The Sony WH-CH400 are good-sounding on-ear headphones. These are wireless-only, and you can't use them with an audio cable. They feel cheaply made with very thin plastic and poor padding. They aren’t very comfortable and won’t create a good seal to block out ambient noise, meaning they aren't great for commuting or the office. On the upside, their battery life is long enough to last you a full workday without a problem, but they take a bit of time to fully charge. They also support NFC for quicker and easier pairing.
Our Verdict
The Sony WH-CH400 are mediocre for mixed usage. Their sound profile is versatile for a wide variety of music genres, but their on-ear fit won’t be ideal for other use cases. They won’t block out enough ambient noise to be suitable for commuting, and they’ll be too leaky for the office. They won’t be stable enough for sports, but they won’t trap as much heat as over-ears. Their latency is also too high for watching TV wirelessly, and they won’t be suitable for gaming, on top of having a microphone that won’t be good enough for online games.
- Good audio reproduction.
- Remarkable wireless range.
- Good battery life.
- Long charging time.
- Flimsy and plasticky build.
- Very high latency.
The Sony WH-CH400 are decent for neutral listening. Their bass is accurate and punchy, their mid-range is well-balanced and even, and the treble is very good. However, their bass might feel light on thump and rumble and is very inconsistent across different users. Their treble is also lacking in detail on one driver and is slightly too sharp on the other. Overall, these headphones will be versatile enough for a wide variety of music genres.
The Sony WH-CH400 are passable for commute and travel. They aren’t that portable since you can’t fold them, and most importantly, they don’t block ambient noise. This means noise will easily seep into your audio and will negatively affect your listening experience. They also won’t be the most comfortable option for long rides and flights.
The Sony WH-CH400 are adequate for sports and fitness. They aren’t the most stable headphones for sports, but they’ll be fine for a casual jog. However, they don’t fold into a more compact format, and they aren’t that easy to carry around. They also aren't the most breathable option. On the upside, they are wireless, so you won’t have a cable in your way if you work out with these.
The Sony WH-CH400 are sub-par for office use. They don't isolate you from ambient noise like ambient chatter and A/C systems, but you’ll have enough battery life to go through a normal workday without a problem. However, they aren’t the most comfortable headphones, and you might feel discomfort quite quickly due to the poor cup and headband padding. On the upside, their range is pretty impressive, and you’ll be able to walk around the office without hearing too many audio cuts.
The Sony WH-CH400 aren't suitable for wireless gaming. These aren't suitable for playing video games as their latency is very high with PCs, and their microphone won’t rival most gaming headsets' boom microphones. They also aren’t customizable and won’t be comfortable for long gaming sessions.
Changelog
- Updated Mar 27, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.4.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
- Updated May 22, 2019: Review published.
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Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Sony WH-CH400 are okay on-ear headphones with a versatile, well-balanced sound profile. Unfortunately, their build quality is cheap, and they feel fragile.
See our suggestions for the best on-ear headphones and the best wireless Bluetooth headphones.
The JBL T450BT Wireless are better mixed-usage headphones than the Sony WH-CH400 Wireless, but the Sony have better sound quality. Other than that, the JBL are more stable, better-built, leak less and have about half the latency of the Sony. On the other hand, the Sony headphones have more battery life, better wireless range, and support NFC. If sound quality is your most important criterion, then the Sony will be the better choice.
The Skullcandy Grind Wireless are more comfortable on-ear headphones, and you can use them wired. They’ll be more versatile than the Sony WH-CH400 Wireless, and they're noticeably more durable. These headphones will sound fairly similar, but the Skullcandy will have a more accurate bass for most, with a slightly V-shaped sound profile. They also take about half the time to charge, which is nice. However, the Skullcandy don’t support NFC like the Sony, but you can use them wired and get an in-line microphone, which the Sony are lacking.
The Mpow H5 Wireless are better headphones than the Sony WH-CH400 Wireless. These over-ears offer great value thanks to their ANC feature. They are more comfortable than the Sony on-ears and will also have a decent sound quality, on top of being noticeably better-built. Their design is more stable due to larger cups, and their latency is fairly low for Bluetooth headphones. The Sony support NFC for quicker and easier pairing, and they have better sound quality. However, you can’t use them wired like you can with the Mpow, which may be a deal-breaker for some.
The Sony WH-CH400 Wireless are slightly better headphones than the Sony WH-CH500 Wireless. While the WH-CH500 model feels better made, there’s a big difference in sound quality that favors the WH-CH400. They also have a better wireless range, but they don’t have the same great 20-hour battery life as the WH-CH500. They also offer better value overall since they're cheaper.
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