Sennheiser HD 450BT VS Sony WH-CH700N: Which One Should You Get?

welcome to my review of Sony WH-CH700N vs Sennheiser HD 450BT.

Today I will help you choice headphone that fit you best. if you need wireless calling and voice recognition, Amazon Alexa as your AI of choice, a longer battery life, and have a bigger head (no, really) then get Sony WH-CH700N. If the size and price not an issue with powerful sound then get Sennheiser HD 450BT.

Feel free to read and learn more about each speaker below.

Specifications	Sony WH-CH700N	Sennheiser HD 450BT
Active Noise Cancellation	Yes	Yes
Battery Life	35 hours wireless	30 hours wireless
Charging Cable	Micro USB	USB-C
AI Pairing	Amazon Alexa	Google Assistant, Apple Siri
Weight	0.53 lbs	0.52 lbs
Fit	On-Ear	Over-Ear
Foldable	Yes	Yes
Phone App	Yes	Yes
Rating
Price

Picking the right pair of headphones can be time-consuming, but it’s a labor of love.  Considering everyone’s hearing’s subjective nature, what sounds suited to someone else may not sound right to you. Some prefer deeper bass, and others prefer softer trebles. There is no substitute to listening to that favorite track with the headphones on to really know it’s the one.

Sony and Sennheiser are both well-recognized audio manufacturers, and there is no shortage of quality headphones that you can choose from. So between these two headphones, which is better – Sony WH-CH700N or Sennheiser HD 450BT?

The Products At a Glance

Sony is a well-known international electronics brand, famous for its wide array of products and high quality engineering. From cameras to televisions to headphones, Sony is world-famous for a good reason, and their audio technology department is no different. They have been a leading headphone manufacturer for many years now, and some of their products are industry standard. 

Sony WH-CN700N

The Sony WH-CN700N headphone model stands out from the Sennheiser for a couple of reasons. It packs a hefty punch when it comes to features, even though it is considered within the budget category of over-ear headphones.

It has specially calibrated AI noise cancellation, thanks to its built-in Next-Gen AI Tech. Sony has been working to incorporate AI and technology for everyday consumer use, and the noise cancellation reflects a big effort to make it more accessible.

The battery life stands at 35 hours for wireless playback on a full charge, and 50 hours for wired listening so it can go longer without needing a charge. Finally, it’s linked with Amazon’s Alexa for more functionality; the microphone within the headphones can be used for phone calls or voice recognition.

Pros:

• Longer battery life: 35 hours of wireless, plus a 10 minute quick charge capability for a partial battery life
• Advanced AI-powered active noise cancellation
• Built-in microphone into earpiece for wireless calling
• Alexa enabled for hands-free technology use

Cons:

• Sound cancellation is average for its class
• Mostly made of plastic, giving lighter weight, but lower durability

Sennheiser HD 450BT

Sennheiser is an established niche brand, well-known yet and respected in the audio industry for its top of the line engineering standards. Found on Hollywood movie sets and in New York recording studios alike, Sennheiser boasts an impressive array of audio-specific products.

They are known highly for their shotgun microphones and microphone technology in general, which demonstrates that this company understands audio tech. If there were any company set up naturally to create quality headphones, it would be a microphone company.

The Sennheiser HD 450BT model stands out from the Sony thanks to an industry-leading Bluetooth 5.0 system, which is the latest standard in Bluetooth communication, that will deliver the highest quality sound and with the least audio to video lag. There is no Alexa link, but it does link to Siri and Google Voice.

Pros:

• Battery life stands at 30 hours on a full charge, with a USB-C fast-charging connection
• Active noise cancellation
• Advanced Bluetooth 5.0 technology for low latency playback
• Streamlined codec produces higher fidelity playback of audio files
• Sennheiser dedicated app for different listening modes and other audiophile-level customization options
• Detachable AUX cord for wired listening

Cons:

• The Active Noise Cancellation has occasional connectivity issues and overall not so user friendly
• Headband is a bit tight and thin, especially for those with larger head sizes

Face to Face

Between these two budget-friendly, yet audiophile quality pairs of headphones, there is no clear winner of bang for buck. Each has its own qualities that make them special, and we want you to be able to get the pair that best suit your needs. So check out this face to face comparison to see what matters most to your subjective standards.

Active Noise Cancellation

The Sony WH-CH700N has their AI Active Noise Cancellation technology built into this model, clearly favoring this feature as important to the consumer at this price point. 

The Sennheiser HD 450BT also has Active Noise Cancellation, but it is not as robust and is more prone to difficulty in extreme noise environments.

Winner: Sony WH-CH700N.

More: Sony WH1000XM4 vs Sony WH1000XM3: Is it Worth to Upgrade? 

Bluetooth Technology

The Sennheiser HD 450BT has its low latency wireless codec Bluetooth technology built into this unit – meaning that audiophiles out there should get higher quality audio playback with lower lag time.  Meanwhile, it has about the same Bluetooth range as previous models.

