Sony WH-CH720N vs Soundcore Q45 Review - Hear the SOUND difference! š„
Today we are going to compare the Sony WH-CH720N to the Soundcore Space Q45 headphones.
The Q45 retails at the same price as the Sonys, and is widely regarded as one of the best budget headphones you can buy right now. And there are many other things too which make the Q45s a more compelling choice than the Sonys, such as its build quality. It just feels a lot more like a premium product in terms of the materials used in its construction. It also comes with a hard carry case, so if you need something to travel with, you can simply put the headphones inside, chuck it into your bag, and not worry about destroying the headphones. (The CH720Ns do not come with a travel case of any sort.)
And the Q45s do come with Hi-Res audio support too, streaming over LDAC, and up to 50 hours of battery life. The CH720Ns are rated for up to 35 hours on a single charge and they donāt have Hi-Res streaming support.
So in terms of build quality and specs, not gonna lie, it feels like the Q45ās more value for money than the Sonys. But thatās the thing about Soundcore. They are a very price competitive brand, and this pushes them to offer more value for less money in order to outcompete more established brands like Sony. But how do these compare in terms of sound, noise canceling, call quality and transparency?
Sound Quality
In terms of sound quality, the Sonys are definitely more bass heavy. According to my frequency sweeps, thereās a very large 5-10 db gap over the Soundcores in terms of bass and lower midrange. So if you like bass youāll probably prefer how the 720Ns sound compared to the Q45 headphones. But the Q45s do sound more crisp and clean especially in the midrange.
You can tell that its track separation is more on point, and its detail retrieval is also better than the Sonys. I mean, there is a bit more that you can hear on the Q45 headphones when you donāt have the upper bass bloating up the midrange too much. Listen to the sound samples here.
Custom EQ
Of course you can tweak the 720Ns to sound more crisp and clean using the Sony Headphones connect appās EQ presets or custom EQ settings. Same goes for the Soundcore, you can also bump up its bass in the Soundcore app if you want. The appās got lots of EQ presets and a graphic EQ to play with.
But out of the box, this is what youāre going to get from these headphones.
Call Quality
In quiet conditions both of these headphones are quite usable in terms of mic pickup. I feel that my voice on the Sonys did sound pretty good but it was more bloaty, while the Q45s sound more lean, more sharp, a little bit more robotic. However, in noisy conditions, the Q45s do cut a lot more noise than the Sonys. In my opinion, its mic pickup is overall better than the 720Ns. They were both tested using really loud cafe style background noise, and wind noise coming from a fan. Listen to the samples here.
Active Noise Canceling
In terms of active noise canceling, it appears that they both cut just about as much noise. On the one hand, the Sonys are more effective at canceling low-frequency rumble, while the Soundcores are more effective mid-range noise cancelers. Listen to these sound samples recorded under the same noise conditions as the call quality test.
Transparency Mode
In terms of transparency, it feels like the Sonys are better. It was picking up more of the ambient sounds around me so it just felt more like I wasnāt wearing headphones at all, it was that transparent. On the other hand, it seems that Soundcoreās playing it safe with the Q45ās transparency. I mean, they did go pretty easy with the microphone gain. So there is pretty decent passthrough without sounding too hissy, yes. But at the same time, the volume of the transparency was so low that there was very little difference between passthrough on and no passthrough, as far as the Q45 is concerned.
Which is better overall value?
Looking at the big picture, in some ways, the CH720Ns are better such as its transparency mode, and the Sonys are also more comfortable to wear.
Although the Q45ās cushions are very thick, and very plush, its earcups donāt feel quite as roomy as the Sonys. The Q45s are also a bit heavier than the Sonys with a tighter clamp, so when youāre wearing them, you really do feel the headphones more.
And something that most reviewers donāt mention is that, In terms of long term product support, I think Sony as a brand is stronger in this area. My experience with Sony headphones is that you do get more firmware updates over a longer period compared to Soundcore, which often has a few software updates in the beginning, and no software updates anymore for the rest of the year. It doesnāt just happen with Soundcore, it happens with many budget brands too.
That being said, the Soundcores are better in terms of value. Its build quality is better as well as its call quality, some might even say it sounds better because of its crisper, cleaner sound profile - even if we donāt take into account that it is Hi-res certified. It also has longer rated battery endurance.
So having read this article, which do you think is better, the 720N, or the Q45 from Soundcore? Let me know in the comments. Iāve got some Amazon links to the WH-CH720N and the other Sonys below. Click on them if you want to check the latest prices.
Sony WH-CH720N - https://amzn.to/3owiugF
Soundcore Space Q45 - https://amzn.to/3UFlVPB
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