ideal conditions):

Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2 microphone demo (Ideal conditions):

Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 microphone demo (Office conditions):

Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2 microphone demo (Office conditions):

Should you get the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 or Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2?

At $400 vs $450, these headphones are close enough in price that the decision largely comes down to what you want most. The MOMENTUM 5 is better if you don’t want to buy another pair of headphones for another decade, with a replaceable battery, excellent battery life, and strong connectivity at a slightly lower price. The Bose is a more polished package with better-calibrated sound out of the box, slightly stronger ANC, and a few years of proven performance behind it.

Both headphones are strong contenders at their price points and will serve most people well. The MOMENTUM 5 is the better investment if you’re in it for the long haul; the Bose is the better fit if you want something that just works.