Sony - WH-CH710N Wireless Noise-Cancelling Over-the-Ear Headphones - Gray

I’ve been using my sony WH-CH710N’s now for about a week and overall I am happy with the performance but that said, there are a few things to point out that may or may not affect your decision to purchase your own pair. The one thought that constantly came to mind while I was testing these headphones was “I guess some corners had to be cut for the price range.” That’s not always a good thing, but these headphones are in an interesting position of not being the better, flagship sony XM3’s but also not being cheap 50 dollar or less headphones. It’s a tight line that I think, to be fair, Sony has walked well for the most part. So what are these corners cut and do they matter to you? FIRST THOUGHTS: Right out of the box, and probably the biggest complaint found on most reviews, is that there is no carrying bag/case/etc. This is one of those little things that can really upset some people or not bug you at all. Personally I didn’t think it would bother me that much but after handling the headphones and seeing how loose the swivel on the earcups are, I do wish there was some kind of protection bag, but luckily that’s a pretty easy and cheap fix if it does bother you. If you’re going to be taking these headphones with you when you travel, or in your bag to work or backpack to school you will want to get some kind of carrying and protection bag because they will pick up dirt and dust and can easily get pinched and maybe break if you leave them loosely floating around in a bag. So along those lines, the build is another one of those corners that feels cut. They are not cheap feeling by any means, but they are plastic and like I said, the swivel of the ear cups is pretty loose, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it does make them feel a little fragile. AUDIO QUALITY: Now that said, the main thing you want from your headphones is good, clean audio. I have not personally used the Sony XM3 headphones, but they are commonly referred to as the high end Sony noise cancelling headphones and set the bar in many ways. Without actually listening to XM3’s, I can see why some reviewers have complained about the 710N’s not being as good but remember, the price is also much less. What I can say is that the 710N’s are not bad by any means. They have a pretty clean and relatively full sound. The lows are definitely lacking if you’re into pushing bass and sacrificing overall sound, but otherwise the mix is pretty solid. The lows are present, the highs are still crisp but the mids suffer the most with a slight emptiness feeling in those mid ranges. Not enough to complain about, but it is slightly noticeable. Along with that, the overall volume is not great. I wish there was just a little more power in the volume even if I’m not going to push it “all the way to 11”. In some situations I found myself pushing the volume up to almost full and still not hitting that “too loud” point. Obviously listening at high volumes for long periods of time is not healthy for your ears but sometimes that one song comes on and you go to turn it up a bit and in those moments you may notice it doesn’t give you as much volume as you wish. One other thing to note is there is not currently support for the Sony app that their other headphones use and is unclear if that support is coming soon or will not be available at any time. Personally I use my phone's EQ control to adjust the sound but I would like to have the option to use sony’s app and I feel that is an oversight that doesn’t seem smart to not include at launch. FEATURES: Now what about those extra features; noise cancelling, ambient noise, and assistant control? Well, for that I have to unfortunately go with the aforementioned phrase, “some corners had to be cut.” These are not the XM3’s, we know that. These don’t cost as much as the XM3’s, we know that too. But they should still be good for the 200 dollar price tag. I’m not sure I can say they match that price in my opinion but that doesn’t mean they’re not good either. The noise canceling is decent, it’s not amazing, but it does some canceling. I was using the headphones while vacuuming and it removed most of the noise from the motor and when music is also playing you pretty much can’t hear the vacuum at all. I assume for things like airplane engines, trains, or even road noise it would be a similar situation where it isn’t canceled noise as much as reduced noise. Personally that’s fine, I didn’t buy them for the noise canceling but I know a lot of people do and those people will probably be disappointed and want to save a little more to get the better headphones. But for the average person, the 710N’s will be good enough. The same can be said about the ambient noise feature. I was actually a little more unhappy with this feature than the noise cancelling. I