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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.