Sony WF-C500 In The Test: High Quality Sound

The Sony WF-C500 should offer great quality for little money. We have tested for you how good the price-performance ratio of the cheap in-ear is.

Thanks to their high-quality sound and a great fit in the ears, the Sony WF-C500 has everything you need for solid headphones. Those without active noise suppression and premium codecs get first-class headphones for less than 100 euros with Sony. A very good price-performance ratio.

Advantages

Good, detailed sound
Comfortable fit
Low price
Long battery life for the handset

Disadvantages

The charging case only charges the headphones once
No ANC

With the WF-1000XM4, Sony has held steady first place on our list of the best in-ear headphones on the market for some time. With the Sony WF-C500, there is now a much cheaper alternative without active noise suppression. We have extensively tested the headphones and tell you in the following review that the headphones offer the usual Sony quality.

Table of Contents

The Sound: Can The Sound Keep Up With The 1000XM4?

Although the sound of the WF-C500 differs greatly from the other Sony in-ears, it is on a comparable level despite the lower price. The tested headphones convinced us with a very direct and clear sound. The bass remained crisp and deep across different genres.

The highs are displayed very pleasantly by the WF-C500, while in the middle tones, it sometimes sounds a bit less gripping and, therefore, a bit flat. Overall, the controlled and clean playback with high precision was completely convincing. For headphones under 100 euros, the Sony’s sound above average and are superior to the direct competition.

With your headphones, do you mainly hear spoken content such as podcasts and audiobooks? Here, too, the Sony WF-C500 makes a very good impression and does not overdrive even at high volumes.

The Sony WF-C500 In The Practical Test: How Do The Battery Life And Fit Do?

As true wireless headphones, the Sony WF-C500 are connected to a smartphone or other device via Bluetooth. Accordingly, a battery is required. The battery life of the handset is 10 hours. In the charging case, you can fully charge the Sony headphones again so that you can stay mobile with the headphones for a total of 20 hours. While the runtime of the headphones is one of the longest in the true wireless area, the charging cases of most TW headphones offer two or even three times the possibility of fully recharging the headphones.

However, the 20 hours should be enough for everyday use without any problems. Thanks to the quick charge function, the headphones are ready for 60 minutes of playback after just 10 minutes of charging. If you call with headphones, the running time is reduced by half. If you can use the in-ear headphones for up to 10 hours at a time, the wearing comfort should, of course, also be right.

The scope of delivery of the in-ears includes three different sets of silicone attachments. So you can adjust the size of the listener to the width of your ear canal.

The headphones sit very comfortably in the ear and shine with a firm hold even when moving faster. Thanks to the very low weight of just 5.4 grams per earpiece, you sometimes even forget that you have the headphones in your ear. The in-ears are protected against splash water by the IPX4 standard.

Operation: With Buttons On The Handset And Your Own Sony App

While most True Wireless headphones are operated via a touch field on the headphones, haptic buttons are responsible for the Sony WF-C500. This has the advantage that you don’t accidentally press the button when inserting or aligning the headphones. Still, you feel a significant and slightly uncomfortable pressure in your ear when you press it. Experience has shown that touch fields have proven to be more convenient here. Otherwise, the operation on the device works very reliably but is also limited to the options “Start / Stop,” “Skip,” and “Back.”

Several settings can be made with the Sony app specially designed for headphones. To suit your preferences, you can customize the equalizer, i.e., the sound. Professionals can adjust this manually; Sony provides helpful presets for everyone else. In the app, you can also change the name of the headphones and have your ear shape analyzed.

Bluetooth: Stable Connection, But No LDAC

The Sony WF-C500 supported the Bluetooth standard 5.0 and did not show any connection problems or interference in our tests. The headphones can be easily connected to the smartphone via the app. Sony restricts itself to the standard SBC and AAC equipment for inexpensive in-ears when it comes to codecs. The headphones harmonize very well with both Android and Apple devices. Higher quality codecs such as aptX or Sony’s standard LDAC are not on board. However, that is not to be expected in this price range.

Design: This Is How Good The Sony In-Ears Look

Sony remains true to its design with the WF-C500. The headphones are similar to the current Sony top model WF-1000XM4, are similarly small and discreet. In the ear, the earphones are inconspicuous and give a good picture. The charging case is quite narrow, so there should be space in every pocket. As usual from Sony, the artistry is very high quality. The headphones are available in black, white, orange, and green.

Conclusion On The Sony WF-C500

The Sony WF-C500 surprised in the test with clear and detailed sound and strong bass. The sound is clearly above average for the price range and can even compete with significantly more expensive models. The fit and the battery life of the headphones are also impressive. In return, savings were made on the charging case’s battery life and the device’s operation. In favor of the other qualities, however, small compromises can be made. Overall, the WF-C500 from Sony offers the usual good quality and ensures an excellent price-performance ratio for a new balance of power under headphones up to 100 euros.

Also Read: AirPods 3 In The Test: The Golden Mean