By aspect — in detail
Value
Strong consensus · 7 srcThe strongest point of agreement. The 60-hour battery, the deep feature set and a sound most reviewers rate at least on par with pricier rivals combine into a package that undercuts the Sony and Bose flagships — more so now that it has slid to bargain street prices. The only real dissent comes from listeners who'd rather put the money toward wired headphones for pure sound.
“Solid sound, ANC, features and comfort combine in one great-value package”
What Hi-Fi?
“the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4 Wireless competes with the other bigs at a price that undercuts the pack by about $50.”
SoundGuys (Christian Thomas)
“remains an incredibly attractive headphone for its unbeatable sound quality per dollar value.”
RecordingNow (ODi Productions)
Measured
Launched at $349.95 / £300 / AU$549.95; since the Momentum 5 arrived it commonly sells around $180–250 street (Amazon lists it near $180). The measured 56 h 21 min battery (SoundGuys, ANC on) is the standout value lever — roughly double the Sony/Bose flagships. Owner ratings (4.1/5 from 13,573 Amazon ratings) read broad satisfaction rather than settling the sound debate.
Isolation
Moderate · 7 srcThe clearest agreed weakness. The active noise cancelling is good and handles steady drone (planes, HVAC) well, but reviewers line up on it being a notch behind the Sony and Bose class leaders — and the softer new pads isolate less passively than the Momentum 3 did. Views range from 'almost on par with the XM5' to 'middling / worse than its predecessor'; the consensus is 'decent, not class-leading.' There is a lone very-positive outlier.
“The Sony XM5 have the slight edge when it comes to thwarting louder noises”
What Hi-Fi?
“I found to be middling in its ability to mitigate exterior sounds. I personally found it to perform a little worse, even, than its predecessor”
headphones.com
“Its only main drawback would be its noise cancelling performance, which is average for the class.”
RecordingNow (ODi Productions)
Measured
SoundGuys measures the ANC reducing high-pitched noise ~75–95% and low-pitched noise ~75%, and sums it up: “The ANC is slightly behind the rest of the high-end pack, but the battery life blows every other competitor out of the water.” headphones.com attributes the softer seal to the new pad material. Audio46 is the outlier, listing “Fantastic ANC” among its pros.
Tonality
Contested · 8 srcThe heart of the disagreement. Measured, it's a warm, bass-lifted 'soft V' pulled closer to neutral than the older Momentums — and sources split on whether that reads as clean and neutral-leaning or as a fun, consumer-voiced tuning. The split tracks where you're coming from: mainstream wireless vs wired audiophile gear.
Measured
SoundGuys measures the response “extremely close to our headphone preference curve: most people will like the sound a lot.” headphones.com hears a bass shelf ~4–5 dB over the Harman target under 100 Hz, a dip in the upper mids, and a pushed mid/upper treble — i.e. a mild V. What Hi-Fi notes it has “shed a layer or two of the richness that has characterised older Momentums, in favour of more neutrality this time round.”
⚠ vs. listeners — The graph isn't really in dispute — it's a warm, sub-bass-lifted soft V close to a preference target. What splits reviewers is whether that same tilt lands as 'clean and neutral' or 'a fun consumer V,' which comes down to listener background and expectations.
Where it splits
Clean and neutral-leaning — this generation shed the old richness for a sharper, more reference-minded balance.42%
“Clean, neutral, musical sound”
What Hi-Fi?
A warm, fun, bass-forward soft V voiced for mainstream ears — enjoyable, but not a reference sound.58%
“one that I’d describe as being more of a soft v-shape, with an elevation in the sub bass region, a softer upper midrange, and more pronounced mid and upper treble.”
headphones.com
Genuinely split, and it tracks your reference point and EQ habits. There's a clear sub-bass lift; one camp hears it as deep, powerful and among the best in the wireless class, the other as boomy and overpowering, bleeding into the mids until EQ'd down. A couple of dB of bass cut is the repeated fix, and it's DSP-assisted, so it goes low.
Measured
headphones.com hears “a bass shelf under 100hz that adds quite a bit of warmth and rumble to the mix” (~4–5 dB over Harman). SoundGuys finds “a bit of extra boom in the low end, but it’s very easy to deal with in the app,” and otherwise “Bass isn’t terribly overemphasized.” Reddit owners repeatedly EQ bass around −2 to −4; the low end is DSP-extended, so it reaches deep.
