Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 5 vs Sony WF-1000XM6
How the independent professional reviews compare these two products. Higher values are highlighted; a difference of a few points is within normal disagreement between reviewers.
Reviewers agree the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 5 is the best-sounding Momentum earbud yet and the first mainstream pair whose batteries the owner can actually change: CNET gives it 8.7/10 and an Editors' Choice, Engadget 8.4/10, Stuff 5/5 and headphonecheck 4.9/5, all citing the replaceable cells in both buds and case. The splits are noise cancelling, which ZDNET puts a step and a half behind Sony and Bose while headphonecheck calls it a hair off the AirPods Pro 3; fit, which ZDNET could wear for an hour and Stuff ran a treadmill in; and connectivity and call quality, where codec support and outdoor calls divide them. Price held at the Momentum 4's launch figure, but no replacement cell was on sale or priced at the cut-off.
Best for: Buyers who keep expensive earbuds for years. SoundGuys calls the replaceable battery the antidote to earbud e-waste, Stuff would give up some ANC ability to avoid binning them, and CNET and Engadget both single it out as the reason the $300 is easier to justify.; Sound-first listeners. CNET, Engadget, What Hi-Fi?, TechRadar and basic-tutorials all rank it at or near the top of the flagship group for tuning, and Stuff, T3 and ZDNET describe a warm, full-bodied, non-fatiguing listen.; Android users with Snapdragon Sound hardware. aptX Adaptive and Lossless run to 24-bit/96 kHz over Bluetooth 6.0 with multipoint, and Audranx recommends the pair for iPhone or Snapdragon Sound Android owners.
Skip it if: Maximum noise cancelling is the priority. Engadget, ZDNET, What Hi-Fi?, T3, Lyd & Bilde and Audranx all send that buyer to the Sony WF-1000XM6 or the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen).; Your ears have rejected rounded, finless earbuds before. ZDNET's reviewer and headphonecheck both report pressure and seal problems, and the stabilising fin of the MTW3 and MTW4 is gone.; You need LDAC, three-device multipoint or automatic transparency when one bud comes out. Audranx lists all three as missing, and What Hi-Fi? reports the seal can loosen during hard exercise.
From £249.99 at Sennheiser (official store) (GB, checked Oct 4, 2026)
Reviewers agree the WF-1000XM6 is Sony's best-sounding earbud: WIRED calls its bass and tuning the best it has heard from wireless earbuds, CNET scores it 9.2/10 for accurate, well-balanced sound and What Hi-Fi? gives the sound 5/5. Noise cancelling is the split verdict: The Verge, WIRED, What Hi-Fi? and SoundGuys call it class-leading, while Engadget, PCMag, TechRadar FR and Yahoo Tech put Bose and Apple ahead. Ten full reviews from eight independent editorial groups, one of which does not disclose its owner, six with a numeric score, also divide on fit and on price, which rose in the US but fell in the UK and EU.
Best for: Android listeners who want the broadest feature set in a flagship earbud: LDAC, LC3, Auracast, DSEE Extreme, multipoint and a 10-band EQ with Find My EQ, all confirmed by the sources analysed.; Buyers who rank sound quality above maximum noise cancelling. WIRED calls the tuning the best it has heard from wireless earbuds, CNET scores it 9.2/10 and What Hi-Fi? gives the sound 5/5.; Upgraders from the WF-1000XM4 or older. SoundGuys calls the XM6 easy to recommend over the XM5; the reservations are aimed at current XM5 owners.
Skip it if: You already own the WF-1000XM5. PCMag and SoundGuys both report unchanged battery and codecs, and Sony's 25% noise-reduction claim was not independently reproduced.; Maximum low-frequency noise cancelling is the priority. Engadget, PCMag, Techlicious and Yahoo Tech all put Bose's QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) ahead on steady low-frequency noise.; Sony's foam tips have never sealed for you. Engadget never got used to the fit in three weeks, and The Verge only confirmed a seal in one ear until Sony shipped silicone tips separately.
Attribute by attribute
| Attribute | Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 5 | Sony WF-1000XM6 |
|---|---|---|
| Sound quality | 10 positive, 0 negative | 5 positive, 0 negative |
| Noise cancelling | 4 positive, 2 negative | 4 positive, 4 negative |
| Call quality | 5 positive, 2 negative | 2 positive, 4 negative |
| Comfort and fit | 5 positive, 2 negative | 3 positive, 2 negative |
| Battery life | 10 positive, 0 negative | 2 positive, 1 negative |
| Connectivity | 5 positive, 1 negative | 3 positive, 0 negative |
| Software and app | 8 positive, 0 negative | 2 positive, 1 negative |
| Value | 10 positive, 0 negative | 2 positive, 3 negative |
Counts are independent sources; scores appear only where sources published one for that attribute.