So right now as of the second half of 2020
Sony has a mostly refreshed lineup of ANC
headphones. The newest headphones to be released
here are the Sony 1000XM4’s, but the Sony
WH-CH710N’s and the Sony WH-H910N’s aka
the H.ear On 3’s were released a few months
ago. But then we also have the Sony XB900N’s
which are a little over a year old now but
these are still one of my favorite mid tier
ANC headphones to recommend. But nonetheless
today we’re going to break down Sony’s
current headphone lineup and see which one
is right for you.
Now first off lets talk about price… the
WH-CH710N’s have a retail price of $200
but they constantly go on sale for less than
$150. Where as the XB900N’s have a retail
price of $250 but they constantly like to
go on sale for $178 dollars. Then there are
the H.ear On 3’s which are a little harder
to get. Right now the easiest way to get them
is from Costco and you can find them on sale
for $200. But sometimes they can be found
on sale for $150 which is insane. But the
caveat here is that you do have to be a Costco
member. And finally there are the Sony 1000XM4’s
which retail for $350. So if you want to pick
any of these headphones up they’ll be linked
down below, and if you want to learn more
about any of these headphones please watch
their full review’s cause we’re only going
over their main differences.
Now lets talk about the included carrying
cases here. Unfortunately the 710N’s don’t
come included with any kind of a case. Even
though these are a pair of entry level headphones
its really unfortunate cause there are plenty
of other entry level headphones out there
that do come included with some kind of a
case. Then there are the XB900N and H.ear
on 3’s which both come included with carrying
pouches. So if you do plan on commuting or
traveling a lot with your headphones I do
advise that you invest in a hardshell case.
However I do want to point out that only the
XB900N can both be fully collapsed or laid
down flat… where as the H.ear on 3’s can’t
be laid down flat. Limiting the amount of
after market cases you could use with these
headphones. But finally there are the 1000XM4’s
which come included with a great hardshell
carrying case that really stiff so they’re
going to keep you’re headphones perfectly
safe when they’re in your back pack or carryon…
and they also have a little storage compartment
for your cables.
But now lets talk about the headphones themselves…
all of these headphones are mostly made out
of plastic but they do feel very different
in your hands. Now the WH-CH710N’s do feel
very cheap when compared to all of these other
headphones. They’re sturdy and they get
the job done but they feel more like a toy.
Where as even though the XB900N’s have a
very similar plastic textured body to the
WH-CH710N’s… they feel more premium and
better put together. But if we were to switch
over to the H.ear On 3’s these headphones
feel more premium specifically cause the majority
of their body has a soft touch feel to them.
Where as the body of the 1000XM4’s has a
mostly slate finish to it and the soft touch
feel is reserved to the caps on their ear
cups. But one very crucial detail that I have
omitted so far is the leatherette on these
headphones. Now first off I want to make it
perfectly clear that I do not like the leatherette
on the WH-CH710N’s cause it feels very course.
Where as the leatherette on the 1000XM4’s
feels good enough to get the job done… but
it does feel very plastic and it does pale
in comparison to the leatherette on other
premium ANC headphones out there. Now personally
I do feel the leatherette on the XB900N’s
feels a little better than the 1000XM4’s
cause its a little more supple… But the
leatherette on the H.ear On 3’s is the best
feeling one here cause its even more supple.
So over all build quality wise the 710N’s
do feel a little lack luster for entry level
headphones, the XB900N’s feel good for mid
tier ANC headphones, the 1000XM4’s get the
job done for premium ANC headphones… but
I do think the H.ear On 3’s take the cake
here.
Now when it comes to fit… all of these headphones
are big head approved cause none of them have
a lot of clamping force. And all of these
headphones are very light weight so they’re
easy to forget that you have them on and they
aren’t super noticeable when you’re walking
around with them on. But when it comes to
their ear pads things revery different…
even though the ear pads on the 710N’s are
very wide… since they’re very shallow
they still end up pressing down on my cartilage.
Where as all of these other headphones have
much roomier ear pads and they fit me just
fine. But there are still some differences
to point out. When it comes to roominess both
the 1000XM4’s and XB900N’s are pretty
much the same and they both should be able
to fit most people just fine. But if you have
larger ears or ears that stick out a lot then
you are better off going with the H.ear On
3’s cause their ear pads are significantly
more spacious. But also since the padding
on the H.ear On 3’s and WH-CH710N’s do
have very little surface area coming in contact
with your skin… they do heat up much slower.
Where as the XB900N’s do heat up a little
faster cause they have more surface area.
Now none of these headphones have an over
heating problem but the H.ear On 3’s and
WH-CH710N’s do stay cooler for longer.
But now lets talk about tech specs… all
of these headphones charge via a USB C port
as they should. And when it comes to battery
life this is actually an area Sony has always
done very well. Both the XB900N and 1000XM4’s
had an advertised battery life of 30 hours
with their ANC turned on where as the WH-CH710N
and H.ear on 3’s both have an advertised
battery life of 25 hours with their ANC turned
on. And you can always stretch out the battery
life on all of these headphones you use them
with their ANC turned off.
