Scored on 469 verified owner verdicts, from 2,696 comments read across 1 community
TL;DR
Owners overwhelmingly praise the Momentum 4 Wireless for sound quality, calling it the best-sounding headphone in its price range and frequently preferring it to Sony's XM4/XM5, Bose QuietComfort, and AirPods Max, backed by strong multi-year battery life, comfortable long-session fit, and standout value now that the Momentum 5 has arrived. A meaningful minority pushes back hard, though: ANC is consistently rated behind Sony and Bose, and a recurring cluster of owners report durability failures — fraying headband fabric, cracking parts, buggy firmware, unreliable touch controls, and units that stop working after exposure to sweat or rain, sometimes prompting warranty repairs or returns. The net consensus is a headphone bought primarily for its audio quality that some owners find undermined by build-quality and software reliability issues over time.
45% of 469 verified owners recommend the Momentum 4 Wireless, based on real owner verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube.
2,696 comments reviewed · scored on the 469 clearest verdicts
45%
Recommend
210 owners
27%
Neutral
128 owners
28%
Don't recommend
131 owners
Last 6 months:45% recommend(266 recent verdicts)→ holding steady vs older reviews
Source
Breakdown
Score
N
Counted in the score
Reddit
45%
469
Reviewed, but not counted — and why
No clear verdictiGood-to-know notes — setup, tips, and things to watch for. We use them for the pros, cons, and who it's for, but they don't reflect a definitive opinion on the product, so they're never counted in the score. See the 'Good to know' section below the quotes.Setup, tips & quirks
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134
The headline score reflects owners (Reddit, enthusiast forums), independent lab tests, blogs with no affiliate links, and YouTube owner-comments when they line up with owners. is shown for perspective but kept out here — hover the i for why.
What owners like
Sound quality is the headline strength, owners repeatedly call it the best-sounding wireless headphone in its price bracket, often preferring it over Sony WH-1000XM4/XM5, Bose QuietComfort, and even AirPods Max for clarity, bass, and soundstage · 85 · 18%
Great value for the price, especially now that it's discounted since the Momentum 5 launched, described as unbeatable price-to-performance and a steal around $150-200 · 22 · 5%
The app's EQ/sound-personalization tools let owners dial in a noticeably better, more detailed sound than the stock tuning · 20 · 4%
Battery life holds up for years of daily use with minimal degradation, and it charges fast · 18 · 4%
Very comfortable for long sessions, many call it one of the most comfortable headphones they own, wearable for 8+ hours on flights or all day at work · 15 · 3%
What owners flag
ANC is consistently rated weaker than Sony (WH-1000XM3/4/5/6) and Bose competitors, usable for daily commuting but inadequate on planes for some owners · 34 · 7%
Build quality and durability complaints, the fabric headband covering comes loose or peels within months, glue fails after about a year, and units crack or break under normal use · 28 · 6%
Software/app bugs and Bluetooth connectivity issues, dropped connections, multipoint pairing problems, and headphones randomly turning on/off or losing pairing · 20 · 4%
Touch controls and gesture pad are overly sensitive or unreliable, triggering accidentally or failing to register taps · 14 · 3%
Moisture and sweat sensitivity, several owners report malfunctions (buzzing, dead units, right ear-cup failures) after workouts, rain, or humid conditions, since the headphones lack water resistance · 10 · 2%
Who it's for
A great fit if
Sound-quality-first listeners who'll trade top-tier ANC for richer, fuller audio
Frequent travelers who want multi-day battery life and decent (not best) noise cancellation
Remote workers on long calls who need all-day comfort and clear mic quality
Budget-conscious buyers wanting near-flagship sound without flagship pricing
Look elsewhere if
Frequent flyers who need best-in-class ANC, since Sony and Bose noticeably outperform it
Gym-goers or heavy sweaters, since moisture repeatedly causes malfunctions and shorted circuits
Buyers who prioritize rock-solid durability, given recurring fabric peeling, touch-control glitches, and QC failures
Synthesized from what Momentum 4 Wireless owners say — not a spec sheet.
Common questions
Is the Momentum 4 worth buying now that the Momentum 5 is out?
45% of 469 owners recommend it, a score built on a real divide rather than mild feelings. Sound quality is the reason owners keep it; noise canceling, firmware and build quality are the reasons owners return it. The newer model pushed the price down, and that discount is what the positive accounts lean on. One owner puts the position plainly: the best sounding wireless headphone in its price bracket, with poor canceling and reliability weaknesses attached.
