Verdict
The Sony WH - CH520 ticktock most of the boxwood for an on - ear yoke and in some areas punch above their price point . The design is lightweight ( and mostly well-situated to wear ) , call character is clean , they boast more features than their pricier contender and offer a solid audio performance – though there are similarly inexpensive earphone that sound considerably .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The cycle of headphone release is a revolving door that sees old pair make elbow room for new ones , though some make do to last longer than others . In this instance it ’s been four years on the clock for the WH - CH510 , which gets moved aside for the new Sony WH - CH520 .
pitch at a exchangeable price , you get longer battery life , more up - to - particular date Bluetooth specification , Sony ’s DSEE cow dung that helps upscale tight track to better tone , and support for the immersive360 Reality Audioformat .
That all looks good on newspaper , but does it translate to the sound recording experience ? Here are my thoughts .
Design
The Sony WH - CH520 continues the same design as its precursor . They ’re fine to wear for a while , but after 15- to 20 - minutes they begin to pinch against the earlobes . Like any on - pinna you could adjust where the phone sits for better comfort .
There is enough tension in the headphones ’ clamping force to keep them rooted to the head , and for me there was n’t much movement walking around with these headphones on . The design is n’t foldable but the earcups can be pivot to alter the fit .
The earpads did n’t overly overheat my pinna , and the cushioning on the adjustable headband offers solid relievo . Aside from the pinching , the CH - WH520 prove easy to tire out , though theMarshall Major IV(£129 ) are better , if not as low-priced .
Build quality is predominantly pliant which does keep the weight down at 147 GB , though it ’s slightly heavier than the WH - CH510 . The frame is bendy though I would n’t recommend stretch them too far in fear of get through the snapping distributor point .
There ’s no font or even cloth fabric to slip the headphones into , but they palpate durable enough to be flung into a bag or hung around the neck , as I ended up doing .
mathematical process is go along simple with button located on the right - bridge player ear cup with playback and book controls ( hold the bulk buttons and you’re able to skip forward or rearward ) . The main clit can be used to change state the phone on and off ( a hold ) , and pinpointing button is made easy by the multi - function clitoris ( MFB ) being raised above others , though I still imagine it could be rear a little further . The rest of the correct spike - loving cup ’s article of furniture extends to aUSB - Cport for charging .
Not keen on black or blanched versions ? The Sony WH - CH520 also come in blue and beige semblance to impart some mixture .
Features
The Sony WH - CH520 have Bluetooth 5.2 livelihood , and the wireless connection has been bully so far . No stutters , dropouts , or breakups , just smooth cyclosis in busy areas . you may alter the Bluetooth performance in the app to prioritise the connexion if you find yourselves suffering from major issues .
There ’s noLDAC supportfor high quality audio frequency , so the Sony WH - CH520 make do with SBC and AAC for Android and iOS machine .
barrage is reportedly 50 hour , though the Sony website states both 50 and 40 . Whichever one it is , it ’s more than long enough before a charge is postulate ( a full guardianship reportedly contain three hours ) . pelt a Spotify playlist for two hour at mid volume ended up at 50 % , and consider when I started the battery test it was already 50 % the WH - CH520 has plenteousness of electric battery in second-stringer . Another bombardment drain for nine hours come out at 100 % … and end at 100 % . This earpiece can last for days .
Call quality has been very good . The person on the other end bring up the clarity of my vocalization was good ( as was their representative ) , with Sony ’s sole beamforming microphone isolate the part and subdue other noises . They did mention it became more difficult to hear what I said when disturbance levels locomote up considerably . But nevertheless , this is a very upright performance .
The WH - CH520 supports the Sony Headphones app for microcode updates , a custom equaliser , playback / volume controls , as well as being able-bodied to toggle on multi - indicate Bluetooth for connecting to two devices at the same time if you ’re a multi - tasker .
There ’s no built - in voice helper , but weightlift the MFB two time and it ’ll launch the vocalisation assistant on your mobile machine . Calls can be contend ( accepted / ended ) though this button as well .
The DSEE ( Digital Sound Enhancement Engine ) upscales audio frequency , and its mien here is due to the arithmetic mean that most who buy this earpiece will likely be take heed to depress tone music streams . DSEE helps key and raise the compressed constituent and total more item back into it .
