Sony WHCH720N

The Sony WH-CH720N brings top-of-the-charts noise cancelling (98th percentile) and tank-like build (97th percentile), but the comfort is so bad it ranks among the worst we've ever tested. Sound is just okay, battery is solid, and the price fluctuates like crazy. You get flagship ANC on a budget, but only if your ears can forgive the squeeze.

The Sony WH-CH720N pulls off a weird trick: noise cancelling that sits in the absolute top tier, right alongside flagships twice the price. We're talking dual noise sensors and a V1 processor that silences the world like a champ. And the build? It's shockingly sturdy for a budget-midrange headphone, landing way up in the 97th percentile. That's a lot of good news in a $60-$250 package.

The problem is, they forgot to make it wearable. Comfort bottoms out at the 2nd percentile, one of the worst we've ever measured. You'll hear every detail of your music while your ears complain after about 30 minutes. It's a headphone that begs you to take it off, which makes the killer ANC almost pointless.

ANC is the star here. With a 98th percentile ranking, it's straight-up best-in-class, blocking out everything from office chatter to jet engines. The dual noise sensor setup and Integrated Processor V1 mean you're getting Sony's latest noise-cancelling tech without the flagship markup. Connectivity is a strong suit too, with Bluetooth 5.2 and multipoint that lands in the 97th percentile, seamlessly swapping between your phone and laptop.

Sound quality is...fine. At the 71st percentile, it's solidly middle-of-the-pack. The rated frequency response of 30Hz-7kHz tells you the story: you get decent bass but the highs roll off early, so cymbals and airy details sound a bit dull. DSEE and the EQ in the companion app can rescue some of that sparkle, but it's still no detail monster. Battery life hits 35 hours, which is above average but not chart-topping (76th percentile), and the quick charge of 3 minutes for an hour of playback is handy. The 30mm drivers handle power well, but the soundstage never opens up as much as you'd hope.

Pricing is all over the map, from $60 to $250 depending on the seller. At the low end, you're getting some of the best ANC and build quality on the market for pocket change, and that's a screaming deal. Spend much past $150, though, and you're edging into territory where the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4 or JBL Live 770NC start looking smarter—they don't punish your ears for simply existing. If you snag these around the $60–80 range, you're getting a steal on noise cancelling; at full retail, you're overpaying for discomfort.

Stacked against the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4, the WH-CH720N wins on pure ANC performance and build premium feel, but loses catastrophically on comfort and sound detail. The MOMENTUM 4 gives you a richer, more extended frequency response and pads that don't feel like a vice. The JBL Live 770NC sits in a similar price bracket and absolutely smokes these Sonys on commute-friendly comfort and usability, even if its ANC doesn't hit the same heights. The Audio-Technica ATH-S300BT and TOZO HT3 are even cheaper and offer passable comfort for daily wear, making the Sony's pain point harder to forgive.

Anyone who plans to wear headphones for more than an hour at a time, commuters, and flight travelers should look elsewhere. The comfort score in the bottom 2% is a data-backed disaster for long sessions. The commute score of 59.2 reflects how poorly these handle real-world all-day use, so if you need a trusty sidekick for the bus or open-plan office, you'll be fighting the headphone more than enjoying it.

The Sony WH-CH720N is a headphone that excels at exactly two things: blocking noise and refusing to fall apart. If your only criteria are 'make the world silent' and 'feel like a tank,' grab these on sale. But for anyone who wears headphones for more than a Zoom call, that 2nd-percentile comfort score is a dealbreaker. The data screams it: you'll want to take them off long before the battery dies.