Sony WF-C700N review – Brill Budget Buds with Noise Cancelling

When it comes to audio gear, Sony typically comes to mind especially in regards to high-end headphones like their fantastic sounding WH-1000XM5 but they have proved to be remarkably adept at making entry level gear too.

We’ve taken their latest pair of budget wireless earbuds for a whirl around the block and it’s proven to be a comfy, balanced pair of buds though it does have a few quirks in its design. Find out if it’s worth your money in our Sony WF-C700N review where we share our findings after putting it to the test!

Sony WF-C700N review – Build and Design

The Sony WF-C700N wireless earbuds are their most recent addition to their entry-level line-up and is the first one to feature active noise cancellation which is somewhat of a surprise seeing as it usually doesn’t come at its circa-RM500 price point in other competing models. 

In terms of design, our Sony WF-C700N review sample has a lozenge shaped charging case with rounded corners that’s primarily constructed of textured matte polycarbonate that’s grippy to the touch.

It comes in four possible colourways in Malaysia that include black, sage green, lavender and, in the case of our unit, a shade of white. The case itself feels sturdy without creaking even with its polycarbonate construction and is relatively easy to open one-handed while also being surprisingly light at about 40g with both earbuds included. 

Emplaced on the rear of the case just below the hinge is a USB-C port for charging and a pairing button with the front featuring a single charging indicator. Unfortunately, the charging case itself is not water resistant though the earbuds do have IPX4 resistance which means they can shrug off a splash or two of sweat and rain.

The earbuds come in a matching white colour as the charging case and feature a clickable button to control playback and a mesh-covered microphone cutout to mitigate wind noise along with swappable silicone tips.

While it does look somewhat utilitarian, Sony’s long expertise in crafting earbuds has resulted in an exceptionally comfortable and secure fit straight out of the box. I tried it with the default pair of medium sized silicone ear tips and it proved to be perfect though those with smaller or larger ear canals can avail themselves to the corresponding spare pair of smaller and larger ear tips in the box to secure a better fit. You also get the obligatory USB-C charging cable to charge it out of the box.

As far as first impressions go, our Sony WF-C700N review sample hits all the right spots with good ergonomics for its sleek charging case that make it highly pocketable along with an excellent degree of comfort for its earbuds which also feature tactile, more reliable physical buttons.

While it seems like a cost cutting measure, the use of light polycarbonate for both the earbuds and the case itself have practical benefits by making the whole affair lighter to tote around though there’s a trade-off which we’ll get into later..

Sony WF-C700N review – Setup and Performance

Getting our Sony WF-C700N review sample up and running is a relatively simple affair. While it runs straight out of the box by pairing up to a phone or laptop via Bluetooth, you’ll need Sony’s own Headphones Connect app that’s free for Android and iOS  to fully optimise its settings.

The app recognised the WF-C700N and paired up with our Android phone in seconds on account of Fast Pair support for Android phones and Swift Pair support if you use it with a WIndows PC. Unfortunately, Multipoint connectivity to pair up with two devices at the same time is not on the cards at the moment for the WF-C700N though it’s slated to appear in a later firmware update. 

Of note with Sony’s Headphones Connect app is a particular emphasis on Ambient Sound Based control modes that take advantage of your phone’s GPS to detect what you and where you are to swap headphone settings especially if it’s to turn on noise cancellation or ambient sound mode.

If you’re at work or on the move, you can set it to ambient mode while if you’re at home, you can order it to default to ANC mode. Or not. It’s your call how you want it to behave. It doesn’t look particularly useful at first but its brilliance is only apparent after a couple of weeks using it when everything just works seamlessly.

There’s still a few weird quirks with its controls though and beyond these settings, there’s no direct way to manipulate ANC or ambient sound mode except via the app itself.

Belying its modest price point, the WF-C700N supports Sony 360 Reality Audio which is capable of creating a 360-degree soundstage around you though setting it up is a chore as you have to take clear photos of your ears before sending it over to Sony for them to properly map a solution for best results.

After leaping past that hurdle, you’ll also need to sign up to a compatible service that supports 360 Reality Audio and thus far, it’s primarily Tidal for high-fidelity music tracks 

Once you’ve got most of its settings nailed down, you can then tweak its sound to taste via a built equaliser. On paper, the earbuds support the standard Bluetooth AAC and SBC codecs and unfortunately ditches Qualcomm’s aptX codec and their own LDAC codec.

To be fair, that’s out of its intended target market anyway as the WF-C700N is intended primarily as a workhorse for general purpose listening duties rather than a specialised audiophile-grade pair of buds.

To be fair, the setup process takes a fair bit longer than other headphones but it pays dividends later on down the line when it’s smart enough to know when to swap settings the moment you step home or out on the commute. In terms of performance, our Sony WF-C700N review sample does a fair job for what you pay for.

The 5mm drivers aren’t going to rock the house down but are able to be cranked up to near maximum without distortion and deliver balanced playback with neutral mids and highs along with a cursory amount of bass. The soundstage isn’t particularly deep or wide but does the job for YouTube and basic gaming. Tweaking the equaliser settings helps a bit but you can’t violate the laws of physics. 

ANC isn’t a usual feature at this price range but its inclusion in our Sony WF-C700N review sample is a pleasant surprise though it isn’t the best around. It does a fair job for most low frequency noises but loud conversations and tannoy announcements still leak through. When it comes to call quality, the earbuds do a decent job with good clarity on both sides of the call.

In terms of battery life, our Sony WF-C700N review sample managed to last about 7 hours of playback with ANC on which is close to its quoted maximum on paper. Unfortunately, the charging case only holds enough juice for one more full charge which is the tradeoff for its slim dimensions and light weight.

Should you buy the Sony WF-C700N wireless earbuds?

If you’re looking for a quality pair of wireless earbuds with ANC for modest jaunts to work and back that are light, pocketable and don’t break the bank from a reputable manufacturer, the Sony WF-C700N prove to be an ideal choice.

Specifications
Price RM549
Driver 5mm
Frequency response 20Hz – 20,000Hz
Supported audio formats SBC, AAC
Battery 7.5 hours (with ANC)/ 10 hours (ANC off), quoted / 1.5 hours charge time (buds), 3 hours charge time (case), 10 minutes for 1 hour charging
Size/Weight 4.6g (per earbud) / 31g (case) | IPX4 (earbuds only)

Sony WF-C700N review unit courtesy of Sony Malaysia. For more details and to purchase please visit https://www.sony.com.my/headphones/products/wf-c700n