Sony WH-CH730N review: strong value with a few compromises

TechRadar’s Harry Padoan says Sony’s WH-CH730N wireless headphones offer strong value, with solid sound, a foldable design and a broad feature set. His assessment is based on testing the headphones, though the source does not specify how many weeks he used them.

Padoan found that the default sound tuning could feel unbalanced, with vocals and treble-range drums held back. He says listeners can use Clear EQ or create a Custom tuning in Sony’s Sound Connect app to make the sound more open. He describes the bass as deep and controlled, and says the headphones also handle more stripped-back music well. He notes they do not match the soundstage or instrument separation of Sony’s flagship headphones.

The review says the headphones include DSEE upscaling, a 3.5mm audio connection, customizable EQ, multipoint connectivity and transparency mode. Padoan also notes the absence of LDAC support, USB-C audio passthrough and wear detection.

For noise cancellation, the WH-CH730N use four microphones. Padoan found ANC competent at dulling harsher outside sounds, but says keyboard clicks and a video presenter’s voice remained audible in his office tests, even while music played above 50%. He says the microphones handled calls well.

TechRadar reports battery life of 50 hours with ANC on and up to 75 hours with it off. The review’s overall view is that the headphones sound good for their price, though they need some tuning and their noise cancellation is not among the best.