Where it splits
Deep, powerful and impactful — some of the best low-end in the category, with real slam and authority.55%
“The Sennheiser Momentum 4s have some of the best low-end performance I’ve heard in the category.”
FutureAudiophile (Jerry Del Colliano)
Boomy and overpowering out of the box — bleeds into the midrange and lacks tightness until you cut it back.45%
“the sub-bass can get boomy and doesn’t have the speed or tightness of a high-end planar”
RecordingNow (ODi Productions)
Split, and it maps onto a measured upper-mid dip. One camp hears present, pleasingly full mids with clean vocals; the other — including the measurement-aware reviewers — hears them as recessed and blunted, notably less rich than Sennheiser's own wired open-backs. Not the star of the show, either way.
Measured
headphones.com attributes the split to a measured dip in the upper midrange (vs the Momentum 3's more forward, near-linear mids). RecordingNow calls the mids “not the star of the show unlike their higher-end wired open-back headphones like the HD650 and HD6xx,” and Audio46 lists a “bit more subdued mid-range (default settings)” as its one con; the app's Podcast preset lifts the mids for those who want them forward.
Where it splits
Present and full — vocals come across with body and polish.47%
“mids are pleasingly plump”
What Hi-Fi?
Recessed and blunted — a dip leaves vocals a little distant and less rich than the wired Sennheisers.53%
“the Momentum 4 instead has a bit of a dip in that region of the frequency response which can occasionally make midtones sound a little blunted.”
headphones.com
Mostly well-liked, with a real minority caveat. Most reviewers hear clean, crisp, shimmery highs that never turn harsh; a measurement-aware minority flags an 8 kHz peak that adds sizzle or sibilance and can read forward or slightly metallic for treble-sensitive ears.
Measured
headphones.com measures a slight up-shelf above ~5 kHz plus a prominent 8 kHz mid-treble peak — “something to keep in mind you are treble-sensitive.” SoundGuys, by contrast, hears the highs as “well represented,” and Audio46 as “crystal clear”; RecordingNow finds the treble “very forward” and, on already-bright modern mixes, “ever so slightly metallic.”
Where it splits
Clean, crisp and shimmery — lively and detailed without turning bright or harsh.66%
“The acoustic guitar is open and lively but not gratingly bright.”
FutureAudiophile (Jerry Del Colliano)
Elevated and forward — an 8 kHz peak brings sizzle and some sibilance, and reads strident to some.34%
“it is more prominent on the Momentum 4, and as a result you do get a bit of sizzle and some sibilance”
headphones.com
Soundstage
Contested · 8 srcContested, and it tracks your yardstick. Against other wireless ANC cans, most reviewers find it wide, spacious and among the best in class (a step up on the Momentum 3). Against open-backs or wired references, a vocal camp hears it as flat and intimate — decent width, almost no depth, a '2D' presentation.
Measured
headphones.com hears “a slightly more spacious soundstage that is now similar to the presentation you get on something like the WH-1000XM5 or Bose 700.” Reddit is split the same way — owners rate it “best soundstage even over Sony’s XM5s” among ANC cans, while the r/headphones critic calls it a “poor sound stage” against cheaper wired options.
Where it splits
Wide and spacious for a closed wireless can — among the best in the ANC class, better than expected.66%
“I did notice that they were better than average with their representation of 3D space in stereo mixes”
SoundGuys (Christian Thomas)
Flat and intimate — decent width but almost no depth, a '2D' presentation next to real open-backs.34%
“Soundstage has decent width but practically no depth at all.”
RecordingNow (ODi Productions)
Splits on expectations. For a wireless ANC headphone, most reviewers find it surprisingly resolving — clear enough to beat Sony's and Bose's offerings on detail. Measurement-minded and audiophile listeners call it consumer-grade: '1080p not 4K,' and clearly out-resolved by wired planars. Notably, several agree it's little to no technical upgrade over the Momentum 3.
