So Sennheiser just updated their HD 4.50BTNC’s with their new HD 450BT’s which do have
some key upgrades over their predecessors.
Now naturally people are asking how do the HD 450BT’s compare to the Sony WH-CH700N.
Now Sony is going to be releasing their new WH-CH710N in a couple of months with what
seems like a major redesign which personally has me very excited.
Now I’m predicting that the WH-CH710N will release in April…
But in the mean time lets see how these two headphones stack up against one another.
Now when it comes to price, both of these headphones retail for $200.
But now that the Sony WH-CH700N are almost 2 years old now they can be found on sale
for $130 and they sometimes go on sale for $90.
But I wouldn’t be surprised if Sennheiser puts the HD 450BT’s on sale from time to
time to stay competitive.
Non the less if you want to pick either of these headphones up they’ll be linked down
below.
And if you want to learn more about either of these two headphones please watch their
full reviews cause we’re only going to be going over the main differences here.
Now the first major difference between these two headphones is that the 450BT’s come
included with a soft shell carrying case where as the Sony’s don’t.
Now personally I still recommend that you invest in a hardshell carrying case if you
plan on commuting a lot with either of these headphones…
But build quality wise the Sennheiser’s are way more durable than the Sony’s so
I wouldn’t worry about them as much if you were to stash them in your back pack compared
to the Sony’s.
And like I said in the full review, the HD 450BT’s have expectational build quality
for a pair of $200 headphones.
They’re using his density plastics, these headphones are very sturdy and they are basically
silent whenever you flex their headband or rotate their ear cups.
Which unfortunately can’t be said about the Sony WH-CH700N cause these headphones
like to squeak a lot when ever you’re handling them.
Like I’ve said in the past, build quality on the WH-CH700N is a major weak point for
them so here’s hoping that the WH-CH710N changes that.
Now when it comes to fit, personally the clear winner here are the Sony’s mainly cause
of their very spacious ear cups.
Cause the ear cups on the Sennheiser’s are pretty cramped by comparison.
Even though I have average sized ears that don’t stick out a lot, these ear pads still
rest on my earlobes.
Also since these ear pads have a lot of surface area that come in contact with your skin these
ear pads do heat up a lot faster than the Sony’s if you’re moving around with them
on.
Now even though both of these headphones are big head approved… the Sennheiser’s do
have a more snug fit… where as with the Sony’s they are much easier to adjust.
So over all even though the HD 450BT’s fit decent…
The Sony WH-CH700N are going to fit more people more comfortably.
Now when it comes to tech specs… first off I want to point that both of these headphones
have audio jacks.
No I know this may seem obvious but I gotta point this out cause some headphones are starting
to get rid of their audio jacks… like the Beats Solo Pro.
And personally I still think that you need an audio jack cause if youre a content creator
you still want to be able to plug in to monitor your audio if you’re working on a project…
and even if you’re just an average user you still want to be able to do something
as simple as plugging your headphones in to watch an inflight movie if you’re on an
airplane.
Now when it comes to ports, the HD 450BT’s have been upgraded to a USB C port where as
the Sony’s are using a micro USB port.
But obviously the WH-CH710N’s will also be upgraded to a USB C port just like the
rest of Sony’s new headphones.
But just as a heads up… the Usb C port on the Sennheiser’s is strictly used for charging
the headphones.
Now when it comes to battery lives the Sony’s have an advertised battery life of 35 hours
where as the Sennheiser’s have an advertised battery life of 30.
But non the less both of these headphones should be able to go at least a week between
charges
Now when it comes to bluetooth connectivity… the Sony’s are rocking bluetooth 4.1 but
they can only be connected to one device at a time.
Where as the Sennheiser’s are rocking bluetooth 5.0 but more importantly they can be connected
to 2 devices at the same time so you can easily hot swap from your phone to your computer.
Now when it comes to the soon to be released WH-CH710N…
I think they’re still not going to support multi device connectivity.
Cause the new WH-CH510’s are also using bluetooth 5.0 but they can only be connected
to one device at a time.
So I wouldn’t get my hopes up for the WH-CH710N to connect to two devices.
Which is a shame cause multi device connectivity is a highly requested feature on all on Sony’s
headphones.
But finally I do want to quickly address latency on these headphone when watching movies or
videos with these headphones.
The Sony’s have zero latency across the board whether you’re using an iPhone or
android device which is good.
Where as the 450BT’s do have a noticeable amount of latency when watching YouTube videos
on an iPhone.
Other apps like Netflix and Disney Plus are fine…
But just keep in mind these do have a noticeable amount of latency when watching YouTube on
an iPhone.
But these headphones still have zero latency across the board if you’re an android user.
Now when it comes to listening to music with these headphones… the HD 450BT’s are a
pair of neutral sounding headphones that have better instrument separation and a wider sound
stage…
Where as the Sony’s are the people pleasers here.
The WH-CH700N have a fully customizable EQ so you can make them sound how ever you want.
If you like a neutral sound signature you can do that or if you like the physically
feel your bass on your headphones then you can also do that.
Cause the bass on the HD 450BT’s is purely the audible kind meaning that no matter how
much bass there is they aren’t going to physically rattle your head like the Sony’s
do.
Also the Sony’s get significantly louder than the HD 450BT’s.
Now for me the HD 450BT’s get more than loud enough but I’d thought id point it
out.
Over all the Sony’s sound good enough and they get the job done… but if you’re looking
for higher quality sound then you’re better of going with the Sennheiser’s.
With the Sony’s you’re mainly hearing the vocals and the thumping of the bass…
where as with the Sennheiser’s you can hear those finger details that are lost with the
Sony’s and also the highs stay much crisper as well.
Now when it comes to the active noise cancellation on these headphones for the most part they’re
evenly matched.
Now technically the WH-CH700N are blocking out a tinny bit more noise than the HD 450BT’s
but the performances difference between these two headphones isn’t all that drastic.
But so that you can see for yourself we’re going to jump into an ANC test.
Now first off, I merely added the Sony 1000XM3’s as a reference point.
The 1000XM3’s are in a completely different league than both the HD 450BT and the WH-CH700N.
But with that being said both of these headphones are blocking out a sufficient amount of noise
for a pair of entry level ANC headphones.
Now no these headphones aren’t going to block out the world like a pair of premium
ANC headphones but they can be useful on a bus or in a chatty office.
And honestly you can go wrong with either of these headphones cause neither of these
headphones have any cabin pressure which is great.
So you’re not going to feel any discomfort or feel like you’re under water from the
ANC on either of these headphones.
And finally when it comes to the microphone on these headphones for phone calls…
I they’re both evenly matched.
Now they don’t sound amazing and they might sound a little shallow… but I think they
can get the job done.
But over all, the HD 450BT and WH-CH700N are pretty evenly matched… they both have their
pros and cons and they’re both better suited for a different type of consumer.
The HD 450BT’s have way better build quality, they sound better and they also have USB C
charging… but thats a given cause these headphones are newer.
Where as the Sony’s have a more comfortable fit, the bass on them can physically be felt
and they also don’t have any latency issues when watching YouTube videos on an iPhone.
But when it comes to the active noice cancellation on these headphones they’re basically the
same.
They both block out the same amount of noise with basically zero cabin pressure.
But overall all of this is making me more excited for the Sony WH-CH710N cause the HD
450BT’s is already a formidable contender.