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- Sennheiser launches Momentum 5 wireless headphones
- Improvements to ANC, feature set and repairability
- Price bumps up against Sennheiser's premium cans
Better late than never, eh Sennheiser? The legendary audio brand took four years to bring its much-anticipated Momentum 5 Wireless to market, but they're finally here — and perhaps just in time to show the recently-released Sony 1000X The Collexion how it's done.
These new cans succeed the five-star Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless, which we loved all the way back in 2022, and are still in use today by several members of the TechRadar team. Perhaps the brand was just waiting for its tenancy on our list of the best headphones to end, so it could reclaim the top spot.
Releasing in June 2026, the Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless are due to cost $399 / £329 / AU$749, which represents a little price hike from their predecessors. It's much less than Sony's fancy newest headphones — but it's basically right in line with the price of the Sony WH-1000XM6.
It puts them quite close to my favorite headphones from the company, the Sennheiser HDB 630, which sell for $499 / £399 / AU$999 — and I'd personally be tempted by the HDBs. But maybe I'll feel differently once we've actually tried the Momentum 5 Wireless and their new features.
Momentum? You barely know 'em
Sennheiser has given the Momentum 5 a 42mm driver again, like the Momentum 4, but has added certification for Hi-Res Audio, Snapdragon Sound and aptX Lossless codecs. The app also now has an EQ and presets, as well as a listening test.
Improvements come to active noise cancellation (which is now influenced by four microphones, over two in the last pair — but far fewer than the 12 employed by Sony), while Bluetooth is version 5.4 out of the box, but Sennheiser promises an upgrade to 6.0 in the future.
Other features include Dolby Atmos spatial audio with head tracking — we love this on the Sonos Ace, so hopefully it's just as good here.
The battery life is slightly lower than the previous model at 57 hours, but that's only three hours less than the Momentum 4's lasting power, and is still nearly double the 30 hours promised by the Sony XM6 or Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Gen.
Sennheiser's making a point of repairability for the Momentum 5: apparently, it's easy to use a Phillips screwdriver to remove and replace an ailing battery. Since the battery is often the aspect of gadget which will stop working first, this will hopefully ensure your headphones keeping lasting for years.
There are three color options for the Sennheiser Momentum 5: black, white and blue (or 'Denim', according to the brand). Whichever you buy, you'll get a carry case, USB-C charging cable and 3.5mm headphone cable.
No matter how you shake it, the Sennheiser Momentum 5 don't look like huge reinventions of the fourth-gen model, but that's no bad thing. You can't argue with a perfect review.
Instead, it seems to update some of the Momentum 4 features which haven't aged well in four years, and if the sound's had a tune-up in the right places, we expect these to be pretty damn competitive.
➡️ Read our full guide to the best noise cancelling headphones
1. Best overall:
Sony WH-1000XM6
2. Best mid-range:
Bose QuietComfort Headphones
3. Best under $100/£100:
1More Sonoflow Pro HQ51
4. Best under $60/£50:
Soundcore Q30
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