Now when it comes to Bluetooth connectivity
this is where we start to see some major differences.
Only the 1000XM4’s can be connected to 2
devices at the same time so you can easily
hot swap from your phone to your computer.
Where as all of these other headphones can
only be connected to one device at a time.
Now ultimately its not a huge deal that your
headphones can do this… but it is very nice
to be able to.
But more importantly when it comes to watching
movies or videos on your phone all of these
headphones have zero latency across the board
whether you’re using an iPhone of android
device. And this is very important to point
out cause the WH-CH710N’s did used to have
a slight latency to them when watching YouTube
videos… but not any more.
But now lets talk about audio codecs cause
sony is currently phasing out APTX on their
newer headphones. Both the 1000XM4’s and
H.ear On 3’s have support for SBC, AAC,
and LDAC which is Sony’s own high res audio
codec where as the WH-CH710N’s only have
SBC and AAC support. But since the XB900N’s
are the oldest headphones here they have support
for SBC, AAC, LDAC, and as well as APTX and
APTX HD.
Now if you’re an iPhone user APTX or LDAC
doesn’t matter cause iPhones top out at
AAC. But one last thing I do want to point
out is that thankfully all of these headphones
have an easy to reach 3.5 millimeter audio
jack so if you want you can use a wired connecting
with any of these headphones. Now I know this
might sound obvious but some companies are
starting to remove the audio jack on their
head either as a cost saving measure or cause
they really want to push forward this all
wireless future even though we’re not entirely
ready like apple did with their Beats Solo
Pro.
But I also want to point out that you can’t
use the USB C port on any of these headphones
as a wired connection. So if you want to use
a wired connection with any of these headphones
you have to use their audio jacks.
But now lets talk about listening to music
with these headphones cause all off these
headphones sound very different from one another.
First off lets start with the WH-CH710N’s…
personally I don’t really like listening
to music with these headphones cause these
headphones have a bass heavy EQ to them and
they do sound very shallow. If you want to
actually hear the mids and highs on these
headphones then you’ve gotta turn them up
all the way up. And since these headphones
do sound very shallow… the do make it very
hard to hear what people are saying when you’re
watching movies with these headphones. And
unfortunately unlike all of these other headphones
the WH-CH710N’s don’t have an adjustable
EQ so you can’t change how they sound directly.
Heck they don’t even connect to Sony’s
headphone app period which is something their
predecessors did do.
But now lets talk about listening to music
with these other headphones. Now all of these
headphones connect to Sony’s app so you
can make them sound however you want. If you
like a neutral EQ you can do that or if you
like a bass heavy EQ you can also do that.
Now these 3 headphones sound the same when
it comes to clarity, instrument serration
and soundstage… But these headphones really
differ when it comes to their bass and how
much they will physically rattle your head.
The H.ear On 3’s are using 25 millimeter
drivers and these headphones will rattle your
head the least here. Having the extra bass
slider on these headphones set to 10 is like
having the extra bass slider on the 1000XM4’s
set to 4. So for some people the bass on the
H.ear On 3’s might feel a little lacking.
Where as these other two headphones are using
40 millimeter drivers and the bass on the
1000XM4’s should be able to satiate most
people.
But if you’re someone that really likes
bass then you are going to want to go with
the XB900N. The XB900N are going to physically
rattle your head way more than your average
pair of headphones. And having the bass on
the 1000XM4’s set to 10 is like having the
bass on the XB900N set to 5. So with the XB900N
its like having a subwoofer strapped to your
head. Now having all of this bass is a lot
of fun when listening to music and it also
adds an extra level of immersivness when watching
movies with these headphones… but it can
get old after awhile. So if you don’t want
to use the Extra bass feature you don’t
have to. But its there if you want it. So
when it comes to sound I feel you can’t
go wrong with either the 1000XM4’s or the
XB900N’s but personally I really like having
that extra bass feature if you want it.
Now when it comes to controlling your music
the 710N’s are rocking physical buttons
and as far as buttons go these are pretty
good. They’re easy to find, they’re easy
to tell apart and they have a good click to
them. Where as all of these other headphones
are using touch pads. Now in general Sony’s
touchpads are also very easy to use and they
also have a highly level of accuracy. But
on occasion you will get some missed inputs.
But in general these touchpads are not problematic.
But something the 1000XM4’s do have that
none of these other headphones do are wear
sensors. So when you take these headphones
off they’ll automatically pause you’re
music, and then when you put them back on
they’ll go back to normal again. Now personally
I don’t care for wear sensors so I just
turn them off but I thought id still address
them.
Now when it comes to the active noise cancelation
on these headphones for the most part as you
go up in price the ANC on these headphones
gets better. But nonetheless the ANC on all
of these headphones have very little to no
cabin pressure and they don’t change how
your music sounds. But so that you can see
for yourself we’re going to jump into an
ANC test.
So like you may have just seen… the entry
level WH-CH710N’s actually manage to block
out a little more noise than the XB900N’s.
