The flagship over-ear headphones Sony WH-1000XM5 (test report) is our number 1 on the best over-ear headphones list – but it also costs over 300 euros. But there is a visually comparable model, the WH-CH720N, but much cheaper at around 85 euros. Great bargain or tired stopgap? TechStage does the test.
Highlights des Sony WH-CH720N
- Price under 100 euros
- Design: subtle, dark gray
- Lighter and comfortable
- easy installation
- Bluetooth multiple connection
- 35 hours of play time
- ANC quality good
- Practical for phone calls
- Customizable Sound via App
- AAC codec supported
Preis
With a street price of well under €100, the WH-CH720N only costs a third of its big brother, the Sony WH-1000XM5 (test report). If the limitations in sound and features don't bother you, you can get a branded mid-range headphone cheaply that can easily keep up with others in its price range.
Design
Where others show off with chrome and large manufacturer logos, Sony shows that there is no need for something like that: The Sony logo, admittedly slightly larger than on the WH-1000XM5, but still discreetly executed in medium to dark gray, is the only contrast on an otherwise Continuously dark gray, inconspicuous matt hard plastic surface. Even the labels on the controls and the tiny L and R markings are barely visible. However, you quickly notice how to put the headphones on the right way up because the headband tilts backwards instead of upwards when the ear cups are swapped.
In addition to the black model we tested, the headphones are also available in blue and white. At 186 g instead of 248 g, the WH-CH720N is lighter than the premium model and comfortable to wear thanks to the soft materials. However, you have to forego some things for the low price.
Sony WH-CH720N pictures
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Equipment, installation and operation
The packaging and features of the Sony WH-CH720N are simple but sufficient: an environmentally friendly cardboard box, no additional protective bag.
For wired operation, a 1.2 m long analogue jack plug cable and a 20 cm long USB charging cable are included. The latter can also be replaced with a longer copy, but not the former. At 1.2 m you are already very close to the desktop tower PC; taller people can no longer sit up straight. Sudden head movements or even standing up without taking off the headphones first should be avoided. The PC should also be to the left of you because the connection is on the left headphone cup. With notebooks, on the other hand, wireless Bluetooth coupling is possible if they have the appropriate equipment.
Commissioning is uncomplicated – apart from creating a Sony account for the app and all the initial app settings. In contrast to many other headphone apps, Sony's also offers real added value and quick recognition and pairing of the WH-CH720N as soon as the Bluetooth pairing mode is active. In the TechStage test, however, the only option that still works is the smartphone's settings menu.
The WH-CH720N can connect to two devices via Bluetooth. Calls have priority, otherwise the switch only occurs when the sound source currently playing falls silent and something is playing on the other device. This makes more sense than, for example, the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 (test report), which basically prioritizes one paired device over the second: there, the “ping” of an Outlook email on the prioritized smartphone interrupts the enjoyment of music from the second device, and it follows it Interruption no longer switched back.
When operating with a cable, there is also a passive mode in which the headphones still play without the electronics switched on, but also without ANC, even with a discharged battery. The normal case, however, is the clearly better-sounding active mode – the headphones switch on automatically when the jack cable is plugged in. A DAB+ radio Viola 3 is not disturbed like the Yamaha YH-L700A (test report).
The headphones play for up to 35 hours without having to be recharged. However, the sound improvements must then be switched off. You will only really need passive mode in exceptional cases. The USB cable can only be used for charging; digital signal transmission (= headphones register as a sound card) is not possible here.
The headphones have a button for switching on and off as well as a long press for Bluetooth pairing and a second button for switching the noise cancellation mode (ANC An, Out of, Transparent/Ambient). Three more buttons control more like this Volume up/down, Start/Pause, Next previous and accepting calls. It takes some practice to hit the right button with headphones on.
Comfort: Very soft, no pressure points, but hot
Over-ear headphones are not always popular with people who wear glasses because they can be uncomfortable when combined with the temples of the glasses. This isn't too extreme with the WH-CH720N – but compared to the Sony WH-1000XM5 (test report), it doesn't seem lighter despite its lower weight and you get the impression that your ears are sweating underneath. There are no problems with odors due to the different, hard plastic material for the outside.
ANC and phone calls
The headphones fit well and don't work on their own even when jogging or running. Wind and footstep noises are also unnoticeable. It seals acoustically well, even without ANC, and even more so. The ANC does not reach the top quality of the Sony WH-1000XM5, but is still more intense than, for example, the Yamaha YH-L700A (test report).
No noise can be detected. A slight difference in sound when changing the ANC mode is noticeable, but it's not annoying. The transparency can be adjusted in 20 steps, but in practice you hardly need a setting other than “maximum”. Additionally, transparency can be limited to votes; other sounds are then not passed through. The ANC works well when traveling by train and relieves a lot of strain on the ears.
However, Sony has given its ANC and the app almost too much artificial intelligence: it works adaptively and, on the one hand, evaluates the current location, for which you can also store a desired mode, and, on the other hand, the outside noise. This leads to the headphones unexpectedly switching to transparent when leaving the train in the station hall. This is well-intentioned, but rather annoying, as you can't really understand announcements in the station hall even without headphones and so it's better to avoid this service. However, you can change this behavior in the app.
What about ANC in the office? This used to be a field where ANC headphones had no chance. But the Sony WH-CH720N is usable here, although not as perfect as the WH-1000XM5. It also lacks the clever mode of assuming when you speak that you want to hear the answer and therefore automatically switching to transparency. When ANC is switched on, all frequencies are attenuated evenly, lows as well as mids and highs.
You can make good calls with the Sony WH-CH720N and not only is the background noise reduced for the user, the other person also receives a reasonable sound. Of course, you still make yourself unpopular with constant phone calls on the train, but this function can be very practical in the office if you can connect the headphones to the telephone system or receive the calls on your cell phone anyway.
Klang
It is positive that the Sony app also runs on the older Android version of the Onkyo DP-X1 high-end player. It makes it possible to adapt the playback of the Sony WH-CH720N to your own taste. In its original state, despite the Sony sound processor, it reproduced too many artifacts in simple MP3s – instead of two sound processors like in the WH-1000XM5, only one is available here. Fortunately, the equalizer in the app can mitigate this somewhat. Unfortunately, the app and equalizer are excluded from what is actually the best quality transmission, the connection via cable. And even with the best quality from Qobuz and an AAC-capable smartphone, artifacts can still be heard in “On the Border” by Al Stewart without an equalizer.
The WH-CH720N does without special sound effects. However, like its big brother, a major weak point is the lack of aptX and Sony's own LDAC is not available here either. So all that's left is SBC if you can't persuade the smartphone to at least work with AAC, which is otherwise only found on Apple devices. The Hi-Res player Onkyo DP-X1 even offers aptX HD, but definitely no AAC, which leaves only SBC at the level of a €20 cheap Bluetooth for a Hi-Res player and Hi-Res headphones -listener.
Conclusion
The ANC and wearing comfort of the Sony WH-CH720N, as well as the sound, are acceptable, although not top-notch. The price-performance ratio is right and the product is suitable for everyday use, plays for 35 hours without recharging and can be used in many ways – not just for listening to music. With AAC as the only higher-quality codec, the WH-CH720N only makes sense either for cable operation on devices with a jack socket, for coupling to Apple devices or to Android devices that also support AAC.