Professional’s Score
Professionals
- Good sound
- Excessive bass potential
- Lengthy battery life
- Good colors
- Low-cost
Cons
- Unusual gesture management
- Middling ANC
- Restricted options
Our Verdict
The Sony WF-C700N earbuds sound nice for his or her value, plus they match effectively, have an extended battery life and look good. The trade-offs are middling noise cancellation, odd controls and a restricted characteristic set, although that’s common on this value vary. If you are able to do with out Apple-exclusive options, they’re a superb different to Airpods.
With the Sony WF-C700N, Sony launched new wi-fi in-ear headphones in mid-2023, bridging the hole between the even cheaper entry-level mannequin, the Sony WF-C500, and the high-end Sony WF-1000XM4.
In case you search the web for alternate options to the Airpods and dig by best-of lists, you’ll discover that if Sony isn’t in first place, it’s in second. You haven’t come throughout a conspiracy – it’s simply that Sony produces good all-round headphones.
Particularly the place its high fashions are involved, Sony has had immense success: the producer’s wi-fi over-ears have occupied high positions no less than for the reason that Sony WH-1000XM3 – since then, we’ve reached the WH-1000XM5 – the true wi-fi in-ears have been glorious since no less than the WF-1000XM3.
The extra inexpensive fashions are additionally spectacular. Moreover a number of sports activities headphones and the admittedly considerably unusual Linkbuds collection, Sony additionally has wi-fi in-ear headphones in its vary: the WF-C500 with out ANC, and the newer WF-C700N with ANC. And it’s the WF-C700N that we’re reviewing right here.
Foundry / Eugen Wegmann
Within the field
- ANC for $/£/€100
- Environmentally-friendly packaging
For round $/£/€100, the Sony WF-C700N depart little to be desired. For the primary time on this value section, Sony is providing good energetic noise cancellation (ANC), after a longtime headphone model, Sennheiser, entered this market in 2021 with the Sennheiser CX Plus True Wi-fi.
Along with the headphones themselves and the charging cradle, there’s additionally a USB-A to USB-C cable for charging, two extra silicone attachments and a handbook within the field. The packaging is exemplary and fabricated from paper or cardboard and thus a renewable uncooked materials: the outer field, the cardboard – even the cable is sure with a bit of paper.
Foundry / Eugen Wegmann
Design
- Engaging colors
- Button as a substitute of contact subject
- Gentle
Visually, the Sony WF-C700N are virtually similar to the cheaper WF-C500 from 2021. The obvious variations are the colors – the WF-C700N can be found in black, white (reviewed right here), sage inexperienced and lavender, the WF-C500 in black, white, inexperienced and orange – and the metallic grilles for the extra ANC microphones.
Foundry / Eugen Wegmann
Not like the Airpods, the Sony WF-C700N come with out a stem, however have a button design and due to this fact sit utterly within the ear cup with none elements hanging from the ear. The most important drawback is for folks with small ears: in case your ears are notably small, headphones just like the Sony WF-C700N could merely not have room – the heads of the Airpods are a lot smaller.
As with the cheaper mannequin, Sony depends on a button quite than a contact floor for management. Whereas low-cost true-wireless headphones with a button usually have a really arduous strain level and the headphones are pushed into the ear with each press of the button, the buttons of the Sony WF-C700N are pleasantly mushy, however don’t lose the haptic suggestions of the clearly noticeable click on.
Most likely the most important drawback of that is that from time to time you’ll by accident press the buttons when inserting or locking the in-ears.
One other characteristic the mid-range in-ears need to do with out are sensors that may routinely pause or play music whenever you take the headphones out and put them again in. We hope it’s solely a matter of time earlier than this characteristic strikes into this value vary, identical to ANC.
Building-wise, Sony has one way or the other managed to take care of a battery lifetime of as much as 10 hours with out ANC and as much as 7.5 hours with ANC, whereas nonetheless decreasing the load of the person earbuds by 15 per cent, from 5.4 to 4.6g. Within the true-wireless headphone market, the WF-C700N are light-weight and due to this fact sit comfortably within the ears for hours. When the batteries have been utterly drained, a full cost cycle takes about an hour and a half, whereas 10 minutes is sufficient for a full hour of listening pleasure.
