8.5 Clear winner

Sony's newest 'budget' in-ears have enough upgrades over the previous version that they're worth picking up even if you already own the C700Ns, which makes them a must-buy if you don't already have a pair of Sony's C-line in your bag. Excellent audio, improved noise cancelling, and a better battery are all yours for the taking, for a mere R3k. The clear case is also a winner, but there are also boring opaque case and bud shades if you're tired of taking risks.

Features 8
Audio 9
Battery 9
Comfort 8
User Ratings (2 Votes) 3.6

We saw right through Sony’s attempts to keep its WF-C710N buds a secret earlier this year, and now we can see right through the case of the review unit the company dispatched to us recently. The successors to the Sony C700N buds are, at R3,000, still firmly in the budget bracket for in-ear headphones, but still manage impressive audio quite out of keeping with their price tag.

The previous buds were like that, too. So what’s keeping us from recommending the older model that now retails for R2,300 over the newer, slightly pricier C710N? It’s not just because there’s an extra ’10’ in there, and it’s not just because you can see through the case (in one specific variant). Nope, Sony found space for an upgrade or two.

Clear headed

The most obvious change for these in-ears compared to Sony’s last set is the one customised hue. Last time it was a mint green shade, this time it’s the Glass Blue transparent case and buds. The striking appearance might distract you from the increased size, both of the charging case and the C710N’s buds themselves. It might have lost some pocketability, but there’s space inside for extra battery life and improved noise cancelling.

There’s also space for touch controls on the C710N buds themselves. We were very fond of their predecessor, but the physical control button occasionally made us feel like we were trying to press the C700Ns into our skull. That’ll still happen here, but it’s less pronounced. Activating a physical button requires more force than tweaking a touch surface.

The buds themselves will last more than eight hours on a charge (with noise cancelling on), with a total of 30 hours available if you factor in the case. That can be extended if you take noise cancelling out of the picture, but why bother?

So it’s bigger, it’s better, it’s totally see-through. Otherwise, it’s a compact set of earbuds. The battery, which is visible through the base of the case, is recharged via USB-C. All is as it should be. Does that extend to other areas as well?

Cancel culture

Along with the increased battery size and touch controls, Sony has added another microphone to the C710N buds. That mic is used to enhance noise-cancelling, a feature that was perfectly serviceable in the previous generation. It’s more than serviceable now, more effectively blocking a wider range of noise than the C700Ns.

This means fewer distractions when ANC is active and better calls when in noisy environments. Wind noise is suppressed better while voice clarity is maintained. There aren’t many ways to customise these features, but also no need to. If it’s customisation you’re after, you’ll find plenty of options in the app, but you won’t see much specific to noise-cancelling.

The cancelling found here won’t trouble Sony’s WF-1000XM5s or the other top-tier in-ear buds on the market. It’s not supposed to. These cost less than half of the front-runners and deliver a serious fraction of their performance. Noise cancelling is only the start, as Sony’s newest budget buds lean hard into audio. The sound delivered here might even give the big boys a run for their (considerable) money.

Now hear this

Audio quality was the highlight last time around, and the agenda hasn’t changed in 2025. The C710Ns aren’t designed for audiophiles looking to wring perfect reproduction from their vinyl collection; they’re intended to deliver an excellent experience that needs no user intervention. At that, Sony has succeeded.

If you know how to translate that, this means that the C710Ns have an emphasis that makes most music sound fuller — basically, what it does with its ULT line of products — while losing as little detail as possible. You can lob almost any album Sony’s way, and these buds will spit out an excellent rendition of what you’re listening to. The aforementioned app will give you some control over specifics, but we entered the review with Sony’s stock audio and left the same way.

This held true for all the genres we listened to, with Sony’s in-ears wringing loads of detail out of the choral soundtrack that characterises Nier Automata‘s opening hours. They handled death metal, with its emphasis on low-end chaos, and more sedate tracks with equal aplomb. Most of the time, it was hard to believe we were listening to R3,000 earbuds. If Sony keeps making them this well, the range might start cutting into its XM range’s sales.

Sony WF-C710N verdict

It might be a cliché to say that you can’t go wrong with Sony’s WF-C710N earbuds, but it’s broadly correct. If you’re pedantic about your audio and generous with your budget, there are certainly better options, but if you can only buy one set of in-ears (for about three grand), these will take care of all of your general listening needs. From deep and swelling game soundtracks to thumpier sonic experiences, these buds will carry them all.

The only place we wouldn’t take these, despite the IPx4 rating, is on a run or to the gym. A solid fit is offset, in this case, by the slick casing we suspect wouldn’t tolerate sweat as well as you’d like. For everything else, though, these sound like a serious plan.