Video summary

Best Premium Headphones [Tested & Compared!] - AirPods Max vs Bose vs Sony vs Sennheiser..

Main summary

Key takeaways

Product Review

Product(s) reviewed

A head-to-head ranking of five premium over-ear Bluetooth ANC headphones tested in 9 categories:

  1. Bose QuietComfort Ultra
  2. Apple AirPods Max
  3. Sennheiser Momentum 4S
  4. Sony WH-1000XM5
  5. Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2e

The reviewer emphasizes that price isn’t strongly correlated to best performance (the most expensive isn’t necessarily best).

Key test categories, results, and what mattered

1) Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) — “sound blocking” test

Measured by increasing volume until noise leakage was audible.

  • 1st: Bose QuietComfort Ultra — 63.2 dB
  • 2nd: Apple AirPods Max — 60.9 dB
  • 3rd: Sony WH-1000XM5
  • 4th (tie): Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2e and Sennheiser Momentum 4S
    • B&W described as “tie for fourth place”
    • Sennheiser criticized as lacking in ANC

Overall takeaway: Bose leads ANC; Sennheiser struggles more than most here.

2) Transparency Mode (ambient/“hear-through”) sound quality

  • 1st: Apple AirPods Max — sounds “like you’re not even wearing them,” most natural
  • 2nd: Bose QuietComfort Ultra — very natural, ahead of others
  • 3rd (tie): Sony WH-1000XM5 and Sennheiser Momentum 4S — more muffled than top performers; less loud
  • Last: Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2e — more robotic + not as loud as desired

3) Design & Controls (subjective)

  • 1st: Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2e

    • Looks “unique/premium”
    • Physical buttons reliability for workouts
    • Five colors
    • Textured premium materials

  • 2nd: Sennheiser Momentum 4S

    • Updated look
    • New more protective case
    • Intuitive swipe controls

  • 3rd: Sony WH-1000XM5

    • Strong design with multiple hardware controls
    • Ear-cup “cup” gesture features

  • 4th: Apple AirPods Max

    • Crown/controls praised; unique design
    • Limited controls
    • Case doesn’t protect much

  • 5th: Bose QuietComfort Ultra

    • Liked ridged volume slider and button design
    • Can take a moment to wake up
    • Risk of accidentally toggling power

4) Fit & Comfort (weight + comfort over time)

  • 1st: Bose QuietComfort Ultra

    • Lightest class: 251 g
    • “Gentle clamping”
    • Comfort best for desk/long wear

  • 2nd: Sony WH-1000XM5 — 249 g

    • Good for long wear
    • A bit more clampy—better for workouts

  • 3rd: Sennheiser Momentum 4S — 292 g

  • 4th: Apple AirPods Max — 386 g

    • Tends to work loose

  • 5th: Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2e — 309 g

    • More heat + strong clamp

Reviewer caveat: none are great for intense dynamic workouts (e.g., burpees), but Bose and Sony are best.

5) Microphone Quality (indoor + outdoor with wind/traffic)

  • 1st: Apple AirPods Max

    • Most natural side-tone/transparency “hearing own voice” on calls

  • Bose QuietComfort Ultra

    • Good indoor
    • Outdoor in busy/windy conditions sounded acceptable

  • Sennheiser Momentum 4S

    • Described as “most changed” year-over-year
    • Complaint: transparency/ANC can “get weird” with wind (mic clarity implied to be affected)

  • Sony WH-1000XM5

    • Performed well enough to score high overall (explicitly top in some other categories)

  • Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2e

    • Not highlighted as strong
    • Ultimately ranked last in total score

6) Battery Life (Bluetooth + ANC on)

  • 1st: Sennheiser Momentum 4S

    • Claimed: 60 hours
    • Reviewer estimate: mid-50s to upper-50s

  • 2nd: Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2e

    • Claimed: 30
    • Reviewer estimate: mid-30s up to ~40

  • 3rd: Sony WH-1000XM5

    • Claimed: 30
    • Reviewer estimate: ~30
    • Notes: ~50 hours if ANC is turned off

  • 4th: Bose QuietComfort Ultra

    • Claimed: 30
    • Reviewer sees a bit less
    • ANC can’t fully be disabled; always some processing

  • Last: Apple AirPods Max

    • Only ~20 hours (surprised the reviewer)

7) Sound Quality (subjective; also considers codecs/connection options)

  • 1st: Sennheiser Momentum 4S

    • “Clean, articulate,” natural balance
    • Versatility: Bluetooth + 3.5mm + USB-C
    • USB-C for high-resolution audio
    • Supports high-res codecs including aptX Adaptive

  • 2nd: Bose QuietComfort Ultra

    • Strong Snapdragon Sound / higher-res codec
    • No USB-C audio, but has a headphone cable in-case
    • Sounds slightly bassy but “balanced”

