Sony’s new midrange headphones borrow some features from the premium WH-1000XM5

Sony has launched a pair of midrange headphones that borrow some tech from the company’s $400 WH-1000XM5. The new WH-CH720N is an over-ear pair that uses the same V1 chip from Sony’s flagship model, which should help provide high-quality sound and active noise cancellation (ANC) for at a very low price.

The company says the WH-CH720N’s battery lasts up to 35 hours with ANC enabled. The headphones also include support for the Digital Sound Enhancement Engine (DSEE), Sony’s audio upscaling tech that can improve the sound of compressed music files on services like Spotify. It also has a multipoint connection and two microphones in each ear cup, which helps it offer 20 levels of noise-cancel / ambient sound. Of course, you can tweak its settings using the accompanying Sony Headphones Connect app.

Sony has a good track record with mid-range headphones. As with this model, the company usually carries over some features from the premium cans while skimming enough areas to keep the price down. (In this case, it lacks the second ANC processor from the WH-1000XM5.) So even if they have less noise cancellation than their more expensive brothers, the V1 chip should still make up for the good that ANC at their $150 price. The WH-CH720N will be available in black, blue and white when it starts shipping this spring.

Sony

Sony also announced a new entry-level pair of on-ear headphones, the WH-CH520, which skip ANC but offer an impressive 50 hours of battery life. They will also include DSEE and multipoint connectivity. The WH-CH520 will also launch this spring in black, blue and white. They only cost $60.

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