was hoping it would allow me to have a conversation with someone in front of me (for example if I was in public and needed to hear someone on the sidewalk next to me or traffic etc and be able to safely hear my surroundings) and unfortunately I didn’t feel they were able to do that well enough to trust it to keep me fully aware of my surroundings. If there is no music playing, sure I can hear pretty well and the system works decently, but as soon as I played any audio, even at a low volume, I struggled to hear my wife talking right in front of me and she said she was talking “pretty loud”. Essentially, in the end I realized the only way to really hear around me is to pull one cup slightly off my ear. But hey, the comfort level is very good for me. I have a pretty small head and am still able to wear the headphones comfortably for long periods of time without any pressure or pain in my ears. That’s saying something because my ears almost always get sore with most headphones and I had no issues with these. I have an android phone (samsung S9) and found the NFC to work perfect every time, as well as a really strong bluetooth connection even standing in a different room, and the voice assistant feature worked fine the few times I tested it. There’s an included headphone “aux” cable that allows you to connect directly to a headphone jack which is really a nice feature that most new headphones don’t bother with. The best part about this is if your battery dies, you can still use the headphones (without noise cancelling or ambient etc) with a connected device and in a pinch, may be a very useful feature. BATTERY LIFE: I wanted to touch quickly on battery life. After a few days of decently heavy use, the battery still says “full battery”. That’s awesome and says a lot about the overall battery life. Sony says about 35 hours of playback and I would have to say that’s probably pretty accurate. Obviously volume and use of noise cancelling or not will affect those times as well. The time to fully charge when I first opened them did seem pretty long and showed there definitely is not any fast charging going on but Sony claims you can get 1 hour of listening with a quick 10 min charge. Something I wasn’t able to test because I still have not been able to drain the battery completely, which I see as a positive note. FINAL THOUGHTS: So what's the overall review for me? I like them. I’m not unhappy with my purchase but that’s also knowing the shortcomings before purchasing. I wasn’t expecting amazing noise cancelling and I wasn’t expecting high quality audio playback. I wanted a decent pair of wireless headphones that were not in-ear style that I could take with me when I travel and could block out some noise and provide clean audio in a comfortable way for long periods of time. And with the 710N’s I got exactly that. I am happy with my choice and have always enjoyed Sony equipment. If you want to get the best of the best I would say go for the XM3’s but if you want some lower cost, get the job done headphones that you can trust to deliver your music with long battery life and some bonus features then get these 710Ns. You won’t be disappointed. TL;DR I like these headphones overall. They are not as good as high end, more expensive models like the XM3 but they are as good or better than other headphones in their price range. Noise cancelling is more like noise reducing and ambient mode is just ok but the NFC feature, the bluetooth connection strength, and the voice assistant all work great and add some features for those that want them. And for the old school users you can still hardwire your cans to your phone (if your phone has the headphone jack) and can then be used with a dead battery (without NC or Ambient mode obviously). The quality is decent and in line with other headphones in the price range. If you are looking for the best of the best, save some money and buy a better pair (I’d suggest Sony’s XM3) but if you are not an audiophile or just want a decent pair of cans then these will work perfect for you. PROS: - Good clean sound - Bluetooth connection is very strong and works great (with samsung s9+) - NFC creates quick easy connection - Voice assistant available - Battery level check with one tap of power button - Extremely long battery life - Decent noise reduction - Long term wear comfort - Option to use headphone aux cable to hardwire connect - Mostly plastic build but still strong sturdy feel CONS: - No high quality audio support - No app support currently (possibly added in update) - NC is just ok. Not full cancelling - Ambient mode doesn’t allow as much noise in as I would prefer - Max volume is lacking - No Carrying bag - Button layout is slightly difficult to use and navigate - Slight learning curve to remember what buttons do what with which push combination (ie push play button 3 times to skip back, 2 times to skip forward 1 time to pause etc etc)

