This is my first pair of true wireless headphones, I'm listening as I write this, and I haven't written a review in years. I'm not a fan of bluetooth, so I was skeptical of buying these, but needed something for a long flight. For reference, I'm not an "audiophile", but my home hifi system cost 10k, is very minimalist (Hegel H190 w/ KEF Ref1s) and sounds pretty amazing.
About ten years ago, it occurred to me that we would soon have an audio version of Google Glass, and it has been entertaining watching this slowly manifest in these types of headphones. This concept is very much in its infancy and I'm not surprised to see an overlap in market between tech users and the hearing impaired community. Soon, I imagine that there will be intelligent noise cancellation (select for/against certain "waveprints" i.e. FOR your friends voice at a crowded restaurant and AGAINST the crying baby sitting across the room) and the unique waveprint of your voice will be included with your general contact information. Infinite other applications, but I digress.
I was surprised to see the breadth of the market, with so many companies doing gymnastics to distinguish themselves, and failing miserably in the reviews. And you would think that humanity would have mastered bluetooth pairing and connection by now, but for so many of these products, that is not the case. Sooo many dumb dumb dumb products out there, poorly designed and with little to no product testing or quality control, banking on what's left of their brand coupled with the nuisance of having to return a terrible product. But this isn't one of them.
I think that Sony has nailed it with these headphones. There is definitely room for improvement, but not at this price point. The product arrives in a tiny little biodegradable box (which I love) with no frills or desperate attempts to gain first impressions. Cost has been reduced on the carrying case materials (good!) and there are little magnets which hold the buds in place (love it!). I plugged them in to charge for a bit, then put them in my ears. I was pleasantly surprised to hear them automatically pair, upon release from the charger, and connect to my Samsung Galaxy A50. I then put on Spotify, which has a somewhat poor bitrate to begin with (320 kbps) and is cheapened even further by bluetooth, and got about what I was expecting: a totally adequate though far from stellar sound that was largely out-shined by the newfound convenience and extreme comfort of this ergonomically well designed and executed technology. I then tried them with some high quality recording on high quality FLAC files. I really don't have much to say about the sound except that it is not offensive. Again, my baseline is a 10K system. The extra space over conventional wired earbuds facilitates bass presence, but there is nothing transcendent or even particularly precise about the mids or highs and no noticeable soundstage. They could possibly benefit from an "open back", but then you lose the privacy.
But no one buys these for hifi sound quality. Most people have never even heard hifi. And so much of hifi depends on the physical environment (i.e. the room) that you could never hold this type of product up to those standards. Certainly not at this price. This success of *this* product carries an extra burden of comfort, convenience, and ease of use. In spite of my system, I have actually found myself wearing these around the apartment so I can listen at higher volumes late at night. They are ridiculously comfortable as so many other products fail so miserably at this most basic and essential function, and I honestly forget that I am wearing them. And the controls are simple and intuitive and don't have any stupid design flaws that make you want to strangle the designer. AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO USE AN APP (though one is available) WHICH MEANS YOU DON'T HAVE TO GIVE YOUR PERSONAL DATA TO A PSYCHOPATH! And again, the sound is adequate and inoffensive, and in my lack of experience, I am unconvinced that a much better sound could be produced, even for another $200/unit. But, this is my first pair, so what do I know?
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This Item  Sony WF-C500 Truly Wireless in-Ear Bluetooth Earbud Headphones with Mic and IPX4 Water Resistance, White (Amazon Exclusive) |  |  |  | ![SAMSUNG Galaxy Buds FE True Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds, Comfort and Secure in Ear Fit, Auto Switch Audio, Touch Control, Built-in Voice Assistant, White [US Version, 1Yr Manufacturer Warranty]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31c8EMUYDaL._AC_.jpg) |  | |
| Price | — | $118.00 | $139.99 | $99.99 | -20% $79.99 List: $99.99 | -41% $59.00 List: $99.99 |
| Delivery | — | Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14 | Get it as soon as Wednesday, May 15 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Battery life | ||||||
| Sound quality | ||||||
| Noise cancellation | ||||||
| Comfort | ||||||
| Sold By | — | Amazon.com | FLB - USA | AnkerDirect | Amazon.com | AnkerDirect |
| connectivity tech | Bluetooth | Wireless | Wireless | Wireless | Wireless | Wireless |
| headphones form factor | In Ear | In Ear | In Ear | In Ear | In Ear | In Ear |
| connector type | wireless | wireless | wireless | USB Type C | — | USB Type C |
| noise control | — | active noise cancellation | active noise cancellation | active noise cancellation | active noise cancellation | active noise cancellation |
| cable feature | Without Cable | Without Cable | Without Cable | Without Cable | Without Cable | Cable |
| control type | Media Control | Media Control | Media Control | Volume Control | Media Control | Volume Control |
| water resistance | water resistant | water resistant | — | waterproof | — | waterproof |
From the manufacturer
WF-C500
Small size. Uncompromising sound.
