So as of early 2023, Sony has released their new entry level ANC headphones, the Sony WH-CH720N. And overall, I really like these headphones and I think that these headphones has helped redeem sony. But today we’re going to break down Sony’s current ANC headphone line up and we’re going to see how the WH-CH720N compare to the XB910N, 1000XM4, and even the 1000XM5’s.
Regarding pricing, the entry level WH-CH720N currently have a retail price of $150, and I think that its safe to assume that these headphones will go on sale on a regular basis. And these are the newest headphones here. Then there are the mid tier XB910N’s which were released in the fall of 2021 and they have a retail price of $250 and they like to go on sale for $180. Next up, there’s the 1000XM4’s which have a retail price of $350, but these like to go on sale for $280… and these are now the oldest headphones here cause they were released in the summer of 2020… And then there are the 1000XM5’s which are the successors to the XM4’s… and these have a retail price of $400 and these were released in the late spring of 2022. Nonetheless, if you want to pick any of these headphones up, they’ll be linked down below.
Now first, lets address the carrying cases that come included with these headphones. Unfortunately the WH-CH720N’s still don’t come included with a case at all, which is a disappointment all around cause other entry level headphones do. But then there are the XB910N’s and 1000XM4’s which both come included with decently small hard shell cases and part of the reason why these cases are so small is cause both of these headphones are fully collapsable… where as the XM5’s, these have a lay flat design, so their case does have a noticeably larger footprint than these other two headphones. But also, the XM5’s case is noticeably thicker than these other two cases as well. So if you plan on constantly traveling with your headphones, the XM5’s wouldn’t be my first choice cause traveling with their case is a hassle especially when compared to these other two headphones and even the rest of the competition.
Now with the cases out of the way, lets focus on the headphones themselves. From a materials standpoint, all of these headphones have a mostly plastic body and they all have leatherette on their headband and earpads. However, all of these headphones are using new plastic, where as the XM5’s are using recycled plastic. And simply put, recycled plastic just doesn’t feel as premium as new plastic, and I would argue that both the XB910N and 1000XM4’s feel more premium than the 1000XM5’s. But also, the leatherette on all of these headphones are very different. The leatherette on the XM4’s is okay, but it does feel very plasitc-y. Then there’s the leatherette on the XB910N’s and WH-CH720N’s which feel much more supple and there’s even a slight grain to it. The leatherette on the XB910N has bose vibes to it, but its not as good. And finally there are the XM5’s which have all new leatherette to it… the leatherette on the XM5’s feels like silicon but with less friction to it. Overall, I prefer the leatherette on the XM5’s over the XM4’s… but I think the XB910N’s have the best feeling leatherette here and the WH-CH720N’s aren’t far behind.
But now lets talk about fit. Now all of these headphones are relatively light weight when compared to the rest of the competition. The 1000XM4’s weigh in at 254 grams, The XB910N weigh in at 252 grams and the 1000XM5’s weigh in at 250 grams. But then there are the WH-CH720N’s which weigh in at 192 grams. Now all of these headphones are light weight and they are all very easy to forget that you have on when you’re sitting at your desk or while in bed, and you barely notice any of these headphones shifting around on your head when you’re walking around with them on… however, the WH-CH720N’s are just even less noticeable cause they weigh in at 192 grams.
Now when it comes to clamping force, all of these headphones are big head approved cause they have a neutral amount of clamping force, as in they aren’t to tight and they aren’t too loose. However, the XM5’s do have the firmest fit here. But that’s the least of the XM5’s worries cause in general, these are the least comfortable headphones here. One of my main problems with the XM5’s is their very thin and minimally padded headband. I’ve found that at the one hour mark, this headband does like to create a hot spot on the top of my head, so I just have to take them off and take a break. Where as hot spots aren’t a problem for any of these other headphones cause all of these headbands have a decent amount of padding. But then there are the Ear pads. The earpads on the XM5 have a very wide diameter to them… however, they are shallow. So ive found that even if you have average sized ears, these shallow ear pads can press down on your cartilage, which does get uncomfortable after awhile. Where as with all of these other headphones… their earpads are a lot more spacious and they should all have no problem fitting most average sized ears… and even if you have very large ears or ears that stick out a lot… they should still have you covered. So overall when it comes to fit, the WH-CH720N are the most comfortable headphones here cause they are super light weight, and they have very spacious earpads. Both the XB910N and 1000XM4’s should fit most people just fine… but then there are the XM5’s which fit okay, but I do have my reservations about them because of their thin and minimally padded headband and shallow earpads.