How does the noise canceling compare with Sony and Bose?
It sits behind both, and that is the most repeated criticism attached to this headphone. Owners call it weak for the price and a reason to buy Sony instead; others find it enough to sleep through international flights, or better than the older Sonys they came from. The dividing line is depth: it covers an office or a commute and runs short on deep cabin noise. Transparency mode pulled one owner to the XM5 despite preferring the Sennheiser on everything else.
What are the touch controls like to live with?
The right ear cup is a touch panel rather than a set of buttons, so volume, track skips and play are swipes and taps on the cup itself. It is one of the standing complaints: one owner calls them the most irritating part of any headphone owned, another says the controls and the app together would make a future Sennheiser a hard sell. Not everyone agrees. One toggles them off in the settings now and then and otherwise gets on fine.
Do they survive sweat and humid weather?
They carry no water resistance rating, and moisture sits squarely in the complaints. Owners report a pair that failed once the air conditioning went off, buzzing and static in the left cup that sent units back, and advise buyers in humid climates to look elsewhere. The pads seal tight against the head and trap heat, and one owner in a hot country sweats around the ears while only watching films. These are not gym headphones.
Momentum 4 or the Sony WH-1000XM5?
The trade is sound against canceling and software. Owners who prefer the Sennheiser point to a wider, warmer presentation and call the XM5's mids mushy beside it; owners who went the other way point to the canceling, the transparency mode and software that misbehaves less. One found the Sennheiser's low end lacked the punch of the Sony pair owned before. On scores here the Sony WH-1000XM5 sits at 60% of 359 against 45% of 469 for the Momentum 4.
What tends to fail on these over time?
Cushions first, then the electronics. One owner replaced deteriorating ear pads after two and a half years of daily use and counts that the only fault. Others fared worse: a canceling microphone dead within months, a left cup that developed noise at about a year and a half, and a pair that stopped turning on reliably and switched itself off. Build quality runs through the complaints, and one owner kept an older Momentum 3 over the 4 for that reason.
Top quotes, sourced
2,696 reviewed · 409 shown
Sentiment
Sort
Reddit▲ recommend
“Thats unfortunate. I've been using mine for about 2 and a half years daily, and the only problem I've had is the earpads deteriorated and I had to get replacements.”
Reddit— neutral
“I love my M4 but sometimes when for instance indoors in a quiet room, I wish I could just use them without the processing stuff going on, which makes the listening experience worse.”
Reddit▼ don’t recommend
“I remember with the Momentum 4, the quality was really bad; when you used the microphone, it would lower the audio quality significantly due to bandwidth limitations”
Reddit▲ recommend
“This is phenomenal well done bass is still emphasized but sound more clear, the mids have perfect pitch, the highs sound perfect and vocals are crisp well done”
Reddit— neutral
“theya are absolutely fire, great build quality, amazing sound (if you play with eq, outa box they might be a lil strange) the app is dope, noise canceling powerful, controls amazing.”
Reddit▼ don’t recommend
“I'd advice not to, the 5's will be releasing soon, and the 4's, while sounding great, are the most PIA headphones I've ever used thanks to their BS touch controlls.”
Reddit— neutral
“I still think it is an alazing headset to listen to music and very beautiful, but the cons are so annoying for this price that I cannot understand why they did not improve this.”
Reddit▼ don’t recommend
“I'd never get it again, though, and when these eventually go I'll be highly critical of future sennheiser options if they use the same app and have touch controls.”
Reddit▲ recommend
“as long as you’re playing music on them you aren’t really hearing anything else so it is fine ig a small price to pay for a pretty big jump in sound quality.”
Reddit▼ don’t recommend
“i just couldn’t get used to the low end they produced. they were definitely more subby, but they lacked the punch i’ve gotten accustomed to from my xm4s lol.”
Reddit— neutral
“If youre willing to sacrifice the ANC, I would 100% go for the m4s. I miss the sound quality on those so much, they just have more life and clarity in them. ANC is trash though.”
Reddit▲ recommend
“They are great headphones expecially since they are now like €200. In my opinion the biggest con of the M4s is the ANC. But other than that they are great!”
Reddit▼ don’t recommend
“Then returned it all together. Litteraly not made for anything but the perfect temp in a ac cooled office. If the ac goes off the headphones are fucked”
Reddit▲ recommend
“Its 5-band EQ is pretty useful and the low frequency is tighter on it than on most other Bluetooth headsets at this price range, if not all of them.”
