Before buying these, you gotta know some things. First, if you listen to earbuds a lot, over-ear headphones sound different. The sound is less directly in your ear, and more around you. As such, there is less impact. That doesn’t mean these aren’t good, they’re just not shoved into your ear.Second, the source makes or breaks these. A crappy source will sound crappy on these and you’ll end up blaming the headphones. It’s actually a feature of the headphones though. They reproduce what you put into them very well. Go into Spotify and mess with the EQ there if you feel the need. I like sharp treble and got it that way. Change the stream setting to highest quality. Plug them into a good digital to analog converter (DAC). Try different sources and you’ll see whatever you may not be liking is not the headphones. As an acoustic guitarist, I was hoping for the same sound I get with my Martin on my lap. I’d love to have headphones that sound like Tony Rice and Dave Grisman are standing on either side of me, but that’s not gonna happen. Again, the source matters. These headphones are not a hand-built American acoustic guitar played by a master standing next to you, but they’ll sound more like it than the majority of headphones.Third, we’ve become programmed to in-your-face sound. These Momentum 4 are very much “grown-up” headphones. They articulate. They detail. The present. But they don’t floor you with over-the-top sound all through the range. There are plenty of good, inexpensive headphones and earbuds that will pop your eardrums. I personally recommend Anker for that. My Space A40 earbuds are awesome, but when I A/B tested the A40 and these Momentum 4, I realized there were instruments I didn’t even realize were there when listening with the A40 earbuds.Fourth, the bluetooth is dumb at first. From what I can tell, they won’t work like you’d expect until you launch the app as part of the connection process. It’s fine though. Just don’t give up on them right off the bat because of that.Other random thoughts – they’re super UNcomfortable right away, become very comfortable rather quickly – like within minutes. Also, good headphones do have a break-in period, and these are no exception. Be sure to try the wired connection on some different sources as well. MacBooks have good DACs in them. Anker makes a good USB-C to aux adapter with a DAC in it. The bluetooth connection can sound pretty dang good though. And the microphones in this headset are almost creepy-good. Also, bluetooth range is perfectly fine. I went three rooms away in my house with no issues at all.Summary – I was thinking of returning these, but I know Sennheiser so I messed with settings and connections and I’m glad I did. They’re great headphones, but the key is to remember – if your source is crap, they will faithfully reproduce that crap.

I got my pair in from Amazon today. First impressions are great. When I pulled them out of the box, there was around a 50 percent charge, so I was able to try them out immediately. I have an iPhone with the latest iOS, so pairing was very easy. Immediately when I paired them, there was a firmware update which took around 5 minutes to download and install over bluetooth. The app is good and works well. You can create soundstages by location and control noise cancellation via a slider. There is a simple EQ as well.I am coming from an older pair of B&O H95’s and Bose quiet comforts Q45. While the Bose were very comfortable and the noise cancellation was awesome– I did not realize how bad they sounded until I got my older paid of H95’s. This pair of Sennheisers sounds so much better than the quiet comforts. There is really no competition there. They don’t sound quite as good as the H95’s but the H95’s give me a headache as far as the clamping on the sides of the head. Please note for those of you who wear glasses– these Sennheisers are the best headphones for people who wear glasses– much better than the Bose.So for comparisons, I would give the H95’s a 9 on sound quality, a 5 on battery life, a 2 on comfort and a 5 on noise cancellation (out of a scale of 10). B & O app on iOS– 7. Build quality for the H95 would be a 8.5Bose Quiet Comforts Q45 a 4 on sound quality, a 7 on battery life, a 8.5 on comfort and a 10 on noise cancellation. The Bose app is not good at all. I could never get it paired correctly except through the Bluetooth iOS control panel. This is on multiple devices. The app for me gets a 0. Build quality is a 7– all plastic.For the Sennheisers– a 8 on sound quality, a 10 on battery life, a 10 on comfort and a 7 on noise cancellation. I had zero issues with the app and there are so many options for personalization– that gets a 10 on iOS. Build quality– gets a 9.5Now– a question I had are these worth the price– absolutely. I was wondering that myself. I really think they are worth it. It is easy to future proof these with the firmware updates that are easy to install.Bass quality– gets a 4 out of 5 stars as the Bass is a little weak (even with Bass boost) compared to the H95’s. Noise cancellation is good but not quite as good as the Bose. But a tradeoff I am willing to make is the sound quality is soo much better with the Sennheisers compared to the Bose.The best part is– these do not give me a headache (been wearing them all day) and no clamping on the sides of my head.

