Odi Productions
In this article, I’m going to share my HONEST Sony WF-1000XM6 vs Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 earbuds comparison, as someone who has purchased both pairs of earbuds with my own money.
I’ve conducted thorough testing of both wireless earbuds, and I will break down a winner for each category including:
- Comfort and Fit
- Features
- Battery Life
- Microphone Quality
- Noise Cancelling Performance
- Sound Quality
- Value
I’ll be sharing my critical opinion with 10 years of experience as a professional music producer, audio engineer, and tech journalist. I also run the RecordingNOW YouTube channel with over 18,000+ subscribers and over 4 million+ views, where you can watch the video versions of all of our reviews and comparisons.
Let’s dive right in!
Sony WF-1000XM6 vs Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 Comparison in Short
The Sony WF-1000XM6 handily beats the 2-years-older Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 Earbuds in every category. Although the Sennheiser MTW4 has great sound quality even by today’s standards, the Sony XM6 earbuds make a leap into “audiophile” territory, while also being the more practical daily driver earbuds.
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Comfort, Features, Microphone Quality, and Battery Life
Comfort
The Sony WF-1000XM6 comes with 4 pairs of hybrid silicone-like and memory foam eartips.
The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 comes with 4 pairs of silicone eartips, along with 3 sizes of fins to help lock in the fit in the outer ear.
I much prefer the comfort and fit of the newer Sony WF-1000XM6 over the Sennheiser MTW4, as it is simply more ergonomic and form-fitting to the ear.
Having tested over 20+ pairs of wireless earbuds, the Sennheiser MTW4 ranks towards the middle or bottom for comfort.
I would put the Sony XM6’s comfort and fit at above average, but not elite.
Either way, the XM6 is the clear winner for me when it comes to comfort and secure fit.
To improve the comfort and fit of these earbuds, I’ve really enjoyed using these aftermarket ones I tested from SpinFit (note that this entire review is using the stock eartips):
Features
Both earbuds are pretty tied for features as they were originally released within 6 months of each other.
They both support high-res codecs, with the Bose using aptX Adaptive, and the XM6 using LDAC which was developed by Sony.
Both support Spatial Audio and have multi-point connection.
Microphone Quality
Microphone quality is sadly one of the weaker aspects of the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4, while the newer Sony WF-1000XM6 has some of the best mic quality for the class.
The XM6 earbuds benefit from bone conduction sensors in addition to a multi-microphone array.
Overall, the Sony XM6 is much better at isolating the human voice against background noise versus the Sennheiser MTW4.
Battery Life
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 Battery Life
- With ANC on: 7 hours of battery life on a single charge / 30 hours total with charging case
- With ANC off: 7.5 hours on a single charge / 30 hours total with charging case
- Fast Charge: 8 minutes = 1 hour of playback
Sony WF-1000XM6 Battery Life
- With ANC on: 8 hours of battery life on a single charge / 24 hours total with charging case
- With ANC off: 12 hours on a single charge / 36 hours total with charging case
- Fast Charge: 5 minutes = 1 hour of playback
The Sony WF-1000XM6 earbuds have an advantage when it comes to battery life, especially with ANC off.
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 Score: 8.0 out of 10
Sony WF-1000XM6 Score: 9.0 out of 10
Winner: Sony WF-1000XM6
Sony WF-1000XM6 vs Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 Noise Cancelling Performance Compared
Sony and Bose are two of the premier brands for noise cancelling technology in both headphones and earbuds in the market today.
I find the newer Sony WF-1000XM6 to easily be one of the best noise cancelling earbuds available.
They are just very effective across the board for blocking out a large amount of frequencies and producing silence.
Unfortunately, the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 performs pretty average for noise cancelling in this class, and is at least 1-2 levels below the Sony WF-1000XM6.
When comparing Transparency Modes, the Sennheiser MTW4 performs a lot better and on par with the Sony WF-1000XM6.
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 Score: 7.5 out of 10
Sony WF-1000XM6 Score: 9.0 out of 10
Winner: Sony WF-1000XM6
Sound Quality
The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 beat out the previous-generation Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds when it came to sound quality, but how does the new XM6 compare?
