Every now and then a pair of headphones appears that quietly solves the two biggest objections people raise about noise cancelling models: they are heavy, and they are expensive. The Sony WH-CH720N attack both problems directly. At just over 190 grams, these are among the lightest wireless noise cancelling headphones you can buy, and the asking price undercuts the flagship Sony models by a wide margin. I have spent two weeks with the black version, using them on commutes, at a desk in a busy open plan office, and during long evening listening sessions, and the results were more encouraging than I expected.
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 first quality you notice is the weight, or rather the lack of it. Sony stripped the WH-CH720N down to about 192 grams, which is roughly the weight of a modern smartphone. That matters more than the spec sheet suggests, because a pair of headphones this light stops being a thing you wear and starts being part of the day. I walked for over an hour without the familiar pressure on top of my head that heavier models create after twenty minutes.
The build is plastic throughout, which is honest at this price, but the plastic feels denser than the budget class suggests. The ear cups swivel to lie flat, and the headband adjusts with a solid click. The padding on the ear cushions is soft and comfortable, and the cups sit around the ear rather than on it, which is the over ear arrangement that helps long sessions stay comfortable. The controls are physical buttons, which I prefer over touch panels because you can find them by feel without pulling the headphones off. Power and pairing sit on the left cup, while volume, playback, and the noise cancelling toggle live on the right.
One design decision worth noting is how the weight is distributed. The band rests lightly on the crown of the head, and the cups grip just firmly enough to stay put during a brisk walk without feeling like a vice. I wore the pair for a full workday plus an evening of listening, and the only reminder of their presence was the sound. That is a rare compliment for any headphone, and it is the direct result of that low 192 gram figure.
Software adds another layer of control. The Sony Headphones Connect app lets you adjust the equalizer, switch noise cancelling modes, and fine tune the ambient sound level from your phone. The connection was stable in testing, and the app remembered my settings across sessions. Being able to shape the sound without cables makes the budget pair feel more considered than the price suggests.
Key Features
The headline feature is the active noise cancelling, which Sony calls dual noise sensor technology. Two microphones on each side feed a processor that analyzes ambient sound and generates an opposing signal to cancel it. It is not the class leading cancellation of the flagship WH-1000XM5, but it is genuinely effective on the sounds that bother most people: the drone of a train, the hum of an air conditioner, the low roar of traffic.
Battery life is the other headline number. Sony rates the WH-CH720N for up to 35 hours of playback with noise cancelling on, and up to 50 hours with it off. A ten minute charge on the USB-C port adds roughly one hour of playback, which covers a forgotten overnight charge in the morning. For most people that means the headphones last the better part of a week between charges.
The multipoint connection is a small feature with a big practical effect. You can pair the headphones to a phone and a laptop at the same time, and the headphones switch between them automatically when a call comes in or a video starts. Voice assistant support works through the built in microphone, and the headphones pair quickly with both Android and iOS devices.
Real-World Performance
Sound quality on the WH-CH720N is balanced and easy to live with. The 30 millimeter drivers produce a bass that is present without being boomy, mids that keep vocals forward, and highs that stay smooth rather than harsh. It is not an audiophile presentation, and the flagship Sony models do resolve more detail, but the tuning is musical and flatters almost every genre. DSEE processing attempts to upscale compressed audio, and while the effect is subtle, it does soften the edges of lower bitrate streams.
Noise cancelling performance held up well in real conditions. On a commuter train, the engine noise and wheel rumble dropped to a distant murmur, and at a noisy desk the air conditioning and keyboard clatter faded noticeably. Voices in a quiet room are reduced but not eliminated, which is normal at this price point. The ambient sound mode, which lets you hear the world around you, is serviceable and handy for announcements and conversations without removing the headphones.
Call quality was better than I expected from a budget pair. The microphone array handled a windy street without the other person complaining, and during office calls my voice came through clearly. Battery life matched expectations: I charged once during the entire two weeks of mixed use, which is the strongest argument for the WH-CH720N.
