Sony WH-CH520 Review - Big Sound, Small Price!
/It's been 4 years since they released the Sony WH-CH510, the older version of the WH-CH520, and that's because the CH510 can still compete and defeat a lot of the competition when it comes to audio at the sub £50 price point.
But Sony has made many advancements in wearable audio tech over the years. So Sony has decided that now is the right time to raise the bar again in the affordable on-ear headphone category.
The competition is fierce if you're looking for the best on-ear headphones under £50. And on Amazon, the options are endless. But none of them may be as fierce as the Sony WH-CH520. And if you stick around, you'll see why.
Design
The colour options available are cream, black, blue and white. There's some nice obvious, but subtle Sony branding on the headband. Because you know…you gotta let them know it's a Sony.
And the materials Sony has used are largely textured plastics with a nice Matt finish. And this makes the CH520s incredibly lightweight at just 144 grams. They look and feel surprisingly premium, given the price.
Sony has upgraded the padding on the headband and ear cups, making it light and comfortable. So Sony has nailed two essential components required for a good pair of headphones. Comfort & weight.
And I appreciate how you can twist the earcups outward when not wearing them. And because of the way the drivers face outwards, you could still listen to music or a podcast with them, just resting around your neck.
And when wearing them, they have a firm grip. So yes, they're ideal for running and general Gym activities. The tension on the headband seems just right so that even when lying back, they don't fall off your head.
And the overall look and feel to me is like a mini pair of WH-1000XM5 which are, of course, Sony's flagship ANC headphones at the time of this video.
The CH520s have clicking buttons for volume up and down, and these buttons also double up as the skip forwards and back if you press and hold. And the raised button in the middle is the play pause. This button also has two additional functions. A quick tap to pick calls & end calls
And a double tap opens up your device's default Ai assistant…and we better consider ourselves lucky we can still call them that. Because maybe one day we'll be the assistant.
The Ch520s have an LED indicator that blinks when pairing and shows when charging and running on a low battery. There are also some nice air vents just behind the hanger that helps the drivers move the air better, and also, this vent might help keep your ears stay cooler.
And there is a single mic on the right ear for voice calls. How good is the call quality, I hear you say? WEll, I'll let you be the judge of that. Watch the MIC TEST here.
Features
Remember how I said if you stick around, you'll see why these are fierce. Well, listen here carefully. Sony's software features are better than many headphones that are more than double the price of the CH520s.
When you first pair these via Sony's headphones app, you'll be prompted to take photos of your ears so that the app can calibrate the EQ for 360 reality audio. If you don't know what that is once you finish watching this. Throw on some headphones, and I'll link Sony's demo for you to check out. It'll be an eye-opener for you.
Something else that elevates the CH520s is their ability to enhance lower-quality audio tracks with Sony's DSEE. This works particularly well for older music that was recorded on older equipment. Think of the DSEE process Metaphorically like blowing the dust off old vinyl.
And here is a significant upgrade, and again a feature we only sometimes see on more expensive headphones. It's a multipoint pairing which is made possible by BT5.2. So you can simultaneously connect to your phone and computer, and if your doing some work or getting a more important gaming session in, you can switch between devices on the fly.
So as you know, speed and power make the world go round. Only a little can be achieved with it. And someone at Sony made the wise decision to make it so that the CH520s can run for up to 50hrs.
Yes, 50hrs at 60% volume. No, I know why you're thinking 60% volume. How loud is that? Well just to give you some my perspective. I find listening to 70% is the maximum volume that my ears can handle. So that's around 45hrs of audio.
And it does charge via USB C at a decent speed, with just a 3min charge delivering 1 and half hours of power. Now if that sounds impressive. That's because it is. And do you know what else sounds impressive?
Sound Quality
So due to the compact nature of the CH520s, the driver size is proportional at 30 mm, the frequency is 20Hz to 20kHz & codecs supported here are AAC and SBC. No LDAC.
And I will do my best to explain the flat sound signature before I show you how to make these sound even better. So bass, by default, is nice and bouncy and may be one of its stronger attributes. Male and female vocal clarity is respectable. If there's one area that needs a little lifting, it's in the mids.
And this is why these are so great at this price point: you can make the necessary adjustments for your style of music. Within the Sony Headphones app, you have a good selection of preset eqs. My personal favourites are excited, which is how I feel about Xperia 1V, and the excited EQ is suited for rock, indie and olde styles of music.
And my other favourite is ____ for bass-heavy modern types of tracks. Like the Ai Drake featuring Ai weekend, the heart is on my sleeve. Now if you're subscribed, you'll know I like to share some unique thoughts and my own EQs from time to time. So try this one out for Hip Hop and dance tracks. Trust me, it's gone slap.
Final thoughts
Here's what I think of the Sony WH-CH520s. Firstly what name. I wish they would use something more catchy. Ukiyo, I believe this means the 'Floating World.' Anyway
In the price category of under £50, there are many options and unknown players creating affordable headphones, and some of them do a great job of marketing. But the quality and their history of making good audio products are often unknown.
That's why if you're the type of person who wants to make a good sound investment. The WH-CH520s from the one and only Sony won't disappoint.
There are 4 reasons why I place this firmly ahead of the competition. Number one is Sony's build quality, number 2 is the fact that you get Sony's more than 40yrs of audio expertise dialled into the sound signature, and three, of course, the Sony Headphones Software. Which is unrivalled at this price point. And last but certainly not least, let's not forget that insane battery life.
So I hope you enjoyed this one. And here's the final thought for you. Man broke the speed of sound in 1947. The speed of light is still on the horizon. But If you could travel faster than the speed of sound, you ran to the kitchen to grab a drink & you left these headphones playing on the desk. When you return, would you be behind the music or ahead...or will it still be in time?
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