Sony WH-CH730N - New Midrange Noise-Cancelling Headphones
Sony offers a huge variety of models in the headphone segment, from entry-level devices to the luxury class, wired or wireless, in-ear or over-ear, across several generations of models that are often still sold at the same time and that get new additions almost every year. So as a regular customer in the online shop, you’re quickly overwhelmed by the many, far too long model names.
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by
David Lörch
- last edited: 07.10.2026
Our Rating:
★★★★★
The sound leaves little to be desired, provided you use the app and its built-in features, especially the 10-band equalizer.
★★★★★
A current Bluetooth standard with all the additional features such as multipoint, plus the option of a wired connection. What more could you want?
★★★☆☆
The headphones are made entirely of plastic and could have durability problems. The headband and ear pads aren't really well padded and make you sweat.
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$148.00
As of Oct 7, 2026, 10:31 pm GMT+0000
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Possible Explanation of the Model Names:
Sony does follow a strict logic here, of course, but it’s neither communicated especially openly nor easy to look up anywhere. So the model we tested is a:
WH means “Wireless Headband,” so wireless and with a headband
CH stands for “Casual Headset,” so a device without professional ambitions that you can also use for phone calls
730 stands for the model series and number, where the 500 series is the entry level, 700 corresponds to the midrange, and the 900 and 1000 devices are the most expensive high-end products. Following that logic, the direct predecessor is the 720 model, which is also still available.
N at the end means that it’s a noise-cancelling model. That, at least, is quick to spot and tell apart.
To illustrate this categorization in concrete numbers: the WH-CH730N starts at €119.99 in the Sony online shop, the corresponding 500 model WH-CH530 costs €59.99, and the currently cheapest model of the 1000 series is the WH-1000XM5 (XM stands for “Expressive Micro”) at €219.99. The predecessor WH-CH720N currently still sits at €59.00. So is double the price worth it for the newest model?
Sony WH-CH730N: First Impression and What's in the Box
All that’s included is a short quick-start guide and a mini-jack cable. You’ll look in vain for a carrying case or any other accessories, though that’s not necessarily to be expected in this price range. There is also no charging cable or charger, but there is the WH-CH735N model, which at least comes with a USB-C cable. Here, too, a clear note on how the models differ is missing; still, we find leaving out the cable perfectly reasonable, since these days you’re buried in cables and power adapters anyway and most people already own dozens.
The headphones are made entirely of plastic, which feels light and not particularly solid, but still doesn’t look cheap thanks to its matte finish. The ear pads and headband are padded with a relatively thin layer of foam and covered in faux leather. New compared to the predecessor are the hinges on the ear cups, which let you not only swivel the cups but also fold them in completely, so you can fold the headphones down to a handy size for transport. Of course, hinges like that can quickly become weak points. Since everything is held together with screws, though, we can hope for good repair options. We’d still recommend buying a case, also to avoid scratches on the delicate matte surface.
Technical Features
- Drivers: Dynamic, 30mm
- Weight: approx. 207g
- Closed-back, over-ear
- Frequency range 6 – 20,000 Hz
- Impedance: 100 ohms (with cable and device on), 25 ohms (with cable and device off)
- Sensitivity: 108 db / mW (on), 100 db / mW (off)
- Bluetooth 6.0 with LE standard and LC3 audio codec (low latency and low power consumption with better quality)
Practical for Everyday Use?
The headphones are really light and sit well on the head and over the ears. The material over the pads isn’t really breathable, though, so your ears get sweaty relatively quickly even at 68 degrees Fahrenheit. As a result, after wearing them for twenty minutes you need a short break every now and then. So we can’t recommend the headphones for longer trips, in summer or for sports – especially if you’re used to wearing in-ears or tend to sweat easily anyway. The padding on the headband isn’t particularly thick, so you quickly feel a certain amount of pressure there.
The noise cancelling works really well and lets hardly any disturbing noise reach your ears in normal city noise. With one button, the microphones for the noise cancelling, which sit on the outside of the ear cups, can be routed to your ears, which Sony calls “Ambient Sound Mode.” That way, if need be, you can understand announcements, voices and the like extremely clearly. This even works in 20 levels, and via the companion app the noise cancelling can learn and eventually “knows” where you are and what you’re doing, and whether you want to hear something there or not. If you allow the headphones or the app access to various data, it can even recognize your own voice.
Phone calls work with the buttons on the headphones and the built-in “beamforming” (directional beam) microphones without any problems even in loud wind noise or other racket, and the voice quality is very good. What’s missing, though, is a function that lets you hear your own voice a little in your ears during calls (with noise cancelling activated). So you should rather make calls with ambient sound switched on, so you don’t accidentally start shouting.
Compared to the predecessor, the battery life has been beefed up considerably once again with hardly any extra weight: with ANC on, the headphones get around 50 hours of battery life, and even 70 without it. A full charge takes about 3 hours.
The Sound: Really Powerful with the App!
The sound of the headphones is very pleasant and instantly fun for listening to music, even at the factory settings. The bass is fully there and the treble boost typical of headphones is not noticeable; the CH730N sound warm and balanced. Things get really interesting with the Sound Connect app , through which we can access a 10-band equalizer and activate the anti-compression process DSEE (“Digital Sound Enhancement Engine”).
Sony came up with something particularly clever for the equalizer: under the “Find Your Equalizer” function, while music is playing (ideally a track you know well), you can switch through different EQ settings across 5 different circles and then pick a favorite. That’s not only intuitive, it also makes sure you rely purely on your ears and not on what you see. The differences are very obvious at first and then get finer and the circles fewer, until you end up at your ideal setting. In our case, that ends up as a slight treble and sub-bass boost that improves the sound a bit more.
The headphones also support Sony’s own “360 Reality Audio” standard for virtual 360° surround. However, this can only be tested with a compatible streaming app plus a subscription. The best-known provider here is probably Amazon Music Unlimited.
Our Conclusion: An All-Around Successful Midrange Headphone?
The Sony WH-CH730N delivers in all categories except wearing comfort. For €120, we’d expect a somewhat better thought-out design or better materials here. People used to wearing over-ears may have fewer problems, though. If you already own a newer model (such as the 720N), an upgrade is hardly worth it; as a fresh start in the Sony world, though, the 730N is a great fit.
Check out our big comparison of the best gaming headsets.
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$148.00
As of Oct 7, 2026, 10:31 pm GMT+0000
Buy at Amazon*
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