High-end earphones may cost upwards of $300, but the entry-level is well below this, and the updated C510 is about keeping sizes and price down.
It’s been a few years since the cords were well and truly cut on earphones, but pretty much every company has signed onto the idea that truly wireless and cord-free listening is here, and here to stay.
The cordless earphones so many people rely on are a staple feature of portable audio when you look at earphones, as truly wireless takes over. However, the prices can also be higher than you might expect, largely because truly wireless isn’t just a “feature” anymore.
While going sans-cord used to be a feature you’d pay for, these days it’s just expected, so instead you’re paying top dollar for noise cancellation, for better sound, spatial audio, for activity tracking, and so on. If you don’t want to pay top dollar, what are you left with?
Sony is giving the entry-level another thwack with an updated take on its C500 earbuds, launching the WF-C510, a new pair designed to be compact, water resistant, and inexpensive.
The earbuds are reportedly Sony’s smallest ever with a shape designed to match the human ear, built with data collected over the past 40 years since Sony introduced the world’s first in-ear headphones back in 1982.
Each earbud weighs just under 5 grams, and offers a hint of sweat resistance, too, supporting a rating of IPX4, while the battery maxes out at 11 hours of listening. You’ll be able to listen to pretty much anything on them, and while you won’t get noise cancellation, you will find a transparency mode to let you hear through them proactively.
The size of the earbuds case also takes a hit, with a smaller charging case able to give around one more charge if needed, however, a quick charge will provide an hour of life with just five minutes of leaving the earbuds in.
What you won’t find is noise cancellation in the C510. What you will find, however, is support for Sony’s 360 Reality Audio should you want it, a spatial audio technology Sony often provides on its high-end earphones such as the WF-1000XM5, though its audio support on streaming services is much more difficult to find.
Sony is also bolstering the audio with similar processing to what’s found in the XM5 thanks to its use of the Digital Sound Enhancement Engine, the “DSEE” initialism you might find across Sony’s marketing. There’s also support for the Sony headphones app.
The price is where Sony aims to be competitive, with the WF-C510 set to arrive in Australia for $109.95, priced under the $129 Beats Solo Buds and likely targeting models like this. There are decent value offerings from other brands, too, but Sony is clearly going after entry-level options from folks who like to wear brands they know.
The Sony WF-C510 will arrive in black, white, blue, and yellow when they launch in October.
