Odi Productions
In this article, I’m going to share my HONEST experience with the Sonos Ace vs Sennheiser Momentum 4 and tell you which is better, after personally owning both products. I have thoroughly tested each of these headphones for hundreds of hours, and aim to offer a critical opinion from the perspective of an audiophile and professional music producer.
I’ll be comparing these two head to head on categories like price, comfort, features, battery life, noise cancelling performance, and sound quality.
Then at the end, I’ll share which is the best overall value for the money, and my overall recommendation on which you should buy.
I’ve also conducted a separate in-depth Sonos Ace Review and Sennheiser Momentum 4 Review, for those who are interested in reading more detailed thoughts about each headphone after. (Links open in a new tab.)
Key Takeaways
- Sennheiser Momentum 4 has superior audiophile sound quality than the Sonos Ace.
- Sonos Ace has better comfort, premium build quality and materials, and active noise cancelling performance.
- The Sonos Ace is typically around $100 to $150 more expensive than the Sennheiser Momentum 4, depending on sales.
Watch this Comparison on YouTube!
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Sonos Ace vs Sennheiser Momentum 4 Price Compared
Overall, the Sennheiser Momentum 4 is anywhere from $100 to $150 cheaper than the Sonos Ace at current market prices for brand new. They can be much closer in price depending on current sales, and whether you’re buying new, renewed, or used.
Sonos Ace Prices
Sennheiser Momentum 4 Prices
- Retail: $379.95
- New: $249.95
- Renewed: $199.95 (save up to $50!)
Order Here for the LOWEST PRICE AVAILABLE (Do NOT pay retail):
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Disclosure: These affiliate links may provide a discount and in return, give us a commission in order to keep this website 100% independent to ensure honest unfiltered reviews 🙂
Comfort
On my scale, the Sennheiser Momentum 4 is 25.2 grams lighter than the Sonos Ace:
- Sonos Ace weight: 318.1 grams
- Sennheiser Momentum 4 weight: 292.9 grams
Despite being heavier, the Sonos Ace simply feels like a cloud.
I really like the premium leather grain and cushioning on the headband and memory-foam earpads. I feel very little top-of-head pressure or clamping force from the Sonos Ace. It feels just right.
On the other hand, the Momentum 4 is comfortable but not perfect.
My main issues are that the headband lacks the same level of cushioning, along with being a rubberized material instead of leather. Because of this, I feel top of head pressure with the Momentum 4.
Also, the clamping force from the factory was a bit strong, but my worn pair has loosened up now and is more forgiving.
Another slight issue is that my ears do get warmer quicker in the Momentum 4. The Sonos Ace seems to have some kind of cooling effect in their memory foam earpad cushions.
Sonos Ace Comfort: 5 out of 5
Sennheiser Momentum 4 Comfort: 4.0 out of 5
Winner: Sonos Ace
Features / Build Quality / Battery Life / Noise Cancelling
Features
These are both modern headphones with roughly the same features such as built-in microphones for calls, Active Noise Cancelling, and Transparency Mode.
One standout feature that the Sonos Ace has over the Sennheiser Momentum 4 is true Dolby Atmos support with its Spatial Audio.
Both the Sonos Ace and Sennheiser Momentum 4 include a hardshell case, although these headphones doesn’t fold or collapse so they’re bulkier than Bose, for example.
Build Quality
The Sonos Ace has better build quality and more premium materials than the Sennheiser Momentum 4.
The Momentum 4 is mostly plastic, aside from a fabric material on the exterior of the headband.
The Sonos Ace feels more premium and durable, featuring AirPods Max-inspired metal hinges.
No question, the Sonos Ace looks and feels more worthy of a $400+ pricetag for a headphone.
Looks
The Sennheiser Momentum 4 looks more understated and a tad more generic/bland compared to the Sonos Ace.
The Momentum 4 isn’t offensive, but it’s not stylish either.
Meanwhile, the Sonos Ace is a sleek fashion statement on par with the AirPods Max.
The metal hinges exude a bit of luxury, with the pleasing form of the round earcups looking great when worn.
Sonos Ace vs Sennheiser Momentum 4 Battery Life Compared
The Sennheiser Momentum 4 has up to 30 hours more battery life on a single charge than the Sonos Ace.
- Sonos Ace Battery Life: Up to 30 hours
- Sennheiser Momentum 4 Battery Life: Up to 60 hours
In my testing, I found both of these manufacturer’s battery ratings to be accurate.
With twice the battery life of the Sonos Ace, the Momentum 4 puts pretty much any headphone in this class to shame.
