When it comes to earbuds, I’m particular about certain factors in finding the perfect pair for daily use. First, comfort is a top priority. With long commutes from home to the office and extended work hours, I need earbuds to stay with me without causing discomfort. Second, I look for a dynamic soundstage with good bass and clear highs. Third, added smart features like quick connect, ANC (active noise cancellation), and an equaliser to adjust audio have become must-haves.
Sony, renowned for audio quality, has recently entered the under-Rs 5,000 market, flooded with promising options. The newly launched Sony WF-C510 earbuds offer excellent audio quality, though with some compromises, such as the absence of touch controls and ANC. Despite these, the WF-C510 has become my daily favourite for the past month. The Sony WF-C510 could be a great buy at Rs 4,990, I explained here why.
Sony WF-C510 Sound: The Core Reason To Buy
Sony WF C510 Audio Performance
First things first, the Sony WF-C510 is all about its dynamic audio performance for me. From classic Rahat Fateh Ali Khan songs to pop music, it makes listening to all kinds of music a pleasant experience. It keeps the details of music as well as vocals alive without much distortion, unlike the earbuds that we experience at this price due to bass-heavy music. Don’t get me wrong, the Sony WF-C510 offers decent bass without any saturation. It handles highs, mids, and lows beautifully, keeping music clear and detailed even at full volume with no distortion.
Still, if you feel any enhancements here and there with mids and highs, then you can use EQ via the Sound Connect app. It comes with some pre-set EQ options such as Bright, Excited, Mellow, Relaxed, Vocal, Treble Boost, Bass Boost, and more. However, if you are someone who likes to tweak their music according to your taste, then it has a 5-band EQ. Apart from this, it has a “360-degree audio” feature which analyses ear shape to adjust the sound accordingly.
Sony WF-C510 Microphone
While it shines when it comes to sound quality, the microphone quality is just decent. While I haven’t faced any major setbacks while having a call using Sony WF-C510, the voice clarity was decent in a quiet place. However, when I was in a metro or noisy place, I struggled to deliver my voice clearly with WF-C510.
Sony WF-C510: No ANC, Decent Transparency
Sony WF C510 Skips ANC!
To my disappointment, Sony WF-C510 didn’t offer active noise cancellation which is a common feature amongst competitors at this price. For me, ANC has become a kind of go-to feature to cut the noise from my surroundings and focus on my work without any disturbance. Unfortunately, this hasn’t been the case with WF C510. However, it does come with transparency mode which allows me to hear my surroundings without the need to remove my earbuds. How good is it? Pretty decent. You can hear the voice of your friend without the need to remove it, but you can witness a slight compromise with the audio. To be honest, it didn’t make much difference, instead, I would have preferred ANC over this.
Sony WF-C510 Design And Comfort
While calling experience and ANC have been a big miss, it is the design after all which fills the void. The lightweight and compact design of the charging case is quite pocketable and easy to carry along with you. It comes with a pairing button, charging and battery indicator and USB-C port. The blue shade which I got here looks calmly cool and has a matte design which avoids scratches and smudges. Well, it gets dirty and picks up stains quite easily.
Sony WF C510 Performance
Talking about the earbuds, it snuggly fits my ears and keeps a secure fit even while walking or running which has always been a rare case for me with such a pop-form factor. Stem-like design has always been my favourite. However, after using Sony’s WF-C510 earbuds, my thoughts are changing, thanks to its lightweight and compact design. Just in case it doesn’t fit you well, I advise you to try different ear tips once that comes along with it inside the pack.
Additionally, instead of touch controls, the WF-C510 features a button design for controlling music playback. Although it was initially challenging to adjust to this change from touch controls, I eventually got accustomed to it. To be honest, I now find it quite enjoyable — the buttons are tactile and easy to use, plus they help prevent accidental touches!
Sony WF-C510 Battery Life
It may not offer insane battery life but the Sony WF-C510 is perfect to handle binge-watching sessions and long hours of music playback along with some calls to the closed ones. Sony claims to offer 22 hours of audio playback with the case. In my use case, WF-C510 worked for around 5-6 hours with DSEE and without Ambient mode. Along with the charging case, I easily used them for 18-20 hours which is near to Sony’s claim.
For charging, it gets a USB-C port which takes around 1.5-2 hours to fully juice it up.
Verdict
Sony WF C510: 2 Key Reasons To Buy
If you’re looking for earbuds that deliver great sound, the Sony WF-C510 is definitely worth considering. The audio quality is impressive and they fit comfortably for long periods, making them perfect for those extended commutes or binge-watching sessions. Plus, the compact charging case is easy to carry around.
That said, there are a couple of notable downsides. The lack of active noise cancellation (ANC) is a big letdown, especially when many competitors offer it at this price. Also, while the microphone gets the job done, it struggles in noisy environments. Despite these setbacks, I have used it for a month while ditching earbuds with ANC. So, if you prioritise sound and comfort, the Sony WF-C510 is a solid choice at Rs 4,990.
