Author: Today at Sony WF-XB700 review I will analyze perhaps some of the most interesting Sony wireless headphones in terms of price / quality. The WF-XB700 Extra Bass offers benefits like built-in controls, light weight, water resistance and more, but for that budget, you sacrifice the earbuds' more attractive TWS features.
The Sony WF-XB700 has a lot to offer: they have great sound quality, long listening comfort and an 18-hour battery life. Of the minuses, I will single out the shape and the lack of noise reduction (ANC), however, these are one of the most best Sony wireless headphones.
WF-XB700 Advantages and Disadvantages
- Comfortable fit
- Great bass
- Waterproof IPX4
- Have AAC
- excellent quality
- Price
- Battery life
- Strange design
- No aptX support
- No ANC Noise Canceling
- No app
- Small case charge
Completeness and characteristics
Set
- Headphones Sony WF-XB700
- Silicone ear pads
- Charging case
- Instructions
Characteristics
| Parameter | A type |
|---|---|
| Design | intracanal |
| Moisture protection | IPX4 |
| Microphone | built into the case |
| Connection | Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Radius of action | 10 m |
| Sound | stereo |
| frequency range | 20 - 20,000 Hz |
| Speaker diameter | 12 mm |
| Type of emitters | dynamic |
| Noise suppression | not |
| Codec support | AAC |
| Food | battery |
| Charging input | USB Type-C |
| Working hours | 9 o'clock |
| Working time from case | 9 o'clock |
| Charging time | 2.5 hours |
| Weight | 8 g |
| Colour | Black, dark blue |
Sony WF-XB700 at a glance
The Sony WF-XB700 (True Wireless) wireless headphones turned out to be really good for their price. The gadget has become noticeably better compared to the WF-1000X and WF-SP700N and, without a doubt, has expanded the collection of Sony wireless headphones.
It is the result of years of painstaking work by the Sony development team, which started with the development of the Sony WF-1000X and the sports Sony WF-SP700N, and then created the ideal Sony WF-1000XM3 with active noise canceling.
The latter are still the best wireless earbuds (TWS), but a review of the Sony WF-XB700 showed that they are more affordable and attractive. And in some places they can even compete with Apple AirPods.
Are earbuds with a comfortable fit, balanced, rich sound (Extra Bass here) and an IPX4 rating with a battery life of 18 hours for you? Below in the review of the WF-XB700 I will tell you in detail about all the nuances!
Video review
Release date and price
Sony WF-XB700 headphones are out in April 2020 Is the latest addition to the Sony Extra Bass Headphones series. The gadget was announced along with the Sony WH-CH710N and went on sale right away.
In terms of price, the Sony WF-XB700 is one of the cheapest Sony wireless headphones and worth 130 $ (9500 rubles)... This is significantly cheaper than the Sony WF-1000XM3, which now costs $ 200 (about 15,000 rubles), but remember that the latter has active noise cancellation (ANC), while the WF-XB700 does not.
Compared to other true wireless earbuds, the Sony WF-XB700 sits right in the middle, slightly less expensive than the $ 140 Apple AirPods, which now dominate in terms of sales. Which of these headphones you should use most likely depends on which mobile operating system (OS) you are using.
Design
The appearance of the WF-XB700 is clearly different from past true wireless headphones that Sony has produced. This is because the company usually chooses a rounded, elongated bean-like shape.
The WF-XB700 definitely shares design similarities with their predecessors, but looks more like a circular disc.
The color scheme is not rich, but in the style of Sony:
- black
- dark blue
On the outer edge of each earbud, you'll find a button: on the left earbud you have the volume up / down, and on the right you have play / pause and track change. You can also use them to activate your voice assistant and receive calls.
The WF-XB700 has three parts: the tip that fits into the ear canal, the middle part that houses the drivers (inside the ear), and the outer shell that houses the battery. This three-tiered design isn't economical and won't appeal to people who just want small, sleek earbuds. But the Sony WF-XB700 has some advantages.
Due to their size, they completely fill the ear canal. This gives a feeling of security, and the low weight makes the gadget surprisingly comfortable and pleasant to wear for a long time, and this density gives great sound. If the default earbuds are not suitable, then you can choose the ideal ones for you - several additional earpads are included in the kit.
If we talk about the Sony WF-XB700 case, the plastic case is quite thin and uses a translucent cover that allows you to see the charging status of the headphones. To charge, simply insert the earbuds into the charging docks and wait until the red LED turns on. To charge both the case and the earbuds, simply plug them in using the USB Type-C cable.
Sound WF-XB700
So how does the Sony WF-XB700 sound? As part of the Extra Bass Headphones series, I was worried that they would sound muddy and limited. Fortunately, my negative expectations were not met.
The first thing I noticed right away was the bass. It's made in a way that makes it feel tight and edgy, not messy and bloated. The result is music that you really want to listen to. In fact, nothing else could be expected from the Extra Bass series. The downside of the WF-XB700 is the midrange: YouTube videos are noticeably quieter than listening to music, which is to blame for the less powerful midrange.
This does not mean that YouTube or movies on Netflix are impossible to listen to, but it would be nice if there was a way to change the equalizer depending on the type of content currently playing, for example through the Sony headphone app. But now there is no such possibility.
