Comparison: Sony WF-C510, WF-500, WF-C700N (update)

The Sony WF-C510 has been announced. The new model will be available in early September, and will be priced at $59 USD / $99 CAD / €59 / £55. I was initially going to post this earlier but decided to wait for the official announcement. I want to pre-order but I am seeing a variety of different shipping dates on various websites, so I will wait a few more days before ordering one. So until then, so let us see how the new model compares to the WF-C500 and WF-C700N.

Update: I have ordered the black colour, should be here tomorrow. 

Starting off with the preliminary specs like weight, colours, etc, the new model looks like a much better entry level set of earbuds than the old model, it could even challenge the WF-C700N. But should you spend the money on the new model or save up and get the more expensive WF-C700N?

	WF-C510	WF-C500	WF-C700N
Earbuds	4.6g x2	5.4g x2	4.6g x2
Case	35g	35g	31g
Driver Size	6.0mm	5.8mm	5.0mm
Bluetooth	5.3	5.0	5.2
Codec support	SBC, AAC
Waterproof	IPX4
Colours	Black White Yellow Blue	Black White Orange Green	Black White Lavender Sage Green

Future-proof?

There is no mention of LE Audio in any of the press releases or product pages. meaning there will be no support out of the box. But can they be upgraded in the future? Short answer no. Long answer, it is complicated. Aborne25 on Twitter posted that the WF-C510 lacks certain specific layers for LE audio support. According to him, the model would have to undergo re-certification to add LE Audio and LC3 support. Whether Sony plans to do this in the future is up in the air. The lack of LE Audio and LC3 might be a deal breaker for some, but if do not own any LE Audio capable devices, it will not matter.

I understand why Sony would not add LE audio support. The tech is still relatively new, but more and more devices support it, especially new laptops and smartphones. Granted the WF-C510 is an entry level model, and until LE Audio becomes ubiquitous, I do not think we will see it in lower end devices just yet. 

Even if Sony wanted to add LE Audio support in the future with a firmware update, it would have to get the earbuds re-certified with the absent layers. Unfortunately we will not know if this has happened, as the new Bluetooth SIG search no longer includes the layer information or if the headset was re-certified. 

Compact and Light Design

I already did a photo comparison in my first post, but I will expand more on the design differences here.

Sony WF-C500 vs WF-C510

Comparing the WF-C500 vs WF-C510 first, the new model is smaller, but the audio outlet seems to be larger, maybe by 1-2mm. This is might be due to the larger driver, now 6mm versus 5.8mm. The difference is not significant, but the press release does mention " high quality sound with well balanced tuning from low to high frequencies". This would suggest improved sound quality over the WF-C500.

The weight difference is almost 15%, which will be noticeable, as I can feel a difference in weight between the WF-C500 and WF-C700N, which weigh the same as the WF-C510. 

Another obvious difference is the materials, the WF-C500 is made from a shinny smooth plastic, where as the new model seems to have a more matte finish, similar to the WF-C700N and perhaps even the LinkBuds S.

Turning to the WF-C510 and WF-C700N comparison, the size difference is not as noticeable. Both have identical weights, 4.6g, even though the WF-C510 is slightly smaller. Regardless, the WF-C700N are quite comfortable for extended listening sessions, so I would expect the same from the WF-C510.

Sony WF-C510 vs WF-C700N

While the WF-C510 lacks NC, the layout of the earbuds is similar to the WF-C700N. I suspect once we see a teardown, the inside will be close to the WF-C700 as well.

Looking at #1, in the WF-C700N, this is the hole to equalize the pressure inside the earbuds, so I would think the WF-C510 has the same hole here as well. I noticed that #2, the line separating the 2 halves is much bigger in the WF-C700N, and from experience, dirt and gunk do get in there. So while it could just be the press photo, the WF-C510 does have a much tighter and thinner separation line. This should help keep gunk and dirt out of it. Likewise the line around the button (#3) is also much thinner. Finally #4 is the voice mic hole. In the WF-C700N, this mic is shared between the NC and voice, the WF-C510 will use it only for voice, but will offer ambient sound like the WF-C700N, a feature absent on the WF-C500. I am not sure why Sony opted for a mesh grill on the WF-C700N, and a hole on the WF-C510, but it could just be a design difference related to NC.