But now lets talk about tech specs… and there aren’t any major differences here. The XB910N, XM4, and XM5’s are all good for up to 30 hours with their active noise cancellation turned on, where as the WH-CH720N’s are good for up to 35 hours… and in general, these headphones have above average battery life. And if you were to use these headphones with their ANC turned off the WH-CH720N can go for as long as 50 hours, the XM5’s can go for as long as 40 hours and both the XM4 and XB910N can go for as long as 38 hours.
And when it comes to charging these headphones, they all charge via a USB C port as they should.
Regarding bluetooth connectivity, all of these headphones can be connected to any 2 Bluetooth devices at the same time which is good for power users. However, if you want to use this feature on any of these headphones then you are going to have to sacrifice LDAC. Now if you’re an iPhone user this doesn’t matter cause iPhones top out at AAC… and even if you’re an android user, AAC is perfectly fine if you’re streaming your music.
However when it comes to performance all of these headphones have zero latency across the board when watching movies or videos on your phone whether you’re using an iPhone or an android device. And when it comes to audio codecs, the WH-CH720N’s have support for SBC and AAC, a pretty standard stack for entry level headphones. Where as with all of these other headphones, they all have support for SBC, AAC, and Sony’s own LDAC which is Sony’s own in house high res audio codec.
Just keep in mind that if you want to use LDAC, you have to be an android user cause iPhone top out at AAC. Also keep in mind that if you decide to use LDAC, then your headphones will only be able to be connected to 1 device at a time. And also keep in mind that if you do decide to use LDAC, then that is going to take an additional toll on the battery life.
However, if you want to you can always just use a wired connection with any of these headphones cause they all still have a 3.5 millimeter audio jack and they still come included with an audio cable. Now I know this sound very basic, but I do have to point this out cause some companies have started to remove the audio jack on their headphones and personally I feel that this is still premature, especially if you’re a frequent flyer.
But now, lets talk about actually listening to music with these headphones cause all of these headphones sound different from one another. Now first off, with all of these headphones, they connect to Sony’s app and you can customize their EQ to your liking. So if you want a bass heavy EQ, and of these headphones can do that and if you want a neutral EQ, then these headphones can also do that. And this is a big deal this time around, cause this is a feature that wasn’t found on the WH-CH720N’s predecessors.
However, from a performance standpoint, the WH-CH720N, XB910N and 1000XM4… all of these headphones sound good enough to get the job done. But when it comes to instrument separation, these headphones can sound a little narrow when compared to other headphones, and their instrumentals can get lost cause they don’t have the best instrument separation. These headphones are mostly bass and vocals. But they still sound good enough to get the job done. Now, when it comes to actually feeling your bass, the WH-CH720N’s will be able to deliver. However, with the XM4’s, these do have noticeably have more kick in their bass.
Now overall, the XM4’s have enough physicality in their bass to satisfy most people… but if your someone that really like bass, then you’re going to want to go with the XB910N cause these have an above average amount of bass. Having the clear bass slider on the XM4’s set to 10, it like having the bass on the XB910N set to 6. Now all of this bass is just dumb fun when listening to music but it also adds an extra level of immersivness when you’re watching movies with these headphones. Now personally I love that the XB910N’s have this extra bass feature and I wish the 1000XM4’s also had this feature… but if you don’t want to you don’t have to use this feature. You can always turn it off by lowering the clear bass slider on the XB910N’s.
