Opening the lid, you notice that the case design is tilted forward, making the earphones angled towards you. The impact is comparable to opening a case for a piece of fashion jewelry however is most likely done so you can see all the LEDs more plainly from outside when the cover is closed. But as we discussed in the past, that doesnt quite work.
The WF-XB700 are the latest in Sonys Bonus Bass lineup. Not to be confused with the WH-XB700, which are full-sized circumaural earphones, the WF-XB700 that we are taking a look at today are a set of really wireless earbuds.
Before I get to the earphones themselves, I want to point out that the lid has rather a gratifying opening and closing system. Its clear Sony engineers paid some attention to the case style, and it is undoubtedly a fair bit nicer than those you get with cheap truly cordless earphones.
Both the earphones have one button each for controlling all the functions. The list of functions appears excessive in the beginning however as you use them you get used to it. The button on the left controls volume; you push to increase and press and hold to reduce. The button on the right controls the playback; press once to play/pause, two times to avoid forward, thrice to skip back. If you press and hold it triggers the voice assistant on your phone. Both the right and left buttons can be pushed to select up/end calls.
The manual for these earphones appears to suggest that you twist them while inserting in your ears however I wouldnt rather advise that. The earphones go in fine even without twisting and its really simple to put excessive pressure on your ears while twisting them in so it seems a bit unsafe as well.
When you pull one of these out you understand why the case is so much taller than most other genuinely cordless earphone cases. The earphones seem massive at first and larger than what I had anticipated based on pictures.
The WF-XB700 are a more budget-friendly option to Sonys popular however costly WF-1000XM3 earphones. These do not include the active noise-canceling and a few of the advanced functions of the WF-1000XM3 but have a more standard feature set with the addition of Extra Bass sound. At $130, the WF-XB700 are a full $100 more affordable than the WF-1000XM3 and more in line with the Samsung Galaxy Buds and the basic Apple AirPods.
The case is finished in matte plastic and feels rather great. The lid is translucent, which allows you to see the status LEDs for the case, and the private earphones within without opening it. Having said that, the LEDs for the case and earphones point in a different instructions so you cant always see them all at a glance from the very same angle.
Another problem with the design of the WF-XB700 is that it appears to be held in place just by the ear ideas inside your ears. While it never seemed like they would fall out, due to the additional mass hanging out, the earphones tend to bounce in your ears when you walk or run. This is because of the shock that goes up through your heels when they struck the ground, which triggers the body of the earphones to bounce as its just held in location at one point. This produces a obvious but small vibration in your ears whenever you walk on a hard surface area that may or might not bother you.
The cool aspect of the design of the WF-XB700 is that it is IPX4 rated for water resistance. This means you can use them during workouts or in the rain without stressing over water or sweat damage. They are not, nevertheless, rated for usage undersea. The ranking is just for the earphones and not the case.
Nevertheless, for the reasons mentioned in the previous area, I wasnt constantly delighted with these earphones. The vibrations while walking were rather visible and not something I could neglect. It likewise appears that a part of the plastic molding sits versus my ear in a particular method that for brief durations isnt visible at all however if I use them for upwards of 30 minutes I do feel a pressure around the entryway of the ear canal. This may be due to the earphones essentially using this area to anchor their whole weight instead of using things like fins that some other earphones utilize.
Ill say this about the buttons; Sony had the typical sense to carry out the buttons on the side of the earphones rather on top of them. This implies you can press them without pressing the entire earphone deeper into your ears. The variety of manufacturers who fail to grasp this fundamental style principle is confusing.
The back of the case has a USB-C port for charging.
The WF-XB700 been available in a now-common pill-shaped case. When you take the earphones out, the case is a bit larger than what a lot of truly wireless earphones have but the factor for that does become obvious later on.
All of this provides the WF-XB700 earphones rather a distinct look and initially, I wasnt sure how this even goes in my ears. My preliminary evaluation that the Sony logo on the outside would be horizontal once I use them was wrong and the logo design sits nearly vertical once they are in your ears. Once you figure that out, putting them on is as easy as any other earphones.
