Sony WH-CH720N vs WH-CH730N: Which Should You Buy?

Budget pick

Sony WH-CH720N

The better deal at $65 to $90: lighter, and as good for most commutes

Buy nowTypical price: $65–$90

VS

Mid-range

Sony WH-CH730N

Worth $178 only if you need the fold or cleaner street calls

Buy nowTypical price: $148–$180

I’d buy the Sony WH-CH720N. On October 23, 2026, it cost $89.99 at Sony US, while the new WH-CH730N cost $179.99, about $90 more. The CH730N is the better headphone on paper: it folds, claims 50 hours with ANC on instead of 35, and takes clearer calls in noise. But its noise cancelling barely moved, it weighs 15 g more, and side by side the CH720N wins on sound and fit for many listeners.

Here’s the full Sony WH-CH720N vs WH-CH730N breakdown, with lab scores where they exist and the cases where the upgrade earns its price.

Sony WH-CH720N vs WH-CH730N specs side by side

Sources: Sony Help Guides for the CH720N and CH730N, RTINGS’ CH720N review, SoundGuys’ CH730N review, and Amazon and Sony US prices checked October 23, 2026. Sony’s battery figures are claims.

Noise cancelling: A small step, not a fix

The CH730N cancels a little more noise, and that’s all. Its ANC scored 7.9 out of 10 against 7.3 for the CH720N in SoundGuys testing, with better passive isolation (6.6 against 4.9 out of 10) and total reduction of about 79%. Both pairs struggle with voices and other sounds between 300 and 1,000 Hz, and Sony kept the same processor.

The reviews line up with that. Keyboard clicks and speech still get through, and TechRadar rates the CH730N’s ANC “fairly middling”. It works well on a commute. What Hi-Fi, which gave it five stars, still lists ANC that struggles with voices as a reason to avoid it. Side by side, the CH720N’s noise cancelling adds less background hiss.

If you’re upgrading because your CH720N can’t keep up on the subway, the CH730N won’t solve it. One owner who asked about exactly that on r/SonyHeadphones got the advice to wait for reviews or look higher up Sony’s range. For real rumble cancelling at a budget price, the Soundcore Space 2 measured 84% average reduction at SoundGuys for about $106.

Sound quality: Same drivers, different defaults

Sony kept the same 30 mm drivers. What changed is the tuning and the EQ. The CH730N gets a 10-band EQ in the Sound Connect app, up from 5 bands, and Sony lists the tuning as new.

The CH730N sounds bass-heavy and a bit muffled by default. It opens up with the Clear EQ preset and DSEE on, and then sounds clearer than the CH720N in What Hi-Fi’s listening. It scored 4.6 out of 5 against 3.3 for the CH720N on SoundGuys’ sound model, though the default tuning sounds dark and boxy. Side by side, the CH720N still sounds more detailed to some listeners even after EQ.

On balance, the CH730N sounds a bit better once you set the EQ, and the CH720N sounds a bit better if you don’t. Neither has LDAC, so Android owners gain nothing on codecs. My CH720N review has the EQ settings I’d use on the older pair.

Comfort, weight and the fold

The CH720N is the lighter pair at 192 g, Sony’s lightest noise cancelling headband. The CH730N weighs 207 g. The CH730N’s clamp feels slightly firmer, while its comfort still scored 4.5 out of 5 at Tom’s Guide and it stays wearable past eight hours. Its pleather pads can get uncomfortable after about two hours, so heat is the limit on both.

The fold is the CH730N’s clearest upgrade. Its cups fold inward, so it packs smaller in a bag, while the CH720N’s cups only swivel flat. Neither ships with a case, and one US buyer got no USB-C cable in the box.

TheWalkManBlog counted many more screws at the CH730N’s hinge, which is encouraging, since owners report cracked CH720N hinges after a year or so. The CH730N’s headband “isn’t the sturdiest” in TechRadar’s view, and it’s too new for a durability record.

Battery life and charging

Sony claims 50 hours with ANC on for the CH730N, up from 35 hours for the CH720N, and 45 hours when you use LC3 over LE Audio. No lab has published an hours figure for the CH730N yet. SoundGuys shows a battery score but no hours, and there was no RTINGS review as of October 23.

The CH720N beat its claim in testing, with RTINGS measuring 38.4 hours. That’s enough for about two weeks of commuting. Both quick charge the same way: 3 minutes gives about an hour. Call time doesn’t change between them, at 35 hours with ANC on.

Calls and connectivity

Calls are the CH730N’s other real upgrade. It uses four mics with AI noise reduction. Its calls rated excellent at What Hi-Fi, and side by side its mic comes through louder and clearer in noise than the CH720N’s, with a quieter background in a busy cafe, though calls get choppy in very loud noise.

The CH730N moves to Bluetooth 6.0 and adds LE Audio with LC3 and Auracast, which Sony now documents in its Help Guide. LE Audio support still depends on your phone. Both pairs connect to two devices at once, and both play over a 3.5 mm cable.

What owners report

The CH730N is too new for a long owner record. Amazon US showed 4.4 stars from 48 ratings on October 23, 2026; two owners mention sound leaking at higher volumes and two say the build feels cheap. The CH720N held 4.3 stars from about 17,000 ratings, with the familiar hinge and headband-fabric complaints after a year or two of daily use.

Which should you buy?

Buy the Sony WH-CH720N if you want light, comfortable ANC for commutes and desk work at $90 or less, especially on an iPhone. It’s the better value by a wide margin while stock lasts.

Buy the Sony WH-CH730N if the headphones ride in a backpack every day, you take a lot of calls outdoors, or your CH720N has worn out and you want the same Sony feel with a fold. Try to buy it near $150.

Buy neither if strong noise cancelling is the goal. The Soundcore Space 2 costs about $106, measured 84% noise reduction and 42 to 53 hours with ANC on, and adds LDAC with multipoint. If you have $80, the CMF Headphone Pro beats both Sonys on battery.

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Written by Marius

Audio enthusiast. I've worn a lot of headphones, and I tell you which pair is worth your money and which one isn't.

I check every verdict against lab measurements and long-term owner feedback, and I update pages when prices or models change. How I judge headphones.