The WH-CH710N noise cancelling headphones are a bit of a mixed bag for me. The design of these headphones is understated to say the least, with its fairly plain looking, matte black lightweight plastic construction, and moderately padded earpads/headband. It comes with a short USB-C charging cable, 3.5mm AUX cable for wired connections but no protective case, which is a shame because these cans can’t be folded up compactly for travel or storage. Each side of the headband extends up to 1.5” and the core is made of a flexible stainless steel over plastic which feels solid and durable. The earcups swivel about 120° to the sides and can be laid flat around your neck; they tilt about 30° to rest on the sides of your head too, so they’ll conform to most head shapes and sizes. Power and charging features, as well as an NFC touch area for one-touch pairing, are located on the left earcup while playback controls and the noise cancelling toggle are on the right. Both earcups have a pin hole mic for picking up ambient sound around you in order to provide directional stereo noise cancelling which is pretty neat. Fit wise, I found the grip of the band to be a tad tight, making the ear cushions press somewhat hard against the skin and causing some heat build up from the leatherette material. That, coupled with the nearly non-existent padding on the underside of the headband left me fatigued from having them on after only a few hours and had me wishing that they were just a little more comfortable for longer listening sessions, because while they may not have a premium look at this price point, the sound quality is actually very good. The sound produced from these is crisp and clear, delivered faithfully from the 30mm drivers housed in each earpiece. There is surprising depth and satisfying bass in the low ranges with bright trebles and rich, full mid-tones. The sound stage is open and wide while being placed far enough away that it doesn’t feel boxed in nor like you’re listening from afar. You can adjust the volume up and down using the controls right on the headphones and initiate play/pause and track skipping via the multi-function button between the volume keys. To turn on Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), just press the toggle button on the right earcup to give yourself a more intimate listening experience. Noise Cancelling mode boosts sound levels and reduces external noises around you picked up by the dual microphones. It works best to mute sounds that are close to you but wasn’t always precise or perfect. It seems to focus mostly on mid to low range frequencies like road noise or a constant fan humming in the background, and it didn’t do that great with higher frequencies, like the sound of keyboard typing and chattering voices in the background. With NC active and no music playing, you will hear a bit of white noise, like a soft wooshing or light wind. You can also use the NC toggle button to activate Ambient Noise mode which allows the sound around you to play through the headphones while listening to your music. This mode uses the mics to pass through the sound to your ears rather than block them, providing you with greater awareness of your surroundings. The headphones are capable of answering calls hands-free and activating a digital voice assistant, like Alexa or Siri, by long pressing the playback control button. Your voice is then picked up by the mics built-into the headphones, so you don’t have to pull out your phone. The battery, which can last up to 35 hours on Bluetooth with ANC enabled or up to 40 hours without, takes around 7 hours to fully charge. However, 10 minutes of charging gives you about an hour’s worth of play time due to the unit’s quick charging capability. Pairing over Bluetooth and NFC to my mobile phone was straightforward and easy, and I was able to connect and stream music from my phone without a problem. You do have the option to connect the unit to your device via the included cable to a headphone jack (and still use ANC provided there’s still some battery life), though you’ll lose the use of the on-board volume and playback controls. Listening without NC activated with the cable does not consume battery, so you can still use these if they are not charged. Overall, I did enjoy the sound quality and listening experience from these headphones. They are lightweight, durable, and easy to use. The noise cancellation performance was adequate, with some exception, though the bland design leaves a bit to be desired. The chief area I would say that could be improved is the comfort if you plan on wearing it for longer periods of time. However, the earpads are replaceable, if they wear out, or if you get tired of the ones included out-of-the-box, you can swap them for more cushy ones, if you can find the right size.

