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Tech head-to-head

Bose QuietComfort Ultra HeadphonesvsSennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless

8.1 against 7.9 overall, which settles nothing. Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless takes Value 8.0 to 6.9, and that is the axis to decide on.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones

Bose

8.1

The most convincing low-frequency isolation here, wrapped in the most comfortable clamp.

Price and availability change constantly, so we don't quote them here — the link opens the current Amazon listing.

Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless

Sennheiser

7.9

The listening pick, with a 60-hour battery that makes every rival figure on this page look short.

Price and availability change constantly, so we don't quote them here — the link opens the current Amazon listing.

Where they diverge

The widest gap is Value, Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless ahead 8.0 to 6.9. They come closest on Durability, 7.8 to 7.7. Left of center is Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones, right is Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones versus Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless — axis scores out of 10Horizontal bar chart of editorial scores out of 10 across 5 axes. Bars for Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones run left from the axis labels, bars for Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless run right. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones: Performance 9.0, Value 6.9, Durability 7.8, Ease of use 8.4, Design 8.4. Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless: Performance 8.6, Value 8.0, Durability 7.7, Ease of use 8.0, Design 7.4.Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (left)Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless (right)PerformanceBose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones — Performance 9.0 out of 109.0Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless — Performance 8.6 out of 108.6ValueBose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones — Value 6.9 out of 106.9Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless — Value 8.0 out of 108.0DurabilityBose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones — Durability 7.8 out of 107.8Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless — Durability 7.7 out of 107.7Ease of useBose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones — Ease of use 8.4 out of 108.4Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless — Ease of use 8.0 out of 108.0DesignBose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones — Design 8.4 out of 108.4Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless — Design 7.4 out of 107.4Editorial score out of 10 — higher is better

Which one to pick

Take the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones

Leads on Performance, Durability, Ease of use and Design.

  • Aircraft cabins and train carriages are your normal listening environment
  • You wear headphones for six hours at a stretch
  • Glasses make most clamping headbands unbearable

Take the Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless

Leads on Value.

  • Music is the point, not just noise reduction
  • You travel without reliable charging
  • You want a multi-band EQ instead of a handful of presets

What each one gets wrong

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones

  • You want deep EQ control rather than presets
  • aptX is irrelevant to you and the premium is hard to justify

Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless

  • You want the strongest cancellation available at any cost
  • The plain, unstructured design puts you off

Specs, side by side

SpecBose QuietComfort Ultra HeadphonesSennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless
TypeOver-ear, closedOver-ear, closed
CodecsSBC, AAC, aptX AdaptiveSBC, AAC, aptX Adaptive
BatteryAbout 24 hrs with ANC onAbout 60 hrs with ANC on
FoldingFolds flat and inward—

Rankings they both appear in

Questions

Only 0.2 separates them. What breaks the tie?
Value does, at 8.0 against 6.9. That axis covers what the same money buys elsewhere. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones leads on Performance, Durability, Ease of use and Design. If Value matters more to you, take the Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless instead.
Why are the totals this close?
The total is the plain average of the 5 Tech axes, so opposite results cancel. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones averages 8.1 and Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless averages 7.9, a gap of 0.2, while the individual axes run as far apart as 1.1.
Which one ranks higher in "Cancellation bunches up; comfort and hinges separate"?
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones sits at #2 in "Cancellation bunches up; comfort and hinges separate", Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless at #4.