Price drop mean these earphones are FINALLY a price worth paying: Sony WF-C500 Wireless Earphone review

When our resident tech and audio expert, Kyle Purves reviewed the Sony WF-C500, they were impressed with the function of the headphones but disappointed at the lack of extra tech offered. Now Amazon has slashed the price by a whopping 50 per cent, bringing the price crashing down to under £45.

At sub-£45, rather than the £90 standard price, Amazon has finally matched the price tag to the performance. This makes the Sony WF-C500, finally, worth paying out for.

In Kyle's review, praise was laid on the Sony CF-C500 for the reliable and accurate audio performance and intuitive touch controls that helped create a seamless user experience. Given the commendable battery life, enjoying the earphones was pretty easy.

While lacking advanced features like noise cancellation, the Sony WF-C500 headphones are a solid option for those seeking reliable audio performance and comfort without the bells and whistles, making them a noteworthy choice in their all-new low price range.

Read the full review below.

If you feel like finding another great deal, we'd suggest looking at the Soundcore Liberty 4 NC by Anker, also reviewed by Kyle.

Sony WF-C500 headphones review

Sony always produces good quality headphones, and now the Sony WF-C500 joins that repertoire. There's a simple goal with these true wireless earbuds; they aim to provide you with a highly portable, compact listening experience without compromising on the audio quality. So how well does the WF-C500 do?

It's not all about audio quality and build size, of course. The WF-C500 boasts having an "ergonomic surface design", taking data from studies on ear shapes in order to make a product that should fit comfortably for most customers. With discomfort being a challenge that in-ear designs face more than regular headphones, we're curious to see how well this pair achieves that.

We've got Kyle Purves, one of our resident tech writers, to try out Sony's WF-C500 and test out all of its capabilities. Kyle is never far from a pair of headphones, and they especially focus on details like comfort and fit quality. As part of their deep dive, they've tried the earbuds out with music, videos, podcasts and more, figuring out exactly what the strengths and weaknesses are. They've also experimented with it across various locations, from at home, on public transport, and at the gym, in order to see how well it performs in different listening environments.

Performance

The audio quality of the Sony WF-C500 is respectable, consistent, and overall quite good, but it was never able to blow me away. While I do agree with the sentiment that the audio quality wasn't compromised for the size, you can find similarly sized models that sound a bit better.

Don't mistake that for me saying these sound subpar. They still deliver some pretty good sounds, especially when it comes to spoken words in videos and podcasts. I was able to clearly make out what was said at all times, and in fact, using the companion app to adjust the EQ really enhanced my listening experience. On the other hand, these are decent for music but not amazing. Even when adjusting the EQ, I wasn't able to find an ideal balance for bringing out bass from songs.

Luckily, the Sony WF-C500 really shines in terms of practicality and convenience.

The battery life is very solid, with the earbuds alone managing 10 hours and the case bringing that up to 20. More expensive earbuds are able to outdo that, but when I consider the minute size of this model, I can't help but be quite impressed. That's quite a lot of playtime for such a small device. It's not just battery capacity either; the entire charging process is superb. It claims that you can get an hour of charge out of just 10 minutes, and while I found that depends more on the strength of the charging port, I did appreciate how speedy it was to reach a full charge. Even better, the Sony WF-C500 manages to retain charge quite well. It's not uncommon for the charge to start dropping a bit quicker after a week or two of use, but this pair was consistent throughout all of my testing.

The Sony WF-C500 features an in-built microphone, making these a fantastic choice for those who need to take calls on the go. Even at home, I found these to be brilliant for voice calls with friends. Much like how I found the audio quality to shine mostly for videos and podcasts, it was perfect for managing phone calls and quick conversations. Not having to hold my phone to speak into the mic was something I had never thought of before, but going hands-free really makes the experience more streamlined. You can even take it a step further by synching the earbuds with your phone's smart assistant, letting you navigate music and more without taking your phone out of your pocket.

Lastly for performance, I want to note the overall value of the Sony WF-C500. At a full price of £90, the array of specs is brilliant for the cost. Solid drivers, great frequency range, and of course, the entire battery life section; you're getting a lot of bang for your buck, and I want to briefly applaud that.