1 Hour more of Battery Life

	WF-C510	WF-C500	WF-C700N
Battery Life (Earbuds)	11h hrs	10 hrs	7.5 hrs (NC on) 10 hrs (NC off)
Battery Life (with Case)	22 hrs	20 hrs	15 hrs (NC on) 20 hrs (NC off)
Charging time (Earbuds)	1.5 hrs	2.5 hrs	1.5 hrs
Charging time (Case)	Approx 3 hrs
Quick Charge	5 min = 1 hr	10 min = 1 hr	10 min = 1 hr
DSEE Support	Yes
Multipoint	Yes	No	Yes
Ambient Sound	Yes	No	Yes
Supplied Accessories	Silicone tips	Silicone tips Type-C cable	Silicone tips Type-C cable

The new WF-C510 adds 1 extra hour of battery life and faster quick charge. Full earbud charging time is similar to the WF-C700N, but is improved from the WF-C500. The new model also supports true multipoint like the WF-C700N, along with ambient sound I mentioned earlier. Unfortunately no USB type-C cable is included inside the box, which is either a cost cutting move, or Sony trying to cut down on e-waste. I am all for cutting down on e-waste, but there have quite a few posts on reddit of burnt out USB type-C ports on various Sony headsets and earbud cases. Not sure if this is due to user error (dust/debris) in port, or cheap USB cables. I will say this, I have a USB type-C cable off Amazon, and it does not charge my Xperia sometimes, where as the small short cable from my Sony headsets charges with zero issues.

On specifications alone, the new model appears to a much better set of earbuds, lighter, smaller, improved battery life, and most importantly (according to Sony) improved sound quality. One of the first things you notice when comparing the WF-C500 and WF-C700N is the sound quality, it is so much better, more noticeable bass and clearer highs. This goes to show that better sound does not always requires a larger driver. That being said, I am looking forwards to comparing the WF-C510 and WF-C700N sound quality, to see if a WF-C510's 6mm driver is superior to the WF-C700N's 5mm driver.

Amazon, not always correct

There is a small comparison table on Amazon, but there are some inaccuracies. While it is correct that the WF-C700N has a 7.5 hrs battery life, this is with NC on, with NC off, it is 10 hrs. Similarly, the LinkBuds S with NC off, provide up to 9 hours of battery life. Second the WF-C700N and LinkBuds S also have the ambient sound modes. And finally there is no "Auto Play" in the WF-C510, at least I cannot find it in the manual or the product pages. Unless this is referring to the multipoint connection ability to pause music when a call comes in and restart the music when the call ends. But I doubt that. For auto play, the earbuds would need a proximity sensor, which is absent in the WF-C510.

New Case

Comparing the case, the WF-C510 case is smaller than the old model and slightly smaller but taller than the WF-C700N. The new design ditches the semi-transparent lid, which I was a not a fan off myself. The weight is the same as the old model which is strange, considering the case is smaller and the battery is the same capacity as the old one.

The rear has the USB type-C port, but also adds the pairing/reset/initialize button like the WF-C700N. Shame there is no wireless charging, but even the LinkBuds S do not have it, so I would not expect an entry model to receive it.

I think that is everything I wanted to cover for this post. It might be some time before we see the FCC teardown photos. They are slated to be available on September 25th, but could be earlier as was the case with some earlier devices. I suspect we will have similar internals to the WF-C700N, with one PCB and a ribbon cable with the charging pins, battery contacts, and the driver contacts.

Apologies that it took this long to get a post up, but I was honestly believed the earbuds would have been been out by now. So what does everything think about the new model? Will you be picking one up? Drop your thoughts in the comments.