Bought these along with the Sony XM5 to compare to my existing Bose 700.Comfort:The Bose 700 I don’t find very comfortable, namely the headband, being rather thin, it puts pressure on the top of my head after a couple hours. The Sony had this problem initially, but then I started loosening the headband as much as possible, and being a very light pair, I stopped having that particular issue. All in all I found the Sony much more comfortable than the 700. I could see some folks saying it’s more comfortable than the Momentum 4s. However I disagree about that. For me the Momentum 4 are the most comfortable. It has very soft ear pads, much like the Sony. Granted the M4s are heavier, but the weight is distributed very well across the headband, better than the Sony’s imo. All in all, it’s a close call and the Sony’s are really well done comfort wise. Super light and super cushy pads. Could see a reasonable person going in either direction for the win here.Sound quality:I think the XM5 are pretty close to the Bose 700 and could see folks going either way depending on your signature preferences. Personally think I like the Sony a bit better, just more lively than the more neutral Bose. Both are in the same league though. The M4s are way better sound quality wise plain and simple. They’re not in the same league. Heck, they’re not even playing in the same sport. Find myself listening to music way more often during the day simply because I enjoy it that much more. This is the reason I’m ultimately sticking with the M4s. And it’s not a hard decision.Noise cancelation:Sony XM5 are simply the best. If you’re buying headphones to block out the sound of your partner playing annoying tiktok vids, this is the one to get. M4s have pretty good noise canceling too, but the Sony’s are way better here imo. Bose sits between the XM5 and the M4s, maybe just a little better than the M4sMic sound quality:I’m work remotely with multiple meetings throughout the day so I’ve done extensive testing on all three models. In a nutshell if you don’t have any special requirements, all of them do a great job. In quiet conditions I prefer the the M4 a little better than the others, my voice just has more body to it, but again, it’s plenty clear using any of these models. In noisy conditions, the Sony XM5 are way better than the rest in isolating your voice and minimizing background noise. Simply incredible! The 700 and M4 handled the background noise a bit differently. My voice is clearer on the M4s in noisy conditions whereas the Bose cancel out more background noise at the cost of sacrificing clarity. When there’s lots of noise, the Bose can reduce your voice to the point where it’s super difficult to hear what you’re saying. The M4s will allow more background noise through, but my voice remains super clear and louder than other sounds coming through.One feature I really like about the M4s, the one and only button they have (making it super easy to find) becomes a mute button during calls, zoom or google meetings. Really enjoy that feature as I could walk around the house and unmute myself if I need to talk. A voice tells you if it’s muted or unmuted so you know where you’re at. No more flushing the toilet while running out of the room hoping no-one on the meeting heard it.The background noise canceling of the XM5 during calls was so good, it made me really want to keep them. But ultimately good music sound quality is something I’d enjoy more often since I’m not often taking meetings in super noisy conditions. Also the M4s have the mute button I could use if I do find myself in that situation.Summery:If you want incredible noise cancelation while listening to music, taking calls or meetings, the Sony XM5 are the one to get. They are head and shoulders above the competition in this respect. If you wanna be wowed by how amazing your music sounds, renewing your love for music you didn’t even know you had, the M4s are for you. These are the main areas where there is substantial difference. Sony and Seinheiser truly impressed me in their respective areas of expertise. Aside from those standout areas, these are all great headsets. Even the Bose 700 is a really solid headset. Unfortunately it wasn’t able to differentiate itself when compared to these two titans of industry. Noise canceling is great, just can’t touch the Sony’s. Sound quality also great, just can’t touch the M4s. Arguable the Bose are the slickest looking headset of the bunch though.