  • 3rd: Sony WH-1000XM5

    • Uses LDAC (best with Android; iPhone limited)
    • “Dynamic” tuning: lively, somewhat recessed mids

  • 4th: Apple AirPods Max

    • Great sound despite limitations
    • No high-res codec benefits
    • Wired requires Lightning adapter; no 3.5mm mentioned

  • 5th: Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2e

    • “Dark” / bassy fun sound
    • Less analytical

8) Features / App ecosystem

  • 1st: Sony WH-1000XM5

    • Biggest feature stack:
      • Ear-cup “cup to listen”
      • Speak-to-chat
      • Adaptive modes
      • 360 spatial audio
      • DSEE upscaling
      • Multipoint connectivity
      • Lots of customization

  • 2nd (tie in spirit; explicitly 2nd place): Sennheiser Momentum 4S

    • Sound check
    • App-based connection management
    • Sound zones
    • Removed “haptic motor” vs older model; reviewer downplays impact

  • 3rd: Apple AirPods Max

    • Strong if you’re in the Apple ecosystem:
      • H1 chip
      • Automatic switching
      • Audio sharing
      • Spatial audio

  • 4th: Bose QuietComfort Ultra

    • Auto on/off
    • Device switching more manual
    • Modes in app

  • 5th: Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2e

    • Custom action button + app settings
    • Cons: “annoying wake sound” (piano-like)

9) Price/value ranking (added as an explicit “category”)

Live prices used by the reviewer:

  • Sennheiser Momentum 4S: $279 (MSRP $379) → best deal
  • Sony WH-1000XM5: $349 (MSRP $399)
  • Bose QuietComfort Ultra: $379 (MSRP $429)
  • Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2e: $399 (MSRP; not much discount)
  • AirPods Max: ~$479 (MSRP $549) → most expensive

Overall final ranking (points totals)

Using “golf scoring” (1st = lowest points, then summed):

  1. 1st: Sennheiser Momentum 4S — 19 total points
  2. 2nd: Sony WH-1000XM5 — ~almost tied with Apple AirPods Max
  3. 3rd: Bose QuietComfort Ultra — 27 points
  4. 4th: Apple AirPods Max — 33 points
  5. 5th: Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2e — last The reviewer says B&W is in last place; exact point totals are less explicitly enumerated than AirPods Max, but it is clearly final place.

Reviewer’s verdict / recommendation

  • Best overall for most people: Sennheiser Momentum 4S

    • Reasons: best sound quality, best battery life, best value, and strong results across other categories.

  • Best if ANC is your top priority: Bose QuietComfort Ultra

  • Best for transparency / Apple ecosystem users: Apple AirPods Max
  • Best feature ecosystem: Sony WH-1000XM5
  • Best design/controls vibe (but weaker ANC/transparency and sound): Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2e

Unique points mentioned (all notable claims)

  • ANC performance ranking + specific measured value (Bose 63.2 dB, AirPods Max 60.9 dB).
  • Transparency mode:
    • AirPods Max “most natural”
    • Bose close behind
    • Bose/Sony/Sennheiser more muffled than Apple
    • B&W most robotic
  • Design preferences:
    • B&W standout visual + physical buttons for workouts
    • Sennheiser updated design + swipe controls
    • Sony strong hardware + ear-cup gesture features
    • Apple praised design but limited controls + weaker case protection
    • Bose liked volume slider/buttons but slower wake/power-toggle confusion
  • Comfort:
    • Bose lightest effective clamp; Sony good for workouts
    • Apple heaviest and tends to loosen
    • B&W hot + strong clamp
  • Microphone:
    • AirPods Max most natural side-tone
    • Some models vary; wind affects some behavior (notably Sennheiser transparency/ANC)
  • Battery life:
    • Sennheiser best (reviewer sees mid-50s/upper-50s vs claimed ~60)
    • AirPods Max last (~20 hours)
  • Sound:
    • Sennheiser most articulate/natural
    • Bose bassier but balanced with higher-res codec
    • Sony consumer “dynamic” tuning (LDAC)
    • Apple great but wired needs adapter and codec advantage is limited
    • B&W “dark”/bassy fun
  • Features:
    • Sony richest
    • Sennheiser strong app modes
    • Apple strong Apple ecosystem integration
    • Bose helpful modes/auto on-off
    • B&W custom action button but annoying wake sound
  • Price/value:
    • Sennheiser biggest discount
    • Apple most expensive

Speaker views

  • Single main reviewer voice (no clearly distinct multi-speaker contributions).
  • The reviewer sometimes references wife/other people’s opinions for the design category, but the ranking is presented as the reviewer’s synthesized consensus.

Original video