But also keep in mind the WH-CH710N’s are
newer than the XB900N’s. But just as you’d
expect the ANC on the H.ear On 3’s is a
little better and the 1000XM4’s block out
the most amount of noise here. So if active
noise cancellation is your main priority then
you are better off going with the 1000XM4’s.
But now lets talk about the ambient modes
on these headphones. Now I do want to point
out that yes, the WH-CH710N’s do have an
ambient mode which is currently rare for entry
level headphones. But unlike these other headphones
you can’t actually adjust how much noises
these headphones let in. Where as with these
other headphones you can adjust how much noise
they let in. But in general all of these headphones
have great ambient modes cause they all sound
very natural and none of them have any hissing
in the background which is super important
for when you’re watching movies with these
headphones. But over all the 1000XM4’s do
have the best ambient modes for 2 keys reasons.
They do the best job here of blocking out
wind noise when walking out doors and they’re
also the only headphones here that have an
active ambient mode meaning that they’ll
actively block out sudden spikes in loud noises
like this. And slight headphones warning
So like you may have just seen, when the 1000XM4’s
detected that loud noise they turned off their
ambient mode when it stoped they turned their
ambient mode back on. Now personally I love
when headphones have an active ambient mode
cause it really does help prevent jump scares.
And this active ambient mode also really comes
in handy when you’re working at home with
your headphones on and you dog starts barking
when the UPS man comes around. Where as with
these other headphones they’ll all just
let in everything.
Now one new feature on the 1000XM4’s that
sony is really trying to push on these headphones
and you can’t find it on any of Sony’s
other headphones is speak to chat which works
a little like this.
But ultimately for me speak to chat is just
a gimmick that im just not going to use. Now
speak to chat doesn’t get activated when
other people are talking around you, it does
a great job of rejecting that. But if you
do decide to use speak to chat than you have
to be completely silent. Speak to chat on
these headphones will get activated if you’re
singing along to your music, if you’re thinking
out loud even very quietly, and its also going
to get activated if you start laughing.
So the days that I did try to use speak to
chat on these headphones they just paused
my music everytime I would mutter a single
word becoming more of a nuances rather than
helpful. So if you are going to have a quick
conversation with someone personally I do
prefer to use quick attention which is a feature
that found on the 1000XM4’s H.ear On 3’s
and XB900N where if you fully cover their
touch pad they’ll lower the volume of your
music and let in all of the ambient sound
around you like this
And then when you let go they’ll go back
to normal again. But the problem with quick
attention is that you gotta constantly keep
their touch pad covered. And if you’re going
to try to talk to someone like this… this
both looks and feel very awkward. Sony just
has to change it so that when you cover their
touch pad for a full second the headphones
will get locked into quick attention mode,
you can have your conversation with your hands
free like a normal human, and then when you’re
done you can just double tap on their touch
pad and the headphones will go back to normal
again.
Cause plenty of other headphones out there
have a similar feature but you can actually
have your hands free once the feature is activated.
So I just feel speak to chat is an over engineered
solution to a very simple problem which sony
can easily fix by adding a simple change to
quick attention which they can add to all
of their headphones through a software update.
But finally here’s the microphone test.
Now in general this isn’t Sony’s strong
suit.
My voice will might sound a little muffled
Or I my voice doesn’t sound super clear.
However, even though my voice doesn’t sound
super clear on the 1000XM4’s these headphones
are going an impressive job of blocking out
that AC unit. Cause if we were to switch over
to my lapel microphone you’re going to clealerly
hear that AC unit. But if we switchback over
to the Sony 1000XM4’s you don’t hear it
as much.
But over all, Sony’s headphones don’t
have the best microphone for phone calls.
But with all that being said, here’s my
break down of Sony’s current ANC headphone
line up. Personally I would not pay full price
for the WH-CH710N’s cause of their lack
luster build quality and im not a fan of their
bass heavy EQ. And I really hate that these
headphones don’t connect to Sony’s headphones
app even though their predecessors did. But
if you can get them on sale than I would pick
them up cause of their impressive ANC performance
for entry level headphones and they also have
an ambient mode which is also rare for entry
level headphones. Now when it comes to the
XB900N’s… these are still my favorite
mid teir ANC headphones to recommend. They
have decent build quality and they should
fit most people just fine, they sound great
and they also have that extra bass feature
if you want it. And the Extra Bass feature
on the XB900N is the main reason why I prefer
them to the H.ear On 3’s. But if you can
get the H.ear on 3’s on sale at Costco or
if you need those extra roomy ear cups than
the H.ear On 3’s are a solid pick up as
well. The only thing is that if you do plan
on commuting a lot with either of these headphones
you are going to have to invest in your own
hardshell case. But finally there are the
1000XM4’s which do have the improved active
noise cancelation and the improved ambient
mode here. But they also have a few extra
features like wear sensors and speak to chat
which are two features I just don’t use.
So personally I think most people are going
to be just fine with the XB900N’s but if
you are a constant commuter or traveler then
the 1000XM4’s are the way to go.