Truly Wireless In-ear Headphones
Listen for hours, charge in minutes
Enjoy up to 20 hours of listening thanks to the handy charging case. In a hurry? A 10-minute quick charge gives you up to an hour of extra play time.
Small and light, a great fit
Designed small (45% smaller than the WF-XB700), these buds fit securely and comfortably in your ears. The rounded shape without edges makes them a pleasure to wear, leaving you free to focus on what matters – your music.
Ergonomic Surface Design
The WF-C500 headphones combine a shape that matches the ear cavity with a new ergonomic surface design for a more stable fit.
Make your music more natural
DSEE restores high frequency sounds lost in compression.
Go anywhere, pocket-sized case
The cylindrical charging case is extremely small and easy to carry around in a pocket or bag.
Splashes and sweat, no problem
With an IPX4 water resistance rating, splashes and sweat won’t stop these headphones – so you can keep on moving to the music.
Clear hands-free calling
Conversation flows freely with easy hands-free calling, now clearer than ever with a high-quality built-in microphone.
Try it free
With purchase of this product, receive a code for four months of unlimited access to over 75 million songs via Amazon Music. With HD audio available for all Amazon Music subscribers, streaming never sounded so good.
Sony True Wireless Headphones
 LinkBuds S |  WF-C700N |  WF-C500 |
|---|---|---|
Noise CancelingYes | Noise CancelingYes | Noise CancelingN/A |
Battery Life6 Hrs (20 Hrs with case) | Battery Life7.5 Hrs (15 Hrs with case) | Battery Life10 Hrs (20 Hrs with case) |
Hands Free CallYes, with Advanced Voice Signal Processing | Hands Free CallYes | Hands Free CallYes |
Water Resistant/Splash ProofYes / IPX4 | Water Resistant/Splash ProofYes / IPX4 | Water Resistant/Splash ProofYes / IPX4 |
Special FeaturesSpeak to Chat, High Resolution Audio, Touch Panel, Auto Play | Special FeaturesButton Control | Special FeaturesButton Control |
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Great Quality | Budget Friendly | Long Battery Life |
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Watch this before you purchase Sony C500 earbuds
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Review of Sony WF-C500 Truly Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds
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Comfortable and Quality earbuds!
Emily’s Fantasy Finds
Reviews with images
Amazing value proposition, but know what you’re looking for.
- Overall Pros & Cons— Pros: Sound quality, style, and battery life— Cons: Fit, controls, and sound isolation- Sound Quality | 9.5/10 Sound quality is probably one of the most important things when looking for a pair of earbuds, and the sound quality on these are insane! After some EQ adjustments and a healthy increase in bass, these were truly thumping. Highs were pronounced and clear, mids were vibrant, and bass was stellar. The sound quality on these are better than my Bose QC45, which are over-ear headphones. The ClearBass EQ tuning gives you the subwoofer like thumpy, rumbling bass that so many people love. If you are an audiophile, these things likely wont impress you, however for the price range and for the average listener, these are absolutely amazing.- Style | 9/10 Personally these knock it out of the park with styling. The matte white color and circular shape makes these look premium, something above the glossiness of the Apple Airpods line. They look very modern and minimalistic, something that goes well with plain clothing, but they are large and will stand out. Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing is up to you.- Fit | 6/10 I really was hoping for a good fit, however even with the small size eartips they felt a bit stiff. They don’t fall out of your ear, however you really have to force them into your ear to get that great sound. They do give you that “plugged” feeling, however it does become less noticeable after a few minutes. Overall, I wish the fitment was better.- Battery | 10/10 These thing’s batteries are crazy! I can go a full day and end up with 70% battery left, and the charging case holds a lot of charge. This relieves so much stress, as I don’t feel the need to charge these every night, or charge the case everyday.