TWS true wireless earphones - $25 to $50
FIVE STARS - Sony's cheapest wireless earbuds don't come with Active Noise Cancelling, but they're wonderfully compact, have a massive 11 hours battery life and can sound stunning.
Bluetooth 5.3 with AAC codec
IPX4 waterproof rating (splash proof)
8 - 11 hours playtime on a single charge (Ambient on/ off)
Charging case can charge earpieces fully 4 times
Has: Transparency, app support, multipoint connection
Doesn't have: ANC, wireless charging
Comes with 3 sets of ear tips, USB-C cable, English manual
$45 to $60 - See price on Amazon US or your Amazon country
In and underneath this Sony WF-C510 review, you will find comparisons of the QCY Sony WF-C510 vs Sony WF-C710N, Samsung Galaxy Buds FE, QCY MeloBuds Pro, and Redmi Buds 6 Play.
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Design, comfort and battery life
Coming in at around or under 50 dollars, the Sony WF-C510 are Sony's cheapest earbuds. They look and feel minimal - and that's a good thing.
Good to know if you're not interested in a light yellow look: the WF-C510 is available in baby blue, white and dark grey as well.
These earbuds are fantastically compact. The charging case is a rounded square that's easy to carry in a jeans pocket. Underneath the stiff yet reliable lid house the earbuds… that are just as wonderfully compact.
The Sony WF-C510 earbuds barely stick out of your ears, which makes them suitable for carrying under a helmet and for side-sleeping. Their pebble-like inner earpiece is easy to put in and comfortable to wear, even on a cushion without the need of a support hand.
As they're so compact, these are among the best earbuds you can buy when you have small ears - but they also sit snugly in average-sized ears.
Clever: the left earbud has a tiny nob on top, so you recognise which earbud is which. It also shows you the way you have to put the earbuds in. That's convenient, considering it's not always clear how to wear earbuds without stems.
Despite their small size, the earbuds house up to 11 hours of battery life on a single charge. A mind blowing score, that reduces to still a impressive 8 hours when you have the Ambient mode on - more on that later.
Sadly, they're only IPX4 splash proof. That can in theory mean they're less suitable for runs and workouts if you sweat a lot.
The case can recharge the earbuds fully twice before it needs new power via USB-C. Wireless charging isn't supported.
The Sony WF-C510 combines a comfortable small shape with a ton of battery life.
Controls, connectivity and app support
Just like other ‘premium’ audio brands, the Sony WF-C510 has illogical controls.
Other than 95% of the competition, the C510 has actual buttons on the side. They press easily, whether you have to press them once, twice, three or even four times.
The control scheme is less convincing. The right side gives you the track controls, with pause on one press, skip on two, and return on three. It then gives you the option to activate the voice assistant by long-pressing.
The left side, however, only has Ambient mode switching on one press. The other amounts of presses are deactivated by default, and can be setup to play a random Spotify song. How often do you use that?
Meanwhile, changing the volume is done by pressing the earbuds four times. That's a little much.
At least you can change which side has the track changing, and which the Ambient switching.
It's baffling how ‘traditional’ brands like Sony, JBL and Samsung overcomplicate control schemes over their Chinese challengers.
Happily, the Bluetooth connection is rock-solid and keeps a stable signal up to 10 meters away from your device.
The Sony WF-C510 also supports dual-device multipoint connection, meaning you can connect two devices at the same time. Switching between devices works flawlessly, when you enter a phone call or when you pause one device, and press play on the other.
Music doesn't automatically pause when you take an earbud out.
The Sony WF-C510 gets extensive app support from the Sony Sound Connect app for iPhone and Android. It gives countless of neat features:
Check battery status of the L and R earbud and the case
Choose or setup a custom equalizer
Get your own equalizer by showing your preferences (see sound part of this review)
Manage the connected devices
Analyse the shape of your ears
Choose between the most reliable or sound quality-focused connection
(De)activate DSEE, Sony's own ‘sound optimizing’ process
Change the controls… somehow (see above)
Change the volume of voice prompts
While the control scheme is finicky, the Sony WF-C510 at least has volume controls. A neat addition to the strong multipoint connection and many app options.
Phone and video calls
The microphones do a good job of picking up your voice, and deliver it with enough volume and clarity to the other end of the line.
The performance is less convincing in areas with background noise. Traffic, chatter or a radio can be heard in the call and can challenge your voice a little bit.
Wind is critical for this Sony. It's audible in calls and completely rules out your voice.
The Sony WF-C510 is only good for indoor phone calls and video conferences in quieter areas.
