Sony WH-CH720N review: The budget noise-cancelling headphone for work and play

Sony’s WH-1000 XM5 is the epitome for headphones with active noise cancellation. But if you don’t want to burn a hole in your wallet, the WH-CH720 is a good, budgeted noise cancelling headphones.

Simple can be elegant. That’s how I would like to describe these new cans from Sony. Even though they cost much lower than the iconic WH-1000XM5, the built quality doesn’t feel cheap or flimsy. The material used boasts a leather-like texture that exudes a premium feel, while the earcups are luxuriously soft and comfortable to wear.. Physical controls have been added to the earcups - volume controls and toggling noise-cancellation and transparency to the right, and USB-C port for charging and 3.5mm port for connecting using cable on the left. But there are a few shortcomings too. Although the earcups can swivel to lay flat, the headphones themselves do not fold in half for easy portability. Additionally, the headphones do not come with a protective case, leaving them vulnerable to potential damage.

While Sony seems to have traded some add-one to keep the cost low, best thing is that sound and noise cancellation hasn’t been compromises.

Simply wearing these headphones effectively blocks out environmental noise. When playing music with noise cancellation turned on, people around me have complained that I'm oblivious to their attempts at conversation. While these headphones are effective at isolating noise, it’s not a great idea of wearing one when walking on the road or at a public cafe. This is where the Ambient mode comes in handy. Simply putting on the cans cuts out the environment noise. When playing music with noise cancellation on, people around complaint about me turning deaf to what they were saying. While the headphone is good at isolating noise, it’s not a great idea of wearing one when walking on the road or at a public cafe. That’s where the Ambient mode comes handy. I tested these cans extensively in many scenarios, and especially while travelling in Delhi Metro. It managed to cut the outside noise.  While I preferred using it with noise cancellation, switching to ambient mode help in listening voice notifications about the next station.

At first, switching from the premium Sony WH-1000XM5 and Apple AirPods Max to this headphone didn't immediately impress me with their sound output. However, as I gave it some time, the Sony WH-CH720N started to grow on me. For its price point, the sound output is exceptional.

Regardless of the genre, the sound is consistently good. Vocals sound particularly amazing, with both soulful Hindi and English tracks delivering clear voices. Even the mids and highs are impressive, with no noticeable distortion. The overall output is well-balanced across genres, including classical, rock, and pop. The Sony WH-CH720N does struggle with bass, but the Sony Connect app comes in handy. Using the EQ controls, I was able to tweak the sound of these headphones to my liking.

Not only was the sound quality enjoyable while listening to music, but the headphones were also a delight to use during work calls on Zoom and Teams. The Sony WH-CH720N supports multipoint, allowing me to connect it to both my phone and laptop at once. Last but not the least, it also supports voice assistants such as Google Assistant or Alexa, making it a versatile device.

All the goodness is backed by an impressive battery backup of around 34 hours with noise cancellation and touching 50 hours with noise cancellation turned off.  The accompanying type C cable to charge is a bit small and I preferred juicing the headphone using other cables around me.

Verdict: If you are planning to buy a good set of “Over the Ear” headphones without spending huge sums of money, the Sony WH-CH720N is worth consideration. It has got good sound with noise cancellation and Sony Connect app with equaliser and more. Moreover, they are light weight that makes it very comfortable. No wonder it is a great value for money headphone from Sony.