Of course, Sony not only wants the WF-XB700 to be music-focused, but also great for sports (especially the gym) - which is why it gets IPX4 water resistance. They also have a stable connection: when moving around the apartment while reviewing the WF-XB700, we did not have any interference or glitches. The downside is that the gadget has not received noise cancellation, so be prepared to hear surrounding conversations while listening to music.
In my opinion, Sony could improve the limited soundstage of these headphones and add support for aptX, a higher resolution audio codec that can stream HD audio. These factors and some other factors prevent them from achieving absolute sound quality, but I am sure that 80% of people will love the sound they give.
Features of the Sony WF-XB700
One of the best features of the WF-1000XM3 is the ability to adjust everything from noise cancellation to equalizer in the Sony app. This is not new to Sony gadgets, as many companies offer companion apps with similar functionality. Unfortunately, the WF-XB700 does not work with the app. And it's not just that certain features aren't available.
The Sony WF-XB700 headphones also do not automatically pause when you take them out of your ear, which is really detrimental to headset use. Unsurprisingly, these $ 130 headphones lack ANC or more interesting touch controls, but it was great to be able to preset the sound or customize the EQ to suit you.
Sony Headphones have many alternatives. The WF-1000XM3, which I mentioned several times already, is more expensive, although you can regularly find a pair for around $ 200.About six months have passed since their release, but they still best wireless headphones.
The WF-XB700 offers a complete set of built-in controls that are easy to use and cover all major functions well. Although the design is not as ergonomic and comfortable, they are reliable wireless headphones in their price segment.
Competitors WF-XB700
Among the competitors of Sony WF-XB700 at the same price, I can distinguish:
- Samsung Galaxy Buds + (150$)
- Jabra Elite Active 75t (180$)
- Honor magic earbuds (110$)
- Huawei FreeBuds 3 (120$)
Samsung meets almost every need for the Galaxy Buds +, including the ability to run a dedicated iOS app. The Galaxy Buds + don't have ANC, but they do have an isolation mode and 11 hours of battery life. Jabra has improved its already good TWS wireless earbuds in its latest version. The Elite Active 75t is smaller and lighter, yet has good sound quality and a handy audio tweak app. They are more expensive, but remain one of the best options to be found for under $ 200.
Battery life
The WF-XB700 Sony promises up to 9 hours of battery life on a single charge. This is three hours more than the WF-1000XM3. I spent a little over 8 hours battery life testing the WF-XB700. This is an excellent result considering the volume at which I usually listen to music. The only downside is that the included charging case only offers one full charge. In most analogs, you get at least 2-3 additional charges.
However, 18 hours is a decent time to listen to music. And if you're in a rush, a 10-minute charge will give you 1 hour of power.
Sony WF-XB700 review results
The WF-XB700 has negative points: mediocre design, weak mid-range and no noise cancellation. However, there was a place for pluses: as for me, this is a worthy model that can compete with its main competitors. The gadget has an adequate price tag, a fairly balanced sound and better battery life.
You can enhance your headset with a few simple tweaks, such as aptX support and the addition of an auto pause feature to save battery power. But even without these features, a review of the Sony WF-XB700 showed that the company takes a responsible approach to its products, even if it's a budget gadget. These headphones are worth buying for those looking for solid sound and long battery life!
On the official Sony website, I did not find a word about noise reduction for the WF-XB700. Looks like this is not casual, although there are many where they write that ANC is all such. And since the headphones are interesting, I'm just looking for something for the Pixel4. I'll wait either native Pixel buds or it will come out. I hope that in a month all these quarantines will be more or less settled.
ANC is not provided in the WF-XB700, alas, but noise reduction will be implemented by the company in the Sony WH-CH710N. Review coming soon :)
Cool, it was interesting to read) Sony WF-XB700 headphones, as for me, are in second place after WF-1000XM3
Far from the best Sony model, but still decent wf-xb700. I will definitely test
Wouldn't take that. Still, it is useless and harmful to save money on sound. Add money and buy the same 1000 for the WF-XB700.
This is Sony's failure to me. Of course, the headphones are not the worst, but the WF-XB700 is clearly in the Sony style, especially after the wf-1000xm3
Really, we could try. terrible design, huge price - only one hope for a normal extra bass sound. If I didn’t know it was Sony, I wouldn’t think in my life that WF-XB700 is a brand.I hope for their rehabilitation (
Sony WF-XB700 review is excellent, thanks for the detail) But the headphones are far from the best. Only Extra Bass gives hope for good sound and bass. well, the design of the top))
All hope for the Extra Bass sound should come today, but I still worry. after all, the price is high, it was not in vain that I gave so much for them. Damn, well, really Sony WF-XB700 is cool in description, reviews are average. Sony has not failed yet))
A promising model, the WF-xb700 will definitely be popular, although there are many jambs. and nevertheless, they are much better than the ch710, which were presented in one day
I don't understand why many people don't like Sony WF-XB700! Normal headphones, superb sound, nice design. The price can only bite, but nevertheless, you do not pay for Chinese consumer goods, but for a quality model. I bought it and enjoy it!