Gadget Review: Sony WH-CH720N is a premium product at an affordable price

The best things in life are those that are free. Or at least inexpensive. Note that I did not say cheap, for that has a whole other connotation, especially when it comes to quality. But inexpensive is a term that at once brings up an image of attainable quality – and the Sony WH-CH720N answers to that description.

Once that behemoth that bestrode the global consumer electronics world like a colossus, Sony has gone on overdrive these last few years as if it has a point to prove to the Johnnies-come-lately from Korea, China, the US and elsewhere.

And at least when it comes to the world of personal wireless audio, the Japanese giant is on a victory march, launching product after winning product, whether its their flagship WH-1000XM5 headphones, the budget WF-C500 earbuds or the new ULT series of cans. Some of these have really impressed us at City Times in our previous gadget reviews, and the one on this page is no exception. But before you think this is an open and shut case of us praising this particular Sony to the nines, read on.

The WH-CH720N (the name, in typical Sony style, is a mouthful) is quite unlike most other Sony products you might imagine. The brand is associated with premium products at equally premium prices, that seek to offer the best technology, features and performance in their respective categories and compete with the best in the market. Not this one, though.

The WH-CH720N is a pocket- and user-friendly product that offers you a no-nonsense package of only what you need and nothing that you don’t – and what it offers, it pretty much excels at.

Let’s first check that philosophy in action in the design, looks and build. These over-the-ear headphones are comfortable enough without feeling like you’re cosseted in Rolls Royce-levels of comfort like Sony’s more upscale models.

Firstly, at a light 192-grams in weight, you hardly feel the gadget around your ears. The cups are large enough to accommodate most ears, and the padding, both around the ears and under the headband on top, is as comfortable as you might expect from Sony. These are the areas that matter, for they are the ones that are in contact with the user. For all other areas, though, this Sony has a much less premium feel.

The all-round finish of the plastic areas is not the smooth, silky and satiny surface that Sony’s XM5 flagship or the comparable Bose, B&O or Apple products offer. Instead, it is more plasticky and unrefined to the touch, with rougher edges and corners, though only where you do not need to touch. The look and feel is not upscale, but this is only a negative factor if you think your headphone set is a cat that you can stroke rather than a device for listening to music.

Where it matters, Sony has ensured quality: The padding is more than adequately comfortable and the clamping force is just right to keep it in place without discomfort for long periods of time while also blocking out ambient sound effectively.

That sound blocking is of course done mainly with the active noise cancellation, and this is again adequate in the WH-CH720N. Of course, you don’t get that sepulchral silence that the more expensive cans give you, but the Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) in this Sony is good enough for all real-life situations. In fact, when it comes to use in environments and situations where you need both silence and an awareness of the world around you, we actually prefer this over the premium products. In an office setting, for example, this Sony keeps you adequately isolated from any din around you while still ensuring that you can hear that verbal summon from your boss in the background.

Keeping to the utilitarian theme, the controls on this Sony are simple and easy to use. None of that touch-control gimmickry here; the WH-CH720N has actual buttons on the cups that you press to control the volume and tracks, and even activate and deactivate the ANC. In our books, this is actually a more preferable solution, where you don’t have to go fiddling with the touch controls to get that precise setting.

Now coming to the sound, in its default state, the WH-CH720N suffers from the Sony family trait of a slightly overblown bass. I say suffers here because this signature Sony characteristic has actually been well-received in the market owing to how it fits modern music tastes. If your play list has dollops of hip-hop and modern pop numbers, then you will love the signature sound but if there more variety to your musical taste then both the bass and treble might seem exaggerated with more nuanced and demanding music, such as jazz or blues.

But then you have the equalizer on the Sony app to the rescue, where finding our ideal setting was easy enough. With the treble and bass scaled down and mids dialed up, even the finicky ears of your truly could find no fault with these cans, whether listening to blues, Beethoven or Bollywood.

Two other aspects that you also cannot find fault with are the call quality and battery life. In the former, reception is clear and precise, while the microphones cut out background noise effectively while picking up your voice very well, even filtering out wind noise adequately in outdoor situations.

The battery life, meanwhile, is almost 50 hours without the ANC activated and a very competitive 35 hours with it on. And if you run out of juice, a quick 3-5 minute charge can give you an extra 1.5 hours.

Available at Dh394 in an ongoing promotion form Sony over the Dh430 retail price, the WH-CH720N is a great bargain either way for what it offers. What it does not offer is a carrying case or pouch, or a premium feel and foldability, which would have made it a complete package. But we’d recommend it highly as it is if you’re in the market for a no-nonsense, do-it-all – and do-it-well – headphones that offer great value for money.

Sony WH-CH720N Bluetooth noise-cancelling headphones

Hits:

• Gadget Review: Marshall Minor IV is major contender among earbuds