It’s such a pleasant and futuristic dream. Being utterly free from the entanglement of wires. Listening to JT and calling your mom while doing downward dog. But I’ll be honest. I’ve given up on truly wireless earphones. The ones I’ve tried (and I’ve tried many) have so many problems that I’ve surrendered the idea of owning a pair. Sometimes, they work out of the box, only to stop working after a few listening periods. Other times, the call quality is terrible. Or the battery won’t stay charged. I could go on.
On the other hand, I have faith in Sony as a reliable brand. So, I’ve decided to give one more pair a shot, and try out their truly wireless sports model, the WF-SP700N. Could these be the buds that work? And work well? Let’s find out in this Sony WF-SP700N Sports Truly Wireless Earphones Review.
Sony WF-SP700N Sports Truly Wireless Earphones Review
IN the BOX
Charging Case
Arc Supporter (tips that go in your ear contours)
Hybrid Earbuds (s,m,l,xl)
Micro USB Cable
FIT
Wearing these earphones is like having toilet plungers sucking on your ears. The buds have ergonomic tips designed to rest in the contours of your ears. The silicone tips also add to the suction effect. So, there’s no way that these babies are falling out. They’re also extremely light. But comfort is another matter; I found that after wearing these earphones for more than 30 minutes, my ear canals began to feel pressure, as if I was aboard a landing airplane. And when I finally took them out, my ear canals ached a bit.
DESIGN
Very few in-ear headphones offer noise cancellation. The noise isolation I get from regular earphones with a good seal usually provides enough quiet for me to be happy. And, with respect to this model, I hear very little difference when the NC function is turned on. That is, I can still hear my boss and the air conditioner.
To me, the best thing about noise cancelling earphones is the ambient mode. It’s like having hearing aids in your ears. No need to politely take off your earphones when ordering a coffee. Simply press a button, and you’ll hear an ample amount of sound going on around you.
These buds will give you 3 hours of playing time for one period of use. However, like all truly wireless earphones, Sony provides a little earphone box that carries two more 3 hour usages. Simply pop them into the box and they’ll fully charge in 1.5 hours. The earphone box has a micro-USB input that charges with the provided cable.
There are two buttons, one on the left earpiece and one on the right. The left button switches between noise cancellation, ambient mode and off. The right button allows you to play/pause, skip and accept/end calls. Volume will still have to be controlled from your phone.
The right button also supposedly offers hands free calling and voice activated assistant. But this may only work in theory. I tried calling my mom hands free. But the voice activated control wouldn’t respond to my commands. In fact, at times, this feature wouldn’t even activate at all. That being said, call clarity is really good. Just be aware that you’ll only hear the call from your left earpiece.
Like all of Sony’s wireless headphones, the WF-SP700N is compatible with Sony’s Headphones Connect app. This app allows you to change the equalizer profile, switch between noise cancelling modes, and decide whether you want to place priority on stable connection or optimal sound. Hmm…
Speaking of sound, these wireless buds offer Bluetooth Version 4.1. Not bad, considering that Sony’s new flagship wireless headphones have been released as Bluetooth Version 4.2. But the WF-SP700N is also missing some high resolution compatible audio formats, like aptX.
The WF-SP700N is sweat and splashproof. So, as long as you don’t swim in them, your ears should be safe from electrocution.
And let’s not forget the colors: pink, yellow, white and black.
RELIABILITY
I found the general reliability of these buds to be pretty good. A couple of times, I had to turn them off and on to get the functions going again. But considering the decent call clarity and simplicity of pairing them to my device, these buds deserve a B+ in terms of dependability.
SOUND
The sound is my favorite thing about the WF-SP700N. Phew. We’ve got a super deep bass, that’s ideal for bass-heads and fans of pop and hip-hop. Perhaps, for some of you folks, the depth and presence of the bass might be a tad too much. Don’t get me wrong. Britney Spears sounds incredible. But I’m talking canal-thumping sound, here. Â
Still, Sony is great at producing a versatile, full bodied signature. And the richness of the lows not only lends itself well to pop and hip-hop, but also to big rock choruses. There’s good mid-range presence there too, giving you the sense that you’re getting the full-spectrum of sound. Indeed, these buds have a thick and meaty feel.  Moving onto folk, I was also impressed by the clarity of acoustic guitars. There was a good level of detail and resolve. And this combined with a pleasantly softened or tempered sound character, made for an emotive listening experience.
The highs were smooth and easy to listen to. There wasn’t a huge amount of transparency in this frequency range, but enough to be expected from a wireless earphone at this price point. Those with sensitive ears will also be happy to hear that you will get no piercing brightness listening to these buds.
SUMMARY
If I were judging the WF-SP700N on sound alone, I’d tell you to buy them today. And if you’re worried about these buds staying in, don’t. They’re the most secure fitting pair of truly wireless earphones I’ve ever tested. But if you’re wearing these earphones for more than 30 minutes at a time, your ears might run into some pain. That being said, I experienced minimal technical tribulations while using these. So, in that sense, the WF-SP700N are one of the most reliable truly wireless earphones I’ve ever tested.
You can find these headphones for the best price at:
Audio 46 (Use our promo code, “majorhifi” to get a 10% discount)
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