Products
Sony WH-CH720N Wireless
Sony WH-CH520 Wireless
Tested using Methodology v2.0
Updated Dec 11, 2025 04:18 PM
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Tested using Methodology v1.5
Updated Dec 16, 2025 06:54 PM
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TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
Bass Amount
Very Emphasized (5 dB)
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
Treble Amount
Slightly Emphasized (1 dB)
MicYes
Sound Signature
Warm
TypeOn-ear
Noise CancellingNo
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
Our Verdict
Sony WH-CH720N Wireless
Sony WH-CH520 Wireless
The Sony WH-CH720N Wireless and Sony WH-CH520 Wireless use the same companion app with access to the brand's virtual surround sound and EQ. Their construction is alike, but the over-ears fit of the WH-CH720N Wireless is a bit more comfortable. These have ANC to make noisy environments more tolerable. Additionally, they offer optional wired connectivity in addition to their Bluetooth connectivity. Lacking the battery hog of ANC, the WH-CH520 Wireless' battery lasts longer, and they connect via Bluetooth only. They fit on-ears and are smaller overall. They also have a less bass-heavy sound out of the box. Choosing between them depends on how much you want to cut out environmental noise, because the WH-CH520 Wireless have poor isolation compared to the WH-CH720N Wireless.
Variants
- WH-CH720N (Black)
- WH-CH720N (Blue)
- WH-CH720N (White)
- WH-CH520 (Beige)
- WH-CH520 (Black)
- WH-CH520 (Blue)
- WH-CH520 (White)
Check Price
Black
WH-CH720N
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Black
WH-CH520
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Blue
WH-CH720N
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Blue
WH-CH520
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White
WH-CH720N
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White
WH-CH520
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Beige
WH-CH520
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Main Differences for
Neutral Sound
Neutral Sound
Threshold
Neutral Sound
7.4
Full Comparison
Sound
Sound Profile
Sound Profile
Normalization Frequency
450 Hz
Bass Amount
Very Emphasized (5 dB)
Bass Amount
-0.53 dB
Treble Amount
-2.53 dB
Treble Amount
Slightly Emphasized (1 dB)
Sound Signature
Warm
Frequency Response Consistency
6.7
7.2
Consistency L
Consistency R
Std. Deviation
1.15 dB
0.57 dB
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
7.4
8.8
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
5.6 dB
1.52 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
20 Hz
31.29 Hz
Low Bass
4.09 dB
-2.02 dB
Mid Bass
5.79 dB
1.37 dB
High Bass
7.11 dB
1.01 dB
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
8.2
9.1
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
2.39 dB
1.2 dB
Low Mid
2.49 dB
0.1 dB
Mid-Mid
0.61 dB
0.3 dB
High Mid
-2.1 dB
-0.48 dB
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
9.2
6.5
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
2.28 dB
5.16 dB
Low Treble
-0.65 dB
-1.69 dB
Mid Treble
2.2 dB
-3.57 dB
High Treble
-14.54 dB
-6.97 dB
Peaks/Dips
5.3
7.7
Peaks/Dips Graph
Peaks
2.32 dB
1.38 dB
Dips
5.84 dB
1.53 dB
Stereo Mismatch
6.7
Frequency Response Mismatch
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
0.33 dB
0.47
Weighted Frequency Response Mismatch
1.44 dB
2.61
Weighted Phase Mismatch
6.6°
6.4
Cumulative Spectral Decay
CSD
PRTF
1.9
3.5
PRTF
PRTF Accuracy (RMS Deviation)
4.6 dB
5.11 dB
PRTF Size (Avg.)
1.17 dB
1.46 dB
PRTF Distance
2.55 dB
-0.01 dB
Openness
7.0
Acoustic Space Excitation
3.2
Harmonic Distortion
8.7
Harmonics Levels
THD Ratio
WHD @ 94 dB SPL
0.13%
0.961
WHD @ 104 dB SPL
0.26%
0.337
Electrical Aspects
Impedance
Sensitivity @1kHz-1V
113.6 dB SPL
Bluetooth Max SPL
105.9 dB
Virtual Soundstage
4.1
4.1
Virtual Soundstage
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Head Modeling
On/Off
On/Off
Speaker Modeling
On/Off
On/Off
Room Ambience
No
No
Head Tracking
No
No
Virtual Surround
360 Reality Audio
360 Reality Audio
Test Settings
Firmware
1.0.9
1.0.1
Power
On
On
Connection
Bluetooth
Bluetooth 5.0
Codec
SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz
PCM, 16-bit, 44.1kHz
Test Instrument
Audio Precision APx517B
EQ
No EQ
No EQ
ANC
On
No ANC
Tip/Pad
Default
Default
Microphone
Integrated
Integrated
Imaging
8.3
Group Delay
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Group Delay
0.3
Weighted Phase Mismatch
6.6°
6.4
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
0.33 dB
0.47
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
1.44 dB
2.61
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
6.4
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.13%
0.961
WHD @ 100
0.26%
0.337
Design
Style
Design Picture 2
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Type
Over-ear
On-ear
Enclosure
Closed-Back
Closed-Back
Wireless
Yes
Yes
Transducer
Dynamic
Dynamic
Comfort
7.5
7.0
Comfort Picture
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Weight
0.41 lbs
0.32 lbs
Clamping Force
0.8 lbs
0.6 lbs
Controls
7.7
6.8
Controls Picture
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OS Compatibility
Not OS specific
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use
Good
Good
Feedback
Good
Good
Call/Music Control
Yes
Yes
Volume Control
Yes
Yes
Microphone Control
No
No
Channel Mixing
No
No
Noise Cancelling Control
On/Off
No
Talk-Through
On/Off
No
Additional Controls
Voice Assistant
Voice Assistant
Breathability
Breathability After Picture
Avg.Temp.Difference
Portability
6.0
6.4
Portability Picture