The Sony WH-CH700N has a standard Bluetooth 4.1 technology built into this pair. This reproduces sound and has a solid connection for most people’s standards.

Winner: Sennheiser HD 450BT.

Battery Life

The Sony WH-CH700N has a 35-hour battery life on a full charge with ANC on, and 50 hours with a wired connection.  The Sony has five more wireless hours on a full charge than the Sennheiser.

Despite using a micro USB charging port, the Sony has a 10 minute quick charge function which allows for rapid recharge to get you around 60 minutes of wireless playback.

The Sennheiser HD 450BT has a 30-hour battery life on a full charge.  It also includes a fast-charging system in place in its unit, which uses a USB-C charging connection.

Winner: Here, we have to give the edge, and some bonus points, to the Sony WH-CH700N.

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Sound Quality

The Sony WH-CH700N is built with standard 40 mm Neodynium drivers. The tested frequency response is listed at 20hz – 20,000hz by Bluetooth, and 7hz – 20,000hz plugged in hardwire. Specifications also indicate a slightly better sensitivity of 97 dB/mW by Bluetooth versus 98 dB/mW when plugged in.

The Sennheiser HD 450BT does not list its driver size on their website, but the tested frequency response is listed at 18 Hz to 22,000 Hz (-10 dB).  Overall, you will get a slightly better frequency range, plus the added benefit of the wireless codec support.

In layman’s terms, comparing wireless only, you will hear deeper bass, higher trebles, and have a more lossless compression with the Sennheisers.

Winner:Sennheiser HD 450BT.

Headset Functionality

The Sony WH-CH700N has a built-in microphone into the headset, a streamlined voice recognition software, and solid active noise cancellation to give you high functionality as a standalone headset.

The Sennheiser HD 450BT has a built-in microphone in headset, voice recognition, and noise cancellation too, though as a combination it is not as robust as that in the Sony.

Winner: Sony WH-CH700N.

​More: JBL E45BT vs JBL E55BT: Which One Should You Pick 

Looks and Fit

They both have a closed-back design, meaning sound leak will be minimized.

Neither have category redefining looks, both are very low-key designs.  Black color, with little design elements that you would consider flashy.

The Sony WH-CH700N is built with an on-ear fit, and medium-sized top headband.

The Sennheiser HD 450BT has an over-ear fit, thicker ear cushion, and a thinner sized headband.

Winner: With looks being equal, we have to give the comfortability edge to the Sony WH-CH700N.

AI Connection

The Sennheiser HD 450BT has more versatility in the AI category seeing as it can connect with both Siri and Google Assistant.

The Sony WH-CH700N just offers Amazon Alexa, though the connection is streamlined to get you Alexa with the push of a dedicated button on the headset.

Winner: Sennheiser HD 450BT.

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The Winner…?

Now each set of headphones are quality, that much is true. We ended up with a tally of 4-3 in favor of Sony.

And if we were to have one take the cake, it would have to be the Sony WH-CH700N.

We figured that the Active Noise Cancellation quality and overall well thought out design in the Sony outweighed the audio and Bluetooth advancements in the Sennheiser.

More: JBL Xtreme 2 vs Xtreme: Should You Consider the Upgrade? 

Stand Out Features

In order to be a stand-out feature, it needs to be something that the other does not offer, or does offer, but not in the same league as far as its quality.  While both headphones offered the same options as the others in our stand out features, it was the significantly higher quality that we used to separate one from the other.

Sony WH-CH700N

The Sony WH-CH700N has some real stand-out features that offer a lot of upside.  The Active Noise Cancellation this unit offers at this price point is a winner.  It has an AI technology that actively judges the outside noise levels and automatically adjusts the level of noise cancellation accordingly.

In addition, the Sony has an awesome battery life that really just gets you as a consumer.  They seem to know that we aren’t always diligent with charging our devices, so having a longer battery life and also a quick charge feature are thoughtful touches.  When you’re either forgetful, or in a time crunch, these headphones got you covered.

Sennheiser HD 450BT

The Sennheiser HD 450BT also comes to the table with some quality features of its own to make this unit very tempting.  Sennheiser, a brand known for its high fidelity, makes no surprise by choosing audio quality as its selling point.

The low latency Bluetooth 5.0 technology in the Sennheiser offers minimal lag when watching videos and wireless codec support for a higher quality compression of the audio files.  All that means is spot-on audio to video and higher resolution audio.

In Conclusion

Use the Sony WH-CH700N if:

• You need better Active Noise Cancellation.
• You need wireless calling and voice recognition.
• You need headset capability as a must.
• You have Amazon Alexa as your AI of choice.
• You need a longer battery life.
• You have a bigger head (no, really)
• You want to save a bit more money.

Use the Sennheiser HD 450BT if:

• You need better audio quality.
• You need no audio lag with your video streaming.
• You have Siri or Google Assistant as your AI of choice.