Introducing the New Sony WF-C700N (update)

    

After my earlier posts (1,2) and the recent leaks, Sony has finally announced the new WF-C700N. My initial prediction of a late Spring release based off the FCC date turned out to be inaccurate, with the new headset available starting this April.

Correction: In my first post I mentioned there were 2 NC microphones, but the WF-C700N only has 1 NC microphone, feedforward.

The press release can be found here, but here is a quick overview of what is new:

• addition of noise cancelation
• new design to minimize wind noise
• new 5mm driver 
• Bluetooth 5.2
• 4.6g per earbud
• 7.5 hrs (NC on)/10 hrs (NC off) battery life with same amount in the charging case
• 1.5 hours for full recharge
• higher price €120/£100/$119 USD/$199 CAD
• true multipoint connection (not at launch, will be added in a few months)
• addition of ambient sound mode

I was told the price would be around to $120-130 USD but guess Sony decided to price them on the lower end of the scale. With that, some things are still the same, like the IPX4 rating, DSEE, and AAC and SBC codec support. There is no mention of LE Audio that I can see, so perhaps a future firmware update will add it, like for the LinkBuds S.

I am really curious how these will sound with the smaller driver, the difference is not much, 0,8mm, but in my experience out of the box the WF-C500 lack bass and the higher mids.

Plus with the help of Sony’s original 5mm driver unit the WF-C700N pack a punch, producing powerful bass and stunningly clear vocals despite their small size

Sony claims the new earbuds pack a punch, and have powerful bass. The new driver is according to Sony, equipped with a "high compliance diaphragm". I wonder if it is using the same technology as the WF-1000XM4 and WH-1000XM5. I would have to compare them to my WF-C500 to see if any if Sony's claims hold true.

The colours options have also slightly changed, black and white remains, but we now have a sage green and Lavender colour. I think both these 2 new colours look better than the orange and green WF-C500 options.

One thing missing, like in the LinkBuds S, is wind noise reduction found in the WF-1000XM4. This is most likely because the new WF-C700N only has the 1 NC microphone, feedforward. There is no second NC microphone inside the earbuds.

While I have not used the LinkBuds S, my thinking is that noise cancellation performance should be the same in the new WF-C700N, as the design and microphone setup is more or less identical.

I look forwards to any teardowns to see how this new model compares with the WF-C500 and the LinkBuds S. Will the new model follow the LinkBuds S and upcoming WF-1000XM5 internal design, or go with an update to the design seen in the WF-C500.

The new design does appear to be smaller than the current model but I will cover this in a separate posting comparing the WF-C700N, WF-C500 and LinkBuds S.