Foundry / Eugen Wegmann
The case seems like an outsized capsule, is pleasantly mild and feels fantastic within the hand. Nearly too effectively, as a result of it invitations you to mess around with it in your trouser or jacket pocket. The battery inside offers a full cost for the earphones, giving a complete runtime of as much as 15 hours with ANC and 20 hours with out.
On the again is the USB-C port for charging, plus a button to place the headphones into pairing mode or reset them to manufacturing unit settings.
Foundry / Eugen Wegmann
Sound
- Balanced sound from the manufacturing unit
- Very excessive bass potential
- 5-band equaliser plus clear bass
Though the Sony WF-C700N are a form of hyperlink between the cheaper WF-C500 and the dearer WF-1000XM4, by way of sound they’re much nearer to the previous. That’s not a foul factor, although, as a result of even Sony’s most cost-effective headphones sound fairly darn good, even when they’re usually a bit bass-heavy.
Whereas the mids and highs sound very clear and balanced, the best potential of the Sony WF-C700N lies within the bass. Even with Clear Increase set to degree 4, bass tracks in historically much less bass-heavy genres corresponding to rock and steel grow to be clearly audible, though they’re removed from being overbearing. Slightly, they transfer from the background a bit of to the entrance and don’t impose themselves due to their surprisingly heat sound.
Whereas there’s an excessive amount of of a very good factor in these genres past degree 4, the enjoyable is simply starting with trendy hip-hop and digital music. The soiled synth bass in virtually all songs of “Run the Jewels” will get even dirtier, crunchy bass drums in drum’n’bass tracks get a bit richer and hotter – though the sound is in fact a matter of style.
On this respect, the Sony WF-C700N are extra appropriate for the latter genres than the previous, however this needs to be understood extra as an evaluation than as a criterion for exclusion, because the sound will also be adjusted with a 5-band equaliser. On the one hand, there are the standard presets for pop, rock, speech, and so on., however, you can even make and save your personal settings.
5 frequency bands are fairly adequate in our opinion, in spite of everything, the Sony WF-C700N is just not a hi-fi product anyway; nonetheless, we’d have objected to 3 bands.
Foundry / Eugen Wegmann
Software program
- Good, however not best-in-class ANC
- Unusual gesture management
- 3D audio solely with Sony account
ANC
One of many largest technical variations between the cheaper WF-C500 and the WF-C700N is the energetic noise cancellation. This was beforehand reserved for dearer fashions, however now it’s additionally obtainable for a relatively small value.
Within the app, you’ll be able to set which modes to modify between on the contact of a button: between all three or solely between two of three. On/Transparency is configured by default, which might be the commonest use case for most individuals. Together with the deactivation of noise cancellation within the rotation helps at greatest to increase the battery life when wanted.
Foundry / Eugen Wegmann
Whereas the ANC does a very good job on the entire, it doesn’t come near the efficiency of the Sony WF-1000XM4: when switched on, not all frequencies are filtered to the identical extent, and in transparency mode there are additionally issues with some frequencies. Whereas monotonous machine noises (engines, compressors, and so on.) will be heard effectively – a particular benefit in street site visitors – some frequencies are typically swallowed up a lot, particularly with voices, that you just typically need to take the headphones out of your ears on the money register so as to perceive the particular person reverse correctly.
The distinction in high quality might be as a consequence of the truth that the Sony WF-C700N have fewer microphones than the high-end mannequin and due to this fact choose up ambient noise much less successfully.
If you wish to partially automate the switching on and off, you can provide the Sony app permissions in order that the headphones routinely swap noise cancellation or transparency mode on and off based mostly on location and actions.
Nonetheless, this didn’t work effectively sufficient in our take a look at section for us to wish to use it completely in on a regular basis life. Maybe we’d even have wanted extra time to coach the underlying algorithm. The one benefit the operate had for us on this context was to unlock one of many two buttons for different features – an odd design resolution by Sony.
Foundry / Eugen Wegmann
Gesture management
Completely different approaches to gesture management have emerged for true-wireless headphones: There are producers, corresponding to Sennheiser, who depart your entire button task open: if you need, you’ll be able to put play/pause on the opposite aspect, double assign it, even put it on all inputs for those who completely need to; single, lengthy, double, triple button press – any operate will be placed on any gesture. On this method, house owners can completely adapt the management to their preferences.