Starting with the high-res codec support, the Sony WF-1000XM6 supports LDAC while the Sennheiser MTW4 supports aptX Adaptive and Lossless.
To conduct this test, I used my Questyle QCC Dongle Pro to unlock both aptX and LDAC support:
![Questyle QCC Dongle Pro [MFi Certified] USB-C Bluetooth Audio Adapter with LDAC,aptX Lossless&aptX-Adaptive,Low Latency Bluetooth 5.4 Dongle for PS5,Wireless Lossless Transmitter for PC/Headphones](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/21jT-Cm5ZVL._SL500_.jpg)
If you’re an iPhone user, or if your phone doesn’t support aptX codecs, then I highly recommend you pick up the dongle above which will cover both LDAC and aptX Adaptive high-res codecs. It’s the only one of its kind that supports both, to my knowledge.
Starting with comparing the stock sound profiles, these two earbuds are more similar than different.
Both earbuds have a fairly balanced tonality, with the Sony WF-1000XM6 being the more neutral of the two, and the Sennheiser MTW4 having a very slight V-shaped response. I would describe the WF-1000XM6’s sound as darker, smoother, and more “refined” than the Sennheiser MTW4, while the Sennheisers are warm and exciting.
When it comes to pure technical sound quality, I give the edge to the Sony XM6 which has really surprised me for being a “mainstream” popular option.
I’m hearing more details and fidelity in the newer XM6, along with stronger separation and layering.
For example, the bass on the XM6 is nicely detailed while staying tight, clean, and focused. I prefer the bass response on the XM6 than the MTW4, which is solid in its own right.
The mids are present in both earbuds, but the XM6’s are even more detailed and natural-sounding in timbre than the MTW4.
I still enjoy the sound of the previous-gen XM5, but the leap in sound quality puts the XM6 into the “audiophile” territory for me, which is not a compliment I throw around lightly.
On the other hand, the Sennheiser MTW4 is arguably the best-sounding “mainstream” earbud from last generation, but they’ll need to come back with the 5th generation to beat the XM6.
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 Score: 8.2 out of 10
Sony WF-1000XM6 Score: 8.6 out of 10
Winner: Sony WF-1000XM6
Value
The Sony WF-1000XM6 is a new release that retails at $329.99 USD.
The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 retails at $299.95 USD, but can be found on sale between $199 to $269.
On paper, it would seem like the Sennheiser MTW4 would be the better value, especially when on sale for under $200.
But I’d argue that the MTW4 is a bit of a “one trick pony” for sound quality, as its noise cancelling, mic quality, and comfort leave a lot to be desired – especially when contrasted against the WF-1000XM6.
Overall, I consider the XM6 to be more “worth it” due to being an excellent all-arounder, but the MTW4 is a nice value for sound quality when on sale.
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 Value Score: 8.0 out of 10
Sony WF-1000XM6 Value Score: 8.5 out of 10
Winner: Sony WF-1000XM6
Overall Scoring Breakdown
- Best noise cancelling performance
- True audiophile sound quality
- One of the best mic quality
- Pricy
- Comfort could be slightly improved
- Audiophile-friendly sound quality
- aptX Lossless and Adaptive support
- Decent noise cancelling performance
- Decent value
- Mediocre microphone quality
- There’s better noise cancelling performance
- There’s better pure sound quality options
Our Verdict: Sony WF-1000XM6
It’s a clean sweep for the 2-years-newer Sony WF-1000XM6 over the older Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4.
While I still enjoy the sound quality of the Sennheiser MTW4 today, the Sony WF-1000XM6 impresses me even more with its improved audiophile-level sound.
Then when you factor in the world-class noise cancelling performance, mic quality, and solid comfort/fit, then it’s hard to vote against the Sony XM6 earbuds.
We’ll need to see the 5th generation of the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless series to compete better with the WF-1000XM6.
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):
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 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.
ODi Productions is our resident expert and author of this article, with 10 years of experience as a professional music producer, tech journalist, and audiophile.
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