Well rounded sound but ANC could be better

The latest in Sony’s lineup of TWS earbuds are their WF-C700N TWS earbuds. These aim to fill the gap between the cheaper WF-C500 and the WF-LS900N (aka LinkBuds S). Sony has borrowed the design of these earbuds from the budget C500 and some of the hardware from the pricier products in its lineup. I was told that these earbuds are targeted to deliver quality ANC and be one of the lightest offerings in the budget. Sony has been quite keen on penetrating the Indian audio market, so when these earbuds showed at the Digit Test Centre, I was curious to see if they stand out to the Indian consumer in a market filled with options like the Nothing Ear (2) and the Jabra Elite 4, both of which have a cult-like following. So, here’s my review of the Sony WF-C700N –

Sony WF-C700N: Build and Design

When you look at the case of the Sony WF-C700N, you are instantly reminded of the WF-C500. The brand has made it to be the better specced and pricier cousin of their mid-tier TWS earbuds. The C700N carries over a LOT of the design from the C500 and leaves little to be desired when it comes to day-to-day use.

The buds, with their rounded design, fit well in the ears. I have an affinity for earbuds with short stems. However, when I was testing the WF-C700N, I was pleasantly surprised. They are lightweight, and you get three options of ear tips in the box to pair with them to ensure that you are getting a great fit when you are putting them on. It is especially important because the ANC performance of the earbuds is dependent on the fit that you are getting with the buds. While on the topic of ANC, its addition to the earbuds means that we get one of the most standout changes to the design of the buds. To accommodate the microphones for ANC, Sony has added its signature circular grills to the earbuds, which makes them differentiable from the C500, which would not have been the case if it wasn’t there. 

The case of the earbuds comes with a solid textured top, with the rest of the body carrying a similar design from the C500. While at first, it looks solid and robust, as far as my experience with such materials and texture goes, the textured top is an open invitation for dust and gunk to accumulate over time. With that said, if you are regularly cleaning it with a damp cloth and taking care of the case, there shouldn’t be much to worry about.

The case is very pocketable, with the rounded edges ensuring that sliding it in and out of your pocket is easy and it does not get stuck in the lining of your pockets. The magnets used to hold the earbuds in place are strong. The same is the case with the ones holding the lid in place. However, in my day-to-day use, I found them to be a bit too strong, and I found opening the case with one hand a task. 

With the C500, our lead audio reviewer, Dhriti, noted that the physical control buttons, in place of touch/capacitive controls, are something that should have been changed. She had very rightly noted that the very act of pressing the buttons to trigger basic actions repeatedly could lead to stress in the inner ear, as the earbuds are being pushed further into the ear canal with each push. With these earbuds, Sony seems to have addressed that, with the button press feeling much softer. However, that introduces the problem of accidental triggers, which were a common thing for me.

The buds have IPX4 water resistance. Now this is also something I would also want the brand to rework in the next release.

Now, let’s look at the features that the Sony WF-C700N comes packing with and how they fare against those of the competitors.

Sony WF-C700N: Features

The are two main areas where Sony has made changes to the C700N over the C500 TWS earbuds in terms of features – multi-point connection and Active Noise Cancellation. As I mentioned before, the C700N bring to the table Active Noise Cancellation to a pair that, despite the lack of it, was impressive and popular in the Indian market. The addition of ANC has not only made it better but also opened it up to a whole new consumer and competitor segment. And ANC also means a hike in price, which is justifiable, given the quality of ANC, is better than many other competing earbuds. More on that in the next section.

With the growing number of people getting into hybrid working/study environments, multi-point connectivity is in this transitionary phase, where it is going from being a novelty to now becoming a necessity. Sony has caught up to that trend and has added it to the C700N. Now, given that it is Sony, I expected the feature to work well, and it did!

The Headphones Connect app is not my favourite, mainly because of its interface, which in my opinion, is a bit overwhelming at times. However, it does provide almost everything that you would need from a TWS companion app. There are customizability options lathered throughout so that you can make the earbuds truly your own.

DSEE (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine), Sony’s homegrown AI-based music upscaling technology, works like a charm on these earbuds. Having been someone who daily drives the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) paired with Apple Music, I was surprised to see how well the earbuds handled upscaling. When listening to some of the tracks which I jam to on a daily basis, there were one-off instances where the processing did not go as I had expected it to. However, I cannot complain much, given how well it worked the rest of the time. Sony has only added support for SBC and AAC codecs, which I believe could have been better if they included LDAC or aptX as well.

Sony WF-C700N: Performance

In terms of performance, Sony has made significant improvements to the sound signature of the earbuds. As you can see in the graph, the boost in the low frequencies, which drive the bass and the highs, balance each other out, and the mids, staying close to our baseline reading of Pink Noise, ensures that the sound signature is well-rounded, especially for the price.

Sony has now started focussing on products that are tuned for Indian audiences. With these earbuds, the sound signature is well suited for the genres like Bollywood, Pop, and Hip Hop, which have been all the rage amongst Indian audiences. When comparing the sound of these earbuds to the likes of Nothing Ear (2) and the Jabra Elite 4, in my opinion, these earbuds are much better suited for an audience that enjoys that thump in the bass.

In case you do not like the bass or the boost in the highs is causing you discomfort over longer periods of listening, then you can always go to the Sony Headphones Connect app and tune the audio to your liking. The EQ baked into the app has a fair number of presets as well, which ensures that the earbuds can be tuned to your liking. 

As for the microphone, the Sonys did not disappoint me. I tested them in a variety of scenarios, and these earbuds were up to the mark in all of them. In situations where there was a LOT of noise, like a railway platform, there was some level of noise that seeped through to the receiver. However, apart from that, there was not much to complain about here.

Staying on the topic of noisy environment, let’s talk about the noise cancellation of these earbuds. Given that these earbuds have a great fit in the ears, half the battle is won right there. At least in my case, where I got a snug fit with the small-sized ear tips. With ANC on, I could not hear the low-end rumbling sounds of the AC, which sits right above my head in the office. During my commutes to and fro from work on the train and in auto, the WF C700N earbuds did well to ensure that I could not hear most of the heavy sounds around me.

These earbuds pack the same hardware as Sony’s high-end TWS earbuds. The only place where they have been held back from running away with best-in-class ANC is the software-level processing. So, it wasn’t surprising to see that the earbuds did well in some of the most challenging situations as well. I would still say there is some room for improvement, especially with the handling of high-end sounds like shrill horns and the like. But, for the most part, these earbuds hold their ground well.

In terms of battery life, these earbuds lasted about four and a half hours in our Pink Noise loop test with ANC on and volume set to 50 per cent, which is pretty close to Sony’s claims of the 5-hour of battery life that these earbuds carry. And, when you are out of juice, you can harness the quick charge capability of the earbuds to ensure that you get a claimed 60-minute run time in just 10 minutes of charging!

Sony WF-C700N: Verdict

The Sony WF-C700N is a well-rounded pair of earbuds with a sound signature that would appeal to the masses in India and ANC that draws from its pricier cousins and makes them hold their ground well. There are a few kinks, like the button-based control interface, which I would like Sony to work on. One last thing before I wrap up this review. Like it is with all audio products, please try these earbuds once before you take the plunge, as the fit is something that would make or break the experience for you. And if these do not fit well, then I would say, explore options like the Nothing Ear (2) which features a stem-based design or the Jabra Elite 4 which have a similar approach to their design, but manage to work wonders with their fit and overall product quality.