Then once more, there are producers who enable virtually no changes. Play/Pause is on the left aspect by default whenever you merely faucet, ANC is on the opposite earpiece, and so forth. This has the benefit that you just don’t need to get used to a brand new enter scheme and all headphones (of this producer or kind) are operated in the identical method.
After which there’s Sony: Right here they’ve opted for an odd center method, the place you’ll be able to assign particular person enter teams to the left and the suitable earpiece. For instance, for those who put playback features (play/pause, earlier/subsequent observe) on the left earpiece and ANC management on the suitable, you’ll be able to solely change the amount in your smartphone. It’s because ANC not solely occupies this single gesture with its single enter, however in a way additionally blocks the lengthy key press and a number of presses – these then merely don’t have any additional operate.
Why that is, we could by no means know. Nonetheless, the cheaper WF-C500 and the dearer WF-1000XM4 even have the issue, although it’s not as extreme within the former as ANC is omitted anyway.
Different app options
Moreover the essential options – ANC, equaliser and button mapping – there are just a few different fascinating, if not important, features. For instance, you’ll be able to set whether or not or to not use DSEE within the app. Sony’s proprietary expertise can intelligently scale low-resolution audio upwards and thus reproduce an virtually high-resolution sound. It’s typically advisable to modify on this setting.
Moreover, there’s a swap within the app with which you’ll prioritise sound high quality or connection stability. Throughout our take a look at time, this setting was completely set to “High quality” and together with an iPhone 14 (often within the pocket), there was not a single connection interruption.
If this occurs frequently, it is suggested to prioritise stability. Within the background, this setting forces the AAC codec to high quality mode, whereas a extra secure connection is achieved by the much less demanding SBC codec.
Like many different producers, Sony additionally has its personal resolution for digital encompass sound; in Apple jargon that is known as “3D audio”, at Sony it’s known as “360 Actuality Audio”. As with the Airpods, you must {photograph} your ears for this, which is an odd endeavor, as a result of with out exterior aid you don’t know whether or not you’ve gotten photographed your ear appropriately, as a result of you’ll be able to’t {photograph} your ear and take a look at the smartphone show on the similar time.
Anyway, this operate could be very, very restricted with Sony: 360 Actuality Audio is just appropriate with 4 streaming companies: Amazon Music Limitless, nugs.internet, Peer Tracks and Tidal. Furthermore, a Sony account is obligatory for this.
Most likely essentially the most superfluous characteristic of the app is a collection of challenges that you may earn the extra usually you utilize your headphones and full sure duties with them. You then get rewards for this within the type of badges.
Foundry / Eugen Wegmann
Worth and availability
The Sony WF-C700N are broadly obtainable within the US and now at nearer to $100 than the MSRP of $119.99. You may get them from Finest Purchase and Walmart amongst different retailers however on the time of writing, Finest Purchase has extra color choices.
Within the UK, you should purchase from Currys, Argos and John Lewis – which have all the color choices for £99 or £99.99
Verdict
In case you’re in search of wi-fi in-ear headphones with noise-cancelling and don’t wish to dig too deep into your pocket, you’ll be able to’t go flawed with the Sony WF-C700N. They sound nice, particularly for those who like digital music and hip-hop or would love a bit extra thump within the depths of your steel playlist.
The important thing benefit, over each the common Airpods and the Airpods Professional, is that they provide an unimaginable quantity of options for his or her value – you’ll be able to’t even get the discontinued Airpods 2 for that, and people sit open within the ears and don’t have ANC. Plus, the Sony WF-C700N come in additional colors different than simply white – though sadly we may solely take a look at the white variant.
Particularly with regard to higher-class fashions with noise-cancelling – be it the Sony WF-1000XM4 or the Airpods Professional 2 – you must make concessions: The energetic noise cancellation doesn’t work fairly as effectively as there and different sensible options are lacking, corresponding to automated pause and play when eradicating and inserting the headphones.
All in all, nonetheless, the Sony WF-C700N are no less than an fascinating, really an important different to the Airpods, no less than to the common ones. For extra shopping for choices and recommendation, take a look at our round-up of the very best headphones and greatest true wi-fi earbuds.
This overview initially appeared in Macwelt and has been translated for publication right here.