When we reviewed the WH-1000XM4 and later its successor, the WH-1000XM5, we hailed them to be the best Sony offers in terms of premium sound and noise cancelling. The WH-1000XM5 offers the best all-round noise cancelling performance while we think that the WH-1000XM4 offers a slightly better experience in terms of audio quality. Whichever headphone you choose to buy, you are getting some of the best wireless headphones money can buy.
Those high-end headphones will set you back north of MYR 1,500 though. Whichever way you look at it, they are expensive. What if you only have half that money to spend on a new headphone?
You must settle for Sony’s less premium offerings. The new Sony WH-CH720N they just released not too long ago will set you back MYR 649. On paper, it looks like a decent pair of headphones to work with since it has the same noise cancelling chip in the flagship WH-1000XM5.
At less than half the price of its premium brother, the Sony WH-CH720N might look like a compromised product. If you pick it up at the shop, the packaging makes the product feel plenty light, almost weightless. The box is extremely light as well, which does not inspire any form of confidence in its quality.
In that case, is the WH-CH720N even worth MYR 649? Does it sound good? Is it worthy of the premium noise cancelling chip? Is this the headphone for you? The answer to all that (spoiler alert), for us, is a resounding yes. Let us explain.
Design
We think that the WH-CH720N looks like traditional over-ear headphones. There is nothing too outrageous about its shape. We see a lot of sharp finishing and plenty of flat surfaces on the headphone, which we think look a tad boring.
That is not a bad thing though. The headphone hardly stands out, mostly thanks to its matte colour scheme. It comes with a few colour options, but the black is the one we will have. The stealth look will earn you less attention and therefore, less bother.
The headphone’s construction is mostly plastic, quality plastic. There is a metal strut that runs along the headband for added durability. The visible painted mic grilles on each side are also metal. All this results in a high-quality, yet super light headphone construction you would not mind hauling around.
The padding are where they matter. The padding on the ear cups feels supple yet comfortable for extended use cases. There is some padding on the headband too for the inevitable ‘headphone hair’, but nothing else. The materials used for the padding feels like the more premium faux leather material you find on the older WH-1000X headphones.
Instead of touch sensitive pads, you get large physical buttons on the headphone. The tactility, to us at least, is a huge welcome. We think that buttons are more intuitive than gesture controls.
Annoyingly, the WH-CH720N does not fold. The ear cups can swivel to the point that the headphone sits flat on the table, that is the most compact it gets. We prefer it collapsing and folding like the WH-1000XM4. This one does not even come with its own carrying case.
Hardware
On paper also, the WH-CH720N share more similarities with the WH-1000XM5 than we can see. The driver, for example, is sized at 30mm, like the one you find on its high-end brother. We cannot confirm that they are the same drivers though.
Specifications
| Sony WF-1000XM4 | |
| Driver Unit | 30mm Closed Dynamic w/ Integrated Processor V1 |
| Frequency Response | 20Hz – 20,000Hz(44.1kHz sampling) |
| Headphone type | Wireless Earbuds |
| Battery (Continuous Music Playback) | Unspecified capacity Max. 35 hrs(NC On) / Max. 50 hrs(NC Off) |
| Miscellaneous | Bluetooth 5.2 Active Noise Cancelling DSEE 360 Reality Audio 360 Spatial Sound Beamforming Mics Dolby Atmos |
Features
For MYR 649, the WH-CH720N is also rather feature packed. You get noise cancelling, DSEE, a high-end mic technology, and modern connectivity. If you put this beside the WH-1000XM5, you might start to think that maybe the WH-1000XM5 is overpriced.
High-End Noise Cancelling
While most noise cancelling implementations on headphones at this price point are not great, this one is different. Thanks to the clever V1 Integrated Processor, the noise cancelling experience you get from this pair of headphones is like headphones twice its price. The anti-noise can still be heard if you do not have music playing, but it is not annoying nor discomforting.