But finally, there are the 1000XM5’s… now unfortunately, these headphones don’t have as much physicality in their bass as either the XM4’s and especially the XB910N. However, what the XM5’s do have going for them is that they have better instrument separation and they sound more open than any of these other headphones. Now even though the XM5’s do have improved instrument separation… they still don’t sound as open as a pair of bose or sennheiser headphones. So even though technically, the XM5’s sound better than all of Sony’s other headphones here… I feel that your average listener is going to miss that thump in the bass. And given that the instrument separation between the XM5’s, and XM4’s, XB910N’s and WH-CH720N is a very small one… I feel that the XM4’s are going to do a better job of being people pleasers… and if you want something with an above average amount of bass, then the XB910N’s are the way to go.
Now when it comes to actually controlling your media the WH-CH710N’s are using physical buttons. Where as all of these other headphones are using touch pads. Now the touch pads on all of these headphones are easy enough to use and they are very accurate. Now they’re not perfect… but they aren’t problematic either like some other touch pads out there.
However, both the XM5’s and XM4’s have wear sensors, so they will automatically pause your music when you take them off, and when you put them back on they’ll start playing your music again. Now personally I don’t really care for wear sensors on my headphones, so I usually just turn that feature off… but they are there if you want them.
But now lets talk about the active noise cancelation on these headphones. Obviously as you move up in price these headphones are going to block out more noise. And thanks to the XM5’s… Sony is back to being the king of ANC after being dethroned by the AirPods Max. But so that you can see for yourself, we’re going to jump into an ANC test.
So like you may have just seen, as you move up Sony’s product line up… they block out more noise. Now the WH-CH720N’s block out an adequate amount of noise for a pair of entry-level ANC headphones. Now these headphones don’t block out a ton of noise and I wouldn’t recommend them for flying… but they can help out on your bus ride home. Next up there are the XB910N’s and these block out noticeably more noise than the WH-CH720N. They block out more road noise and they do a better job of blocking out chatter. So these can help out if you're using them in a cafeteria or something. Then there are the XM4’s which block out more noise than the XB910N… plus they have an atmospheric pressure sensor so they are going to perform noticeably better than the XB910N’s if you’re in an airplane, after they have been calibrated… and finally there are the XM5’s which also have an atmospheric pressure sensor and they block out even more noise than the XM4’s. Not only do they block out more lower frequency sounds like road noise… but they also do a much better job of blocking out higher frequency sounds like chatter, which was an issue for the XM4’s. However, even though the XM5’s block out more noise than the XM4’s… they do have noticeably more cabin pressure. So if you’re sensitive to cabin pressure like I am, then you’ll might want to be cautious about the XM5’s… but the XM4’s, XB910N, and WH-CH720N are much safer bets cause they all have much less cabin pressure. But regardless, if you’re looking for a pair of headphones to constantly fly with… then the XM5’s are currently the best ANC headphones to go with cause after multiple real worlds test, the XM5’s block out the most Airplane noise. Just be warned that dealing with their carrying case can be a hassle when you’re traveling with them.
But next up lets talk about the ambient modes on these headphones. Now all of these headphones have a decent sounding ambient mode. And with all of these headphones, you can adjust whir ambient mode to your liking. Now the microphone array on the WH-CH720N, XB910N and XM4’s all do a good job of blocking out wind noise while walking out doors… but the microphone array on the XM5’s is much faster to pick up wind noise. But overall, I am going to have to say that both the XM4’s and XB910N’s have better ambient modes than the XM5’s and WH-CH720N cause they will actively block out sudden loud noises like this.
So like you may have just seen, when the XM4’s detected that loud noise, they turned off their ambient mode and when that loud noise stopped, they turned their ambient mode back on. And here are the XB910N’s
Now the XB910N’s performed like the XM4’s which is good… but I think they let in more noise cause it think they don’t passively block out as much noise as the XM4’s. But regardless, I do want to highlight the XB910N’s here cause when they initially released, they didn’t do this. And I hope sony fixes the Active Ambient mode on the XM5’s through a firmware update cause they don’t do this. And personally, I am running out of hope cause the XM5’s have been out for like 8 months now.
So like you just saw, with the XM5’s they turned off their ambient mode but then they turned it on and then back off again. I just hope sony fixes this through a software update like they did with the XB910N’s… cause there’s no reason why these headphones can’t get it right. And finally there are the WH-CH720N’s which just let in everything.
