Audio review
Sony WF-C710N Review: 9h25m Measured, and a 14 dB Hole at 10 kHz
SoundGuys beat the claimed battery by nearly an hour and found a deep treble dip. A second reviewer, measuring nothing, described exactly the sound that dip would produce.
By Paulo GerchonPublished 2 min read
Sony
Sony WF-C710N
Good · researched from 3 sources
Nearly ten hours of measured battery and cancelling that removes most of what you can hear, from earbuds that cost a fraction of a flagship. The treble dip is real and measurable, and the app equaliser is the first place to go.
- Buy if
- Long days and commutes, on a measured 9 hours 25 minutes · Buyers who want Sony's app features without flagship pricing · Anyone who values isolation over treble detail
- Skip if
- Exercise, given no fins or wings and a fit SoundGuys calls insecure · Android owners who want LDAC · Frequent calls in noisy environments
We don’t list prices, because Amazon’s change hourly.
Two methods, one defect
SoundGuys measured a 14 decibel dip around 10 kHz against their target curve, and say the cost is detail on cymbals and upper harmonics.
Headphone Check, listening rather than measuring and publishing no figures at all, describes a sound that feels closed-in and lacking airiness, with limited openness and detail retrieval.
Those are the same finding arrived at from opposite directions. A hole that deep at the top of the audible range removes exactly the air and shimmer that Headphone Check went looking for and could not find.
When a measurement and an unaided ear independently land on the same fault, it is real. The five-band equaliser in Sony's app is where to start dealing with it.
Nine hours twenty-five
Sony claims 8.5 hours with cancelling on. SoundGuys measured 9 hours 25 minutes, with over 30 in total including the case.
GadgetGuy adds Sony's own figure of 40 hours total with cancelling switched off.
Nothing here needs discounting, which after a catalogue full of earbuds that miss their claims is worth stating plainly.
The isolation before the electronics
SoundGuys' most interesting measurement is the passive one: 10 dB of low-frequency reduction and up to 40 dB of high, from the ear tips alone, before anything is switched on.
With cancelling running, up to 30 dB at low frequencies, and roughly 85 percent of external loudness removed overall.
GadgetGuy calls it quite effective, softening crowded environments considerably while being adequate rather than exceptional against simulated aircraft noise.
Headphone Check disagrees, calling the effect mild and the isolation modest, with a lawnmower still audible through it. They published no attenuation figures for this model, so on this specific question the measurement carries more weight.
What it costs to be cheap
No LDAC. No aptX. SBC and AAC only, which SoundGuys raises pointedly because LDAC is Sony's own codec and it is missing from a Sony product.
Three silicone tip sizes and nothing else. No fins, no wings, and a fit SoundGuys calls insecure for exercise.
And GadgetGuy's two observations from living with them: occasional Bluetooth dropouts with no obvious cause, and a question about how well the case hinge will survive months of daily opening.
Calls
SoundGuys: good in quiet, decent background rejection in noise, with a little of the voice going along with it.
GadgetGuy: quite choppy and hard to understand in noisy environments, fine in quieter ones.
Both agree about the quiet case, and the disagreement is about how much noise it takes before the microphone gives up. Somewhere between a café and a busy street, on the evidence.
How it scored
The overall 7.7 is the weighted average of these five criteria — we never adjust it by hand.
Sound quality
SoundGuys measures added bass below 100 Hz, reduced mids near 500 Hz and a 14 dB dip around 10 kHz. Headphone Check independently describes a closed-in sound lacking airiness.
Value
SoundGuys scored 8 out of 10 and calls them premium features at an affordable price. GadgetGuy scored 9.3 out of 10. Headphone Check gave 3.75 out of 5.
Build quality
IPX4 and 5.1 g per earbud per GadgetGuy, who raises a concern about case hinge durability over months and reports occasional Bluetooth dropouts.
Comfort
GadgetGuy found the design practical for extended use with medium tips fitted. SoundGuys criticises the limited tip range and the absence of fins or wings for exercise.
Noise cancelling
SoundGuys measured up to 30 dB of low-frequency reduction with cancelling on, or about 85 percent overall. Headphone Check calls the effect mild and the isolation modest.
Pros and cons
What we liked
- SoundGuys measured 9 hours 25 minutes against an 8.5 hour claim
- SoundGuys measured passive isolation alone at 10 dB low and up to 40 dB high
- Up to 30 dB of low-frequency reduction with cancelling on, or about 85 percent overall
- Over 30 hours of total playback with the case
- A five-band equaliser, Adaptive Sound Control and 360 Reality Audio ear scanning in the app
- GadgetGuy found the bass strong and clean with only minor distortion on demanding tracks
What we didn’t
- SoundGuys measures a 14 dB dip around 10 kHz, costing cymbal and upper harmonic detail
- Headphone Check calls the cancelling mild and the isolation modest
- SBC and AAC only, with no LDAC despite being a Sony product
- GadgetGuy found calls choppy and hard to understand in noisy places
- SoundGuys reports an insecure fit for exercise with no fins or wings
- GadgetGuy experienced occasional unexplained Bluetooth dropouts
Specifications
| Battery | 9 h 25 m measured by SoundGuys against 8.5 h claimed; over 30 h total with the case |
|---|---|
| Passive isolation | 10 dB at low frequencies and up to 40 dB at high per SoundGuys |
| Noise cancelling | Up to 30 dB at low frequencies, about 85 percent of external loudness overall, per SoundGuys |
| Frequency response | Added bass below 100 Hz, reduced mids near 500 Hz and a 14 dB dip around 10 kHz per SoundGuys |
| Codecs | SBC and AAC only |
| Water resistance | IPX4 |
| Weight | 5.1 g per earbud per GadgetGuy |
| Ear tips | Small, medium and large silicone; no fins or wings |
| App | Sony Sound Connect, with a five-band equaliser, Adaptive Sound Control and 360 Reality Audio ear scanning |
| Multipoint | Multi-device support per GadgetGuy |
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How we researched this
We have not had this unit on the bench. This review synthesises the manufacturer’s published specifications, independent measurements and owner reports listed below. Every figure on this page comes from one of those sources rather than our own measurement.
3
sources reviewed
SoundGuys supplies the measured battery figure, the passive isolation and active attenuation figures by frequency, the frequency response deviations against their target, the IP rating, the codec list, the app inventory and the fit criticism, and scored 8 out of 10. GadgetGuy supplies the earbud weight, the listening assessment, the app and multi-device observations, the call quality finding and the reliability notes from extended use, scoring 9.3 out of 10. Headphone Check supplies an independent listening assessment and the dissenting view of the cancelling, scoring 3.75 out of 5; they published no measured attenuation or frequency response data for this model and their assessment is treated as listening rather than measurement. The three disagree about noise cancelling effectiveness and all positions are reported.
What we read
Common questions
How good is the noise cancelling on the Sony WF-C710N?
How long does the battery last?
What does the treble dip actually sound like?
Are they good for calls?
What is missing at this price?
The bottom line on the Sony WF-C710N
Nearly ten hours of measured battery and cancelling that removes most of what you can hear, from earbuds that cost a fraction of a flagship. The treble dip is real and measurable, and the app equaliser is the first place to go.
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