Sony Noise Cancelling Headphones WHCH710N: Wireless Bluetooth Over the Ear Headset with Mic for Phone-Call, Black

These over-the-ear headphones are very lightweight and comfortable to wear. They seemed to be designed to be operated while wearing them because they speak to you as you press the buttons, e.g. Power On/Off, Bluetooth Pairing/Connected/Disconnected, Noise Cancelling, Ambient Sound, etc. Press the power button briefly and it tells you the power level, hold the button a few seconds to turn on/off, and hold it for seven seconds to go into Bluetooth pairing mode. If you have Near Field Communications on your device, my cell phone has this capability, the Bluetooth connects and disconnects when held near the device. In the box are the headphones, and two cables: a headphone cable, and USB-A to USB-C cable. The USB cable is less that 8 inches, not sure why so short, it is difficult to plug into my charging transformer or computer. A 5-volt charging transformer is not included and it is not clear the desired wattage. It did take 7 hours to charge initially. It is listed as having a 35-hour playback time on a charge. The sound quality is very good, I play my music at very high fidelity and these headphones are handling the music exceedingly well. One thing that I wish Sony included is a case for the headphones. There are third-party cases available online. These headphones seem to provide many of the features of Sony’s higher end headphones at a more modest price point. I would certainly recommend them for everyday use. I tested the tree modes; Ambient, Noise Cancelling, and Off. We live on a busy street with much traffic, cars and heavy trucks, which was a perfect setting for the test. Noise Cancelling mode did a great job compensating for the exterior noise, the traffic is loud, and I could barely hear it. As expected in Ambient mode the microphones passed through the street sounds with the music, good if I were walking around and needed to also hear what is going on in the environment and listen to the music. Ambient off turns off the microphones so there is no pass-through sound, so it will depend on the outside volume and your music volume as to how much outside sound you hear. Ambient off also means that Noise Cancelling is off, so if you do not like the compensation that noise cancelling provides, this is your mode. I need to also disclose that I did receive these headphones at a discount in exchange for my honest review. I am pleased with the quality that these headphones provide at a very reasonable price.

The WHCH710N headset is wonderful. Sure, it's not flawless, but it's still a headset worth buying. At a retail price of $200, I've seen it on sale often for $100. That's a very competitive price for a headset with this feature set.The Pros:Excellent build quality. These are sturdy, well built, headphones. Although the majority of the build is plastic, in a way that's a good thing.Excellent sound quality. These headphones produce amazing sound, with a more flat sound profile.Good noise cancellation. The noise cancellation is good enough, but at certain angles, noise can leak in.Amazing audio controls. The controls are outstanding. With them also being physical buttons, it's far easier to control and handle without an accidental gesture activation.Outstanding Bluetooth connection. The Bluetooth connection is simply outstanding. I cant notice any audio delay at all, and it truly feels like a wired headset.The Cons:The leatherette ear cushions. They arent that comfortable, but that depends on the ear size of the user. If you have small ears, they will be fine. But if you have larger ears, you may have discomfort. I personally use (and recommend) the SteelSeries Arctis ear cushions as a replacement. ($14.99+fees USD)Clamping. Depending on the users head size, it can feel a bit clampy. It doesn't hurt, but you can notice it feels snug if you have a bigger head.Ear discomfort. This headset has a strange black cube that is under the ear cushion, in the middle. I do not know what it is for, but again, depending on the users ear size - this black cube may dig into your ear, causing discomfort.

Noise cancellation is fantastic. The sound quality is pretty good but honestly i expected a bit more from headphones that normally cost $200. I got them for $98 so they’re satisfactory at that reduced price but by no means would i have purchased these headphones for the full retail price.Sound quality is great with the headphones straight out of the box but it took some time for me to adjust to the isolation of the noise cancellation since my old headphones don’t do much in terms of noise cancellation.After the adjustment period i can say that im happy with the headphones and the fact that they charge through USB-C is great, however the included cable is embarrassingly short.The headphones don’t feel particularly premium in terms of build quality but the matte plastic does offer a nice feel. The ambient noise mode is a nice addition but I don’t feel like ill get much use out of it due to the fact that i mainly use over ear headphones at home and i usually use Airpods when i go outdoors.It is also important to note that Sony’s more expensive $300-$400 headphones seem to come with a case for protection when carrying the headphones in a bag but these do not come with a case for those who are curious about that. It makes no real difference for me though.Lastly I tested these through various styles of music. These headphones are okay with dubstep and offer a decent amount of bass. Pop music sounds okay but the bass can be overbearing and can feel like it’s competing with the acoustics. I tried listening to classical music such as Handel’s messiah and the great gate of Kiev but i can safely say that i wouldn’t recommend these headphones for classical music fans. Lo-fi hip hop was the most pleasing listening experience on the headphones for me. I do recommend these headphone for fans of the House music. Rap music sounds great overall.Feel free to ask any questions if this review didn’t help.