Sony WHCH720N

The Sony WH-CH720N are lightweight over-ear wireless headphones with surprisingly good noise cancelling and 35-hour battery life, all at a budget-friendly price. They sound punchy, charge in a flash, and feel hardly there on your head. Just don't expect premium materials or a carrying case, and if you've got big ears, try before you buy.

Sony's WH-CH720N is the company's attempt to bring its noise cancelling smarts down to a price that won't make your wallet weep. If you've been hunting for a wireless over-ear pair that can hush your commute without costing $300-plus, these are absolutely on your radar. The spec sheet reads like a wish list for budget shoppers: 35-hour battery life, multipoint Bluetooth 5.2, quick charging that gives an hour of playback from three minutes of juice, and Sony's DSEE upscaling. All that, and they're the lightest ANC headphones Sony has ever put its name on. At around 431 grams, they feel like almost nothing on your head. Almost nothing, except for the fact that the all-plastic build will remind you this isn't a flagship.

In the noise cancelling department, the WH-CH720N leans on Dual Noise Sensor tech and an integrated V1 processor, trickled down from the premium 1000X series. It's not going to erase the world like a pair of $400 cans, but for coffee shop chatter, subway rumble, and office aircon drone, it does a very respectable job. The Adaptive Sound Control automatically tweaks the ambient sound levels based on whether you're sitting still or walking, which is handy, if a little finicky. Rounding out the feature set, you get 360 Reality Audio support, 20-level adjustable ambient sound, and a fully customizable EQ through the Sony Headphones Connect app.

Where things get interesting is the comfort story. Owner reviews gush about how lightweight and wearable these are for marathon sessions. Flip to our database, and the CH720N lands in the 13th percentile for comfort, which is, well, not great. What gives? The clamping force is gentle and the headband design is airy, but the earcups are a bit shallow and the padding feels budget-grade. So if you've got larger ears or a head that's sensitive to on-ear pressure after a few hours, you may notice it sooner than the glowing reviews suggest. Still, for most people, the featherweight design wins the day.

Sony stuck a pair of 30mm drivers in these cups, and with DSEE and the customizable EQ, you can massage the sound to your liking. Out of the box, the tuning is a pretty safe V-shaped affair with punchy bass that doesn't bleed into the mids too much. Pop on something bass-heavy, and you'll feel the rumble without the mud. The mids can get a little crowded when tracks get busy, but a few tweaks in the app's EQ smooth that out. Overall, our sound performance score puts the CH720N at the 78th percentile, meaning it's well above average for this price tier. It won't replace a studio headphone, but for streaming playlists, podcasts, and YouTube, it's a lively listen.

Noise cancelling comes in at the 64th percentile. That's not a chart-topper, but remember, we're comparing these against all over-ear ANC headphones, including ones that cost triple. In practice, the CH720N sucks down low-end hum like a champ and takes the edge off mid-range noise. Voices still bleed through a bit, so don't expect total silence in an open office. The transparency mode is decent, though it has that slightly digital processed quality. Battery life? We logged a consistent 34 to 35 hours with ANC on, putting it in the 76th percentile. The quick-charge is a lifesaver, a 3-minute top-up before dashing out the door really does deliver nearly an hour. Call quality through the built-in mic lands in the middle of the pack, clear enough for Zoom but nothing your coworkers will write home about.

The WH-CH720N is a lesson in pricing gymnastics. Depending on where you look, you'll see it listed anywhere from $100 to $250, a $150 spread that can make your head spin. At the high end, you're creeping into territory where better-built, more comfortable options give you a real pause. But at the low end, particularly when Best Buy drops it closer to that $100 mark, these headphones become an absolute bargain. For a hundred bucks, you're getting adaptive noise cancelling, 35-hour stamina, and Sony's app ecosystem. There's very little else at this price that delivers the same feature set. If you're patient and shop around, you can land a deal that makes the plastic build and missing case a lot easier to forgive.

Set the WH-CH720N next to the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4, and the differences are immediate. The MOMENTUM 4 costs a fair bit more but counters with richer, more detailed sound, much better noise isolation, and a plush headband that earns its comfort reputation. The Sony fights back on weight and value, it's notably lighter and a lot cheaper on sale. If sound quality and luxury feel matter most, Sennheiser takes the crown.

Against the Bose QuietComfort Ultra, the Sony is outclassed in ANC and all-wear comfort, but again, you're looking at double or triple the price. The Bose are the undisputed kings of silent serenity, while the CH720N is the scrappy contender that does enough for the money. The JBL Live 770NC is a closer rival, with a similarly warm sound, better native comfort for big ears, and a fold-flat design. It doesn't have Sony's app polish, though, and its ANC isn't as smartly adaptive. For those who just want a simple, comfortable daily driver, the JBL might edge out the Sony. The Audio-Technica ATH-S300BT and TOZO HT3 are both cheaper still, but they stumble on ANC performance and battery life, making the Sony the smarter pick if you can stretch your budget a little.

If all-day plush comfort or dead-silent noise cancelling are your non-negotiables, the WH-CH720N might leave you wanting. Ditto if you simply can't stand the feel of all-plastic headphones, no 96th percentile build score can mask that budget vibe for everyone. For truly immersive ANC and a more luxurious fit, step up to the Bose QuietComfort Ultra or Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4. Gamers after low-latency wireless audio should look elsewhere too, these are fine for casual play but not tuned for competitive gaming.

The Sony WH-CH720N doesn't pretend to be a flagship, and you shouldn't either when you buy them. For under $150, you're getting noise cancelling that punches well above its price, bonkers battery life, and a featherlight design that owners genuinely love wearing for hours. The trade-offs are clear: the plastic build feels cheap, you don't get a case, and users with larger ears may find the padding too shallow after a long session. If comfort is the absolute top of your list, you might want to look at the Bose QuietComfort Ultra or even the JBL Live 770NC. But if you want feature-rich wireless ANC on a budget and don't mind a bit of plasticky feel, these Sony cans are a no-brainer. Buy them on sale and smile every time they auto-connect to your phone and laptop in seconds.