Bought these to replace my broken Sony MDR-XB950N1 headphones that I absolutely loved.....until their bad design caught up with them and one of the earphones became detached from the headband (the plastic broke), but that's not going to happen with these--much better structural design. Loved those headphones!!!! Ok, enough crying in my soup over them. So what about these WHCH700N's?? How do they stand up against the MDR-XB950N1's?? Pretty damn good and for $120 less!!
First thing I notice they are light (by almost a full pound!), have a larger ear cup than the 950N1's, thus have a little bit better fit for people with larger ears. The design of the earpiece attachment to the headband looks like it will hold up much better and won't break like the 950N1's did, so 5 stars for that.
How do they sound compared to the 950N1's?? Well, the those were rated for Extra Bass out of the box and that was built into the headset itself. You didn't need to turn on the Extra Bass (button) because the bass was quite adequate without having to activate that feature and I have to say that in that regard they were noticeably better than these headphones. But wait just a minute. Hold the phone. Remember, those things weighed nearly a pound more than these 700N's and you know some of that was probably due to the magnets required for pushing that extra bass. But here's the good news, these 700N's are no slouches in the bass department, you just have to know how to get the bass boosted in these and the way to do that is through the Sony app that you can find in either the Android or Apple app store. Once you have that, then you have access to the full capability of what these headphones can do. Inside the Sony Music app, you can access any of about 12 different sound profiles, 3 of which you can customize. One of the presets is for Bass Boost (+7) but you can just as easily bump that up to a +10 in one of the custom profiles where you have access to a 5- band equalizer and the Bass Boost (1-10). Once you get that bass boost going the 700N's show you what grunt they have down low in the 40-60Hz range and you can accent that even more by dialing down the 400Hz and 1kHz settings on the EQ a couple of clicks. The real beauty of doing this through the app is that the settings stick on the headphones even when you disconnect from the app and want to listen to content from your computer. So essentially the app is re-programming the EQ settings that are inside the headphones. That is pretty cool! If you don't need massive amounts of bass, then you're going to be very happy that you saved yourself $120 over the 950N1's. These headphones also have active noise cancelling (NC) just as good as the 950N1's, too. The noise cancelling button on the headphones can be re-programmed to activate either Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa for the Android app or I think you would get a choice of Siri for the Apple app. You still have control of NC if you re-program the button, but you just access the function through the Sony Music app. Piece of cake!
So when I originally bought the Sony MDR-XB950N1's, I was in the store comparing them to Beats and Bose and some of the other high end brands. I selected the Sony's because they had great sound, great bass, were comfortable to wear, and were significantly less expensive than those big names. Better than Bose. Let that sink in. These 700N's are nearly every bit as good as the 950N1's as far as sound quality is concerned, especially when you tune the bass through the app. Even better, they are rated to give you over 30 hours of listening pleasure even with NC turned on. After charging them up the first time I put them on and listened to them for 7 hours straight and the power is still showing 100% in the app. That's ridiculously good!
So to recap:
Pros:
--Sound as good as Bose but for about $170 less; Superb Value!!!
--Very balanced sound, not too much bass out of the box
--Extra Bass is available through the Sony Music app as well as a 5-band EQ with presets.
--Can use for digital assistants like Google and Alexa
--Good noise cancelling
--Can wear for hours without feeling and pressure points on your ears or head.
Cons:
--Not as stylish as Bose or Beats
--Extra Bass only accessible through Sony Music app
--Your girlfriend/boyfriend is going to steal them if you ever break up. ;-)
Buy these! You won't regret it!
Ask to play music, get directions, control smart home devices, and more with this device.
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Alexa Built-in
This device has been certified by Amazon. With Alexa built-in, just ask to play music, get directions, control smart home devices, and more.
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This Item  Sony Noise Cancelling Headphones WHCH700N: Wireless Bluetooth Over the Ear Headset with Mic for phone-call and Alexa voice control - Black, 8.71x2.72x10.28 inch |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | $79.95 | $248.00 | -52% $119.22 New Price: $248.00 | -14% $89.95 New Price: $105.18 | -33% $119.99 List: $179.99 | -15% $128.00 List: $149.99 |
| Delivery | Get it May 1 - 3 | — | Get it May 6 - 13 | Get it May 2 - 6 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, Apr 30 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, Apr 30 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Sound quality | ||||||
| Noise cancellation | ||||||
| Bass quality | ||||||
| Comfort | ||||||
| Battery life | ||||||
| Sold By | electronics101deals | Amazon.com | WirelessWorld18 | Video & Audio Center - Same Day Shipping | Intro Gallery | Amazon.com |
| connectivity tech | Bluetooth;NFC | Wireless, Wired | Wireless | Wireless | Wireless | Wireless |
| headphones form factor | Over Ear | In Ear | Over Ear | Over Ear | In Ear | Over Ear |
| connector type | wireless | USB Type C | wireless | wireless | wireless | wireless |
| noise control | active noise cancellation | active noise cancellation | active noise cancellation | active noise cancellation | active noise cancellation | active noise cancellation |
| headphones jack | 3.5 mm Jack | 3.5 mm Jack | — | — | — | 3.5 mm Jack |
| cable feature | Without Cable, Detachable | Detachable | Without Cable | Without Cable, Retractable | Without Cable | Retractable |
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Honest Review: Sony Noise Cancelling Headphones WHCH700N
Kyle
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Great Noise Cancelling For Working At Home
Reese & Renee
Reviews with images
Super Worth The Money
I’m always skeptic when buying used items, but I got so lucky with this one. It looks brand new. No scratches or any visible damages.Alexa EnabledI’ve been on a search for headphones that are Alexa enabled, but most of them are so expensive. Built in Alexa is the top of my priority as I listen to music and Audiobooks all the time. The trick with this one is to press the NC (Noise Cancellation) button to enable Alexa. Took me a little while to figure it out.Sound QualityThe sound is very good and clear. I’ve never tried other wireless headphones, but if I compare this with echo buds, I think the quality is almost the same.Battery LifeThe battery last long. I’ve used it least 3 to 4 hours in one week, and the battery level stayed above 50%. If I didn’t use it for several days or weeks, the battery level is still high. I’m really impressed.Bluetooth ConnectionConnection and pairing is very easy. The range is not very far though, like if I left my phone inside my room upstairs and I went to the garage, the sounds becomes static.DownsideNoise cancellation is not that good. I can still hear my surroundings if the noise cancellation is on, but I don’t mind since I do want to be a little aware still of what’s going on around me with my headphone on.The faux leather ear pads gets greasy, so make sure you wipe it especially before you keep it.No Hardcase includedHardcase is not included so I bought a cheap one here in Amazon for $7.99.SummaryOverall, I highly recommend the Sony WHCH700N. I wouldn’t buy the brand new one though. I’ll settle with the used one, but of course has to be in very good condition.
Top reviews from other countries
Samantha
You are getting what you pay for
Reviewed in Australia on December 28, 2019Marcos
Ótimo custo benefício, fones de qualidade!
Reviewed in Brazil on April 30, 2020