Sony WH-CH520 is a new addition to the brand’s budget segment of wireless headphones. It is an upgrade over its budget headphone WH-CH510 released a few years back. The headphones look and feel the same as its predecessor except for a few minor design changes. The price hasn’t increased much, as the WH-CH520 is available for Rs 4,490 on Amazon. I must say that I loved the features of these headphones during my testing, but there are a few points that I didn’t like that much. Let’s dive into my review of the WH-CH520 to find out.
Sony WH-CH520 Review
The headphones come in four amazing colors; Blue, Beige, White, and Black. We got the Black color variant. Before beginning the review, let’s see what we get inside the box.
Sony WH-CH520 Unboxing
- Sony WH-CH520 Headphones
- USB Type C cable
- Quick start guide
Sony WH-CH520: Design
The design of the CH520 headphones is greatly inspired by the CH720N (review) which is a premium headphone from Sony. The swivel and folding mechanism is similar in both, but the quality of the material differs between the two. The CH520 has an all polycarbonate built, including the headband and the earcups casing. There is a little cushioning on the headband for better comfort when using it for a long period. Being very lightweight at about 147 grams also adds to the comfort of these headphones.
The earcups on the CH520 are way smaller for an adult. It pushes against the outer ear and creates a very unpleasing experience. These will fit a teenager’s ears perfectly without any problem but not an adult’s. The material used for the earcup cushion is of good quality with a very soft leather feel to it. Sony thought of the environment while making these headphones by using sustainable materials to achieve zero carbon footprint.
Three buttons on the right earcup are perfectly placed to control the headphone’s features. All these buttons are multifunction buttons and accept single press or hold actions. The middle button can power on/off the unit, play/pause music, and trigger the assistant on the smartphone. The Type C port is placed on the right earcup to charge the headphones. A microphone is provided to pick up calls, offering crystal clear calls.
Sony WH-CH520: Sound Quality
Sony WH-CH520 has large 30mm drivers, producing good enough sound. These headphones also support 360 Audio to experience more immersive sound quality. The sound quality usually deteriorates over Bluetooth, but the Digital Sound Enhancement Engine (DSEE) enhances the overall music quality. This feature can be turned on and off from the dedicated smartphone app. A sound equalizer is provided in the official app, and you can choose between the presets or create a custom one for yourself.
The sound quality is decent, not too great, I must say, because I have used many headphones at this price that sounded way better. The volume is lower than it should produce with those drivers. Keeping the sound level aside, the audio quality is crisp, and the sound profile is wide, which makes it a great companion for movies. The bass is not that powerful, as per my taste, but it should be good enough for anyone who isn’t a big fan of bass and prefers clarity over loudness.
Sony WH-CH520 App and Features
As mentioned earlier, these headphones have a built-in equalizer in the app. It also includes other useful features like the DSEE, which is Sony’s own sound enhancement solution. It also comes with a feature that lets you connect to two devices simultaneously; this enables you to listen to the media from any of the two connected devices. So you don’t have to connect the headphone repeatedly between two devices.
The included 360-reality audio, in my opinion, is not a very useful feature. Also, the content is very limited and doesn’t sound any different than media with surround sound. I would’ve traded this 360 reality audio for something more useful, like an AUX connection to use the headphones for low latency and when it runs out of battery. After reviewing the Sony WH-CH720N from Sony, I can say that Sony has taken away a lot of important features from WH-CH520 to bring the price down.
Sony WH-CH520 Connectivity
Sony WH-CH520 comes with Bluetooth 5.2 for connection which is an upgrade over the Bluetooth 5.0 found on the predecessor. Still, the connection quality is very similar, it provides up to 10 meters of range, and I haven’t experienced any lagging or clipping. These headphones are not a great companion for playing games on your smartphone because the latency is too high. An Aux port for connectivity could have been a better choice to remove the latency issues here.
Sony WH-CH520 Battery and Charging
Sony WH-CH520 comes with an upgrade in the battery department as well; you get additional five hours of battery than its previous iteration. Also, you get faster charging which charges the headphones in about 3 hours. If you are in a hurry, you get more than an hour of playback in just 3 minutes of charging.
With an average usage of about 4 to 5 hours (sometimes more) of media consumption, I can easily get 4 to 5 days of battery backup on Sony WH-CH520 headphones. So I must say that the headphones are pretty much set up for battery performance. It has a Type-C port which is great as I don’t have to carry another charger for these headphones.
Sony WH-CH520 Pros and Cons
After spending almost a week with the Sony WH-CH520, here are the pro and cons of it to summarise my review:
Pros
- Good build quality and lightweight design
- Comfortable on the ears
- A solid battery life
- Fast Type-C charging
Cons
- Smaller earcups
- No AUX support
Sony WH-CH520: Final Verdict
Sony WH-CH520 is a good budget headphone for anyone looking for a basic pair of headphones from a premium brand like Sony. The headphones are a big upgrade over the last iteration, but compared with other options at this price point, we can see a big difference in features. If you want to buy a decent pair of headphones from Sony, this is a good option to check out. Otherwise, there are plenty of better options in the market.
Read our other reviews:
- Sony WH-CH720N Review: Feature Packed Headphones on a Budget
- Sony WF-C700N Review: Good Active Noise Cancellation on Budget
- OnePlus Nord Buds 2 Review
- OnePlus Buds Pro 2 Review: Big Sound at Big Price
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