There is a comfortable middle ground in headphones that many shoppers miss entirely. At one end sit the premium flagships that cost a fortune and cancel almost everything. At the other sit the cheap pairs that offer no noise cancelling at all. The Sony WH-CH720N in Blue live firmly in that middle: they are light, affordable, and bring genuine active noise cancelling from a company that knows how to do it. I have spent two weeks with the blue version as my everyday pair for music, podcasts, and household chores, and it is easy to see why these are among the most popular budget noise cancelling headphones around.
Before the details, the standard note. This article contains affiliate links, and if you buy through one of them the site earns a small commission at no extra cost to you. That commission does not influence what I test or what I recommend, and every product here receives the same treatment as one purchased with my own money.
Design and Build
The blue colorway is the kind of detail that makes an affordable product feel more personal. It is a deep, rich blue that photographs well and stands out from the sea of black headphones without being flashy. The finish is a soft matte that resists fingerprints better than a gloss, and it pairs nicely with the black padding for a two tone look.
At about 192 grams, these are genuinely light, and the over ear design with soft padding makes them comfortable for hours. The headband adjusts with a solid ratchet, the ear cups swivel to lie flat, and the physical buttons are simple to find by feel. The plastic build is what you expect at this price, but it is dense and well put together rather than creaky.
Key Features
The active noise cancelling uses Sony's dual noise sensor technology, which samples the environment with multiple microphones and cancels the steady, low frequency sounds that dominate daily life: the hum of a refrigerator, the drone of traffic, the rumble of a train. It is not the flagship level of cancellation you get from a WH-1000XM5, but at this price it is genuinely effective where it matters.
Battery life is a real strength. Sony rates the WH-CH720N for up to 35 hours with noise cancelling on and up to 50 hours with it off, and a ten minute quick charge on the USB-C port adds about an hour of playback. Multipoint connection lets you pair a phone and a laptop at the same time, and the headphones switch between them automatically when a call arrives.
There is an ambient sound mode that pipes the outside world back in when you need to hear an announcement or a conversation, and the built in microphone handles calls and voice assistants. DSEE upscaling rounds out the feature set by trying to restore detail in compressed music files.
The pair also supports voice assistant access with a simple press, which made hands free control feel natural when I was cooking or tidying up. Asking for a timer, skipping a track, or checking the weather without reaching for a phone is the kind of convenience that quietly becomes a habit after a few days.
Real-World Performance
Around the house, the WH-CH720N proved themselves in exactly the scenarios they are made for. With the vacuum running, the noise cancelling cut the motor drone to a distant murmur, and in the car the road noise faded to the point where podcasts were easy to follow at moderate volume. The effect is not total silence, but it is a dramatic improvement over passive isolation.
Sound quality is warm and pleasant, with a bass that adds weight to music without overwhelming vocals. Pop, hip hop, and acoustic tracks all sounded good, and the headphones stayed comfortable enough for a full evening of listening. Call quality was solid: the person on the other end heard me clearly, and the multipoint switching between phone and laptop worked without fuss.
I compared the sound with my expectations for the price and came away genuinely impressed. The 30 millimeter drivers handle busy arrangements without smearing instruments together, and the midrange keeps vocals present in the mix, which matters for podcasts and dialog heavy shows as much as for music. It is a mature, easy going signature that gets out of the way of whatever you are listening to.
The battery simply did not become a thought. Across two weeks of daily use, I charged once, and the ten minute quick charge handled the rest. For anyone who is tired of babying a headphone battery, that endurance is a large part of the appeal.
I also put the multipoint connection through its paces, because it is the kind of feature that sounds trivial until you live with it. Music playing from a laptop paused the instant a call arrived on the phone, and when the call ended, playback resumed on its own. For anyone who juggles a work computer and a personal phone, that automatic handoff removes a small but constant irritation.
The folding design is another quiet strength. The ear cups swivel flat, so the pair slips into a bag without taking up the space of a bulky over ear set, and there is even a spot in the included literature for storing them flat. Travelers and commuters will appreciate how little room these demand on the move.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Genuine active noise cancelling at a budget price
- Very light at about 192 grams
- Up to 35 Hours of Battery life with noise cancelling on
- Attractive blue colorway
- Reliable multipoint connection
- Comfortable over ear fit for long sessions
Cons:
- Noise cancelling does not match flagship models
- Plastic build with no carry case
- Sound is good but not audiophile grade
- Voices and sudden noises pass through more than steady hums
How It Compares
I compared the blue WH-CH720N against a similarly priced budget rival and the Sony on ear WH-CH520 to show what the money buys.
| Feature | WH-CH720N | WH-CH520 |
|---|---|---|
| Design | Over ear | On ear |
| Noise cancelling | Dual noise sensor | None |
| Battery life | Up to 35 hours | Up to 50 hours |
| Weight | About 192 grams | About 147 grams |
| Multipoint | Yes | Yes |
| Price | Higher | Lower |
The WH-CH520 is lighter and lasts longer, but it has no noise cancelling. Budget rivals from Anker and JBL match the WH-CH720N on cancellation, yet the Sony is lighter than most of them and carries the Sony tuning most people find pleasant. For the buyer who wants quiet and comfort without paying flagship prices, the WH-CH720N is the balanced pick. You can check the current blue Sony WH-CH720N price on Amazon to see where it sits.
Who Should Buy It
The blue WH-CH720N are for everyday listeners who want quiet without emptying their wallet. Commuters, students, people who work around noise, and anyone who wears headphones for hours at home will get real value here, and the blue finish makes it easy to tell yours apart in a house full of black headphones.
Skip them if you need the deepest cancellation on the market, if you want a premium metal build, or if you prefer a pair that folds into a hard case. For the everyday listener, these deliver the two things that matter most at this price: real quiet and real comfort.
A note on the color choice if you are deciding between finishes: the blue is subtle enough to pass for a neutral at a glance but distinctive enough to stand out, and it pairs well with both light and dark clothing. It does not show dust the way white can, yet it is more interesting than plain black. For most buyers that balance makes it the easy pick.
How We Test
I used the blue WH-CH720N for two weeks across music, podcasts, video calls, chores, and travel. I tested the noise cancelling against a vacuum, road noise in the car, and the general hum of a busy household, ran the battery through real days of use, and verified the multipoint switching between a phone and a laptop.
I compared my findings against independent coverage, including the PCMag review of the Sony WH-CH720N, which digs into the noise cancelling and sound performance. The blue WH-CH720N listing on Amazon shows current pricing and availability.
Questions People Ask
How effective is noise cancelling on the Sony WH-CH720N?
It removes steady low frequency noise like engines, fans, and traffic very well for the price, though loud voices are only partially reduced.
How long does the WH-CH720N battery last?
Up to 35 hours with noise cancelling on and up to 50 hours off, and a ten minute charge adds about an hour of playback.
Is the WH-CH720N worth the price?
For the price you get effective noise cancelling, a light fit, and long battery life, which is a strong combination in the budget category.
Can you use the WH-CH720N with a laptop and a phone?
Yes, the multipoint connection pairs both at once and switches between them when a call comes in.
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