With noise cancelling on and music playing at 70% volume, you completely tune the world out. The algorithm is great in cancelling loud noises and even sudden noise. Of course, the noise cancelling algorithm is not perfect and there will be noise that escapes the noise cancellation process. That noise has to be very loud and very near you though for it to be noticeable.
Sony Headphones App
If you are a long-time user of Sony headphones, you will be familiar with the app. The app’s interface has not changed too much, a little aged if we have to say. On the other hand, it is familiar and simple to operate once you know where to find everything.
You can control its ambient noise levels, turn on noise cancelling mode, or turn it off completely to save on battery life. There is an equalizer that offers limited customization to the headphone tuning. Of course, it also offers 360 Reality Audio with supported apps. For us, we have Tidal to work with and we are happy to report that the experience is still like what you get on higher-end headphones.
You can get 360 Reality Audio and Dolby Atmos working with a compatible Bravia XR TV too, we do not have a compatible TV to work with. You can also connect the WH-CH720N to two devices simultaneously. You lose LDAC over that too.
You do not get “speak-to-chat” function. You get only DSEE, not DSEE Extreme from the WH-1000XM5. At the same time, because there are no proximity sensors, the headphone does not pause your media when you take your headphone off. The headphone also does not turn off by itself unless you disconnect the headphone from your smartphone.
DSEE
Sony’s DSEE technology is a clever one. In theory, you can get a CD quality audio even from the likes of streaming platforms like Spotify. There are a lot of technicalities behind this that we will not get into in the interest of time and sanity. If you want to know more about how DSEE or any audio upscaling technology works, do let us know and we might feature an editorial about that.
Still, the result is more prominently heard on Spofity music than Tidal. Without getting too much into the sound quality (spoiler alert), DSEE enhances your Spofity music experience to something you might get from Tidal. The differences are there, you hear extra little details from your music that you do not normally get with DSEE off or regular headphones. The differences still can be very subtle for most ears though, so you do want to pay attention.
Beamforming Mic
This is also another feature that is trickled down from the higher end headphones. With the WH-1000XM5, we find that the beamforming mic improved the call quality tremendously over its predecessor. As expected, the dual mic pick-up on the WH-CH720N performed admirably on calls as well.
The other party on the receiving line reported that audio comes through loud and clear. The mic system cleverly cancels out even some of the louder drones in the call environment and reduces the smaller noise. If there are sudden noise coming through, the headphone can still cancel it out a little. The most important aspect of the call, your voice, is picked up beautifully thanks to some clever algorithm built into the headphone. It is a similar technology to the speak-to-chat function where the headphone can recognize your voice, or that you are talking, and picks up only your voice.
Performance
Of course, the most important part of any audio gear is in how it sounds. For a headphone you want to work with and carry around for your travels, comfort is important too. Of course, it also needs to last at least an entire flight duration.
Taking a Call
Because it is a mobile-first device, it is made with video conferencing and even phone calls in mind. We have spoken about the mic performance a little bit in the previous section. In this case, we want to talk about the sound quality you get in the calls.
There is not too much to complain about if you get a stable connection with your smartphone or even laptop. As mentioned, you can even connect to both your smartphone and your laptop simultaneously. The device will cleverly switch to prioritize phone calls and video calls as soon as they come in.
With a stable connection, you get crystal clear calls if the other party uses a decent enough mic to work with. Everything is loud and clear without any muddling. The weight of the headphones alongside enough padding on the ear cups and headband also helps in extra-long calls. The only issue is that in less ideal weather, your ears might sweat a little since you are working with a leather-like material that might get warm.
All-day Comfort
That said, the material is not actually leather. It feels like supple leather, but thanks to Sony’s clever know-how, it also feels somewhat breathable. While it still gets warm, it is not too uncomfortable.
In the case where you use it indoors with controlled temperature, you can have the headphones on for even longer periods at a time. Thanks to its lightweight construction as well, you are not going to feel too much fatigue in your neck. The clamping force is just enough to keep the headphones on your head as well without giving you a headache and stays on even with vigorous head movements.
