Our Verdict
Okay for neutral listening. Their sound profile is very dark with an overly done bass range, pushed back vocals and leads, and a treble range that's rather veiled and lacks detail and brightness. They’ll be more suitable for people who listen to a lot of bass-heavy music and won’t be the ideal choice for vocal-centric genres. Also, they aren’t the most comfortable headphones to wear for long listening sessions and you can’t really EQ them, other than to play with their bass level.
- Decently comfortable on-ear fit.
- Good and easy to use controls.
- Good battery life.
- Dark sound profile.
- Sub-par isolation performance.
- Plasticky and fragile build quality.
Passable for commuting. These on-ear headphones don’t block low-end ambient noise like the deep rumbles of a plane or bus engine. This means they won’t be ideal for your daily commute, especially that they can get a bit leaky at higher volumes. On the upside, if you don’t mind the fact that they lack ANC, they have a good battery life that will last you for the longest trips.
- Decently comfortable on-ear fit.
- Good and easy to use controls.
- Good battery life.
- Dark sound profile.
- Sub-par isolation performance.
- Plasticky and fragile build quality.
Acceptable for sports. The Sony WHXB700 won’t be as bulky as some over-ear headphones, and since they don’t completely seal around your ears they’ll be a bit more breathable as well. However, they are still big headphones and you could sweat more than usual when wearing these. They are fairly stable and their wireless design gets rid of the cable that could get in your way. They’ll be fine for a light run or to use at the gym for most.
- Decently comfortable on-ear fit.
- Good and easy to use controls.
- Good battery life.
- Dark sound profile.
- Sub-par isolation performance.
- Plasticky and fragile build quality.
Okay to use at the office. The Sony WH-XB700 have a very good battery life that will last you for a full work day without a problem, and it won’t need daily charging, which is great. They don’t have the best isolation performance, but they do a decent job against work environment noises like ambient chatter and air conditioning noise. They also have excellent wireless range, which gives you a bit of freedom to move around. This is nice, considering you can’t connect them to multiple sources simultaneously.
- Decently comfortable on-ear fit.
- Good and easy to use controls.
- Good battery life.
- Dark sound profile.
- Sub-par isolation performance.
- Plasticky and fragile build quality.
Poor for gaming. Their latency is too high to use them for this use wirelessly. You can connect them with their audio cable to get rid of the delay, but they still won’t be ideal for this use. They aren’t the most comfortable and their sound quality is a bit dark. Also, their microphone won’t work when wired on consoles, and when used wirelessly, the recording quality is mediocre, which won’t be good for online multiplayer games.
- Decently comfortable on-ear fit.
- Good and easy to use controls.
- Good battery life.
- Dark sound profile.
- Sub-par isolation performance.
- Plasticky and fragile build quality.
- Decently comfortable on-ear fit.
- Good and easy to use controls.
- Good battery life.
- Dark sound profile.
- Sub-par isolation performance.
- Plasticky and fragile build quality.
Changelog
- Updated Nov 11, 2021: Converted to Test Bench 1.5.
- Updated Feb 19, 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.
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Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Sony WH-XB700 are okay-sounding on-ear headphones that set themselves apart by their very bass-heavy sound profile. However, they don’t feel like the most durable on-ears due to their very plasticky build. See our recommendations for the best on-ear headphones, the best headphones for music, and the best budget Bluetooth headphones.
The Beats Solo3 2018 are better on-ear headphones than the Sony WH-XB700 Wireless. They have a more neutral audio reproduction, and they feel noticeably sturdier than the Sony. The Beats give an impressive 40 hours of continuous playback and don't take much time to charge fully. Additionally, you can take advantage of the W1 chip if you have an iOS device. On the other hand, the Sony are better suited for bass-heavy genres and they support the aptX codec and NFC. They are also quite cheaper, so they could offer better value for most, especially if you're a fan of bass.
The Bose SoundLink On-Ear Wireless are better headphones than the Sony WH-XB700 Wireless. They are one of the most comfortable on-ear headphones we've tested so far, and their sound quality is better than the Sonys unless you are looking for a bass-heavy sound profile. They feel noticeably more durable and their battery performance is better thanks to lower charging time and a useful auto-off timer. On the other hand, the WH-XB700 have a decent app and support NFC. They also have better wireless range and support the aptX codec, which the SoundLink don’t.
The JBL T450BT Wireless are better-sounding headphones than the Sony WH-XB700 Wireless unless you're looking for a thumpy, bass-heavy sound profile, in which case you should go with the Sonys. Both headphones are built quite similarly, but the WH-XB700 come with an audio cable for you to use the headphones passively, which you can't do with the JBLs. You get a longer battery life with the Sonys, and their wireless range is noticeably better. They also have a companion app that allows a bit of customization, and they support the aptX codec, but their latency is a bit higher than the T450BT’s.
The AKG N60NC are better on-ear headphones than the Sony WH-XB700 Wireless. The AKG are noise cancelling on-ears and have a better audio reproduction than the Sony headphones. The AKG also feel better built, can connect simultaneously to two devices, and their latency is noticeably lower. On the other hand, you get a better battery life with the Sony, although they do take longer to charge. The Sony also have a decent app, which the AKG lack.
Our How We Test Headphones article takes you behind the scenes in our lab. You'll learn how we choose and purchase products and dive into the details of our review philosophy, from testing and scoring to writing and editing.
You can also discover how we produce recommendations like this one so that you can find the best headphones (or earbuds!) for your needs.
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