Sony has been putting all the meat on the grill in the wireless headphones section and they are a benchmark in terms of noise cancellation. However, it was only available in very high-end models, and therefore at a high price.
After the arrival of the company’s top-of-the-range line two years ago in true wireless format and also its innovative open design, it is time to launch low-price headphones with a good value for money and which also provide cancellation active noise. This is how the Sony WF-C700N hit the market.
We are talking about a range below 150 dollars with a design and finishes in line with that price, but with sound quality and noise cancellation with the Sony seal.
They are a very light model, in a range of pastel colors very focused on the young audience and, in addition, the price of 130 dollars also supports this idea of not having to spend 250 dollarsor more on true wireless headphones to have good sound quality.
Let’s take a look at the specifications of these headphones and our experience, because I already told you that I was somewhat reticent when it came to seeing some specifications and, nevertheless, during use they have convinced me.
The WF-C700N are an alternative to consider and there are few things that differentiate them from higher ranges.
- Characteristics and technical sheet of the Sony WF-C700N
- Very light and comfortable button type, box that you forget that you are wearing it
- Sony and its expertise, one of the best apps for headphones
- Good sound, very good cancellation and autonomy for day to day
- Versions, offers and price of the Sony WF-C700N
- Review: Is it worth buying the Sony WF-C700N?
Characteristics and technical sheet of the Sony WF-C700N
| Type | TWS in-ear button type |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | NA |
| Weight | 4.6g (earphone)31g (box)Approximately 40 g per pack |
| Microphone | Two microphones per headset |
| drivers | 5mm developed by Sony20Hz – 20,000Hz | 44.1kHz |
| Waterproof | IPX4 |
| Connections / Codecs | Bluetooth 5.2SBC | CAA |
| Burden | USB-CQuick charge 10 min, 1 hour playback |
| Battery and autonomy | Headphone charging + 1 box chargingUp to 10 + 10 h without noise cancellationUp to 7.5 + 7.5 h with noise cancellation |
| Additional features | multipoint connectionGoogle Fast Pair and Microsoft Swift Pairrecycled packagingUSB-C chargingsilicone tips |
| Price | 130 dollars |
Very light and comfortable button type, box that you forget that you are wearing it
If there is something to highlight about these headphones, it is the comfort of use. The button-like design together with the lightness of them makes it look like you are not wearing them.
The silicone tip enters the ear canal and the earpiece rests against the ear. No matter how many headbutts you give, even the rebound of running is very difficult for them to move if you choose the silicone size that corresponds to you.
Something that shocks when you pick them up for the first time is the lightness of the box and headphones pack, which is around 40 grams. Very very little.
Each headset does not reach 5 grams and the box is around 30 grams. To achieve this Sony has reduced the battery to give the headphones a single additional charge, instead of the two or three charges that other models give.
It seems very successful to me since these headphones can give up to 20 hours of use in total without noise cancellation or 15 hours and, in my opinion, it is more than enough even for long trips.
The design of the headset integrates a grill on the external microphone that helps with noise cancellation and serves to filter the sound of the wind. They also have a large physical button with remarkable feedback to know that you have really pressed it.
The box has a button and USB-C connector for charging, it has a comfortable rough plastic finish. That low weight and that plastic give a feeling of inferior quality to the real quality of the product, it is in the end that, a transport and cargo box.
As a note we leave that the headphones are resistant to sweat and rain, IPX4, but the box is not, so you have to be careful to store it in a place that does not get the least bit wet.
Sony and its expertise, one of the best apps for headphones
Speaking of the mobile application, we find Sony Headphones, one of the most complete applications in terms of configuring the sound of the headphones to our liking.
The company has been developing this application for years with support for adaptive noise cancellation depending on the environment for higher-end models. It is the first time that it has gone down to headphones of around 130 dollars.
With the application we have options to configure this noise cancellation or transparency mode, an audio equalizer and even DSEE support which, without being Hi-Res support, promises to restore the highest frequencies lost as a result of audio compression.
The WF-C700N have support for a 5-band equalizer with different preset modes and the option to customize three to our liking: Manual, custom 1 and 2. In these modes you can change the equalization of those 5 bands and add more or less bass. with the ClearBass option.
The noise cancellation mode can be active as it analyzes the ambient noise and you can also select it only manually or force the Ambient mode even filtering only the frequencies of the voice.
As for the controls, each headset has a physical button that we can use in the form of a single, double or triple click and also by holding it down.
By default, the left earbud is set up to switch between Active Noise Cancellation and Ambient and the right to control playback, but it’s all customizable.
Good sound, very good cancellation and autonomy for day to day
Speaking of sound quality here I have to uncover one of my fears when I was in the prebrief of them. Sony told us that it integrated a 5mm driver and that clashed with what I have seen in most models on the market that are practically double in size.
The larger the driver, the better the reproduction of bass sounds, and it is something that I prejudged was going to be a critical point of this model.
However, nothing is further from reality. Sony has created the driver and has optimized it to the point of being able to offer a well-balanced sound that, in addition, you can customize with its equalization system.
The sound is punchy enough to listen to Dance or D&B music, and it doesn’t cut the treble. In fact, if you are a lover of bass, I recommend that you take a look at the ClearBass option.
Perhaps it is a step behind the LinkBuds S and one and a half of the high-end 1000xm4, but of course, keeping an eye on the price, to listen to music on-the-go they are more than enough and thanks to the noise cancellation it is done very nice listening.
This noise cancellation is in line with Sony, the best on the market. I have tried it as a co-pilot in a car, perfect, even the ambient mode in which it allows the voice to filter. Also on the street and it shows how the adaptive noise cancellation makes adjustments to the filtered frequencies according to what sounds around.
As a bus passes, you notice how gently the shape of the sound you perceive changes somewhat and how that new noise is muffled.
If we talk about autonomy, here we are at the point that Sony has reduced to a minimum, both to save on cost and also on the weight of these headphones.
Sony told us that we can go up to 10 hours per charge without noise cancellation and that the box gives an additional charge.
In our tests we have noticed how close it is to those figures and, of course, it depends on the volume level and the music you listen to, you could even pass it.
With active noise cancellation, this real-time audio processing eats up about 25% autonomy and leaves us with more than 7 hours of autonomy per charge.
Speaking of charging, the box charges via USB-C and takes around 3 hours to fully charge.
If you have the headphones at 0% and you put them in the box, they take around a little over 1 hour and 20 minutes to charge to 100%. They have a quick charge mode for emergencies, where if you put them on, without a charge, 10 minutes in the box gives you 60 minutes of playback.
Versions, offers and price of the Sony WF-C700N
The new Sony WF-C700N hit the market this first week of April at an RRP of 130 dollars and you can buy them in different versions, depending on color.
All of them share technical characteristics, you can choose between white, black, lavender and green, in very pastel tones.
Review: Is it worth buying the Sony WF-C700N?
If you are an audiophile, you are sure to be aware of Sony’s experience in this technological segment. In fact, there are even models of headphones that are used by professionals who work in music studios.
Sony has been setting the line for years in terms of sound quality and noise cancellation with its 1000XM range and is bringing features such as DSEE or this noise cancellation to cheaper lines.
Surely we are at a level similar to what the previous generation top in Sony true wireless headphones could do, and that, with a much lower price.
If you are looking for lightweight headphones, with a small box and weight, and noise cancellation, these Sony WF-C700N are an option to consider.