Sound Quality
We were pleasantly surprised by the WH-CH720N. It is not a looker; it does not look all that premium. It does not even feel all that premium. It does sound good though.
As mentioned, audio is driven by a 30mm unit on each end. We do not think that it is the same carbon fiber driver as the WH-1000XM5. It does not mean that it is an inferior driver though. While it is a smaller driver on average, it still packs a lot of punch.
The low-end frequency is punchy without being overwhelming. It feels even more powerful than the expensive WH-1000XM5, somehow. It also manages to be that punchy but detailed. We listened to some Fusion Jazz from Casiopea and Hard to Say Goodbye by Johnny Stimson on Spotify with good effects and details on the bass without losing higher-end notes. The WH-CH720N delivers mid and high frequencies brilliantly too, giving some needed life to Casiopea’s pieces. We also thoroughly enjoyed songs like Ghost by Alan Walker featuring Au/Ra.
It is a highly enjoyable headphone to use for movies too, especially when you just want to enjoy a good movie during a long flight. Drive to Survive on Netflix sound surreal and we felt like the cars were right next to us. Unfortunately, we do not have a Bravia XR TV to work with, so we cannot fully experience Dolby Atmos and 360 Reality Audio with the TV.
Still, we used it to game as well, wirelessly of course. With Bluetooth 5.2, latency is kept to a minimum. We hardly hear a delay in response times. Because it is noise cancelling, we get a lot more immersion as well without getting distracted by other noise around you, you cannot even hear your mouse clicks.
Battery Life
Sony quoted 35 hours of continuous music playback on a full charge. That is 5 hours longer than the WH-1000XM5. That battery life is also quoted with noise cancelling feature on. Within the two weeks of our test, we only charged the device once – when it first reached our hands, and that is about it. We never really had to charge the device in the two weeks of our typical use. We used it one to two hours at a time but not daily in the two weeks we tested the headphones.
In that case, we can only take Sony’s word for its long battery life. We believe them though, since we have not been able to drain the headphone’s battery within our test period. The charging cable that comes with the headphone is short, which means you might end up using your other existing USB Type-C cables to charge your headphone. You cannot use the headphones while it is being charged too, so you want to keep that in mind. Still, if you run out of battery and you need your headphones still, it comes with an AUX jack and an included AUX cable for you to directly plug your headphones into your smartphone or laptop. Noise cancelling does work in that mode, but you still need to turn it on.
The Sony WH-720N – The Better Value
This pair of headphones will set you back MYR 649, which is not a small amount of money if you are thinking of a budget set-up. Obviously, if you compare it to its more premium brother, it seems like a more budget conscious choice. You can get other wireless headphones in the market for way less than MYR 500 even.
What you do not get from other cheaper headphones in the market though is top-notch noise cancelling technology. Sony is one of the best in the business, if not the best. They fitted their best noise cancelling processor into this pair of headphones, which should be an indication of the kind of experience you can expect from the WH-CH720N.
You also get one of the longest lasting wireless headphones in terms of battery life. The quoted 35-hour battery life is with noise cancelling mode on. Turning noise cancelling off extends its battery life, but why would you first place?
Above all, you get great sound quality that we think is beyond its asking price. The sound stage offered by the headphones is wide and detailed. This pair of headphones offer punchy bass and details everywhere on the headphone’s range.
The WH-CH720N does not look like much for MYR 649. We appreciate that its packaging is simple and made from recycled materials, but it is not packaging is worth MYR 649, we think. We would have appreciated a soft case you might be able to use as a carrying pouch. Instead, it is wrapped in a rather large piece of what feels like cheese cloth, which will end up in the trash as well unfortunately.
The thing is this is a headphone we would recommend. It is not the cheapest headphone out there, but it is good value, given its capabilities. The cheap-ish packaging is hardly a deal breaker. You want a pair of headphones that sound great, this fits that bill. It is a comfortable pair of headphone that is excellent at cancelling noise, as good as headphones twice its price. Because of all of that, we like this pair of headphones a lot. If it is our money, we would buy it.
