Need an inexpensive pair of over-ears but don’t want to sacrifice noise cancelling?
Over-ear headphones | £99| whf.cm/WH_CH720N
Sony is, right now, the Manchester City of the wireless audio world, dominating the competition over the past few years with hit after five-star hit.
Entering this rather rosy scene (for Sony) are the WH-CH720N, which aim to fill a gap in the market by offering ANC and a more premium build quality at a reasonable price. These are designed as a pair of cans for those who aren’t keen on forking out a few hundred quid for a more premium pair of over-ears, but don’t want to skimp on ANC or suffer a significant drop in audio fidelity by opting for the entry-level WH-CH520.
As you might expect at this kind of price, these cans are hardly a lavish affair; but they are solid, well made and reasonably comfortable for a pair of sub-£100 cans. Uncluttered and unassuming, this is a pair of headphones designed to get the job done. No fuss. No flourishes. All business.
No, the CH720N don’t fold up and away, nor do they come with a designated carry case, something that we’d still like to see at this admittedly modest price point. Crucially, though, they feel good in the hand.
Cultured cancelling
A big part of the CH720N’s appeal, nay, their raison d’être, is to provide noise cancelling on a budget. Thankfully, they don’t let themselves down in this respect. More premium models such as the WH-1000XM5 over-ears or the Bose QuietComfort 45 block out external noises more fully, but these Sonys do an effective job of dampening, if not silencing completely, the rumble and swoosh of passing cars on a busy road.
There are two ANC modes: classic Noise Cancelling and Ambient Sound. Both are controllable from the Sony Headphones app, your base hub from which you can also select your EQ preferences, check battery life and generally tweak your cans’ settings.
Battery life, meanwhile, hits 50 hours if you turn ANC off, with up to 35 hours of juice available with ANC turned on.
What really helps the CH720N earn their stripes, though, are a number of extra, slightly more premium features such as Sony DSEE sound upscaling and Sony 360 Reality Audio that help to make these over-ears feel like a great deal.
Courage and conviction
Prodding around for a few appropriate test tracks via Tidal immediately gives us a clear impression of how the latest Sony over-ears carry themselves sonically. No shrinking violets, they imbue their musical cargo with heft and conv
