So almost 2 years ago I asked about upgrading my plantronics backbeat pro 2’s and people suggested I hold them until the wheels fall off
https://lemmy.world/post/23922174
Well, now the wheels are falling off. Headband is coming apart.
What would be a modern day upgrade you’d recommend?
Based on what I’ve seen… It would seem the momentum 4 (I’ve seen them regularly under 200 usd new on reseller sites) or momentum 5 from sennheiser would be a good choice but curious to know if this community has a different or better recommendation.


I have the Momentum 4 and they sound good, but in my opinion the noise cancelling is really bad. I also really dislike the pressure they create on my ears, but i’ve been told all noise cancelling headphones do that so that might just be a thing i personally dislike. My friends swear on the Sony XM1000 series, though i remember them saying the older versions were better.
I’ve had a Momentum 4 and a WH-1000XM5.
I was not happy with the Momentum, and can’t recommend it. I initially had some kind of connectivity problems with Linux. Then, it had a tendency to l cut out, which I eventually discovered was a problem with the infrared sensor in one cup used to detect whether you’ve taken the hesdphones off. When it fogs up with condensed sweat, apparently not enough IR light gets through and it thinks that you’ve taken the headphones off. I disabled that feature with the Android app. Then some problem came up where when moved slightly, it would play back loud, high-frequency “squeaky” sounds. Some sort of problem with the noise-cancelling setup. Oh, and I had problems with bumping the side triggering touch controls.
The XM5 was fine for me when used as headphones—and better noise cancellation than the Momentum 4. But when used as a headset, sometimes, especially when resting my head against a chair, the other party would say that I suddenly became muffled.
I currently use it as headphones, but pair it with a USB lapel mic when I need a mic.
Had the exact same IR problem with the XM4. Bit disillusioned with basically all the brands.
Interesting, i’ve got the disconnects too, never knew why. Moisture in the IR sensors, who would have thought ^^
Yeah, if you get the proprietary Android app, you can permanently turn that functionality off from an Android device. Took me ages to discover that. :-/