Build

The main design mission of the Sony WF-C500 is to make the listening experience as good as possible in as small a package as possible. In the picture above, you can see the earbuds on a coaster, which should give you an idea of how small they really are. Even the case is designed to be compact, and all of it is quite lightweight. It's no wonder then that I came to really appreciate the portability of these earbuds and how perfect they are for travel. I prefer to pack light when heading to the gym, so I don't have a lot of space to spare for bulky cases. Since the Sony WF-C500 are so small and light, they were practically free to add to my bag or pocket.

The charging case is well-built and does its job perfectly. I've already spoken about the performance of it, but as for the build, I really appreciate the magnetic parts that have the earbuds snap into place in their grooves. Whenever I have used other earbuds, I always end up fumbling about when it comes time to put them away. If you lack hand dexterity like I do, this is another bit of added convenience that this product excels at.

In terms of durability, I've found the Sony WF-C500 to be more than satisfactory. The waterproofing is IPX4, pretty standard for most earbuds, which allows it to withstand rain and sweat without any bother. The real strength when it comes to durability is actually tied to the weight and size of the earbuds. In my use of them, I found that since they were so small and so lightweight, they wouldn't really be damaged by any common fall.

As for buttons and controls, I really love how they are handled. The large buttons on the side give you easy access to pausing, unpausing, and even adjusting the volume of your audio, once again enhancing the hands-free convenience of the Sony WF-C500. I especially like that they are actual buttons. While some might find having to press into your ear a bit awkward, I think it's worth it to avoid the sensitivity issues that touch controls often bring.

The "ergonomic surface design" which aimed to make the Sony WF-C500 extra comfortable, sadly, did not work well for me. In fact, I found them to be quite uncomfortable if worn for even a short amount of time. No matter how much fiddling about or adjustments I made, I could not get them to sit comfortably in my ears. I'd like to give them the benefit of the doubt, that perhaps I just have strangely shaped ears, but I have to share my experience here. That experience was that I could only wear the Sony WF-C500 for about 40 minutes up to an hour at a time; enough for a short train ride, enough to listen to music at the gym, enough to get through most of my podcasts, but much shorter than most other earbuds I've used.

Downsides

Beyond my issues with the comfort and fit of the Sony WF-C500, which I mentioned above, my main complaint is that the earbuds are lacking noise cancellation. While not every set of earphones needs to provide noise-dampening effects, I think the exclusion here is really felt. Although I still believe the Sony WF-C500 is good value, even a quick browse reveals similarly priced models that have this feature.

It's rare to find ideal listening environments when we're outside of our homes, which is why I really value the benefits of noise cancellation at the gym or on public transport. There's only so high you can pump up the volume to block out obtrusive noises without damaging your ears, and these earbuds aren't able to deliver that volume.

In noisier environments I found myself straining to listen to music, even at the highest volume recommended, so I'm not sure that I could recommend these for those wanting earbuds for their commutes.

Verdict

The Sony WF-C500 may not be my personal favourite pair of earbuds, but I still think they're a quality item that's worth your consideration. It has lost points due to comfort and audio quality, which I believe to be the most important factors for earbuds, but I want to clarify that they excel in just about every other department.

If you value convenience and ease of use when it comes to choosing your earbuds, then the Sony WF-C500 is absolutely a top contender. While it boasts about its comfort-focused design and tries to maintain good audio quality in a smaller size, I believe the real strength of the Sony WF-C500 is in its hands-free experience. These are the perfect pair of earbuds for someone who is busy and sociable, letting them make plenty of calls a day without having to stress about battery life, but they're not the best for quieter souls who want music for their ventures outdoors.

What else to consider?

Who tested it?

Kyle Purves is one of our commercial content writers. They're never far from a pair of headphones, always carrying at least one set with them wherever they go. They always have some music playing in the background as they work or exercise at the gym. Whether it's long-form video content or just a short song, the shape and comfort of a pair of headphones is the most important factor for them.

How we tested it?

I tested the Sony WF-C500 Headphones over the course of a few weeks. Wireless headphones are better suited for the gym than wired sets, so I was eager to test them out there. I also made frequent use of them when walking outdoors and while on public transport, so that I could get a better understanding of the volume and quality of them in noisier environments.

Beyond that, I made sure to try them out plenty while at home, which gave me a good understanding of the Sony WF-C500's performance in a standard setting. It also let me test out how comfortable they are to wear for long periods of time.

Kyle Purves is a Commercial Content Writer for What’s The Best, with an avid interest in all things gaming and tech.

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