That said, 30 hours for the Sonos Ace is actually slightly above average, with the Bose QC Ultra and AirPods Max having less than 24 hours.
Sonos Ace vs Sennheiser Momentum 4 Noise Cancelling: Which is better?
There is a bit of debate online about the Sennheiser Momentum 4’s noise cancelling performance, with most of it being fairly negative.
I’ve used the Momentum 4 on multiple flights and can attest that their ANC gets the job done.
Is it as good as Bose and Sony? Not quite, but again, it gets the job done for watching movies and listening to music without having to max out the volume.
Prior to the Sonos Ace, I had put the noise cancelling of the Bose QC Ultra and Sony XM5 in a tier of their own, that being world-class and the current best available.
To my surprise, the Sonos Ace seems to be about on par with both the Bose and Sony in its debut.
I think one factor that contributes to the Sonos Ace’s effective noise cancelling is a very tight physical seal due to the fatter earpad cushions and oval shape.
My ears are snug inside and even with ANC turned OFF, the passive noise isolation is already effective at blocking out a lot of external noise.
So the Sonos Ace is in a tier above the Momentum 4 for noise cancelling performance, so the Sennheisers lose a bit of points here.
Sonos Ace Features / Battery Life / Noise Cancelling: 5 out of 5
Sennheiser Momentum 4 Features / Battery Life / Noise Cancelling: 4.5 out of 5
Winner: Sonos Ace
Sonos Ace vs Sennheiser Momentum 4 Sound Quality Comparison
On the Stock Sound…
Comparing the stock sound out of the box, I highly prefer the Momentum 4 over the Sonos Ace.
The Sennheisers really don’t need EQ to be enjoyed, and present a fun, consumer-friendly sound signature focused primarily on the bass and treble.
The Sonos Ace, in comparison, is relatively lacking in the sub-bass response and slam compared to the Momentum 4.
Also, there just isn’t as much detail and resolution as the Sennheisers.
Although the Momentum 4 doesn’t need EQ, I found that I was able to squeeze out a little more sound quality and better balance for my listening preference.
The Sonos Ace only has a very basic 2-band EQ that only allows you to alter Bass or Treble, and honestly it’s not an ideal solution. Modifying this doesn’t have the same impact as Sennheiser’s 5-band EQ. So I’m testing the Sonos Ace stock.
Best Equalizer Settings for Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless Headphones
- 63 Hz: -1
- 250 Hz: -2
- 1000 Hz: +1
- 4000 Hz: +2
- 8000 Hz: -2
Result: Less boxy vocals, more vocal-forward and detailed. Much smoother treble and less-fatiguing sound. Bass and sub-bass is still present and impactful, but slightly tamed. Mids are now much more present and detailed. Overall sound is much better balanced..
First Impressions and Overall Sound Signatures Compared
Immediately, the EQ’d Momentum 4 has a much more detailed and open sound, with a fuller representation of the entire frequency response.
There’s also a bigger sense of space and soundstage in the Momentum 4, making the Sonos Ace’s soundstage feel narrow and more compressed.
The Sennheisers simply has higher resolution, clarity, separation, and layering than the “2D” Sonos Ace.
The Ace does manage Rock, Metal, Acoustic, Classical, and Jazz quite well, even stock without EQ. It’s more of a treble-focused sound signature, with some mids, but also some wonkiness in the frequency response. The bass is a bit lacking depending on the track, especially the sub-bass and slam.
Bass
The biggest standout is the more powerful bass response of the Momentum 4, which has arguably the best bass performance in this class.
Unfortunately, the Sonos Ace might have one of the less impressive bass responses, lacking bass slam and quantity. It is pretty clean and focused in the upper bass, however.
The Sennheisers are the clear winner for modern genres like Pop, Hip Hop, and EDM.
Mids
I think stock for stock, the Mids are about equal.
But after EQ’ing the Momentum 4 to bring the vocals forward, I prefer the detailed mids of the Sennheisers over the muddier Sonos Ace.
I will say that the Ace has some fairly realistic timbre and sounds great for drums and other instruments.
Treble
The Sonos Ace has a sharpness and sibilance to its treble than doesn’t seem to go away even with EQ. This is much more apparent on modern Pop songs than older music.
This is the issue with having such a simple 2-band EQ like the Sonos.
On the other hand, the Momentum 4 has a more detailed treble that sounds more open and airy in contrast.