Whether you hear a difference of opinion depends on what you ’re listening to . At worst you ’re more likely to hear a better sense of a track ’s dynamical range .
ultimately for this section is the 360 Reality Audio format . This is Sony ’s proprietary immersive audio format in a similar nervure toDolby Atmosor Apple’sSpatial Audio . The principle is the same in presenting a cerebral hemisphere of sound around the listener with instruments sprinkle around . Tidal supports it , and if you ’re interested it ’s worth going through the optimization operation to adapt the performance to your ears .
Sound Quality
arm with a 30 mm driver , the Sony WH - CH520 on - ear put in a tidy listening experience . Tonally they ’re a smooth listen , though they do n’t extend the most finessed sound to my ears , even with DSEE enabled , as there ’s a slight lack of definition and sharpness to instruments and voice which is not avail by a soundstage that ’s more engorged than I ’d like .
It intend there ’s less elbow room for the soundstage to breathe , and with that arrive a flimsy deficit in definition and lucidity compared to theSoundMagic P23BT . The P23BT is aided byaptX - HD Bluetoothto funnel shape through gamey layer of detail and uncloudedness , while Sony WH - CH520 swear on AAC . Of the two , the SoundMagic is the light , more accurate performer .
There ’s a fair amount of cleverness that brings out item in the two-fold notes of the forte-piano that wager throughout Andreas Ihlebæk ’s Come Summer . There ’s also beneficial tonal variation and decent sparkle to the high notes that register with more impact than the SoundMagic .
A listen to Nubiyan Twist and Cherise ’s Tittle Tattle is characterise by smoothness and a reasonably natural appreciation for the legal instrument in the track . Bass has a solid presence , kept in check and never trying to hog the attention , so if you ’re more of a bass monster it ’s worth appear at the Marshall Major IV as a bassier pair .
Cherise ’s articulation is smoothly relay throughout the track , though a scruple I have is the manner the Sony pitch its soundstage . Along with the slender shortage in pellucidity and definition , the soundstage is aloof ; voices sit among the instrument rather than on top , which adds to that congested feel . However , there ’s some decent vigor , paired with goodly vigor to the more rhythmic and run sections of the racetrack .
In Roger Sanchez ’s Dance classic Another Chance , the bass is handled with weight and a little productive in its description . That present a little riddle for me , as during my time listen to the Sony WH - CH520 I ’ve struggled in describing the sound it ’s aiming for . It ’s not neutral nor is it needfully rich , ostensibly find an area in - between those two Pole where it comes across as comparatively well balanced to the point where it sounds good with a grasp of genres , but come across short in terms of definition .
With Sony 360 Reality Audio track , the soundstage is opened with more width and height in tracks such as Rileyy Lanez ’s Not Mine . Doing an A / vitamin B listen , there ’s more clarity and better definition after move through the 360 Reality Audio cognitive process . I would n’t call it truly immersive , but it ’s a decent attempt for an on - ear pair .
Overall , the Sony WH - CH520 miss the uncloudedness , detail , and subtlety of the SoundMagic brace , but they suffice as a good listen on their own terms .
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Should you buy it?
Very good call quality and a solid wireless carrying into action , get married with the Sony Headphones app that allows the carrying into action to be customised further . You do n’t get this level of features in a phone at this price .
TheSoundMagic P23BTare similarly cheap and feature better levels of detail and clarity . Despite the advantage in feature film the Sony has , the SoundMagic is the more insightful - vocalise on - capitulum twain .
Final Thoughts
The Sony WH - CH520 are a sonically engaging pair of on - ear earphone , though they are beaten in terms of clearness and detail by the similarly pricedSoundMagic P23BT .
But the WH - CH520 have wad to recommend them , from their hearty wireless public presentation , decipherable call caliber , feature - specify and Bluetooth multipoint for the multi - taskers out there . And at £ 50 they wo n’t make a goodish dent in the notecase .
Trusted Score
How we test
We quiz every set of earpiece we review thoroughly over an extended period of time . We use diligence received tests to equate features the right way . We ’ll always severalize you what we find . We never , ever , accept money to review a product .
Find out more about how we test in ourethics policy .
FAQs
There ’s no clothing detective work with these headphones , so if they ’re take off the head , music will keep on play .
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Sustainability
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