There comes a time when a sequel to an outstanding product has to be made. Expectations were high in anticipation, with proposed replacement models to SONY’s outstanding WH700 and 1000XM3. Announced at CES 2020 the WH710N is SONY’s replacement to the WH700 series, a new midrange headphone that takes upon the positive attributes of the highly recommended WH-1000XM3. These SONY WH-710N are my new lightweight favorites for around the house and listening on the computer. The design is rather attractive, it is light, weighing in at 220g, and features a large cushioned earpad held by an adjustable headband that is comfortable for all-day use. Technology-wise the headphones support Bluetooth (BT) 5.0 and support AAC and SBC codecs (as per the specs). The left headphone earcup has a microphone, and the power/pairing button, as well as USB-C charging and the headphone input. The right ear-cup of the headphone has 4 buttons, of which 3 of the buttons control the volume up and down, and the multi-function button that controls track management (play-pause-next-previous) and initiating Siri or Google Assistant. The 4th button on the right cup controls the Noise Canceling (NC) profiles. The overall sound quality is more than acceptable for this pair of headphones, even though it cant process high-quality audio (APT-X, which WH700 did) it does provide a rather pleasing sonic experience, if anything its a bit bass-heavy, and needs the equalizer to be set to “flat” to not drone out the highs, the mid-range could use a punch too. Testing the sound quality over BT via Google Music (highest quality audio quality), Pandora and Spotify, I was pleasantly surprised, but once again a bit of equalizer was necessary (if your device supports it). I liked the fact that these headphones support passive use with a computer (using the audio input) - and therefore if you do not need the Noise Cancelling (NC) feature, you can just plug it straight into the headphone output of your device. The device supports NFC pairing, and with BT5.0, you can pair multiple devices. If your device supports NFC pairing, it’s a neat feature to speed up the pairing process. The noise-canceling (NC) feature is workable and it seems to work rather well with a reduction of the background noise of a fan and other low white noise, however, it would not drown out my keyboard typing or other sounds. Enough to say it’s effective but no way near the class-leading SONY 1000XM3 which completely drown out white noise sounds. Apart from Noise-Canceling, the headphone features an “ambient” noise profile, that allows you to hear your surroundings while still retaining the audio quality that the cans possess. Consider it a de-tuned version of the NC. This feature should let you hear your surroundings as you are out and about. Do note: legally you can’t have both ears covered while riding a bicycle, ambient sound mode, or not. The package contents include a short USB-A to USB-C cable (for charging) and a headphone aux cable to use it as passive cans. I wish it had a drawstring case or something, the exterior of the box looks beautiful and very upscale. Pros: Can be used without the Bluetooth / headphone being on - via the audio input Lightweight, 220g in weight Noise-canceling seemed to work, and acceptable to remove low-end sounds. The microphone on the left ear work swell for phone calls NFC pairing for devices that support it. Long playback time ~ 30 hours or so. Cons: A bit bass-heavy in default equalizer modes. If your Bluetooth device has an equalizer, set it to “flat” to remove some of the added Bass No voice controls for Siri / Google Assistant - however, you can hit the middle activation button Delay switching on from Noise Cancelling to Ambient sound Not easy to identify the left / right ear cups - the logo is hard to read. Long slow charging time about 6 hours from empty - no visual cues on battery power status. No travel case or sleeve.

This noise canceling Sony WH-CH710N are good headphones sound quality was excellent and they are comfortable. They seem to be very well built however they I didn’t like the fact they look and feel kind of cheap due to so much plain plastic surface. Inside the upper headband and ear cuff are made of leather or leather like material and it feels soft to the skin. You will notice right away that they are extremely light. I was very surprised even inside the retail packaging it felt light. The setup was pretty simple using my Android phone I just tapped on the NFC symbol and right away I got a pairing notification on the phone and that’s it. The sound quality is excellent and it was very well balanced, the base was not super deep but was well enough to be heard and not overpowering high frequency. The noise cancellation feature also impressed me as well. It is very noticeable the difference when you activate the feature and how the outside sound just fades out. With the ANC button you can adjust and turn on/off the noise canceling. I went bike riding with them and the noise canceling was very good keeping the air sound to minimal. You can also adjust ANC if you want to hear your surroundings which is one of the main reasons I didn’t like using headphones while exercising outdoors until now. I also was able to use the handsfree calling during that bike ride and the person on the other end was able to hear me loud and clear which surprised me due to the fact how windy it was outside. One of my favorite features is the hands free voice assistant activation. I did not need to press any button to trigger the assistant, I just said the hot word and that was it. The Manufacturer claims 35 hours of battery life, in one of the occasions I used it straight for about 2 hours and the battery life was still at 100%. On the right side you have several buttons where you can adjust the volume, play/pause and the ANC button. On the left is the power button, the headphone jack and the USB connector. I read several negative reviews regarding the Bluetooth connectivity, and honestly from my experience I did not encounter any of the mentioned issues. Overall the sound quality, Noise canceling and the added extra features make these headphone a good buy. In the box you have the headphone, USB cable, headphone cable and manual.

