Excellent sound and a comfortable fit make it a convincing and affordable option.

Sony has an excellent track record when it comes to budget headphones. The company’s WH-CH710NS were excellent, but they were initially too expensive. Sony made them an incredible value of 150 after dropping the price shortly after their debut in 2020. Excellent sound quality, a powerful ANC, good battery life and a comfortable fit made the WH-CH710N a convincing and affordable alternative to the top model WH-1000xm3, the company’s flagship product at the time. Earlier this year, the company unveiled the successor to this three-year-old set: the WH-CH720N.

On paper, the 2023 edition should preserve Sony’s reputation for solid mid-range and economical headphones as an alternative to the expensive WH – 1000xm5. The WH-CH720N contains the same V1 chip as the M5, which supports both active noise cancellation (ANC) and overall sound quality. There is also an updated design and a lower price after another early discount (130), but the battery life remains the same at 35 hours. So, is the WH-CH720N another mid-range hit for Sony?+

Sony has been the king of the headphone heap with its 1000X range for some time now, but the company is also asserting its rights to the mid-range.

Let’s start with the design. The WH-CH720N is inspired by the new Sony 1000X headphones and the WH-XB910N, mainly by the headband and the hinges of the earcup. The outside of the earcups is flatter and made only of hard plastic – no soft-touch material here. Like previous mid-range Sony models, the WH-CH720N has body controls with a power catch to the left of the USB-C powering port and the 3.5mm jack. On the right side there is a special noise cancellation catch that switches in the middle ANC and transparency modes. There is also the typical three-catch board with volume controls flanking the multifunction track and the call catch. This central control also calls your favorite voice assistant. Although the keys work reliably, the raised stroke on the center key is weak, which makes it difficult to quickly place the thumb.

Like the WH-CH710N, this new model is extremely light and comfortable. I can easily wear them for hours. There is also a lot of padding in the ear pads and the hinge of the headband is not so tight that it pinches my head. I liked a lot of what the 710N had to offer, but general comfort was at the top of the list, so it’s good to see that Sony did not neglect this aspect when developing the follow-up version. The only real problem is that it uses a lot of plastic. Although this helps to reduce the weight, it also ensures that the 720N looks decidedly inexpensive.

As for the features of the WH-CH720N in the Sony Headset application, you will notice the main differences compared to the WH-1000xm5. Most importantly, the 720N does not have Speak-to-Chat, a feature that automatically pauses the sound when it detects that you are talking. In relation, this new model also does not have an automatic Pause when you remove them from the head.

Despite some omissions, there are still practical tools. First of all, the adaptive sound control allows the application to automatically adjust the settings according to your location or activity. This allows you, for example, to activate ANC when you arrive at the office or activate transparency mode when you start a race. Here and in the general sound settings, You can set an ambient noise level and whistle voices when this mode is active.

In addition, Sony offers an EQ slider for manual settings, as well as a separate bass adjustment. There is also a collection of Audio presets if you are in a hurry. 360 Reality Audio is available on the WH-CH720N (with a compatible Streaming Subscription) and the application offers you the possibility to scale DSEE to improve the compressed content. The app also allows you to enable Multipoint Bluetooth for two devices, and a secure listening feature helps maintain your hearing.