If you want a lightweight wireless over-ear set that's genuinely easy to live with on a big head — 192 grams, active noise cancelling, up to 35 hours of playback — choose SONY WH-CH720N; if you need studio-grade wired sound with 45mm drivers, swiveling ear cups and a bundle that includes a 25-foot extension cable, choose Liquid Audio Audio-Technica ATH-M50X. These two land in the same product category but solve completely different problems. One is built for calls, commuting and all-day Bluetooth. The other is a monitoring workhorse that expects a cable and gives you 15 Hz – 28,000 Hz of headroom in return. Here's how I'd split them.
SONY WH-CH720N vs Liquid Audio Audio-Technica ATH-M50X at a Glance
• SONY WH-CH720N — biggest trade-off: strictly wireless, no headphone jack whatsoever, so a flat battery means you're tethered to USB-C instead of your source. The enclosure is plastic, which keeps the weight down but won't feel as armored as a metal-and-faux-leather build.
• Liquid Audio ATH-M50X — biggest strength: 45mm large-aperture dynamic drivers covering 15 Hz – 28,000 Hz at 38 ohm, in a bundle that ships with three detachable cables, a Pig Hog 25-foot extension, a screw-on 1/4" adapter, a carrying pouch and a polishing cloth. Nothing about it depends on a charge.
• Liquid Audio ATH-M50X — biggest trade-off: wired only, and noise control is passive isolation rather than active cancelling. No battery, no Bluetooth, no multipoint — you are plugged into something at all times.
• Who each is for: the CH720N is for commuters, remote workers and anyone who wants head phones for big head comfort without a clamp headache by 2pm. The M50X is for mixing, mastering, DJ one-ear monitoring and anyone who'd rather plug into an interface than pair a device.
The CH720N's pitch is subtraction. Sony took its noise-cancelling headband design and pulled weight out of it — 192g, which the spec sheet calls the lightest wireless noise-cancelling headband the brand has made — and then re-structured the headband to create more room around the ears. If you've got a big head and you've spent years putting up with headphones that press on the top of your skull or pinch at the temples, that combination of low mass plus a roomier ear area is the whole argument. Less weight means less downward pressure, and a headband redesigned for clearance means the cups sit around your ears rather than on them.
We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-10-20 · 8 min read · Independent comparison
The feature set is aimed squarely at daily life rather than critical listening. Active noise cancelling runs through Dual Noise Sensor technology and an Integrated Processor V1, and there's an adjustable Ambient Sound mode with 20 levels plus Adaptive Sound Control that shifts based on where you are. A "Focus on Voice" chat mode lets you hold a conversation without pulling the headphones off. Battery is rated up to 35 hours, and if you're caught short, three minutes on USB-C gets you up to an hour back. Multipoint pairing holds two Bluetooth devices at once with a button press to switch, which is the difference between taking a work call on your laptop and then hopping back to your phone without re-pairing. Calls run through beamforming microphones using Precise Voice Pickup Technology, and there's voice-assistant support for Google or Alexa. On the audio side you get a dynamic driver, 25 ohm impedance, 7 Hz – 20,000 Hz, 108 dB sensitivity, plus DSEE upscaling for compressed files and a tuning Sony describes as balanced with natural vocals.
Who should buy it: people who wear headphones for six or eight hours at a stretch, anyone who takes calls from a laptop, and shoppers specifically hunting a set that's easy on a larger head. Who should skip it: anyone who wants to plug into a mixing console, anyone who refuses to manage a battery, and anyone who needs the sub-bass extension a 45mm driver gives you.
This bundle is built around the ATH-M50X studio monitor, and the phrase "studio monitor" is doing real work here. The 45mm large-aperture dynamic drivers cover 15 Hz – 28,000 Hz at 38 ohm, so you get extension at both ends that a 20,000 Hz ceiling can't offer — useful for hearing what's actually happening in a mix's low end and air band. The circumaural pads contour around the ears, the headband adjusts, and the 90-degree swiveling ear cups let you flip one side back for single-ear monitoring if you're behind a deck or tracking a vocalist. That's a feature almost no mainstream Bluetooth headphone offers.
Durability and flexibility are the other themes. The construction mixes aluminum, faux leather and plastic, the cups fold up, and every cable detaches — you get a 1.2 m – 3.0 m coiled cable, a 3.0 m straight cable and a 1.2 m straight cable in the box. That alone is a genuine reliability advantage: a damaged cable is a cable swap, not a dead pair of headphones. Liquid Audio then adds a Pig Hog 25-foot extension, a screw-on 1/4" adapter for amps and interfaces, a carrying pouch and a polishing cloth — eight items in total, packed in a rigid or cushioned box. It's a kit rather than a single product.
Who should buy it: producers, mixers, DJs, podcasters, and anyone who wants one wired pair that will outlast three cheap ones. Also anyone who listens at a desk with a proper source and doesn't want to think about charging. Who should skip it: commuters, gym-goers, people who take calls while walking around, and anyone who needs active noise cancelling rather than passive isolation.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for a big head → SONY WH-CH720N. 192g plus a headband restructured for more ear room is the most direct answer in this comparison.
• Best for mixing and monitoring → Liquid Audio ATH-M50X. 45mm drivers, 15 Hz – 28,000 Hz, 38 ohm and swiveling cups built for studio work.
• Best for calls and remote work → SONY WH-CH720N. Beamforming mics, multipoint across two devices, and a chat mode you don't have to remove the headphones for.
• Best for travel and commuting → SONY WH-CH720N. Active noise cancelling and adjustable ambient sound with 20 levels.
• Best for repairability and longevity → Liquid Audio ATH-M50X. Detachable cables and a foldable, reinforced frame mean wear-and-tear is a parts problem, not a replacement problem.
• Best for DJ single-ear monitoring → Liquid Audio ATH-M50X. The 90-degree swiveling cups are the deciding feature.
• Best for someone who hates charging things → Liquid Audio ATH-M50X. It never needs a battery because it doesn't have one.
For the scenario this article is really about — a head that's hard to fit and ears that get sore — I'd buy the SONY WH-CH720N. In my opinion, 192 grams, a headband redesigned for extra ear clearance, active noise cancelling and up to 35 hours of wireless runtime is the more useful combination for the 90% of people who wear headphones at a desk, on a train or on a walk. The ATH-M50X is the better tool for actual audio work, and if you're mixing or DJing I'd point you there without hesitation — but as a daily driver for a big head, the Sony gets my pick. Do check the current price on Amazon for both, since the gap between them moves around.
I'd go with the Sony. At 192g it's the lightest noise-cancelling headband Sony has made, and the frame was restructured for more space around the ears, which is exactly what a larger head needs. The M50X is comfortable in its own right thanks to circumaural pads and an adjustable headband, but it's a heavier studio build.
Do the ATH-M50X need a headphone amp?
Neither, honestly — both are over-ear designs. If you're actually searching for the best wireless sports earbuds for big head, you want an in-ear model with a secure fit, not a 192g headband or a coiled studio cable.
The Sony WH-CH720N, clearly. Precise Voice Pickup Technology uses beamforming microphones, and multipoint keeps a laptop and a phone connected at once. The M50X has no microphone chain described for calls. And if what you really want is the best with microphone in ear earbuds for big head, that's a different category entirely — this pair of headphones is built for desks and studios, not for walking meetings.
Look at what's in the box and what the design assumes. The M50X bundle includes three detachable cables, a 25-foot extension, a 1/4" adapter, a pouch and a cloth; the Sony includes a headphone cable and a USB-C cable and assumes you'll use Bluetooth. Check the current price on Amazon for the live figure and weigh it against those contents.
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