Comfort
The size of the earphones is a bit large and they likewise stick out a fair bit out of your ears. This implies you cant comfortably use them in bed. Its likewise not particularly comfy to use them with a face mask, especially if you have smaller ears like mine that get drawn in by the flexible straps.
Design
The WF-XB700 are a reasonably comfy pair of earphones. The silicone ear tips are soft and the default size fits my ears completely. There are 2 additional sizes in the box if thats not the case for you.
So for brief, inactive sessions, I was perfectly pleased with the convenience of these earphones but I would not use these for extended sessions or running. Convenience for in-ears can be quite subjective based on ear sizes so your mileage will vary.
While not the most affordable truly cordless earphones on the marketplace, the Sony WF-XB700 could possibly be a great option for somebody looking for a quality item from a more reputable brand name rather than selecting something up from Amazons bargain bin. Lets see how well they fare, particularly versus established rivals.
Software and features
One, the audio on these earphones can never be real 0%. Even at the least expensive volume level you can hear the noise still faintly playing in the background.
Battery
Background hiss is a common problem on Bluetooth products, particularly cheaper ones as the components arent high enough quality to bother straightening out these concerns. Its not that irritating and not noticeable at all when playing music however if you are an audiophile or coming over from wired earphones then you most likely wouldnt be too delighted about this.
The WF-XB700 are not suitable with Sonys Headphone Connect app. This indicates you cant customize the sound, upgrade the firmware or access any additional functions. You are practically limited to what you get out of the box and whatever your connected phone has to offer.
The WF-XB700 support Bluetooth 5.0, however, there is no multi-device pairing assistance. In regards to codecs, you are restricted to SBC and AAC however as I typically say in these reviews, what codecs you have has less of an effect on audio quality than how the codec is executed and how the audio is coded, deciphered and then processed.
Throughout my typical battery drain test, the WF-XB700 went on for about 9 and a half hours of constant playback. Thats a lot longer than most genuinely cordless earphones in its class, including the Galaxy Buds and Apple AirPods, and near the more costly Galaxy Buds+. The integrated 18 hours may not seem that impressive compared to other designs but the WF-XB700 uses more of it constantly instead of splitting it up over numerous charges.
Samsungs Galaxy Buds and the brand-new Buds+ have audio precision down pat, with a perfectly clean, neutral, and comprehensive noise the likes of which you seldom get from Bluetooth earphones. The WF-XB700 are clearly not going for accuracy so thats not a fair contrast.
Decision
The high-end is not best but its likewise not horrible. There does appear to be a little a dip in the lower-treble variety however it appears to get later. This triggers a little drop in detail and presence in string instruments and female vocals but the higher-end detail comes through with things like cymbal crashes. So there is a little bit of an imbalance there and some S and T noises could come through stronger than total but designated the high-end isnt too shoddy as you get real existence and extension in a region that Im just not used to in contemporary Sony audio.
Sony has a quick charge solution of sorts, which offers an hour of battery life after simply 10 minutes in the case. This does work as promoted and the earphones lasted a reasonable bit longer than an hour in my test. This must be great for most circumstances however be gotten ready for a long haul for a complete charge.
The WF-XB700 does buck the trend rather and is amongst the much better sounding sets on the market. It likewise assists that the battery life is quite great, as has actually generally been the case with a lot of Sony Bluetooth products.
Performance
The WF-XB700 absence NFC so any pairing has actually to be done by hand. Out of the box, they are already in pairing mode so you are good to go. Just press and hold buttons on both the earphones for 7 seconds to put them into pairing mode if you require to fix them.
The microphone efficiency is good. Voices do sound a bit robotic and you can hear the noise-canceling algorithm working between stops briefly however overall the noise is acceptable for calls.
