Sony WH-CH710N Noise-Cancelling Headphones Review

In a world where Bose reigns as the champion in the active noise-cancelling headphones market, Sony has slowly come out as a worthy adversary. We’ve seen Sony’s flagship headphones, the WH-1000XM3’s go head to head with the Bose’s 700 series, as well as Sennheiser’s Momentum series, now it seems like they’re looking for other ways to tap into the headphones market.  

With the introduction of the Sony WH-CH710N, Sony is looking to bring the active noise cancellation feature to those with a constrained budget. What better way to test them out than in the pandemic? Unveiled last year around April, when many were awaiting the launch of the WX-1000M4 headphones, Sony released the WHCH710N as a mid-range version of the WX-1000M3’s instead.  

Let’s see what makes them different and what features you can look forward to if you plan on purchasing them. 

Form of the Sony WH-CH710N

To some, the design and build of the headphones matter immensely and can be a determining factor when purchasing headphones. Their form has become as important as their function considering the ubiquity of people wearing headphones around us and the headphones culture popularized by the music industry. Hence, you’ll commonly see people wearing them as an accessory that matches their outfit, where shape and color come out as a dominant feature. 

The Sony WH-CH710N is certainly not bad to look at; the ovular-shaped ear cups don’t protrude out too much from ears, giving it a sleek look. The gentle curves on the surface of the ear cups deviate from the sharp edge design on the WH-1000MX3, giving it a more compact form factor.  

If someone were to look at the WH-CH710N from afar, they’d think that these are just another pair of stylish headphones. However, it isn’t until you inspect them closely that you’re able to truly tell the difference. There is much to be desired in terms of the material used for the headphones. The all-plastic body gives them a faux mat finish that doesn’t feel nice to touch and makes it seem like Sony had to cut corners here to match the price.  

But this also makes them quite light, coming at around 220g, great for extended use. 

Comfort 

Weight isn’t the only factor that comes into play when considering comfort. Whether you’re a music lover, gamer, or sound engineer, you need to make sure the headphones sit perfectly while you carry out your activity. Otherwise, extended wear can strain your head and ears and cause discomfort.  

The WH-CH710N provides adequate comfort due to adequate padding on its headband. Additionally, the headband is adjustable, concealing a metal strip inside that gives it flexibility. The metal strip provides a comfortable level of head clamping force; however, this depends on the size of your head.  

The only place you’ll lack comfort is perhaps the cushions. The cushions above the speaker driver don’t match against those of the WH-1000MX3. Some people feel that the cushions are not bulky enough. As a result, the user’s ear lobes contact the speaker driver as they wear them. However, this, too, depends on the size of your ears. You may need to consider replacing them or getting additional cushion covers if you experience discomfort. 

Sony WH-CH710N Active Noise Cancellation 

Now to the moment we’ve all been waiting for the active noise-cancelling feature. As you’ll be aware, active noise-cancelling is not a feature you’ll get in headphones in this price range. Users have praised the technology, allowing you to receive a better quality sound out of your headphones with background noise cancellation. But, the technology isn’t perfect. With this in mind, let’s see how the WH-CH710N fairs with this feature. 

All in all, it’s not bad at cancelling out regular background noise at lower frequencies. The built-in microphones on each ear cup do an excellent job at catching background noise and attenuating it. You’ll still be able to catch some irregular higher frequency sounds, but their amplification level is not that high to hinder your listening experience, common with all noise-cancelling headphones. The feature can be enabled using the NC/AMB button on the headphone’s side, giving you a distinct prompt when turned on. For most cases, it’ll get the job done, but the flagship WH-1000MX3 still outperforms them when it comes to active noise-cancelling. 

Control 

Control goes hand in hand with functionality and ads to the design when it comes to headphones. Flagship headphones, like the WH-1000MX3, are coming with capacitive touch technology that eliminates the need for buttons, making users rely on smart gestures to control their devices and adding an element of ease when using headphones. Additionally, buttons don’t protrude outwards, allowing for a seamless appearance. 

Sadly, control is something that you’ll have to sacrifice on with the WH-CH710N. The device comes with buttons to control playback, adjust volume, and access the virtual assistant. It’s not a downer per se, but you can hear the clicking noise every time a button is pressed, even when you’re listening to audio. This can hinder your listening experience every time you’re going over a looped recording. 

On the plus side, the headphones come with Bluetooth 5.0 that you can pair with a button or use NFC if you have an android device. Bluetooth 5.0 gives a good range as well, allowing seamless, uninterrupted sound 30-40 feet from the connected device. We have one contention, though. Sony didn’t use their proprietary LDAC codec but instead opted for the commonly used AAC. Perhaps the hardware requirements would’ve increased the cost, but users would’ve gotten more out of streaming services if LDAC was used. 

Sony WH-CH710N Battery Life 

One of the drawbacks of going wireless is having to depend on a device’s battery. This becomes especially apparent when using wireless headphones as you don’t want to cut down on playtime while listening to your favorite music.  

The WH-CH710N comes with a long-lasting battery that can give you a playback time of 35 hours, 5 hours more than what you’d get with WH-1000MX3. This may be due to the headphones lacking additional smart features and Bluetooth hardware. Additionally, even if you run out of battery while using this device, you’ll find that the device comes with a USB type-c cable that enables you to charge the device quickly, given you have a fast charger. 

Sony WH-CH710N Sound Quality 

High sound quality is one reason you may want to buy headphones if that’s most important to you. Some users are willing to sacrifice all other features if the headphones exhibit excellent reproducible sound.  

The WH-CH710N is not the best when sound quality is something you desire most. Sounds in the lower and mid-range frequency regions are not as crisp as their flagship counterparts. You’ll find that music that incorporates a high vocal range and relies on a deep bass line falls flat when played. If you’re a music aficionado, you’ll be able to tell the difference, however for most cases, the device works well. 

Bottom Line of the Sony WH-CH710N Review 

If you’re looking for budget noise-cancelling headphones, then the WH-CH710N is definitely fit for the job. They’re ideal for daily use, but if you think that you need more out of your headphones, then you might want to consider Sony’s higher-end flagship noise-cancelling headphones like the 1000MX3’s and 1000MX4’s. You’ll definitely get the bang for buck you’re looking for.