Sony WH-CH710N review: Finally, some affordable noise cancelling (Express photo: Nandagopal Rajan)
When I got hold of my first noise cancelling headset a few years ago, it was an investment that I chose to keep away from my wife. But over the years, with all my travels and long stopovers at noisy airports, it has proved to be a worthy investment. But what was essentially a travel accessory is now all of a sudden become a necessity for almost anyone working from home. That is why reviewing the Sony WH-CH710N is exciting, more so because this is one of the more affordable over the ear noise cancelling headphones you can buy at the moment.
The Sony WH-CH710N has a trademark Sony headset look. But when you hold it, it feels much lighter, because of the plastic body. There is hardly any metal on this headphone and the ear cups as well as head band are moulded plastic. And though it is obvious this is one of the aspects that has helped Sony keep the price tag of this headphone low, it still gives you the confidence of using a Sony device.
The ear cups are comfortable and after a while you don’t feel like you are wearing headphone. But still into the listening experience it does get a bit hot inside, if you, like me, are sweating on a top floor flat in the Delhi summer. Keep in mind that this is not an open design.
The left ear cup offers the power/pairing button, with the USB-C charging port and 3.5mm port in case you want to go wired. On the right you have the volume rocker, the pause button which also lets you take calls. There is another button here to switch on ambient sound in case you want to be more aware of you surroundings. This button also lets you activate noise cancelling. The pause button on long press brings up the voice assistant, but this did not work on Siri. The Google Assistant did its job well.
Sony WH-CH710N has a trademark Sony headset look. (Express photo: Nandagopal Rajan)
But how good is the noise cancelling? Well, I could not take a flight to test the headset for obvious reasons. But it is good enough to negate the drone of the old fan in my room and the contact chatter of my son watching stuff on Netflix. I strongly believe noise cancellation technology will find mass adoption in the work from scenario as people try to find the best ways to recreate the peace of office in our noisy, cramped homes. From that perspective, the Sony WH-CH710N does a good job. But this is not a top-end device and I have experienced better noise cancellation from Sony. But for that you will need to dish our more.
Now, the audio quality. The Sony headphone has come to me in a week where I have had to test three different audio devices at price points across the spectrum. The Sony WH-CH710N, with its 30mm driver, fits in the middle of this scale on the price and that is exactly where I would it on audio experience too.
And there is this one album by violinist Farid Farjad that I have listened to on all devices. With the Sony the experience was definitely good, thanks to Sony’s traditional partially to bass. But then this is not a device that will overwhelm you will bass and offers a more neutral profile compared to others from the same stables.
Sony WH-CH710N seems ideal for those working from home. (Express photo: Nandagopal Rajan)
Even with something that was more vocal heavy, the experience was really good. There were times when I went back to the box of the WH-CH710N, just to recheck if I have read the price right — in fact the price was much lower than what is printed on the box. The audio experience, while not flagship material is certainly what I have heard more in price points a few thousand rupees more than what this one is selling at. For those who appreciate good music the way it is meant to be listened, it won’t take too long to realise that this is money well spent.
With a promised battery life of up to 35 hours and 10-minute quick charge, the Sony WH-CH710N seems ideal for those working from home as well as hoping to be able to travel for work or pleasure when the present situation finally ends. This is a no-nonsense headphone with wireless connectivity, noise cancelling and good audio quality, but a very reasonable price point of Rs 9,990. However, be mindful that the noise cancelling is better in more expensive headsets from Sony and others.