Audiophile and Overall Thoughts
When it comes to sound quality, the Sennheiser Momentum 4 is audiophile-worthy, while the Sonos Ace is just a “pretty good wireless headphone”.
Frankly, I find the Sonos Ace’s sound quality in a tier below the Momentum 4, Bose QC Ultra, AirPods Max, and Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e.
The Sonos Ace simply doesn’t compete on the level of resolution, detail, and separation as the headphones listed above.
But it is still a decent consumer headphone for listening mostly to Rock, Metal, Acoustic, Classical, and Jazz. It’s also pretty enjoyable for consuming dialogue-based media like TV Shows, Movies, YouTube, and Podcasts.
Sonos Ace Sound Quality: 8.1 out of 10
Sennheiser Momentum 4 Sound Quality: 8.7 out of 10 (after EQ)
Winner: Sennheiser Momentum 4
Value
The newer Sonos Ace retails at $449 USD, while the Bose QC Ultra retails at $379.95 USD.
At the time of this writing, the current market prices are down to $419 for the Sonos, and as low as $249 to $290 for the Sennheiser Momentum 4.
Bottomline, the Momentum 4 can be found for around $100 to $150 cheaper than the Sonos Ace, and is easily the better dollar value.
Sonos Ace Value: 3.5 out of 5
Sennheiser Momentum 4 Value: 4.5 out of 5
Winner: Sennheiser Momentum 4
Sonos Ace Overall Rating
- Top notch noise cancelling performance
- Incredible comfort and build quality
- Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos support
- Expensive!
- Sound quality is average for the price
- Slightly compressed sound and soundstage
Sennheiser Momentum 4 Overall Rating
- Excellent sound quality
- Good noise cancelling
- Impressive bass response and impact
- Amazing 60 hour battery life
- Relatively good value
- Sony / Bose have better noise cancelling
- Headband and clamping force not as comfy
Overall Winner: Sennheiser Momentum 4
Today’s comparison actually ended up a lot closer than I was expecting, with the Sennheiser Momentum 4 narrowly edging out the victory over the Sonos Ace.
Honestly, I was expecting the Momentum 4 to win by a wider margin, but the Sonos Ace scores well on paper due to its superior comfort, build quality, and noise cancelling performance.
But at $100-$150 cheaper with much superior sound quality, the Momentum 4 is my personal choice over the Sonos Ace, as sound quality is my #1 priority.
Still, if comfort and noise cancelling are your priorities, and you’re more of a casual listener, the Sonos Ace still has its merits. I do enjoy using the Sonos Ace and it is probably the better pick for travel.
Some very Strong Alternatives in this class of noise cancelling headphones are:
- Bose QuietComfort Ultra
- Apple AirPods Max
- Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e
- Sony WH-1000XM5
- Bose QuietComfort (2023 model)
- Beats Studio Pro
Some Relevant Comparisons in this class of noise cancelling headphones are:
- Sonos Ace vs AirPods Max
- Sonos Ace vs Sony WH-1000XM5
- Sonos Ace vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra
- Bose QuietComfort Ultra vs Sony WH-1000XM5
- Sennheiser Momentum 4 vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra
I highly recommend you check those out next!
Lastly, if you’d like to save some money and keep supporting RecordingNOW.com’s 100% independent, unbiased reviews, do consider using some of our affiliate links below to shop and even just compare prices. We purchase all products we review with our own money to maintain the highest level of integrity, and your support goes into that plus a continuously improving site experience.
Order Here for the LOWEST PRICE AVAILABLE (Do NOT pay retail):
Want to save up to $100 or more?
Want to save up to an additional $50?
Disclosure: These affiliate links may provide a discount and in return, give us a commission in order to keep this website 100% independent to ensure honest unfiltered reviews 🙂
How We Tested and Our Methodology
RecordingNOW.com is a 100% independent publisher with over 10 years of experience testing and reviewing consumer electronics and headphones.
We currently purchase all of the products we test with our own money, and are not paid by any company or manufacturer to influence our opinions or decisions.
After purchasing the product, we conduct up to hundreds of hours of detailed hands-on testing in a controlled, acoustically-treated environment. Noise cancelling performance is tested in the real-world, primarily on airplane flights, coffee shops, and walking around large metropolitan city environments.
ODi Productions is our resident expert and author of this article, with 10 years of experience as a professional music producer, audio engineer, musician, tech journalist, and audiophile.
Read Next
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Bose QuietComfort Review (2023 Model)
Bose QuietComfort Ultra vs Sony WH-1000XM5
Apple AirPods Max vs Sony WH-1000XM5