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L
7.9" (20.0 cm)
7.1" (18.0 cm)
W
7.5" (19.0 cm)
6.7" (17.0 cm)
H
2.0" (5.0 cm)
1.6" (4.0 cm)
Volume
103.81 in³ (1,701.10 cm³)
70.23 in³ (1,150.80 cm³)
Transmitter Required
No
No
Case
0.0
0.0
Case Picture
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Type
No case
No case
L
N/A
N/A
W
N/A
N/A
H
N/A
N/A
Volume
N/A
N/A
Build Quality
7.0
6.5
Build Quality Picture
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Stability
7.0
6.5
Stability Picture
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Headshots 1
Angled Picture
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Side Picture
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Headshots 2
Front Picture
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Rear Picture
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Top
Top Picture
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In The Box
In The Box Picture
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Isolation
Noise Isolation - Full Range
7.2
3.3
Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph
Noise Cancelling
Yes
No
Overall Attenuation
-18.65 dB
-9.24 dB
Isolation Audio
Bass
-10.71 dB
0.01 dB
Mid
-18.69 dB
-4.69 dB
Treble
-28.26 dB
-23.27 dB
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
4.9
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph
Airplane Noise Attenuation
-10.91 dB
Airplane Noise Isolation Audio
Office Noise Attenuation
-11.77 dB
Office Noise Isolation Audio
Street Noise Attenuation
-13.00 dB
Street Noise Isolation Audio
Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
Female Voice 1
Male Voice 1
Female Voice 2
Male Voice 2
Leakage
7.5
7.2
Leakage
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
36.61 dB
38.66 dB
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
Yes
Yes
In-Line
No
No
Boom
No
No
Detachable Boom
No
No
Mic
Yes
Yes
Recording Quality
7.2
7.7
Microphone Frequency Response
Recorded Speech
LFE
85.99 Hz
261.43 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
3.41 dB
2.43 dB
HFE
6,933.79 Hz
6,358.31 Hz
Weighted THD
36.525
0.119
Gain
3.1 dB
6 dB
Noise Handling
6.5
6.9
SpNR
SpNR
25.25 dB
16.46 dB
Noise Gate
Always On
Always On
Speech + Pink Noise Handling
6.5
7.5
Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample
Speech + Subway Noise Handling
6.5
6.0
Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample
Active Features
Battery
8.5
8.2
Battery Type
Rechargable
Rechargable
Continuous Battery Life
38.4 hrs
52.8 hrs
Additional Charges
0.0
0.0
Total Battery Life
38.4 hrs
52.8 hrs
Charge Time
2.5 hrs
1.9 hrs
Power-Saving Feature
Standby mode
Standby mode
Audio While Charging
No
No
Passive Playback
Yes
No
Charging Port
USB-C
USB-C
App Support
8.0
7.5
App Picture
Compare High-Res
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App Name
Sony| Headphones Connect
Sony| Headphones Connect
iOS
Yes
Yes
Android
Yes
Yes
macOS
No
No
Windows
No
No
Equalizer
Graphic + Presets
Graphic + Presets
ANC Control
On/Off
No
Mic Control
No
No
Room Effects
No
No
Playback Control
Yes
Yes
Button Mapping
Yes
No
Surround Support
Yes
Yes
Connectivity
Wired Connection
6.7
0.0
Cable Picture
Compare High-Res
Compare High-Res
Analog Audio
Yes
No
USB Audio
No
No
Detachable
Yes
No
Length
4.13 ft (1.26 m)
N/A
Connector
1/8" TRS
No Wired Option
Latency - Analog
34.4 ms
Latency - USB
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
Recorded Latency Connection
Analog
Bluetooth Connection
8.1
8.3
Bluetooth Version
5.2
5.2
Multi-Device Pairing
2 Devices
2 Devices
NFC Pairing
No
Quick Pair (Android)
No
Quick Pair (iOS)
No
Line Of Sight Range
334.65 ft (102.00 m)
334.65 ft (102.00 m)
Latency - SBC
290 ms
312 ms
Latency - aptX
N/A
N/A
Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality)
N/A
Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency)
N/A
Latency - LDAC
N/A
Recorded Latency
Recorded Latency Codec
SBC
AAC Support
Yes
PC Latency (aptX HD)
N/A
PC Latency (aptX-LL)
N/A
iOS Latency
137 ms
Android Latency
135 ms
Wireless Connection (Dongle)
0.0
0.0
Line Of Sight Range
N/A
N/A
Latency - Dongle
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
N/A
PC Compatibility
Analog
Audio Only
No
Wired USB
No
No
Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PlayStation Compatibility
PS4 Analog
Audio Only
No
PS4 Wired USB
No
No
PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PS5 Analog
Audio Only
No
PS5 Wired USB
No
No
PS5 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
Audio Only
No
Xbox One Wired USB
No
No
Xbox One Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Analog
Audio Only
No
Xbox Series X|S Wired USB
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Base/Dock
0.0
0.0
Type
No Base/Dock
No Base/Dock
USB Input
No
No
Line In
No
No
Line Out
No
No
Optical Input
No
No
RCA Input
No
No
Dock Charging
No
No
Power Supply
No Base/Dock
No Base/Dock
Check Price
Black
WH-CH720N
SEE PRICE
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Black
WH-CH520
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Blue
WH-CH720N
SEE PRICE
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Blue
WH-CH520
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
White
WH-CH720N
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
White
WH-CH520
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Beige
WH-CH520
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
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Sony WH-CH720N Wireless
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Sony WH-CH720N Wireless vs Sony WH-CH520 Wireless: Main Discussion
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