Sony WH-XB910N vs. WH-CH720N vs. WH-CH520 – Where are the differences?

You will surely agree with us that Sony maintains its leadership in the sound technology market. But have you stopped to analyze the differences between their own headphones? This is precisely what we are going to do next. In this comparison, we analyze the common and differential aspects between three Sony mid-range wireless headphones: the Sony WH-XB910N, WH-CH720N and WH-CH520 models.

Of the three, we could say that the WH-CH520 is the simplest and most affordable, but also the simplest. Now, is it worth opting for one of the other two, or does this one meet our expectations? Actually, the main reason for the price difference is that the WH-CH520 is the only one of the three that does not have active noise cancellation, ambient mode, or adaptive sound control. From our point of view, these are three features that we use enough to be essential requirements. Above all, if we opt for a Sony.

Another differentiating aspect related to the previous one is that the Sony WH-XB1910N and WH-CH720N have two microphones in each earphone, while the simplest model only has one. This makes the clarity and sound quality superior in the first two. Although, once again, we cannot forget that the price difference is almost 50%. And, in reality, the rest of the features are quite similar: all three have a similar autonomy, have fast charging, are compatible with Bluetooth and have the same range.

Therefore, to choose the one that best suits your needs, it is important that you are clear about your priorities. From there, we encourage you to read this review to clarify it for yourself. Let’s go there!

Sony WH-XB910N vs WH-CH720N vs WH-CH520 – Comparison Table

In the table below, we summarize the most important qualities of Sony’s three wireless headphones. This way, it will be easier for you to identify the differences and decide which one best suits what you are looking for:

(Swipe the table to see all the content)

Design and comfort

If you try on all three headphones, you will notice a clear difference between the Sony WH-XB910N and WH-CH720N compared to the WH-CH520 when it comes to comfort. This is because the first two are circumaural models, while the third are supraural. That is, the WH-CH520 pad does not cover the ear completely, which makes it difficult to cancel external noise completely. Furthermore, there is another aspect that, although it goes unnoticed by many, we do notice.

The ear pads of the first two Sony headphones have a more oval shape, while those of the Sony WH-CH520 are round. If you have larger ears (as is our case), you will immediately notice that the oval ones fit their shape better. Finally, let us tell you that only the Sony WH-XB910N have a case in their standard equipment.

Noise cancellation and ambient mode

As we have advanced in the introduction, only the Sony WH-XB910N and WH-CH720N have noise cancellation and ambient mode functionalities. Therefore, they are the only ones that allow you to regulate the amount of outside noise you want to listen to at the same time as your music, or that allow you to decide if you want to completely isolate yourself from the world. We usually use noise cancellation because we like to abstract ourselves, but if you are not a big fan of this functionality, it may not be so important to you.

Now, if you decide to go for wireless headphones from Sony, it is more difficult to give up adaptive sound control. We find it one of the most interesting features that the brand has developed, and one of the main reasons that differentiate it from the rest. This is a function that allows you to identify where you are and adapt the ambient noise level to it. Among our three protagonists, it is only in the Sony WH-XB910N and WH-CH720N.

To be completely honest, there is a difference between the two headphones that have noise cancellation. The Sony WH-XB910N have Extra Bass technology, whose objective is to optimize low frequencies so that bass sounds are heard with more quality. And they get it. Beyond the differences, it seems fair to say that the Sony WH-CH520 does have spatial audio functions and the possibility of customizing the equalization through the app.

Autonomy, with or without ANC?

You already know that the maximum battery life on wireless headphones with noise cancellation (ANC) is less than those that do not have this feature. Therefore, if we compare the maximum autonomy of the three headphones without noise cancellation, we see that it is the same, about 50 hours. If we take into account the ANC function in the two Sony headphones that have it, the autonomy is reduced to about 30-35 hours.

On the other hand, all three models have fast charging, they have the same charging method and take approximately 3 hours to fully recover the battery.

Same Bluetooth range

We are in a comparison of three wireless Bluetooth headphones, so all of them are compatible with this technology. In this case, they also coincide with the same version, 5.2, and have the same range radius. In this sense, all of them can be synchronized via Bluetooth within a radius of approximately 10 meters, although the quality of the connection where you are is greatly influenced.

Pairing and connectivity

We continue talking about synchronization with other devices to tell you that the three Sony wireless headphones allow multipoint connectivity. That is, you can connect them with two different devices and alternate the source the sound comes from with just one button. This is very useful if, for example, you are working while listening to music and receive a call. With a touch of a button, you can stop listening to the music to listen to the call.

In addition, they all have Swift Pair and Fast Pair functions. The first allows you to connect the headphones to a computer via Bluetooth, and the second is used to synchronize them with Android devices.

Headphone control

Before finishing, we want to compare how the three wireless headphones handle. In the case of the Sony WH-CH720N and WH-CH520, there are no differences, since both are manipulated through the buttons. On the other hand, the Sony WH-XB910N combines the action of the buttons with touch sensors, which gives them an additional point of modernity and technology.

Likewise, all three can be controlled by voice thanks to synchronization with a virtual assistant, but they are not capable of detecting our own voice to pause playback. For that, you will have to turn to more advanced Sony models.

Which Sony wireless headphones do we like the most?

We have already analyzed the differences and similarities between the three Sony wireless headphones, so it’s time to decide which one to choose. As we have already told you, we usually use active noise cancellation, and that leads us to rule out the Sony WH-CH520. If you don’t usually use this feature, they are undoubtedly one of the cheapest quality wireless headphones you can find. For us, they simply fall short.

And, between the Sony WH-XB910N and the Sony WH-CH720N, which one do we choose? Particularly, with the Sony WH-XB910N . The quality of noise cancellation and sound in general, especially in the bass, is superior to that of the WH-CH720N. Furthermore, we really like the fact that it has touch sensors, because its handling, once you get used to it, is more comfortable and faster. However, we recognize that if we saw a great offer on the Sony WH-CH720N that further intensified the price difference, we would think about it.

In short, think about which aspects are most important to you and, based on them, check which of the three wireless headphones combines the most. In any case, they are all Sony, and that is already an important guarantee of quality.