There are no doubts: Sony knows how to build quality headphones and earphones. But until recently, it didn’t cover a really important slice of the market: that of true wireless earphones around 100 euros. The Japanese company offered the WF-C500 for the “low” range, offering superior audio quality to any rival. And connoisseurs could count on the WF-1000XM4, with stellar sound and maximum functionality. With the launch of Sony WF-C700Nobject of this reviewhowever, the company has found a middle path that many will want to take: earphones with a great sounda discreet ANCcall quality and a affordable price.
Our Sony WF-C700N review
Sony’s new earphones arrive in eco-friendly cardboard packaging, which is always very welcome. And inside, in addition to the case with headphones, we find is a USB-A/USB-C cable (very short) for charging e four hybrid silicone pads to best fit your ears.
The Sony WF-C700Ns come in four colors: White, Black, Lavender and Sage Green (the ones we tested for this review). A color that is delicate, pastel, really well done: a note of color that, however, does not attract excessive attention, resulting elegant and discreet. We also really like the tone-on-tone bearings.
The case weighs only 31 grams, the earphones are very light a 4.6 grams each. The form “drip” is reminiscent of Sony’s other earphones, while being much more discreet than the top-of-the-line WF-1000XM4. In the widest part you will find physical buttons, which make a pleasant click when touched. Next to it you will find a microphone grille, next to Sony written in white. While the R and L indications to distinguish right and left can be found inside, next to the recharging connectors.
The case itself is very discreet, with an elongated shape that makes it quite comfortable to keep it in your pocket. The pairing button (which still starts automatically by removing the headphones) is next to the entrance USB–C.
The finish on both the headphones and the case feels slightly textured to the touch, with pleasant feedback. They’re made of lightweight plastic, but the feel is good resistance and high quality construction.
Commands, setup and application
Most users will just take advantage of the features of Fast Pair of Sony earphones so you can start listening to your favorite music right away. We did. But as soon as we had time to download the application Headphones of Sony we did and we must admit that it made a difference.
First, it allows you to edit the behavior of the physical keys of the earphones. By default, on the right you can adjust listening: one tap Play/Pause, two taps Next Track, three taps Previous Track and if you press and hold, you will activate your smartphone’s voice assistant. On the left, you can activate ANC or ambient noise, although we preferred to use it to adjust the volume.
The buttons are really comfortable in normal day-to-day use. We found them too sensitive only when we used them for running: placing them better in the ear we stopped playback several times. But the situation is usually worse with touch controls, so we appreciate that Sony has kept the controls of its WF-C700N “simple”.
The other thing you can do is fine-tune the sound. You can for example follow a test to analyze the shape of the ear for theAudio 360°, but also use the equalizer to adjust six different parameters plus bass.
But the thing that you absolutely must do is enable DSEE: (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine). Sony did not include aptX HD and LDAC codecs, therefore you will not be able to have Hi-Res audio in your ears. By activating the DSEE, however, the quality of the audio tracks noticeably increases. Without it, the music quality is just good. By activating it, it becomes superior to any alternative in this price range.
How are they in the ears
Once this initial setup is done, which we recommend after the various tests of this review, you can insert the Sony WF-C700N. in our ears, they fit almost perfectly. The teardrop shape adapts well to the shape of the ear and the ear cushion closes the entrance to the ear canal very well.
We tested them during a run and, as with all styles that aren’t specifically designed for exercise, we had to reposition them in the ear during the ride. But much less so than with other headphones we’ve reviewed. During the rest of the day (and also in the gym), we always felt the headphones very stable in the ear.
The great lightness means that you can use them for a long time without causing discomfort: we did a whole morning without taking them off, it didn’t bother us at all.
Sony WF-C700N review: audio quality
The excellent “fit” of the headphones also allows you to raise the quality of the audio, transforming any room into a concert hall. Even without boosting the bass from the EQ, “I” Of Kendric Lamar e “Pink + White” Of Frank Ocean they all have round basses which we expected. And what headphones in this price range usually fail to deliver.
Listening Florence + The Machine we can appreciate the great dynamism of the 5 mm driver that Sony has developed for these earphones. In particular in “Free” we can hear both the thundering bass of the base and the violins and vocal trebles very well, without losing all the nuances that lie between these two extremes. An expert will notice the lack of codecs for Hi-Res, but the vast majority of listeners will not miss them.
We listened to several playlists during testing for this review, but the Sony WF-C700Ns always knew behave well. They have made the anger of “Bleed it out” of the Linkin Park that the sadness of “Blue in Green” Of Miles Davisknowing how to handle rock in a mature way Foo Fighter that the classical music of Beethovenpassing through i Beach Boys e Lazza. We haven’t found a trace that could put them in trouble.
ANC, calls and other functions
The Sony WF-C700Ns have an Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) feature and Ambient Sound Mode, which were found to be decent in this review. Noise cancellation allows you to eliminate chatter and “office” noise, but it can’t erase a vacuum cleaner or freeway traffic. There ambient modewhich has a function for focus on vocals of people, it lets you hear traffic and lets you hear who’s talking to you, as long as you turn the volume down a bit.
We didn’t expect the same quality as the models costing more than twice as much. But in the price range they seem above average to us: they won’t isolate you completely, but they will be a more than acceptable compromise.
On the other hand, the audio in call is excellent. Usually, we notice that the earphones without “stem” (like that of the AirPods and many other models, to be clear), capture our voice less clearly. Instead, the microphones that Sony has put in these drop earphones are really excellent: we used them for several calls, with our interlocutors who found the quality of our voice excellent.
If you add to this that the connection Bluetooth 5.2 is particularly stable, even with walls between you and your smartphone, the Sony WF-C700N could also become an excellent ally for business calls in the office or at home. Sony has promised that the Multipoint to connect both PC and smartphone should come with an update during the summer, though at the moment there isn’t.
Autonomy
Headphones have an autonomy of 7.5 hours. Which is great news, considering the weight and audio quality: we don’t know how Sony found room for a good battery life. Unfortunately, the custody offers a single refill – less than most rivals.
The headphones in the case charge to 100% in an hour and a half, while the case charges via USB-C in about three hours.
Sony WF-C700N review: worth it
On the Sony website, the WF-C700Ns cost 130 euros – and we would have already recommended them to you at this price. But on Amazon they are already discounted at 99 euros: a price at which you will find very few earphones that offer features such as ANC, good build quality and good autonomy (albeit with only one charge in the case). And virtually none that sound as good. So they are highly recommended: to do better you have to spend a lot more.
The WF-C500 model costs thirty euros less today, the top of the range WF-1000XM4 costs eighty euros more. The WF-C700N are therefore positioned in the right middle ground: an excellent gift for less than 100 euros for those who love music.