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BudgetAudiophile @lemmy.world
starman @programming.dev

Sony WH-CH720N

Hello guys.

What do you think of Sony WH-CH720N headphones? I can get them for $82. Is there anything better for this price?

Things I want to have:

  1. Good ANC
  2. Bluetooth and wired connection
  3. Comfort of wearing them for, let's say 2 hours

Thanks in advance.

7 comments

  • I have a pair of these that I use upwards of 6+ hours a day sometimes. I use them at work and while at the gym. I've had them for a little over a year now, and have been pretty happy with them so far, and felt I got a decent deal because I think I also got them for about $80ish on Prime Day.

    Now in response to your lists of wants, here are my takes:

    1. Good ANC? Meh. I would have a hard time calling it ANC or even true noise canceling. I think of it as a pretty decent noise dampening. I have fiddled around with different settings in the app, but nothing seems to give me true noise canceling. I can still ever-so-slightly hear the music playing on the gym's sound system or the sound of people dropping weights, if I don't have my music up loud enough. It might just be I haven't messed with the settings enough or the cups don't rest quite right on my ears to give a true seal to give real noise canceling.
    2. BT & wired connection. I have had minimal complaints with the connections this far. I have only used the wired connection once, and that was when I first got my pair, so I can't comment on quality of that. But for the BT connection, it's worked out pretty great for me so far. My only complaint has been random disconnections that only seem to happen when I had the Sony Headphones app running. I suspect the disconnections happen when my phone shuts down the Headphones app from running in the background. But fortunately, you do not need to open or run the app to use the headphones. So, outside of adjusting the various audio settings, I don't ever open that app.
    3. Comfort. As I mentioned earlier, I will usually wear these sometimes for hours and hours on end, especially at work. I've found them quite comfortable for extended periods of time. The only discomfort I occasionally experience is when I have to wear safety glasses and a hat at work while also wearing the headphones. But, just taking them off and letting area above my ears relax for about 5-10 minutes seems to help on that front. The pads are pretty comfortable and have been keeping their cushion pretty despite the sweat and abuse that's been tossed their way.

    A few items that may be of interest are: -Build quality. They're not the heaviest duty headphones out there, but they don't feel super cheap. Like I said, I use mine at work and at the gym, so they're not getting throw around or beat up a lot, but they're not something that I only wear while casually sitting in a chair listening to records. The synthetic leather material for the pads is pretty comfortable, but I am starting to notice some "bubbling" on both pads, and expect some peeling to happen soon. I have yet to investigate replacement pads for that eventuality.

    -Battery life. Pretty happy with the battery life on them so far. I feel like I get about 5-10 days of use out of them between charges. That is also very dependent on which mode I have them turned on. I also like that if you quickly tap the power button, it will tell you the charge level. That function, plus the BT icon on my phone listing the estimated charge level, have greatly reduced my annoyance with previous BT speakers/headphones and the guesswork involved in battery life.

    Overall, I would recommend them for the price point, but just know what you're getting with them. If you truly want ANC, then you might have to go with some of the higher tier headphones from Sony or Sennheiser, or whomever.

    Hopefully that helps a little bit.

  • I have the WH-CH720N (catchy name) and they have been good. The headband is a little narrow, but after wearing them a few times it doesn't bother me anymore. Also, they started disconnecting and reconnecting a bunch lately, turns out there is something funky with the sony headphones app. Uninstalling the app seems to have fixed the issue. I've had mine for over a year now.

  • Imma be totally honest here and say that nothing with built in Bluetooth and ANC is going to qualify as even budget audiophile. Sony does probably make the best bang for your buck TWS/combo earbuds though.

    If you're looking for something cheap, transparent/neutral, detailed, and optionally wired, your best bet is definitely a pair of IEMs and a Bluetooth receiver. You can get a lowish-end pair of Moondrop wired IEMs that'll reproduce more detail than fancy earbuds, and then hook them up to a tiny Bluetooth receiver that supports LDAC/AAC/apex HD codecs (like the fiio btr3k) when you want wireless convenience.

    Swapping the silicone tips out for something like comply foam will also block out as much or more sound than low-end ANC, and it'll do so without distortion and without putting any of the cost of the headphones toward something that doesn't improve audio quality.

    Just my two cents as someone who has tried a TON of high end earbuds and gladly settled on IEMs + a BTR5K receiver. And for anything under like $800, Moondrop tends to offer the highest tech for the money with IEMs.

7 comments