Sony MDR-1000X vs Sony WH-CH720N

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MDR-1000X compared with WH-CH720N

	SonyMDR-1000X	SonyWH-CH720N
Overview
Released
Released	September 2016	March 2023
Sound
Type
Type	Over-ear	Over-ear
Noise cancelling
Noise cancelling	Yes	Yes
Transparency mode
Transparency mode	Yes	Yes
Driver size
Driver size	40 mm	30 mm
Back
Back	Closed	–
Bluetooth codecs
Bluetooth codecs	SBC, AAC, aptX and LDAC	SBC and AAC
Lossless over USB-C
Lossless over USB-C	–	No
Chip
Chip	–	V1
Drivers
Drivers	40 mm dome-type drivers with aluminium-coated liquid crystal polymer diaphragms, CCAW voice coils and neodymium magnets; 4 Hz to 40 kHz wired frequency response; 46 ohms powered on or 14 ohms off at 1 kHz	30 mm dynamic driver; 7 Hz to 20,000 Hz (JEITA, wired, switched on); sensitivity 108 dB/mW switched on, 99 dB/mW switched off; impedance 325 Ω switched on, 31 Ω switched off (1 kHz, wired)
Chip
Chip	–	Integrated Processor V1
Noise cancelling detail
Noise cancelling detail	Sense Engine with dual noise sensors and a Personal NC Optimiser; Ambient Sound Mode offers Normal and Voice settings, and Quick Attention passes outside sound through while a hand covers the right earcup	Dual Noise Sensor technology, with two microphones on each ear cup; Ambient Sound Mode adjustable in 20 levels in the app
Audio features
Audio features	LDAC, aptX, AAC and SBC over Bluetooth; DSEE HX upscaling and S-Master HX amplification; NFC pairing	DSEE upscaling; 360 Reality Audio; equaliser in the app
Battery
Listening time (maker's claim)
Listening time (maker's claim)	Up to 20 hours	Up to 35 hours
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Up to 20 hours with noise cancelling on or 22 hours off; up to 24 hours of talk time with noise cancelling on; full charge in about four hours	Up to 50 hours with noise cancelling off (AAC or SBC); 35 hours with Ambient Sound Mode on; talk time up to 35 hours (40 hours with noise cancelling off); up to 35 hours on the headphone cable with noise cancelling on (50 hours off); DSEE, the equaliser and the voice-assistant wake word shorten battery life; can't be used while charging
Fast charging
Fast charging	–	3 minutes gives about 60 minutes of playback, 10 minutes about 4.5 hours; full charge in about 3.5 hours (0.5 A or higher USB adaptor)
Design
Weight
Weight	275 g	192 g (better)
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	4.1	5.2
Two devices at once
Two devices at once	–	Yes
Headphone cable
Headphone cable	Yes	Yes
Controls
Controls	Right earcup touch panel for playback, calls and volume; separate power, noise cancelling and ambient-sound buttons	Buttons for power, volume up and down, play/call (press twice to skip forwards, three times to skip back; hold for the voice assistant) and NC/AMB; hands-free "OK Google" or "Alexa" wake word
Microphones
Microphones	Omnidirectional electret condenser microphone with a 100 Hz to 8 kHz frequency range	Two noise-cancelling microphones on each ear cup; beamforming call microphones with Precise Voice Pickup technology and a Wind Noise Reduction Structure
Fit and ear tips
Fit and ear tips	Circumaural ear cushions; swivelling earcups fold into the supplied carrying case	Closed, over-ear; synthetic leather and urethane earpads; sliders on both sides of the headband
Water resistance detail
Water resistance detail	–	No water resistance rating
Works with
Works with	Bluetooth A2DP, AVRCP, HFP and HSP; 3.5 mm detachable cable allows listening with the headphones switched off; Micro-USB charges the battery	Sony | Sound Connect app (formerly Headphones Connect) for iOS and Android; multipoint connection to two devices; Google Fast Pair and Microsoft Swift Pair; Bluetooth 5.2 Class 1, about 10 m range; A2DP, AVRCP, HFP and HSP
Colours
Colours	Black, Grey Beige	Black, Blue, White; Pink added in 2025
In the box
In the box	Headphones, carrying case, 1.5 m headphone cable, Micro-USB cable and in-flight plug adaptor	Headphones, USB-C cable (USB-A to USB-C, about 20 cm), headphone cable (about 1.2 m)