Note:I am a trained listener – first as a former musician, second as an engineer, and lastly as a military operator.Devices used for testing/review:Samsung S22 Ultra (*disclaimer: Samsung owns Harman/AKG/etc., so their audio software is well above average)iPhone 12 Pro MaxApple Airpods MaxDragonfly Cobalt + USB C connector (for the wired headphones)Grado RS2eBeyerdynamic T1 v2Random air purifier on maxMusic tested:Houkiboshi by Younha (vocal, piano, guitar J-Pop song/anime soundtrack)Flash by Rocket Punch (standard K-Pop song)The The by Rocket Punch (dance K-Pop song)Wow by DIA (‘new-retro’ K-Pop song)Design overview:1. I purposely bought the white model – very clean/modern look, but perhaps a little too minimalistic. Also looks like many other competing wireless headphones ><.2. A little on the small side. I have fairly average-sized ears, and the earcups barely cover the lobes, which is great for passive noise cancellation, but I did have to adjust the headband quite a bit. In comparison, the Airpods have a self-adjusting system similar to my wired AKG K712 i.e., the headband will adjust to your head size.3. Plasticky compared to the Apple's metal frame. It's kind of like my AKG vs. my Beyerdynamic. In terms of build quality feel, 'you get what you pay for'.Comfort:1. Earpads: this is what most travelers will care about. Like with any headphone, I adamantly recommend everyone review manufacturer site, legitimate review sites, etc. The Sennheiser M4 has pleather pads as you can tell. No need to say that they'll get hot after a while - common knowledge. Grado loses here for obvious reasons, then the Sennheiser, then the Beyerdynamic, and finally the winner the Airpods. Apple was smart in using mesh - breathable and lightweight.2. Headband: this is not as big a deal as earpads. None of the test headphones were terrible, but some were still better than others. The Sennheiser uses a medium with pleather band covered by fabric, which looks nice. In a huge switcheroo, Grado wins with their thin industrial band, followed by Apple's thin metal, then the Sennheiser, and finally the Beyerdynamic with their high-end but a little too thick leather curve.Sound and Noise cancellation:1. Obviously, a wired headphone connected to a top end USB DAC will beat any wireless one, but both the Apple and Sennheiser did well here. And they still cost less than the Beyerdynamic to boot.2. Neither wired headphones are noise cancelling nor do they claim to be, but being semi-closed/open, you would think the Beyerdynamic might do ok, but no joy.3. Both the Apple and Sennheiser are very good at noise cancellation, but not perfect, but the Apple was clearly better, even with all Sennheiser settings at max.Accessories:1. This is a fun one. Apple being Apple, gives you jack (no pun intended). An USB C to Lightning cable, infamous bra case.2. Sennheiser, meanwhile, gives you an outdated (haven't seen these in years) airplane double connector, 2.5mm to 3.5mm audio cable, USB C to A cable, and finally a nice cloth case (my color combo was gray).3. Additional note: wired headphones, being wired, both the Grado and Beyerdynamic gave 3.5mm to 6.3mm audio adapters. Being a high-end model, the T1 also came with a case.Final thoughts:1. I normally don't use wireless headphones, at most, a Bluetooth amp, the aforementioned USB DAC and one of my usual wired cans. But my brother convinced my to try a pair for an upcoming trip. They really are convenient.2. The unfortunate thing I found in my search, as of this writing (9/30/2022), there are no modern (i.e., BT 5) really high-end e.g., T1 level wireless headphones out there. They all seem to top out around the $400 mark, which sounds a lot, but not for a ultra high end wired headphone.3. Of the 10 or so better choices out there, what I would recommend depends on your music style, phone, use/need. Loyal Apple users - Airpods Max, Android users - this Sennheiser M4, hardcore must have the best music quality users - wait - niche uber manufacturers are getting there.

I spent a few bucks more on the copper, I just liked the way they looked. These headphones sound great! The Sound Check customization in the App is superb! I have a set of Grado Hemps that sound great but are poorly constructed and have failed electrically twice in two years. These Momentum 4s by Sennheiser are well built and loaded with simple easily accessible controls. There are zero connection issues and the battery life is phenomenal, plus no DAC and cable! Noise cancellation works great, phone calls are super, and the quality case will keep them new for years to come! Definitely recommend getting these great headphones!