-Controls | 3/10 This was just a huge mistake, the hard buttons instead of a touch capacitive are just plain clunky. If you are in a situation where you need to wear gloves often, these are great, however I can’t think of any other time where they would be better than touch functions. Pushing the buttons either jams the earbuds into your ear, shifts them out of place, or plain causes them to fall out. I opt to use my phone for audio controls anyways, if you plan to do the same then you’re fine, however these buttons are a real headache to use.-Sound Isolation | 7/10 These do not have ANC (Active Noise Cancelling). The plugging of the ears with the silicone tips is enough to “block” sound, but not “cancel” it. This are fine for libraries, schools, cafe’s, and even in cars, however I would not try to use these on planes, in crowded areas, or anywhere with a substantial amount of ambient noise.-Summary- For my purpose, these are perfect. I was just looking for something to listen to music with, something with great sound quality, and something that was stylish. This does all that and more, however its drawbacks being controls, sound isolation, and fitment could influence your decision to buy these. I would honestly recommend these if you are on a budget, the value proposition is amazing with these earbuds. Overall, if you are a casual listener, someone who just wants to hear high quality music and look stylish while at it, these are it.
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2022
— Pros: Sound quality, style, and battery life
— Cons: Fit, controls, and sound isolation
- Sound Quality | 9.5/10
Sound quality is probably one of the most important things when looking for a pair of earbuds, and the sound quality on these are insane! After some EQ adjustments and a healthy increase in bass, these were truly thumping. Highs were pronounced and clear, mids were vibrant, and bass was stellar. The sound quality on these are better than my Bose QC45, which are over-ear headphones. The ClearBass EQ tuning gives you the subwoofer like thumpy, rumbling bass that so many people love. If you are an audiophile, these things likely wont impress you, however for the price range and for the average listener, these are absolutely amazing.
- Style | 9/10
Personally these knock it out of the park with styling. The matte white color and circular shape makes these look premium, something above the glossiness of the Apple Airpods line. They look very modern and minimalistic, something that goes well with plain clothing, but they are large and will stand out. Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing is up to you.
- Fit | 6/10
I really was hoping for a good fit, however even with the small size eartips they felt a bit stiff. They don’t fall out of your ear, however you really have to force them into your ear to get that great sound. They do give you that “plugged” feeling, however it does become less noticeable after a few minutes. Overall, I wish the fitment was better.
- Battery | 10/10
These thing’s batteries are crazy! I can go a full day and end up with 70% battery left, and the charging case holds a lot of charge. This relieves so much stress, as I don’t feel the need to charge these every night, or charge the case everyday.
-Controls | 3/10
This was just a huge mistake, the hard buttons instead of a touch capacitive are just plain clunky. If you are in a situation where you need to wear gloves often, these are great, however I can’t think of any other time where they would be better than touch functions. Pushing the buttons either jams the earbuds into your ear, shifts them out of place, or plain causes them to fall out. I opt to use my phone for audio controls anyways, if you plan to do the same then you’re fine, however these buttons are a real headache to use.
-Sound Isolation | 7/10
These do not have ANC (Active Noise Cancelling). The plugging of the ears with the silicone tips is enough to “block” sound, but not “cancel” it. This are fine for libraries, schools, cafe’s, and even in cars, however I would not try to use these on planes, in crowded areas, or anywhere with a substantial amount of ambient noise.
-Summary-
For my purpose, these are perfect. I was just looking for something to listen to music with, something with great sound quality, and something that was stylish. This does all that and more, however its drawbacks being controls, sound isolation, and fitment could influence your decision to buy these. I would honestly recommend these if you are on a budget, the value proposition is amazing with these earbuds. Overall, if you are a casual listener, someone who just wants to hear high quality music and look stylish while at it, these are it.
Color: WhiteVerified Purchase
Amazing value proposition, but know what you’re looking for.
Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2022
- Overall Pros & ConsReviewed in the United States on December 14, 2022
— Pros: Sound quality, style, and battery life
— Cons: Fit, controls, and sound isolation
- Sound Quality | 9.5/10
Sound quality is probably one of the most important things when looking for a pair of earbuds, and the sound quality on these are insane! After some EQ adjustments and a healthy increase in bass, these were truly thumping. Highs were pronounced and clear, mids were vibrant, and bass was stellar. The sound quality on these are better than my Bose QC45, which are over-ear headphones. The ClearBass EQ tuning gives you the subwoofer like thumpy, rumbling bass that so many people love. If you are an audiophile, these things likely wont impress you, however for the price range and for the average listener, these are absolutely amazing.
- Style | 9/10
Personally these knock it out of the park with styling. The matte white color and circular shape makes these look premium, something above the glossiness of the Apple Airpods line. They look very modern and minimalistic, something that goes well with plain clothing, but they are large and will stand out. Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing is up to you.
- Fit | 6/10
I really was hoping for a good fit, however even with the small size eartips they felt a bit stiff. They don’t fall out of your ear, however you really have to force them into your ear to get that great sound. They do give you that “plugged” feeling, however it does become less noticeable after a few minutes. Overall, I wish the fitment was better.
- Battery | 10/10
These thing’s batteries are crazy! I can go a full day and end up with 70% battery left, and the charging case holds a lot of charge. This relieves so much stress, as I don’t feel the need to charge these every night, or charge the case everyday.
-Controls | 3/10
This was just a huge mistake, the hard buttons instead of a touch capacitive are just plain clunky. If you are in a situation where you need to wear gloves often, these are great, however I can’t think of any other time where they would be better than touch functions. Pushing the buttons either jams the earbuds into your ear, shifts them out of place, or plain causes them to fall out. I opt to use my phone for audio controls anyways, if you plan to do the same then you’re fine, however these buttons are a real headache to use.
-Sound Isolation | 7/10
These do not have ANC (Active Noise Cancelling). The plugging of the ears with the silicone tips is enough to “block” sound, but not “cancel” it. This are fine for libraries, schools, cafe’s, and even in cars, however I would not try to use these on planes, in crowded areas, or anywhere with a substantial amount of ambient noise.
-Summary-
For my purpose, these are perfect. I was just looking for something to listen to music with, something with great sound quality, and something that was stylish. This does all that and more, however its drawbacks being controls, sound isolation, and fitment could influence your decision to buy these. I would honestly recommend these if you are on a budget, the value proposition is amazing with these earbuds. Overall, if you are a casual listener, someone who just wants to hear high quality music and look stylish while at it, these are it.
Images in this review
Top reviews from other countries
Israel S.
Bom para ouvir celular
Reviewed in Brazil on February 26, 2024Color: WhiteVerified Purchase
Armando
Después de casi 2 años y varias caidas
Reviewed in Mexico on April 18, 2024Color: WhiteVerified Purchase
ERIK
El mejor sonido por su precio...
Reviewed in Mexico on October 20, 2023Color: WhiteVerified Purchase
A
Good enough entry level sony quality TWS. Only for music. Bad call quality
Reviewed in India on November 1, 2022Color: WhiteVerified Purchase
Faisal Nasti
Clean & Crisp audio with good latency (Value for money)
Reviewed in India on October 7, 2022Color: WhiteVerified Purchase
Faisal Nasti
Reviewed in India on October 7, 2022
About the Sony WF- C500, the sound is crisp and clean. You can customize it according to your taste and preference, there's an app for it.
The build quality is good and it feels sturdy. It fits perfectly in my ears with 0 chance of falling out accidentally. The fit is so snug that it kind of acts like noise cancelation.
The microphone is also very good. It does pick up a lot of background noise however which is still manageable.
The connectivity is very fast and you can also just use one earphone at a time with full functionality.
Both earbuds have tactile buttons which are superior to touch gestures in my opinion.
It doesn't have any unnecessary gimmicks or unwanted features. The earbuds do what they're supposed to do.
One interesting thing I would like to point out is the the latency. I honestly did not expect it would be so good. I play Valorant competitive a lot and I used the earbuds during my climb from Platinum to Diamond.
I noticed almost perfect latency. Had no issues during my gameplay.
Overall I'd say if you're buying it for around 3k it's a solid buy. I see a lot of reviewers talking about it's case being plastic and no appealing. For someone who only cares about the buds and audio quality. The case really doesn't matter and it's not like its ugly or something. I honestly like it. It has a satisfying motion to it and it glows warm when its charging.
Images in this review
