In the summer of 2020, Sony released a couple pairs of true wireless earbuds and one of them being the WF-XB700. For their relatively low-price tag I considered them having just the basics of what you need in some earbuds. Fast forward and over the Fall season Sony had released its successor known as the Sony WF-C500. These happen to come in at an even lower dollar amount of under $100 and stride to give you more than before. But do they hold up for its value?
Style
The WF-C500 come in a smokey black colored case that is compromised of plastic but also with a lid that provides slight visibility to see the charging status of your earbuds. The case is cylinder like a pill and comes in at 35g. Besides its top clear exterior, it has a USB-C port on the back for charging. No wireless charging. The case is expected to give you 20hrs of battery life while getting 10hrs out of the earbuds themselves.
The earbuds feel small and lightweight and insert into the ear at upwards position. This was like the XB700 before them. Each earbud has a big physical button that can be pressed to provide multiple ways of functionality. They are also rated IPX4 for sweat and splash proofing.
The Sony WF-C500 comes with Charging Case, USB Type-C cable, and various earbud tips.
Features / Sound
Controls on the earbuds are done by either multiple presses or holding the buttons for a period. In doing so you can achieve operations such as volume controls, track changing, launching voice assistants and accepting/rejecting calls. Now I figured since the WF-C500 is recognized by the Sony Headphones App you can make button customizations but unfortunately you can’t. The one upside about the app connectivity is the ability to get updates if available down the line but also change sound settings like the equalizer or enable DSEE.
As far as listening is concerned the C500 are utilizing 5.8mm drivers. They provide a nice clean sound but doesn’t have much in the bass department even compared to the XB700 before them. But vocals and instruments sound better. I did also like using these on the “Excited” setting on the EQ. Codec support on here is the SBC and AAC.
I used the WF-C500 with both an iPhone 12 Pro and a Google Pixel 6 Pro.
Experience
I used on my normal commute for the past couple weeks and experience has been fine with them. They stayed in my ears most of the time and never felt like they were going to fall out. They have a nice seal, but some outside noise can escape in. Also, these don’t have ANC so being on a train for instance you may have to crank up the sound a bit to drown out your surroundings. As far as connection with these using Bluetooth 5.0, I never came across any stutter or distortion. Watching YouTube and movies such as Fantastic Beasts 2 on HBOMAX provided seamless voice synching.
Verdict
Sony made some revisions to their entry line of earbuds and it’s a welcome one. They feel more comfortable than before and have that app support in case of any updates or any sound changes you wish to make. I do wish they did allow customization, but you can achieve a good amount once you get the button presses down.
The Sony WF-C500 are great for the price of $99.99 and as of late I have seen them as low as $69.99. If you want decent quality and connection at a modest price, give them a listen.