Measured
headphones.com found “little to no upgrade” in technical performance over the Momentum 3, comparing its image clarity to a wired Sennheiser HD 58X; SoundGuys notes you “shouldn’t have any trouble hearing the details in your music.” The 42 mm driver is credited by FutureAudiophile with “more clarity,” but enthusiasts cross-shopping wired planars find it outclassed on pure resolution.
Where it splits
Surprisingly resolving for a wireless ANC can — clearer than the Sony and Bose competition.68%
“it is surprisingly resolving for an ANC bluetooth headphone, I’d say that it’s one that outperforms Sony and Bose’s offerings”
headphones.com
Consumer-grade resolution — clearly bettered by wired/planar headphones once you compare directly.32%
“The resolution is firmly “1080p” as opposed to 4k, you will instantly hear the veil be lifted when switching to a Hifiman planar such as an Arya or HE1000.”
RecordingNow (ODi Productions)
Argued over, and it tracks head size and clamp tolerance. Most reviewers find it light, plush and easy for hours, with roomy pads and a well-padded headband. A real minority — especially larger heads — find the clamp tight and the headband stiff enough to fatigue, and note Sony and Bose are comfier. The tight fit is partly deliberate, for a good bass seal.
Measured
Measured around 293 g (RecordingNow weighed 292.9 g; SoundGuys “just over 290 grams,” What Hi-Fi lists 293 g) — on the heavier side of wireless over-ears, with no IP rating. The earcups swivel flat but do not fold in. RecordingNow flags “a lot of clamping force from the factory, along with a relatively stiff headband creating some top-of-head pressure”; SoundGuys warns the padded band “can dig into your skull” if over-tightened.
Where it splits
Light and comfortable for long sessions — well-distributed headband pressure, roomy pads, fits glasses.60%
“The fairly wide headband does a good job of distributing pressure across your head so that it doesn’t feel burdened or – worse – sore after hours of wear.”
What Hi-Fi?
Clampy and stiff — snug enough to fatigue, especially on larger heads; Sony and Bose are comfier.40%
“these are snug enough to be fatiguing for someone with a larger cranium.”
FutureAudiophile (Jerry Del Colliano)
Lightly covered and mixed. Instruments are reasonably placed and separated for a closed wireless can — better than most expect — but one measurement-minded reviewer hears the separation as achieved in an artificial, slightly compressed way on modern tracks. Fine, not pinpoint.
“The separation and depth are present, but never nauseatingly so, which helps accentuate smaller details in the mix.”
Audio46 (Jim Bates)
“The separation is surprisingly good, but I think this is achieved in a way that gives an artificial/metallic and compressed-sounding quality to more modern music.”
RecordingNow (ODi Productions)
A minor, mixed note. The bass slam and energy make it feel lively and 'pop' spatially, but a critical ear finds it short on the 3D realism and dynamic contrast of true audiophile headphones. Fine for the format, not a highlight.
“The Momentum 4 makes the soundstage pop, both spatially and dynamically.”
Audio46 (Jim Bates)
“I would say the Momentum 4 lacks “3D” realism and dynamics compared to audiophile headphones, the timbre is unnatural for certain instruments/vocals.”
RecordingNow (ODi Productions)
A weak point that reviewers argue over. One camp finds it light, practical and holding up well over years; the larger camp calls the plainer, mostly-plastic construction a step down from the metal Momentums, less premium in the hand — and a recurring thread of firmware/battery reliability scares (headphones going quiet or refusing to wake after updates) shadows it.
Measured
headphones.com notes it “now using less metal elements than the Momentum 3, which despite making it feel less premium, does also mean that it’s a lighter headphone” (~295 g vs ~320 g); SoundGuys scores durability 6.9/10 with no IP rating. What Hi-Fi's main con is that it “Drops predecessors’ classy aesthetic.” Reddit and forum owners recurringly report firmware updates or the battery leaving units unresponsive — the likeliest driver of the softer 4.1/5 owner average.
Where it splits
Light, practical and durable enough — holds up over years of daily use.32%
“my 3-year-old pair of Momentum 4’s still looks and feels solid today”
RecordingNow (ODi Productions)
Plasticky and less premium than before — a downgrade from the metal Momentums, with reliability worries.68%
“with a largely plastic construction, the Momentum 4 aren't the most rugged headphones out there”
SoundGuys (Christian Thomas)