Sony's WH-CH710N noise cancelling headphones offer good noise cancelling and "bassy" sound. They are a bit smaller than you'd imagine them being from the pictures but they are comfortable and have great battery life. They come equipped with a USB Type-C port and a NFC so you can pair them easily with your devices. There is also a 3.5mm jack so you can be plug in your headphones directly to your device. The buttons on the sides of the headphones take some time to get used to as they are designed more to be hidden instead of "used", I think touch controls would've made for better interface interactions. The volume on these headphones isn't what I would call loud, but the noise cancelling offsets most of the noise that would normally distract you. In fact someone was able to sneak up and surprise me while I was listening to music which normally doesn't happen to me! There is also a pass through noise mode that uses the microphones on the headphones to let you hear what's going on around you which is a very nice safety feature. Speaking of the microphones I placed a few phone calls with this headset and got no complaints about the microphone quality. The Sony WH-CH710N's do not currently work with Sony's mobile headphone app so you cannot adjust the equalizer or other headphone related settings, but maybe that functionality will get added in the future. Overall I'm satisfied with the CH710N's as they're comfortable and I don't have to worry much about battery life or other sounds getting in the way of my listening experience.

The Sony Wireless Headphones are a soft-to-the-touch personal stereo. The great audio that comes out of these headphones is matched by the welcomed comfort. My day to day is working in front of a computer 45+ hours a week which intermittently has me needing personal audio whether it's listening or speaking in a phone meeting - the microphone comes in to add great production value. Comfort - The ear pieces are soft and supple. - The headphone pressure is just right. - Even as a glasses wearer, these are comfortable! - The retractable head piece to customize sizing looks elegant and works smoothly. Start-Up & Pairing - The power button is located on the left ear cup, hold for a few seconds and the headphones are ready to go. - Pairing and Repairing is just a longer hold of the power button - about 7 seconds - easy to do. - I like switching between laptop and mobile device throughout the day and the Bluetooth connection makes it an easy pickup point. - Look out for Bluetooth pairing name as the Sony Model name: WH-CH710N Noise-Canceling / Ambient Noise - Mode button is on the right ear piece. - Modes are only available in Wireless Mode - Noise Canceling mode helps me tune out ambient noise such as TV, podcasts, music while working from home. The NC mode really just takes the edge off of ambient noise and it worked well enough for me. NC mode seems to cancel out lower registers better than mid or high tones. - Ambient Noise Mode means that the sound emitting from the headphones is also mixing in ambient noise, making you hear both the device audio and ambient noise together. I have to say, the change can be subtle in the beginning, but pays off with more use as you get used to it. - Ambient Noise Off means there’s no noise being canceled nor being added in. - My main Mode use would be Noise Canceling since noise reduction is what I’m mainly looking for in headphones, these are great for me. Wireless / Wired - I loved walking around with these on while leaving my playback device stationary. The wireless feature really comes in handy here. - An auxiliary cable comes included so you can switch to wired mode very easily. - NC/AMB Modes are only available in Wireless Mode. Plugging in the aux cable turns off the headphones. This is a feature I don’t like. I would like to be able to use Noise Canceling even when plugged in, but they are advertised as Wireless headphones so all in all, not a huge CON. Battery Life - The battery lasts for a very long time, I loved being able to use these for 3+ hours with no low battery interruptions. - The charging cable comes included. - Charging port is easy to access, no cover. Overall I really like how these headphones are comfortable and convenient for day to day use.