Reddit— neutral
“But all in all these have great sound quality, but I find myself reaching for the Bose when I travel as the case is more compact, and the noise canceling is actually noticeable.”
Reddit▼ don’t recommend
“the momentum 4s actually sound odd in some songs. They disappointed me because I thought the momentum 3 sounded as good or better than the AirPods max.”
Reddit— neutral
“Sound quality is great and I have not had any problems with ANC yet. However, when I receive a phone call when my M4 paired to my phone, it gets all weird and the sound cuts in and off.”
Reddit▲ recommend
“super good sound stage used it for light gaming and watching movies and all other multimedia. super great for calls,productivity and formal meetiSg and the ANC is decent (very good) doesn't have any issues whatsoever.”
Reddit▼ don’t recommend
“the ANC is shockingly bad for the price. Sennheiser have never quite got it and you can’t justify paying for them over Sony, Bose or Apple”
Reddit▲ recommend
“The mids on the XM5 are terrible; it's really mushy and there's no clarity. Switching between them was truly a difference of night and day.”
Reddit— neutral
“I love my momentum 4 and have them over a year but I live in a hot country and I find my self sweating a lot around the ear with them, even when sitting and only watching movies with them.”
Reddit▲ recommend
“Io ho preso le momentum 4, non so se sono le migliori ma dal mio punto di vista sono fantastiche e la durata della batteria è ottima.”
Reddit— neutral
“My left ear stopped getting sound after about 6 months. No drops or anything, just general use. I warrantied them and have had the new pair for a year now and they're fine.”
Reddit▼ don’t recommend
“Had to return mine just under a month (bought from Sennheiser website). Bluetooth kept dropping & left ear cup had a loud buzzing sound.”
Practical notes owners raise — setup, quirks, and issues to watch for. They don't say whether the person likes the product, so they're not counted in the score, but they inform the pros, cons, and who it's for.
Redditⓘ good to know
“There is a magnet embedded under the right earmuff side of the case. The headphones react ONLY when the right earmuff is placed over this magnet, as the left one does not have the sensor for it.”
Redditⓘ good to know
“On PC, ny default the M4 tend to use the SPDIF output, and yes, this output has a hard limiter. Once I use the Analogic output, I can finally hurt my eardrums properly. That may be your case too ?”
Redditⓘ good to know
“Going from the saved preset that’s still active in my SC app it should be something like this; 63Hz: -1dB 250Hz: +0.5dB 1000Hz: +1,5dB 4000Hz: +2dB 8000Hz:+ 1.2dB”
Redditⓘ good to know
“Dude I literally had this problem yesterday! It may be a power glitch. Connect to a charger for 20s and then hold the power button for 10s (or more lol) and it should blink white! Hope it works for you”
Redditⓘ good to know
“Never intentionally charged them. They charge automatically when I listen using the wired connection for lossless experience. So, can't say exactly. But they claim 60 hours, and heard about 90% accuracy from the reviews.”
Redditⓘ good to know
“Momentum 4 wireless had this issue where microphone quality totally tanked when on Bluetooth. Redditors adviced to just disable the mic of the headphones in windows, or buy the adapter. Isn't the whole predicament just the codex ?”
Redditⓘ good to know
“When I remove the headphones music or videos or calls pause which is great. When I take them off and I get an incoming call or decide to watch a quick video without headphones the ringer and any sound still goes to the headphones.”
Redditⓘ good to know
“When you get it, first thing you’ll notice is that these are bass canons with slightly recessed mids. So I recommend using these settings on a third party app with parametric eq to fix this (sennheiser app doesn’t have one for this).”
Redditⓘ good to know
“That's why I always put my m4's in the case as pad sides facing me (right ear cup on the left in case). That solves the issue.”
Redditⓘ good to know
“No water resistance, but Ive worn them in light-medium rain with no issue since water droplets would only touch the top of the headphones’ shell and headband, so unable to get inside. I wouldnt risk wearing it while its pouring thoigh.”
Redditⓘ good to know
“Ive seen teardown videos, its slightly difficult but still fully possible to replace battery on the Momentum 4's. Not sure if the battery's available on their website though, but you can get the exact same one for under 10$ on Aliexpress”
Redditⓘ good to know
“USBC to USBC wired mode to device will allow highest quality audio if sent through. Need to be sending high quality though.”
Redditⓘ good to know
“Are you sure you are using the Smart Control Plus app? They released this new version not long ago and are phasing out the old Smart Control app. There are many more features and it's one more modern looking than the Sony and Technics app imo..”