But next up there’s speak to chat which is found on both only the XM4’s and XM5’s… and speak to chat works a little like this.
But personally, I’m not a really big fan of speak to chat because it is very easy to accidentally activate. If you’re talking to yourself very quietly that can activate it, if you’re singing along to your music, that can activate it, if you start laughing that can active it, and on rare occasions loud enough outside noises can activate it. So that’s why I don’t use it.
Personally, I still prefer to use quick attention cause its a lot more intentional and you can find it on the XB910N, XM4’s and XM5’s. Basically when you fully cover the touch pad on these headphones they’re going to lower the volume of your music and pump in all of the ambient sound around you like this.
And then when you let go, the headphones will go back to normal. Now like I said, I prefer quick attention cause its a lot more intentional. But Sony still refuses to just lock quick attention after its been activated for a few seconds. So you gotta stay there with your hand like this the whole time you’re talk to someone. I just want Sony to change it so that you can simply let go like with other headphones that have similar feature.
But finally here’s the microphone test. Now sony has always struggled with their microphones for phone calls, but I feel that they are finally fixing that.
Now I feel the XB910N have an okay sounding microphone for phone calls while in a quite room. But I feel the XM4’s sound a little better here.
However, with the WH-CH720N I feel that these are doing a better job of focusing on my voice.
And I feel that the 1000XM5’s are doing the best job here of focusing on my voice.
But the really impressive thing about this microphone is the way that it deals with noise pollution. This microphone blocks out a lot of noise, cause if we were to switch over to my lapel microphone, you’re going to clearly hear all of this road noise… but if we were to switch back over to the XM5’s its severely reduced.
Where as with the WH-CH720N, these don’t do the best job of blocking out road noise
And neither do the XM4’s
But with the XB910N, these are trying to block out some of this road noise. Albeit there is some interference going on with my voice. But this sounds a lot better than what’s going on with both the XM4 and WH-CH720N
But when it comes to blocking out chatter, the XB910N’s do an okay job of blocking out chatter…
And the XM4’s are also doing an okay job of blocking out chatter
But with the WH-CH720N’s I feel that these are doing an even better job of blocking out chatter.
And finally then there are the XM5’s which block out a lot of chatter and my voice doesn’t sound too bad. And for comparison sake, if we were to switch over to my lapel microphone, you’re going to hear all of this chatter, and if we were to switch back over to the XM5’s it is severely reduced. So after 5 generations, Sony’s microphone is finally decent.
So with all the being said… here’s my break down of Sony’s current ANC headphones line up. The WH-CH720N are a great pair of entry level ANC headphones that have a lot of needed upgrades from its predecessors. These headphones now connect to Sony’s headphones app so you can customize their EQ to you liking, and in general, they sound good enough to get the job done. They have an adjustable ambient mode and they block out an adequate amount of noise for a pair entry level ANC headphones. However, what I really love about these headphones is just their fit and comfort. These things are super light weight and super comfortable. These are a great option for the gym. The main downside is that you’re going to have to buy a hardshell case. Then there are the Sony XB910N’s… and over all these are a great pair of mid tier ANC headphones that you really can’t go wrong with because they do everything very well. But their stand out characteristic is their bass. It really is dumb fun and it adds an extra level of immersiveness when watching movies with these headphones. I just personally really don’t like how they look.
And finally there’s the XM4 Vs XM5. Now yes, the XM5’s block out more noise than the XM4’s and they have a much better sounding microphone as well. But personally, I just find the all new design on the XM5’s a major hassle and down grade from the XM4’s. The XM5’s just aren’t as comfortable cause of their shallow ear cups and head band that causes a hot spot, and their new huge case is board line unmanageable if you plan on traveling with these headphones. So personally, from a performance standpoint, the XM5’s just don’t make a big enough case to upgrade from the XM4’s… but more importantly, the XM4’s are just way more comfortable to wear and their case is much more conventinte. The only reason why you’ll might want to go with the XM5’s is cause you need to block out the most amount of noise, and if you plan on taking lots of phone calls while in a noisy environment.