Sony WH-CH720N / Sony WH-1000XM5

Sony WH-CH720N: WH-CH720N closed over-ear wireless headphones; black, white, blue and pink. The WH-CH710N (previous generation), WH-CH520 (no ANC) and the WH-1000X series are separate models.

Sony WH-1000XM5: WH-1000XM5; colours vary by region: black, silver, midnight blue, pink and platinum. The later WH-1000XM6 is a separate product.

SpecificationSony WH-CH720NSony WH-1000XM5
Release year20232022
Noise cancellingActive noise cancelling with Integrated Processor V1 and Dual Noise Sensor; Ambient Sound mode

Microphones inside and outside each cup sample noise to generate an inverse signal; Ambient Sound mode lets you hear surroundings without removing the headphones.

Sony		Active noise cancelling; Integrated Processor V1 and HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN1; 8 microphones in total (4 noise-sensing per earcup)

Auto NC Optimizer adjusts noise cancelling to fit and atmospheric pressure; Adaptive Sound Control switches modes based on the environment. Ambient Sound mode and Quick Attention let outside sound in.

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Driver and frequency30 mm dynamic driver; 7–20,000 Hz (JEITA); 20–20,000 Hz over Bluetooth (44.1 kHz) Sony—
Bluetooth and codecsBluetooth 5.2; A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP; SBC and AAC; about 10 m range

AAC works well as the default codec on iPhones; no high-bitrate codec is listed.

Sony		Bluetooth 5.2; SBC, AAC, LDAC; A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP; multipoint (two devices)

Multipoint keeps the headphones connected to two devices at once. Google Fast Pair and Windows Swift Pair offer quick pairing. Range is 10 m.

Sony
MultipointConnection to two Bluetooth devices at the same time

For example, you can switch between a phone and a laptop without re-pairing.

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BatteryMusic up to 35 hours with NC on, 50 hours off; calls up to 35 hours NC on, 40 hours off; about 3.5 hours to charge over USB Sony30 hours of music with noise cancelling on, 40 hours off; 24/32 hours of calls

Times are measured under Sony’s test conditions; volume and codec change real-world runtime.

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Wired useDetachable cable of about 1.2 m with gold-plated L-shaped 3.5 mm plug; passive operation

When the battery runs out you can keep listening passively over the cable.

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Microphone and processingPrecise Voice Pickup beamforming mic; wind noise reduction structure; DSEE

DSEE tries to restore high frequencies lost in compressed music files.

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Impedance and sensitivityNC on 325 Ω / off 31 Ω (1 kHz); NC on 108 dB/mW / off 99 dB/mW Sony48 Ω when on, 16 Ω when off; 102/100 dB/mW

The headphones can be used passively with a cable while switched off; noise cancelling does not work then.

Sony
WeightAbout 192 g Sony—
Driver—30 mm dynamic driver, closed back, neodymium magnet Sony
Frequency response—Bluetooth: 20 Hz–20 kHz (44.1 kHz), 20 Hz–40 kHz with LDAC (96 kHz/990 kbps); wired: 4 Hz–40 kHz

The wider frequency range applies only with LDAC and high-resolution sources; over AAC and SBC the upper limit is 20 kHz.

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Call microphones—4 beamforming microphones; AI-based noise reduction, wind noise reduction Sony
Charging—Full charge in about 3.5 hours via USB; about 3 hours of playback from 3 minutes with a USB-PD adapter

Quick charging requires a separately sold USB Power Delivery-compatible adapter.

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Controls and sensors—Touch panel on the right earcup; NC/Ambient button on the left; wear sensor; Speak-to-Chat

The wear sensor pauses music when the headphones are removed and resumes when they are put back on. Speak-to-Chat pauses music and turns on ambient sound when the user starts talking.

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Spatial audio—DSEE Extreme upscaling; 360 Reality Audio support

DSEE Extreme aims to restore high-frequency detail lost in compressed music files by estimating it.

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Weight and in the box—About 250 g; soft collapsible carrying case, 1.2 m L-shaped cable (3.5 mm), USB charging cable Sony
App—Sony Sound Connect: equaliser, shortcut settings, listening history, Safe Listening

Safe Listening tracks sound exposure against World Health Organization guidelines.

Sony