The Sony WF-XB700 are good-sounding pair of earphones. The sound has obviously been developed to accentuate the bass but the remainder of the audio spectrum is surprisingly healthy. This is a departure from what we typically see on Sony Extra Bass Headphones that feature a lop-sided sound signature that makes it difficult to discover anything else in the sound aside from the bass.
Maybe the finest feature of this determined bass reaction is that it does not spill into the mid-range, which is remarkably clean and natural. There is no irritating low-mid boost that just makes male voices sound synthetic and bothersome. On tracks that dont have a lot of bass, you can still hear all the vocals and instruments clearly enough and its not the case where if the bass does not reveal up, the party is canceled.
Beginning with the low-end, the WF-XB700 have possibly one of the most restrained bass increases Ive heard in Sonys history. The WF-XB700 takes a more classy method here, with a determined twist of the volume dial across the entire bass variety.
Its specifically easy to observe when the DAC/amp inside the earphones kick in and out. When the earphones arent playing anything, the audio system shuts down till it gets a signal. Sometimes apps on phones can send out a signal even when there is no noise, for things like GIFs.
The WF-XB700 have a declared continuous battery life of 9 hours. The case provides one added fee for another 9 hours of usage, so an integrated 18 hours of battery life.
When seen as a whole, the audio signature can best be explained as fun. While bass increase audio items are created to be enjoyable, they frequently sacrifice a lot at the altar of bass that theres typically absolutely nothing else left to hear in the sound. The WF-XB700 lets you have your cake and consume it too; you can delight in a tastefully applied bass increase while also having the ability to make out the vocals and instruments in the sound.
When both are in use, the odd thing with the WF-XB700 is that announcements concerning connection and pairing frequently take place in simply the left earphone even. Both earphones will announce their individual battery status however for whatever else that concerns them both, the statement only happens in one ear. Unsure what the logic behind that is.
Coming back to the WF-XB700, the earphones have excellent imaging efficiency that is now anticipated of any half-decent pair of earphones or earphones. The soundstage isnt phenomenal; you arent getting a speaker-like experience here, but at the same time its reasonably roomy without sounding too boxed-in.
So in general, for $130, the WF-XB700 are an appealing choice. I would still advise the Samsung Galaxy Buds+ if you want a more neutral noise but for those who like a little bit of bass increase without compromising too much on the remainder of the sound, the WF-XB700 are a solid purchase and get my recommendation.
As mentioned in the start, the Sony WF-XB700 are priced at around $130, which is a perfectly reasonable amount of cash for a non-entry-level design from a reputed company. And for the rate, I think the WF-XB700 is really great value.
The essential takeaway for me here is the audio quality, which is quite great and not something you can take for granted with truly wireless earphones. After utilizing a fair number of these I have actually come to the sad realization that only a few of them have some form of great audio quality while many are simply abysmal. The majority of the expense simply enters into making certain they operate at all as its challenging to execute this form aspect, so theres typically really little attention being paid to how they sound. Thats one of the reasons why I do not personally everyday drive a really cordless earphone set.
Electronic bass drops are just that bit more enjoyable without blowing your ears. There is a bit of rumble and boominess as an outcome of boosting frequencies that werent meant to be improved but it isnt too distracting here and depending on the content (movies, video games) may even be enjoyable.
Audio latency on the WF-XB700 is acceptable. It wasnt too distracting while enjoying videos and didnt hinder my gameplay experience, either.
Speaking of charging, this is something that takes a while on the WF-XB700. Charging the earphones takes 2.5 hours and charging the case itself takes 3 hours. The earphones also get fairly warm when they are charging within the case and putting them on like that isnt particularly enjoyable.
The WF-XB700 are a more inexpensive option to Sonys expensive however popular WF-1000XM3 earphones. All of this provides the WF-XB700 earphones rather an unique appearance and at initially, I wasnt sure how this even goes in my ears. The WF-XB700 are a fairly comfy pair of earphones. The odd thing with the WF-XB700 is that announcements concerning connectivity and pairing frequently happen in simply the left earphone even when both are in usage. The Sony WF-XB700 are good-sounding set of earphones.
