We love the Sony WF-C700N. These mid-rangers are among the best noise-cancelling headphones you can buy, winning not only a What Hi-Fi? Award for two consecutive years, but the coveted Product of the Year gong for both years. That doesn't happen very often.
And now there's a sequel. The Sony WF-C710N promise more advanced noise cancellation and a better battery life, among other improvements.
So are they worth the extra outlay? Or would you be better off hunting out the end-of-life C700N on a deal?
We're testing the C710N as we speak, and will update this article once we've reached a definitive verdict. Until then, let's see how they compare on paper.
Sony WF-C710N vs WF-C700N: price
The WF-C700N launched in April 2023 for £100 / $120 / AU$200, but have since dropped much lower than that. At time of writing, they can be found for just £70 / $78 / AU$119.
Thankfully, the WF-C710N have the same launch price of £100 / $120 / AU$189 (that's actually slightly lower in Australia).
That's welcome. But bear in mind that with the C700N being end of life, more discounts are likely, so they could end up quite a bit cheaper than the new model.
Sony WF-C710N vs WF-C700N: design and comfort
The WF-C700N are sleek and compact, thanks to their 5mm driver, which is smaller than that used in some other Sony wireless earbuds.
They're comfy too. Just twist them and they slide into place. This makes them easy to use for long periods or while moving around a lot during exercise.
Like many other wireless earbuds, they attach to their charging case using magnets, so you don't have to be too exact in how you place them.
Your colour options are black, white, lavender and sage green.
The WF-C710N come in the same black and white finishes, but replace lavender and sage with pink and a transparent 'glass blue' that lets you see the innards. Which helps them stand out from the crowd.
We confess, we are a little bit in love with this finish. Just look at it!
The C710N feature touch controls, rather than the C700N's click buttons.
The earbuds are also a little bigger and heavier than their predecessors – we'll have to wait and see if this impacts the comfort levels.
The carry case is also a little chunkier than the C700N's. But other than that, the design is pretty much unchanged.
Sony WF-C710N vs WF-C700N: features
For a pair of the best cheap wireless earbuds, the WF-C700N have plenty of features.
They support the SBC and AAC codecs (but not the more advanced aptX HD and LDAC).
Through Sony's Sound Connect app (previously called Headphones Connect), you can customise the button functions and choose to prioritise either sound quality or a more robust wireless connection.
It also lets you activate Sony DSEE (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine) which upscales low-res digital audio files to higher quality.
Sony's Adaptive Sound Control feature lets the 'buds automatically switch listening modes depending on your location. You can connect to two devices and switch between them using Bluetooth Multipoint.
You also get Sony's Wind Noise Reduction Structure for silencing gales when you're on a call.
The WF-C710N offer all this and more.
One of the biggest improvements should be in noise cancellation. The 'buds feature dual noise sensor tech – with two mics in each bud, Sony is promising a significant improvement over the C700N.
Like their predecessors, they support Sony's 360 Reality Audio, but they also gain the wearer detection feature. This automatically pauses the music when you take the earbuds out of your ears and resumes when you pop them back in.
Another big improvement is in battery life. The C710N last 8.5 hours from the buds, plus another 21.5 hours from the case, making a total battery life of 30 hours with ANC turned on. That's twice as long as the C700N's battery life.
Turn off ANC, and that extends to 40 hours from a single charge. Impressive.
The C710N also promise to make calls clearer thanks to precise voice pick-up. This uses artificial intelligence (AI) to isolate your voice and filter out unwanted background noise.
- What is aptX HD Bluetooth? What devices support it?
- LDAC: what is it? How can you get it?
- What is Bluetooth Multipoint? How does it work?
Sony WF-C710N vs WF-C700N: sound
We haven't yet tested the WF-C710N, so can't comment on their sound quality. But rest assured we're hard at work on a review and will update this once our verdict is in.
Given that they feature the same 5mm drivers as their predecessors, we're expecting the sound to be very similar to the C700N.
In fact, they could sound identical. We'll only find out once we've finished reviewing them – either way, we'll update this article when our verdict is in.
No improvements might be a little disappointing, but then the C700N sound fantastic. They would have to, to win the Product of the Year Award two years running.
They're particularly impressive in the bass department.
"It's not just the weight, depth and solidity of the notes that impresses, it's also the layers of detail the Sony uncovers and their ability to paint the notes with believable texture," we wrote in our review.
But the bass never overwhelms the sound. It's a nicely balanced presentation that doesn't overly favour any one part of the frequency range.
Their sense of timing and organisation is also impressive, especially at this price level.
Fingers crossed the C710N can build on this Award-winning performance.
Sony WF-C710N vs WF-C700N: early verdict
Better noise cancellation, longer battery life, added wearer detection, and the same winning design. The WF-C710N look like a decent improvement on the multi-Award-winning C700N.
Of course we can only take Sony's word for it for now.
Until we've reviewed them, we can't confirm anything. But let's hope the firm hasn't omitted the sound quality in its improvements.
If the C700N drop further in price, they could be the better buy, depending on your priorities. We'll update this article with a definitive verdict once we've tested the C710N.
Stay tuned!
MORE:
Read our Sony WF-C700N review
Check out the best cheap wireless headphones
Sony 360 Reality Audio explained: all about the immersive format
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