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Reviews & Guides · Instruments & Audio

Sony WH-CH720N: my experience with fit, flight noise reduction and EQ

Reviewed: Sony WH-CH720NRegional reference: Sony WH-CH720N (Mainland China)

I used the Sony WH-CH720N on a flight and found it reduced much engine and wind noise without silencing the cabin; I also noted heat, fit, battery and EQ.

Screenshot of the Sony Headphones Connect companion app showing a pair of black WH-CH720N over-ear headphones with 83% battery, noise canceling active under ambient sound control, and the equalizer preset to Custom 2.
Screenshot of an audio equalizer settings page showing custom frequency bands at 400, 1k, 2.5k, 6.3k, and 16k, alongside a Clear Bass adjustment slider set to 0.
Screenshot of an equalizer interface showing five frequency adjustment sliders ranging from 400Hz to 16kHz under preset Custom 1, plus a Clear Bass slider.
  1. Why I chose it: Because I often took high-speed trains, I wanted a pair of over-ear noise-canceling headphones. My ears are fairly sensitive, and wearing in-ear headphones for long periods can make my ear canals red and swollen. After reading reviews online for several days, I ultimately chose the Sony WH-CH720. Opinions online were mixed, but I still believed in the saying that Sony is a safe choice and went ahead with this model. Many people asked why I did not buy the MX4 or MX5. The simple answer was that I could not afford them; after turning 30, I rarely choose such expensive electronics anymore. Here is how it felt to use this one.
  2. Weight and battery: I do not know how everyone feels about the weight of over-ear headphones, but personally I think lighter is better. Once this thing stays on your head for more than half an hour, it starts to create pressure. Long wear still feels hot, of course, which is a common problem with over-ear headphones. Lightweight construction also means sacrificing some materials, and, as people online have said, this model feels very plastic-heavy. It definitely does not feel like cheap plastic, though, so I still trust Sony as a major manufacturer. As for battery life, I do not use it very often: normally I listen only while taking a walk after lunch. From a full charge, I can probably listen for about 6–8 hours, and it is still quite durable for occasional trips farther from home.
  3. Sound and noise canceling: My understanding of noise-canceling headphones is that they should remove surrounding noise, such as the wind and rumble produced by high-speed trains and subways, rather than making people completely deaf. That latter function would seem rather extreme to me. I am writing this account on an airplane, and with noise canceling switched on, it really does remove a lot of the aircraft-engine and wind noise. Complete silence is impossible, but it creates a very comfortable environment. As long as we are not in a vacuum, sound can travel through many mediums, so total noise canceling is impossible. As for sound quality, my ears are not very discerning, but I can tell that it sounds better than the headset I previously used for gaming. Even after listening for a long time, I do not feel pressure on my eardrums, and my ear canals do not turn red. I adjusted the equalizer using settings shared by experienced users online, and they work very well. I mostly listen to pop and jazz, and the result feels quite good. What more can you ask of something that costs a few hundred yuan?
  4. Overall: Overall, this is a good pair of headphones. If there is a promotion, getting it for around RMB 650 is a good deal. It is light, does not press down my hair, has clearly noticeable noise reduction, and delivers ordinary rather than exceptional sound quality. The box is also very simple. If you are thinking about buying it, I would say go for it.

Source: 陪你去撒哈拉看海 · Xiaohongshu · 2025-05-12 · 索尼WH-CH720使用感受. Search this Chinese title in Xiaohongshu to find the original post.

Before You Buy

Models in your region

Sony’s Mainland China and US support pages both identify the product as Sony WH-CH720N, so the comparison below treats the owner’s headphones and the listed regional product as the same model. The supplied official evidence does not include regional specification, accessory or support-policy differences, so those cannot be inferred from the owner’s experience.

Model in this review Related regional model What to know
Sony WH-CH720N Sony WH-CH720N (Mainland China) This is the same Sony WH-CH720N identified in the owner’s account and on Sony’s Mainland China support page. Sony’s US support page uses the same model name, but the supplied evidence does not establish differences in regional accessories, firmware or service terms.
Model in this review
Sony WH-CH720N
Related regional model
Sony WH-CH720N (Mainland China)
What to know
This is the same Sony WH-CH720N identified in the owner’s account and on Sony’s Mainland China support page. Sony’s US support page uses the same model name, but the supplied evidence does not establish differences in regional accessories, firmware or service terms.

The owner’s model matches the regional product name

The source account calls the headphones WH-CH720, while the companion-app screenshot and Sony’s official product identification specify WH-CH720N. That is enough to match the experience to the WH-CH720N, but the supplied evidence does not establish a more detailed regional variant or package configuration.

Sony’s Mainland China and US support pages use the same WH-CH720N model name. Buyers can therefore use the owner’s fit, flight and listening observations as context for this model in either market, but should check local package contents and support terms separately because those details are not included here.

Sony WH-CH720N · United States

Light construction helps, but long wear still felt warm

The owner specifically chose a headband design to avoid the ear-canal irritation they experienced with prolonged in-ear use. They found the headphones light and not especially hard on their hair, but reported pressure after more than 30 minutes and heat during longer wear. That is an individual comfort result, not a general fit guarantee.

The owner also described the materials as strongly plastic in feel without considering them cheap. If comfort during long sessions matters more than portability, buyers should treat the reported heat and pressure as reasons to check the fit and wearing conditions before relying on this model for extended travel.

Noise reduction was most useful on a flight

During a flight, the owner said active noise canceling removed much of the engine and wind noise and created a comfortable listening environment. They did not experience complete silence, and their explanation correctly keeps the result within the limits of a real cabin rather than presenting noise canceling as total sound removal.

The owner originally wanted noise reduction for high-speed trains and subways, but the supplied account reports a direct airplane experience rather than a measured comparison across transport environments. Buyers should therefore read the claim as one person’s flight observation, not as a quantified performance result for every journey.

EQ adjustment mattered more than a fixed sound verdict

The owner considered the sound quality ordinary but clearly better than their previous gaming headset, with no reported ear-canal redness or eardrum pressure during long listening. They mainly listen to pop and jazz and were satisfied after applying an equalizer setting found online, so the result reflects both their preferences and that adjustment.

The source reports roughly 6–8 hours from a full charge, but this was the owner’s estimate during relatively infrequent use, mainly lunchtime walks. It is not an official battery figure or a standardized test, so buyers who need predictable travel endurance should confirm the manufacturer’s current local specification separately.

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