4Rank 04 of 8 · Best Noise-Cancelling Headphones
Sennheiser Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless
The battery record holder at a measured 56 hours 21 minutes with ANC on — nearly double the Sony — now at €179 as the successor arrives. The ANC is the weak point and SoundGuys says so plainly.
8.4BPR score
- €179Price
- 56 h 21 min measured battery — ANC "decidedly behind the pack"Measured ANC performance
- 4 of 8in Best Noise-Cancelling Headphones
- 8.4BPR score 0–10
Review
What this product is
Written after the analysis, from the same sources the score is built on: the manufacturer's documentation, available studies and verified owner feedback.
A superseded flagship at a superseded flagship's price, with one specification nothing here comes close to.
SoundGuys measured 56 hours 21 minutes with ANC on. For context, they measured the Sony WH-1000XM5 at 31 hours and the Bose QC45 at 25 hours in the same test. That is not a marginal advantage — it is a week of commuting on one charge, or a return long-haul flight with the ANC never switched off.
The ANC is the trade, and SoundGuys is blunt: "decidedly behind the pack." They measured roughly 75–95% attenuation at high frequencies and about 75% at low frequencies. Seventy-five percent sounds respectable until you compare it with the Px7 S3's 83–84% average or the Sony's 8.7/10 score. On a plane you will notice the difference.
Codec support is generous — SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD and aptX Adaptive — with both USB-C and a 3.5 mm TRS socket. Weight is 293 g on Bluetooth 5.2.
The reason it is €179 is that the Momentum 5 has arrived, and that successor deserves a mention because of one feature: it has a user-replaceable battery. SoundGuys measured an extra 3–5 dB of attenuation below 1.1 kHz versus this model but had not completed full ANC or battery testing at publication. It is 291 g, Bluetooth 5.4, and around $399.95.
Buy this one if battery life is your priority and you mostly need ANC for train and plane rumble rather than for the office. At €179 against a $449.95 original MSRP, the value is unambiguous — and the successor's replaceable battery is the better long-term buy if you can stretch to it.
Technical data
Specification
Figures from the manufacturer's documentation, verified against available outside sources. Values we could not confirm are marked as declared.
- Measured battery
- 56 h 21 min with ANC on (SoundGuys) - vs Sony XM5 31 h, Bose QC45 25 h
- Measured ANC
- approx. 75-95% attenuation at high frequencies, approx. 75% at low frequencies
- SoundGuys verdict on ANC
- "decidedly behind the pack"
- Codecs
- SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive
- Bluetooth
- 5.2
- Weight
- 293 g
- Wired
- USB-C and 3.5 mm TRS
- Successor
- Momentum 5 Wireless - 291 g, BT 5.4, user-replaceable battery, approx. $399.95
- Price
- from EUR 178.99 (DE), EUR 168.90 (EU)
Component scores
Where the score
comes from.
Four components, equal weight, each on a 0–10 scale and each resting on a named source. The overall score is their mean — the full procedure is in the methodology.
What we liked
- 56 h 21 min measured battery with ANC on — nearly double the Sony
- €178.99 against a $449.95 original MSRP
- SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD and aptX Adaptive
- Both USB-C and a 3.5 mm TRS socket
- Sennheiser tuning with a long-standing reputation for balance
Worth knowing
- ANC "decidedly behind the pack" (SoundGuys) — roughly 75% at low frequencies
- Superseded by the Momentum 5, which has a user-replaceable battery
- 293 g, heavier than the Sony and Bose
- Bluetooth 5.2, the oldest here
- Driver size not confirmed by any source we could verify
Comparison
How it compares
within the category
All values come from the same analysis and are comparable only within the category Best Noise-Cancelling Headphones.
| Product | Score | Measured ANC performance | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sony WH-1000XM6Top score | 9.3 | ANC 8.7/10 — beats 90% of over-ears (SoundGuys) | €315 |
| Sennheiser Momentum 4 WirelessThis product | 8.4 | 56 h 21 min measured battery — ANC "decidedly behind the pack" | €179 |
| Category average8 products analysed | 8.3 | — | — |
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is 56 hours of battery actually useful?
It changes how you use the headphone. At 30 hours you charge weekly and occasionally get caught out; at 56 you charge roughly monthly and stop thinking about it. For frequent flyers it means never worrying about a return long-haul on one charge. Whether that outweighs weaker ANC depends on where you use them — on a plane the ANC gap is noticeable, on a quiet train it is not.
Should I buy the Momentum 5 instead?
If you can afford it, probably. It has a user-replaceable battery, which matters more than any specification on a device whose lithium cell will degrade in three to five years — and which will likely become a regulatory requirement from February 2027 anyway. SoundGuys measured an extra 3-5 dB of attenuation below 1.1 kHz but had not finished full testing at publication.
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