In general I’m a really big fan of Sony’s
headphones.
The 1000XM3’s are my favorite and most recommended
pair of ANC headphones, the XB900N are a great
pair of mid tier ANC headphones, and both
the XB700 and WH-CH700N are great budget options
especially when they’re on sale.
And during this holiday season the new WH-CH510’s
also went on sale.
But I don’t think that you should run out
and get these headphones.
Especially if you plan on using them on a
regular basis.
Now the WH-CH510’s have a retail price of
$60 but during this holiday season they went
on sale for $40.
And its safe to assume that these headphones
will periodically go on sale for $40 after
the holiday season as well.
Thats the case with both XB700’s and WH-CH700N’s
which have a retail price of $130 and $200
respectively, but routinely go on sale for
$78 and $88.
So I’m just going to flat out say it, If
you’re looking into getting an affordable
pair of Sony headphones… you should at least
go with the XB700’s.
I think they’re the better long term investment
here.
The WH-Ch510’s are a very flimsy pair of
headphones.
They’re entirely made out of plastic and
they have zero padding underneath their headband.
But surprisingly these headphones are big
head approved, I actually only have to extend
their headband by two clicks.
But like I said, these headphones do feel
very flimsy.
I constantly worry about them snapping when
im putting them on or taking them off or I
just worry that they’ll get crushed in my
backpack.
Where as the XB700’s on the other hand have
the same form factor as the WH-Ch510’s…
But they feel much more rugged, they’re
better built, they have a stainless steel
headband, and there’s actually a good amount
of padding underneath their headband.
I would actually feel comfortable using the
XB700’s as a pair of Gym Headphones cause
they can take a beating and if you get them
on sale for $78 you don’t feel that bad
going on hard on these headphones.
Now if you do decide to spend the extra 10
bucks and go with the WH-CH700N’s they main
hardware difference here is that these are
a pair of over ear headphones.
Where as these other two headphones are on
ear headphones.
But since both the XB700’s and WH-CH510’s
have very little clamping force and since
their padding is very soft, both of these
headphones are fairly comfortable for on ear
headphones in general.
Now when it comes to included accessories
the WH-Ch510’s come included with a single
Usb C cable for charging and that it.
They don’t come included with an audio cable
cause they don’t have an audio jack, and
they also don’t come included with a carrying
pouch.
Now both the XB700’s and WH-CH700N’s also
don’t come included with carrying punches
but they do at least come with audio cables
and have audio jacks.
Something that you’ll might want to take
into consideration depending on your set up
or needs.
But at the very least, the WH-CH510’s do
charge via a USB C port so you can charge
your phone and headphones with the same cable
just like with the XB700.
And they also have an advertised battery life
of 35 hours.
Now when it comes to bluetooth connectivity
these headphones are using bluetooth 5.0 and
they have zero latency across the board when
watching movies on your phone whether you're
using an iPhone or Android device which is
good.
But unfortunately even though these headphones
are using bluetooth 5.0 they can only be connected
to one device at a time.
Now I do know that these are a pair of budget
headphones… but personally this does have
me a little concerned for the future Sony
1000XM4’s which are probably going to release
in the spring of 2020.
Im concerned that the 1000XM4’s will also
use bluetooth 5.0 but still only connect to
one device at a time.
Which is a bummer cause almost everyone wants
simultaneous multi device connectivity on
both the 1000XM3’s and especially on the
1000XM4’s.
Now when it comes to listening to music with
these headphones they absolutely get the job
done for $40.
They have a good amount of bass to them so
they’re fun to listen to, the highs don’t
peak, and distortion surprisingly isn’t
an issue with these headphones when used at
higher volumes.
But these headphones do have a bass heavy
sound signature to help hide the fact that
instrument separation isn’t all that strong
on these headphones.
But the mids and vocals aren’t drowned out
or anything.
So over all these headphones do get the job
done.
But just keep in mind these headphone don’t
connect to Sony’s Headphone app so you can’t
directly change their EQ.
But like I mentioned earlier… if you are
planning on going with a pair of sony headphones
you should at the very least go with the XB700’s.
With the XB700’s you can connect to Sony’s
app and crank up the bass on these headphones
and get them to significantly rattle your
head.
Which is a great feature for bass headphones
and it does get you amped up at the gym.
Or if you decide to spend the extra 10 bucks
and get the WH-CH700N’s then you have full
customization over their EQ so you can make
sound how ever you want.
So what im saying is that the WH-Ch510’s
get the job done… but if you spend a little
extra money you’re not just getting significantly
better build quality, but you’re also getting
some control over how your music sounds as
well.
But finally here’s the microphone test.
And I can’t help but feel that this microphone
sounds shallow.
I mean I think its usable at the very least
but it doesn’t sound great.
Where as the microphone on the XB700’s sounds
a little richer especially in the mids.
But I do think both of these microphones do
sound better than the microphone on the 1000XM3’s.
But over all, the Sony WH-CH510’s does meet
all of the basic criteria for headphones in
2020.
Especially for 40 bucks.
They dont sound half bad and distortion isn’t
a problem.
They fit okay.
Latency isn’t an issue so you can use these
headphones to watch videos on your phone,
and they have USB C charging which is currently
rare at this price point.
But personally I can’t really recommend
that you get these headphones cause of their
very flimsy build quality.
I mean I can’t blame them cause they retail
for $60 and at $40 these headphones are a
steal.
But for me build quality is very important
cause it lends it self to longevity.
Personally I highly recommend you go with
at least the Sony XB700’s when they’re
on sale for $78 cause I do think they are
the better long term investment cause of their
far better build quality.