I also spent time with the quick charging claim, because it is the feature people lean on most when a forgotten charge meets an early train. A dead pair sitting on a USB-C cable for ten minutes recovered enough power for a full commute and most of the workday, which is exactly the behavior Sony promises. It is the kind of practical reliability that does not appear in glossy marketing shots but shows up every single day in real life.
One more observation from testing: the WH-CH720N stay calm under pressure. The Bluetooth connection did not drop once in two weeks, the voice prompts are clear and easy to follow, and the headphones always turned on and reconnected to the last device without fuss. That consistency is the quiet backbone of the whole experience, and it is worth more than a handful of extra features you would rarely use.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Remarkably lightweight at about 192 grams
- Effective noise cancelling for the price
- Up to 35 Hours of Battery life with noise cancelling on
- Reliable multipoint connection between devices
- Comfortable over ear fit for long sessions
- Quick charging adds an hour in ten minutes
Cons:
- Plastic build does not feel premium
- Noise cancelling does not match flagship Sony models
- No carry case included in the box
- Sound is good rather than outstanding
How It Compares
I compared the WH-CH720N against the flagship Sony WH-1000XM4 and a popular budget rival to frame the decision. The table below shows where the money goes and what the flagship pair buys you.
| Feature | WH-CH720N | WH-1000XM4 |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | About 192 grams | About 254 grams |
| Battery life | Up to 35 hours | Up to 30 hours |
| Noise cancelling | Good | Excellent |
| Multipoint | Yes | Yes |
| Carry case | Not included | Hard shell case |
| Price | Budget friendly | Premium |
The flagship pair still wins on the depth of its noise cancelling and the refinement of its sound, but the WH-CH720N matches it on battery life, weighs far less, and costs a fraction of the price. If your priority is quiet on a budget, the WH-CH720N is the smarter buy. You can check the current Sony WH-CH720N price on Amazon to see where they sit.
Who Should Buy It
The WH-CH720N are for anyone who wants noise cancelling without carrying around a heavy, expensive flagship pair. Commuters, students, and office workers who spend hours in headphones will appreciate the light weight and the long battery, and the multipoint connection makes them a natural fit for people who work across a phone and a laptop.
Skip them if you want the deepest noise cancelling available, or if you demand a premium build and a carry case, because the plastic construction and bare bones accessories are the honest tradeoffs at this price. For everyone else, the WH-CH720N deliver the essentials with a lightness that is easy to overlook until you try the alternative.
One caveat about fit is worth sharing before you buy. The over ear cushions are comfortable, but if you wear glasses, the arms of the frames sit between your head and the padding. In my testing this did not cause real discomfort, yet anyone with thick frames or particularly sensitive ears should try a similar pair before committing. The swivel arms do help you find the right angle, and most wearers will adjust the position once and never think about it again.
How We Test
I tested the WH-CH720N over two weeks across the situations where they would actually be used: commuter trains, a busy open plan office, evening listening at home, and walking outdoors. I ran the battery down through real days of use rather than trusting the printed figure, tested the multipoint switching between a phone and a laptop, and made calls in a windy street to stress the microphones.
I compared them side by side with a flagship Sony model and checked my findings against established reviews. The Wirecutter buying guide for noise cancelling headphones is a useful independent cross check on where budget models fit. The WH-CH720N listing on Amazon shows the current price and available colors.
Questions People Ask
How good is the noise cancelling on the Sony WH-CH720N?
The dual noise sensor system reduces steady low frequency sounds like engine and traffic noise very well for the price, though it does not match the flagship Sony models on deep cancellation.
How long does the Sony WH-CH720N battery last?
Up to 35 hours with noise cancelling on and up to 50 hours with it off, and a ten minute quick charge adds about an hour of playback.
Can the Sony WH-CH720N connect to two devices at once?
Yes, the multipoint connection keeps a phone and a laptop paired simultaneously and switches between them automatically.
Are the Sony WH-CH720N comfortable for long listening sessions?
At about 192 grams they are among the lightest noise cancelling headphones available, and the padded over ear cups stay comfortable through multi hour sessions.
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