Video and games playback
Watching videos on the Sony WF-C510 works flawlessly on both iPhone and Android, with perfect lypsinc.
While Sony doesn't have a specific low-latency gaming mode, it handles the synchronization of sound effects with the action on your screen very well. There's little to no delay in recharging a gun in Call of Duty mobile.
It doesn't have the most immersive gaming experience, as it's hard to localise gunshots and explosions around you precisely.
ANC quality of the Sony WF-C510
The Sony WF-C510 doesn't have Active Noise Cancelling and that's just a management choice.
See, it has all the hardware on board to provide strong ANC. It has a good, ear-filling shape and comes with multiple microphones that record the surroundings and could be used to reduce sounds around you.
It's purely that Sony chose to not give the C510 Active Noise Cancellation. Probably because it wants it to be a feature exclusively on more expensive wireless earphones from its lineup.
That's a shame, since the combination of the compact size of these earbuds and ANC would probably make these the best sleeping earbuds.
Sony does use the microphones to give this model a Transparency or Ambient mode, however, which lets through brighter sounds around you after a single press of the left earbud.
Well… in theory. The function isn't very convincing. It's still hard to hear and locate traffic around you when you're listening to music on a moderate level.
No sub-score because it doesn't have ANC.
Sound quality of Sony WF-C510: Outstanding
The Sony WF-C510 hides outstanding musical capabilities underneath a flat and boring default equalizer.
The equalizer I'm using
Out of the box, the Sony WF-C510 sounds balanced and neutral. But… you could also describe it as bone-dry. It combines a slim mid-bass slam with clear vocals, open treble and natural center mid-tones. It's a flat signature bound to impress an audiophile or two, but it's not a sound that's tweaked to entertain.
It's as if Sony says: ‘Oh, you expected the heavy bass from more expensive models? Better buy one of those then.’
Happily, you don't have to. Sony throws in beautiful sound options in its app. In fact, there's a Find Your Equalizer setting that A-B tests your musical preferences, to come up with a signature for your taste.
If you're willing to put some effort into it, the WF-C510 can come up with a custom equalizer setting specified to you. In my case it was so good, it actually made my starting point - rarely any ‘personal EQ optimisation’ option achieves this.
Now, it would be a bit weird to describe my outcome as the sound of the C510 (although you can find my outcome in the screenshot). It's better to describe what the C510 is capable of.
Take the bass for example. Via the Clear Bass setting, Sony sets the punching power of the bass loose from the rest of the equalizer options.
You can alter the bass all the way from non-intrusive, purely supportive to the rest of the music, to a strong, thick, kicking mid-bass. But even if you turn it up massively, the bass remains tight. Mid-bass thumps don't last longer then they should - they feel clean. Impressive.
The sub-bass is excellent as well. The lowest bass tones you can feel as much as hear rumble tightly, controlled and deep in James Blake's great test track Limit to Your Love.
What's hard to adjust to the C510's sound, is its impressive clarity. While you can bring (higher) vocals and the highs down a bit, the question is whether you should. Both male and female singers are forward and come with full nuances, like breath grasps in higher quality recordings.
Highs may be strong, but they're controlled well. Björk’s outhauls in It's Oh So Quiet! are stabby and challenging, but they're not overly harsh or edge.
In classical pieces, violins, trumpets and other middle and higher instruments are separated wonderfully from each other - all claiming their own space in the picture.
Center-mid instruments like guitars and piano play aren't tucked away, but mids are natural, without colouration towards the lows or highs. This aspect is what refines this Sony the most from other great sounding $50 earbuds.
While it can be hard to precisely place instruments around you, music impresses with its expansiveness.
Sony doesn't push the lower-mids heavily on the C510, and it can be worth it to manually increase the 1k frequency in the custom equalizer to give lower instruments and darker electronic tones - and therefore the entire musical picture - more weight. Lower-mids are the least represented part of the music, however, and you may still miss a bit of warmth if that's where you're after.
Clarity is the name of the game of Sony's entry-level model. The WF-C510 shines with natural and forward mids and clear treble. But it's the way you can shape the music to your liking that really makes it stand out from the competition.
—> These are the best sounding wireless earbuds from $25 to $100
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Sony WF-C510 comparisons
Sony C510 vs Samsung Galaxy Buds FE
Compact, stemless wireless earphones with great sound quality? The Sony WF-C510 meets the Samsung Galaxy Buds FE, which can regularly be bought for around 60 dollars.
