ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing.

When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn affiliate commissions. This helps support our work, but does not affect what we cover or how, and it does not affect the price you pay. Neither ZDNET nor the author are compensated for these independent reviews. Indeed, we follow strict guidelines that ensure our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers.

ZDNET's editorial team writes on behalf of you, our reader. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services. Our editors thoroughly review and fact-check every article to ensure that our content meets the highest standards. If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article. If you see inaccuracies in our content, please report the mistake via this form.

Sennheiser and Sony both make excellent headphones with great sound, impressive battery performance, and functional, minimalist silhouettes. If you're between Sony's WH-1000XM6 and Sennheiser's Momentum 5, you should know that despite their similarities, they appeal to different kinds of users.

Also: I traveled 2,700 miles with Sony, Apple, and Sennheiser headphones - this pair sounded the best

Sennheiser's headphones appeal most to audio purists who still want the convenience and flexibility of wireless headphones, while Sony's appeal to people who want the smartest, most feature-rich headphones around. Let's go into further detail about which one is best for you.