3 headphones to buy instead of the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 Wireless

The Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 Wireless is one of the more practical pairs of premium headphones you can buy. It offers decent ANC, a replaceable battery, and enough convenience features to justify its premium price tag. Add in USB-C audio support and exceptional battery life, and it’s easy to see why the MOMENTUM 5 earned a place among the best wireless headphones available today.

Still, spending $400 on headphones gives you plenty of excellent alternatives. If I were shopping in this price range, these are the three headphones I’d consider before buying the MOMENTUM 5.

Sony WH-1000XM6 ($449.99)

If you’re willing to spend a little more than the MOMENTUM 5 costs, the Sony WH-1000XM6 remains the benchmark for premium wireless headphones. While the MSRP is $50 higher, Sony headphones rarely stay at full price for long, and discounts are already becoming more common.

Sennheiser finally has a serious contender in the premium wireless headphone space with the MOMENTUM 5, but Sony still has the edge. The WH-1000XM6 offers stronger noise canceling, a more powerful companion app, and more ways to customize your listening experience. Sony includes a 10-band EQ, compared to Sennheiser’s 8-band implementation, along with features like DSEE Extreme, which restores detail to compressed audio files. The result is a pair of headphones that feels endlessly tweakable without becoming complicated to use.

The MOMENTUM 5 counters with a user-replaceable battery and USB-C audio support, neither of which Sony currently offers. But if you’re looking for the most complete package in premium wireless headphones, I’d still spend the extra money on the Sony WH-1000XM6.

JBL Tour One M3 ($399.99)

If you’d rather stay around the same price as the MOMENTUM 5, I’d seriously consider the JBL Tour One M3. While Sennheiser focused on practical upgrades like a replaceable battery and improved ANC, JBL focused on adding as many features as possible.

The headline feature is JBL’s SMART Tx transmitter. Beyond acting as a remote control for the headphones, it can connect wired sources to your headphones, share audio with compatible Auracast devices, and help solve many of the compatibility issues that still plague wireless audio. Add Auracast, LDAC, lossless USB-C audio, personal sound amplification features, and a 12-band EQ, and you end up with one of the most feature-packed pairs of headphones available today.

The MOMENTUM 5 remains the more practical long-term purchase thanks to its user-replaceable battery, but if you’re the kind of person who loves experimenting with new features and wants headphones that can connect to just about anything, the JBL Tour One M3 is the more interesting choice.

Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4 Wireless ($299.99, often less)

Not everyone needs to spend $400 on a pair of headphones. If you’re looking for the best value in premium wireless audio, the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4 Wireless remains an easy recommendation. While it launched at $299.95, it’s currently available for around $229, making it one of the best headphone deals you’ll find today.

The MOMENTUM 5 improves on its predecessor in several important ways. ANC is noticeably better, the battery is user-replaceable, and Sennheiser added a handful of useful quality-of-life features. Even so, the MOMENTUM 4 remains a great pair of headphones with over 56 hours of battery life, USB-C audio support, multipoint connectivity, and support for both aptX HD and aptX Adaptive. It also offers sound quality that tracks closer to the SoundGuys’ preference curve out of the box, making it a great choice for listeners who prefer a more balanced default sound.

If I were choosing between the two at full price, I’d probably buy the MOMENTUM 5. But the MOMENTUM 4 isn’t selling at full price these days. At around $229, you’re saving roughly $170 while giving up surprisingly little in return. That’s what makes the MOMENTUM 4 one of the best headphone deals around.