The Sony has exactly double the battery life - 11 hours instead of 5,5, it has more extensive controls including volume changing, and it supports multipoint connectivity. The last two options are only available on the Buds FE if you have a Samsung phone.
The Galaxy Buds does strike back with clearer calls and it actually has Active Noise Cancelling - which is solid, too.
Both earbuds are at the top when it comes to sound quality. The Sony extends highs a bit further. Vocals are a tad clearer and higher instruments have more room to shine. Both earbuds have a clean and engaging bass section, but the Buds FE's mid-bass thumps are fuller. The Samsung also boasts lower-mids more, which works great for electronic music genres - and to create a more immersive (albeit cave-like) soundstage. The Sony sounds more natural.
$60 to $80 - See price on Amazon US or other Amazon countries
Sony WF-C510 vs Redmi Buds 6 Play
If you're looking for compact wireless earbuds with long battery life and good sound… how about the $20 Redmi Buds 6 Play?
The Redmi Buds 6 Play has an even smaller round earpiece, and it sticks even less out of your ears than the Sony. While it doesn't boast Sony's excellent 11 hours battery life, it still plays 8 hours on a single charge.
The Redmi handles surrounding noises in phone calls better, and it barely misses the not very functional Ambient mode of the Sony. The Redmi has more logical controls; Sony synchronizes sounds better with action in games.
While the Redmi has a joyful sound with a neat thumping mid-bass, clear treble and forward vocals, it can show a little crack sometimes. The Sony controls its sound better. It holds is authority better with brighter vocals, keeps the bass tighter, and can add some extra weight in the lows through equalisation.
$20 to $25 - See price on Amazon US, your Amazon country or AliExpress
Sony WF-C510 vs CMF Buds 2
The CMF Buds 2 by Nothing and Sony WF-C510 are in the same price class, but they may each be for their own audience.
The CMF Buds 2 have a more traditional stem design, come with Active Noise Cancelling and have better Transparency than the Sony. Its call quality in noisy environments is also better than the C510 - just like the waterproofing. The Sony has 4,5 hours longer battery life on a single charge and performs better in games.
The biggest difference lies in the sound character. The CMF Buds 2 caters to bass lovers, with a more powerful mid-bass and heavier rumbling sub-bass than the Sony - especially when you tune the sound in the Nothing X app. No matter how you tweak the sound though, the CMF can't touch the clarity of the Sony's treble, or the detail retrieval in the mid-tones.
Want bass? Go for the CMF Buds 2 (or the CMF Buds Pro 2). Aim for a more natural sound? Head for the Sony.
$45 to $50 - See price on Amazon US or your Amazon country
Sony C510 vs QCY MeloBuds Pro
The final test: how does the Sony C510 compare to the $50 recommendation QCY MeloBuds Pro?
The Sony has longer battery life: 11 hours instead of QCY's 7 hours per charge. But that's also because the QCY offers excellent Active Noise Cancelling, heavy silencing nearly all sounds around you.
The QCY handles phone calls with background noise and especially with some wind noise better, and has easier controls too.
When it comes to sound, however, the Sony has an edge. Especially after your own tweaking, its bass is tighter and more impactful, lower mid-tones are more pronounced and center-mids simply more present. The QCY extends highs further and sounds (even) clearer, but this specific part can get a little harsh on the highest volumes. The Sony leaps over the QCY.
$45 - See price on Amazon US, your Amazon country or AliExpress
Sony WF-C510 vs Sony WF-C710N: Which is better?
There's a big price difference between Sony's two budget models: you can buy two WF-C510's for one Sony WF-C710N.
For that steep price bump, you get better call clarity and a higher waterproof rating on the C710N. But more importantly: solid Active Noise Cancelling.
Both earbuds have excellent battery life and a wonky control scheme. And… you need to tweak the sound on both. Surprisingly, the WF-C510 sounds very flat out of the box, while the WF-C710N is very lower tones-focused. Both models can be tuned to greatness. The C510 can reach higher and emphasizes treble more, while the C710N entertains more with a hefty and full mid-bass.
Both are excellent options at their price point, both sound great. It ultimately depends on how much you need ANC.
$100 to $130 - Buy on Amazon US or your Amazon country
Verdict: Sony WF-C510
The mediocre call performance and lack of Active Noise Cancelling may not make this the best budget wireless earphone for everyone, but Sony's entry-level wireless earbuds impress with a versatile and fantastic sound, baffling battery life and high comfort.
Five stars - Excellent
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I bought the Sony WF-C510 to test and review myself. My reviews are 100% independent and non-commercial - read about it here.
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