It’s not enough for Sony to have the market’s best over-ear headphones and best true wireless earbuds. The global electronics conglomerate seeks complete dominance, and that includes releasing the best budget headphones. Models like the relatively affordable WH-CH720N previously put critics and money-saving consumers on notice. However, it’s the less expensive WH-CH520 that have everyone talking.
These entry-level wireless headphones are generating a lot of buzz for their surprisingly great hallmarks and generously low price, which as of this writing is just $38 on Amazon. You’re getting enticing audio, battery life and features, along with a few forgivable shortcomings, for an incredible deal.
See why the Sony WH-CH520 are our budget pick for the best on-ear headphones.
The WH-CH520 are terrific beginner headphones for those wanting the Sony listening experience at a low cost.
What we liked about them
Impressive sound quality and call clarity
The WH-CH520 are one of the more soundful entries at their price point. Give a song like “Everlasting Peace” by Torii Wolf a full listen to hear what I’m talking about. It’s amazing how well these headphones reproduce highlights such as the slightly hidden cymbals, monstrous kick drums and the singer’s transcending vocal pitch. Move on to Top 40 bops like Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” and that same airy midrange is front and center. The disco rhythms exuded by the 808 drums also blast through Sony’s 30mm drivers.
I don’t want to leave the impression that these are audiophile headphones because they’re far from that. The high end on complex instrumental recordings doesn’t hit the same as it does on other bargain headphones like the EarFun Wave Pro.
Audio can be personalized through the Sony Headphones Connect app (iOS/Android). Proprietary technologies like 360 Reality Audio and DSEE come part of the package. The former does a decent job of bringing spatial audio to compatible songs (optimized Tidal tracks were immersive), while the latter improves clarity on all musical selections. EQ allows for frequency adjustment and hosts several presets designed for different emotions and sound characteristics. Sony even added their new Find Your Equalizer feature that tailors sound to your hearing.
SBC (Android) and AAC (iOS/macOS) grant stable playback when listening to tracks on the best music listening services. LDAC codec support isn’t available for hi-res audio over Bluetooth.
The WH-CH520’s unsung performer is voice calling. It’s sufficient for business calls and video chats. Several people complimented the clearness on my end, especially in quiet settings where the mics demonstrated greater vocal capture. Background noise was audible at times, but the mics emphasized my voice over incidental sounds.
Packed with features
It’s shocking to see the WH-CH520 carry many upscaled Sony perks. As previously mentioned, the companion app houses all sound features (360 Reality Audio, DSEE, EQ). Basics like battery level indication, firmware updates and media player controls round things out. That’s more than enough for roughly $60. Outside of the app is multipoint technology to pair to two devices simultaneously, one-tap Google Fast Pair and voice activation to fire up Google Assistant or Siri via wake word phrase.
Smart controls like Quick Attention to automatically lower volume and Speak-to-Chat for auto-pausing music whenever you speak are MIA. These omissions don’t devalue the WH-CH520, however.
Longer battery life than premium rivals
These aren’t ANC headphones, but the fact that they hold a charge longer than some of the best noise-canceling headphones says a lot. Sony rates the WH-CH520’s battery life at 50 hours. That’s more than double the playtime of luxury goliaths like the Apple AirPods Max (20 hours) and Bose QuietComfort Ultra (24 hours), and several hours more than the flagship WH-1000XM5 (up to 40 hours). A three-minute quick charge can net you 1.5 hours of use. I’m about two weeks into testing and still have 15% left after using the headphones moderately (two to three hours daily).
What we didn’t like about them
They let in a lot of ambient noise
The WH-CH520 have poor noise isolation by default. Since the on-ear design doesn’t form a tight seal around your ears, this leaves room for incidental sounds to creep onto your favorite tracks. Over-ear headphones do a better job of blocking out ambient noise.
Missing a few essentials
I can live without standard features like wear detection to auto-pause content. The same goes for a carrying case/pouch to store the headphones and extra accessories. What I can’t accept is a missing 3.5mm jack for wired listening. This wouldn’t be a problem if the WH-CH520 had a USB-C wired mode, but they don’t.
Generic craftsmanship and mixed comfort
The all-plastic frame looks and feels cheap, and the protruding buttons don’t exhibit the best tactility, which is reflected in their delayed input. If there’s one redeeming quality about the WH-CH520’s design, it’s the pleasant comfort atop the skull. However, you’ll want to use these headphones sporadically to give your ears a breather from the heat produced by the leather-wrapped earpads.
Bottom line
The Sony WH-CH520 stand out as some of the best budget headphones we’ve tested, and some of the best Sony headphones out there for those not looking to spend a ton. Vibrant sound combined with lengthy battery life and a substantial feature set for often less than $50 is too good of a deal to pass up.
I won’t get on Sony’s case for excluding popular features such as ANC or wear detection. Although the least the company could have done was add a headphone port — that and reinforce the on-ear design to block out ambient noise more efficiently.
Those are more complaints than they are deal breakers. If you want high-quality headphones with plenty of sonic bells and whistles for an unbeatable price, then place the WH-CH520 in your Amazon shopping cart right now while they’re still on sale.