Growing up as a musician, I love trying out different types of headphones. I use to assist my dad in the recording studio and love quality headphones. When testing out the Sony headphones, I decided to sync them with my cellphone first. I listened to a variety of genres of music. I listened to Orchestra, Rock n Roll, Jazz, African drum beats, R &B, to name a few. I loved the surround sound feel as I watched a few movies. There are buttons on the side where you have the ability to press pause what you are listening too, adjust the sound to ambient or noise cancelling, and the headphones notify you when they need to be charged. There is a wide sound range coming from these noise cancelling headphones. I like the metal expanding headband that is reinforced by what looks to be durable plastic at the bottom side of the metal. The thick plastic seems to reinforce the metal band securely. In addition, the metal band slides into a thick ABS plastic housing for adjusting the band for comfortable sizing. The rotation hinge on the band housing looks to be connected with a possible pin mechanism for rotation of the speakers. It is difficult to review the durability of this design as it is located within/embedded inside the connection. However; and in my professional opinion, Sony has always had a great reputation for a wide range of frequency in their speakers (highs and lows), and the speakers in this headset could be counted among them. Time will tell concerning the overall-wearing durability of the rotation mechanism. WHAT I LOVE: It syncs with my cellphone Am able to clean the house while wearing them (I did have to make a few adjustments on the headphones, to keep from accidentally touching the buttons on the side of the headphones) Great quality sound when talking on the phone. (I called many family members to test them out!) Ability to plug the headphones into your computer, laptop, or cellphone or use the Bluetooth instead. :) The headphones charge fast too. CONS: These headphones were not designed to overemphasize bass. However, that is not a deal-breaker for me. Overall, I would recommend these.

I've been using these Sony headphones for a couple of weeks now and they do a good job of quieting down the noise around you. I usually travel by air regularly and plan to use these on my flights; however, since I have not been traveling recently due to COVID restrictions, I haven't tested these on the plane yet. I currently use a Bose QC35 headphones from 2016 that I will compare with these. The Sony headphones are comfortable, though I find the Bose headphones much more comfortable. The Sony ear covers don't have as much cushioning, but they are comfortable enough for long-term wear. After about an hour, my ears started to get warm from being covered up, so I had to take them off for a few minutes. I hadn't run into that issue with the QC35. From a sound quality perspective, the Sony did a great job of reducing background noise. When listening to music, the noise cancelling is at its best. I tested it while listening to music through my phone, while my wife was watching TV in the same room. Almost no TV noise made it to the headphones while the music was playing. While listening to an audiobook, the TV noise was more noticeable, but not enough to cause a distraction. The reason that I got these headphones was the noise cancelling and it did a great job at that. Comparing it to the Bose, both were very similar in their ability to quiet the background noise, which is exactly what you want when trying to work or sleep on a plane. One area that I find lacking in all wireless headphones are the controls. Most headphones require you to remember some odd sequences of buttons to control the device and what you are listening too. In this area, Sony is about average (as is the Bose, as well). Volume up and down are pretty straight-forward, but odds are 50:50 that you select the up when you want down and vice versa. There is also a button that allows you to pause, restart, and skip ahead by pressing the correct number of times. Lastly, another button allows you to pass sound through to the headphones and turn off noise cancelling completely. The controls are passable; however, I tend to use my device to control audio or handle the pause/skip type of controls since it is easier. Overall, these are good headphones that do their primary role well, noise cancelling. I would recommend these, though I find the Bose QC35 to be more comfortable (they are usually more expensive also).