If you’re after a pair of wireless headphones, but you’re not sure if you have the need or money for active noise cancellation, Sony has two options with and without.
Even though the technology that can isolate us from the world inside headphones is seriously coming down in price, it can still be out of reach for some people.
In the past year, we’ve seen active noise cancelling headphones drop below the $300 mark well from the over $600 premium that the flagship models get, and there really are quite a lot of noise cancelling headphones out there to choose from. But that still mightn’t be enough.
If you’re looking for a pair made by a brand responsible for one of those top tier models, but you’re also looking to save some cash and not buy that big model, you might still be waiting to see what’s next.
For Sony, “what’s next” is exactly that.
While the Sony WH-1000XM5 are still relatively new and fresh (having only been released last year), Sony is ready with a slightly cut-down equivalent for budget buyers coming in the WH-CH720N.
In that model naming, the “N” is clearly for noise cancellation, with the headphones adopting a similar style but with firmer edges, and adopting the V1 Integrated Processor Sony used in the XM5 headphones.
There are fewer microphones, with the eight mics in the WH-1000XM5 dropped to two in the CH720N, but it will use two types of sensors to track noise in and out of the headphone cups to help isolate and cancel noise, except on a budget.
And priced at $259.95 in Australia, Sony’s WH-CH720N is clearly less expensive than the $600 flagship XM5, and brings up to 35 hours of noise cancelling battery life to the table and Sony’s Digital Sound Enhancement Engine (DSEE) to the table.
It’s different from another new pair of headphones, the WH-CH520 (above), a model that lacks the noise cancelling technology, but makes up for it in price and battery life.
In the CH520, Sony will keep the DSEE technology, but forgo ANC, including up to 50 hours of battery life in a headphone made for $99.95.
Different from the bassy “XB” style of Sony headphones that fit under the flagship models, the WH-CH520 are a fairly minimalist take on wireless headphones, that’s for sure. However, if saving money is what you’re after — and not noise cancellation — there could be something here.
Both are set to be available in stores across Australia shortly.
