Between the WH-1000XM5 and WH-CH720N, the WH-1000XM5 comes out ahead in spatial audio / ldac, while the WH-CH720N wins on weight / battery life. Overall, the WH-1000XM5 scores 60.5 and the WH-CH720N scores 61.4 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
These two are nearly even on the Mars Score (60.5 vs 61.4). The decision is not about overall quality — both clear the bar — it is about which specific trade-offs fit your use.
Pick the WH-1000XM5 if audio quality and feature breadth (ANC, codecs, multipoint) are the lead criteria for your purchase. The biggest gaps in its favor are spatial audio, ldac.
Pick the WH-CH720N if your top frustration with your current device is running out of charge before the day ends — endurance is the lead spec here. Its strongest claims are weight, battery life.
Both ship with comparable driver size, active noise cancellation, multipoint, so those specs do not separate the two — focus on the differences below.
Bottom line: there is no wrong answer here — match the spec advantages to how you actually use the product. The Mars Score parity says both are well-rounded; the differences are about trade-offs, not quality.
Why Sony - WH-1000XM5 wins
- ▲Has Spatial audio.
- ▲Has LDAC.
Why Sony - WH-CH720N wins
- ▲Weight — 58.00 g less. 192 vs 250.
- ▲Battery life — 16.67% more. 35 h vs 30 h.
Spec comparison
Design
| Spec | Sony - WH-1000XM5 | Sony - WH-CH720N |
|---|---|---|
| Type | over-ear | over-ear |
| Weight | 250 g | 192 glead |
| Water resistance | none | none |
Audio
| Spec | Sony - WH-1000XM5 | Sony - WH-CH720N |
|---|---|---|
| Driver sizeⓘ | 30 mm | 30 mm |
| Impedanceⓘ | 48 Ω | 48 Ω |
| Sensitivityⓘ | 102 dBlead | 100 dB |
| Active noise cancellationⓘ | true | true |
| Transparency mode | true | true |
| Spatial audioⓘ | truelead | false |
Battery
| Spec | Sony - WH-1000XM5 | Sony - WH-CH720N |
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | 30 h | 35 hlead |
| Fast chargeⓘ | true | true |
Connectivity
| Spec | Sony - WH-1000XM5 | Sony - WH-CH720N |
|---|---|---|
| Bluetoothⓘ | 5.2 | 5.2 |
| Multipointⓘ | true | true |
| 3.5mm jack | true | true |
| LDACⓘ | truelead | false |
| aptX HDⓘ | false | false |
Frequently asked
Which has better battery life, WH-1000XM5 or WH-CH720N?+
WH-CH720N lasts 35 hours vs 30 hours.
Do WH-1000XM5 or WH-CH720N have active noise cancellation?+
Both models have active noise cancellation.
Which supports LDAC, WH-1000XM5 or WH-CH720N?+
WH-1000XM5 supports LDAC; WH-CH720N does not.
Spec-level deep dives
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