Sony WF-C510 Review
This review has gone through various versions, hopefully this is the last one. Sony's entry earbuds were announced at the end of August. I was going to pre-order but retail availability was mid September, so I decided to wait. When I saw a retailer stocking them, I snapped up a black pair which arrived on September 5th. I have been using the earbuds almost every day since then, so almost 3 months.
Apart from the general review, I will also be comparing the WF-C510 to the WF-C500, WF-C700N, and WF-1000XM4. All of my listening comparisons were performed with the EQ off. The comparisons will be obviously subjective, and other users will have different opinions.
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| Sony WF-C510 - 20% off at Amazon |
Build and Design
The exterior of the earbuds is a semi matte plastic with a slight shiny appearance. It is quite different to the WF-C500, closer to the WF-C700N, but not identical. The surface of the earbuds does attract some fingerprints and it is more evident than on the WF-C700N. This was an issue during warmer and more humid weather, but not currently when it is cooler. The plastic of the earbuds seems a bit cheaper than what I would expect from Sony. The WF-C700N plastic is superior.
I would still recommend cleaning/wiping the earbuds off every so often to keep them clean. Ideally make sure to wipe the contacts on the earbuds and inside the case once a week. I have noticed that on my WF-C700N, even some dirt/gunk on the contacts, will cause the orange flashing LED warning. Although this does not seem to be that much of an issue on the WF-C510. Maybe because it only has 2 contacts instead of 3?
I can confirm that the seams between the halves, and around the button are much smaller and tighter than on both the WF-C500 and WF-C700N. Colour wise, black is not always black, with the WF-C510, the black is more of a very very dark grey with a cooler colour tone.
One thing to consider is that the WF-C510 earbuds charging indicator is on the case and not on the earbuds themselves like with the WF-C500. This is not a problem for me, as both the WF-C700N and WF-1000XM4 lack any LEDs on the earbuds.
One thing bothering me are the magnets in the case and earbuds, they are not as strong like in the WF-C500 or WF-C700N. Yes the earbuds stay in place, but the attraction and snap in is not as strong as with the other models. I know it is not deal breaker but just something I noticed.
Features
The two new features are the ambient sound mode and multipoint support. Both of these are absent in the WF-C500, with the WF-C700N received their multipoint support through a firmware update after release. I am sure there are cheaper earbuds with more features like ANC, better codec support, and wireless charging. If need such features, then the WF-C510 is not for you.
The WF-C510 feature IPX4 water resistance, easy pairing for PC and smartphone, single earbud use, and Quick Access to access Spotify Tap for example. Codec support is only AAC and SBC, with no LDAC, no aptX or LE Audio support. As I mentioned in my comparison post, a LE Audio update with a firmware update might not be possible. So far only the WF-1000XM5, LinkBuds S, and LinkBuds Fit support LE audio in Sony's range, so guess Sony is not ready to roll it out to the entire headphone family.
As things stand right now, LE Audio does not offer any significant battery life improvements over AAC or SBC, and in certain models, the LC3 battery rating is lower than AAC/SBC. What it does permit is a higher voice call quality, at least on Windows. See this twitter post from Aborne25 for more info.
There is no proximity sensor, so these will not pause automatically when you take them off.
Controls
The WF-C510 has the same type of physical button like the WF-C500 and WF-C700N. The button is soft to the touch and does not require too much force to press down. I would say similar for all 3 models. The obvious differences is how the button works.
For the WF-C510, it is similar to the WF-C700N, minus the noise cancellation option. The left is automatically assigned to the Ambient sound control, where as the right to the playback control. Unfortunately you cannot customize these options, meaning you cannot change press twice for volume control. This is unfortunate, and I wish Sony would allow further customization of the controls in the future. Obviously this did not happen with the new sound app update.
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| Sony WF-C510 button controls |
The WF-C500 only has the follow controls, along with answering incoming calls.
- Right
- Press 1 time - play/pause
- Press 2 times - skip to next track
- Press 3 times - skip to start of track
- Left
- Press 1 time - increase volume
- Press and hold - decrease volume
The WF-C510 does have trick up its sleeve which the WF-C500 lacks, the ability to remove all functions from the either or both buttons. This means one can lie on them in bed without activating anything, of course this means controlling the earbuds solely thru the app. But is the WF-C510 comfortable to sleep on the side with? In my case yes, the earbuds do not stick out that much and I have used them when laying on the side. I have not slept with them though.
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Sound Quality
WF-C510 vs WF-C500
For current and past WF-C500 owners, I can confidently say that the new WF-C510 sounds much better. The difference is very evident, the bass is more noticeable, the highs are clearer, and the sound feels balanced. There is no hiss on the WF-C510, something which plagued the WF-C500. Volume wise, the new model is a bit louder, maybe 5-10%. Using the correct sized ear tips is also key, as having a poor fit and seal will affect the sound quality, especially the bass. In general big step up in terms of quality for the new model. If you need more bass, EQ will easily remedy that.
WF-C510 vs WF-C700N
The difference in sound quality is not as big here. In my experience the WF-C510 sounds a bit better and might be a bit louder, but it might be difficult to tell them apart in a blind listening test. The WF-C510 does have a slightly larger driver, 6.0mm vs 5.0mm. Of course driver size does not always correlate to sound quality but I feel the larger driver in the WF-C510 does sound a bit better overall. The WF-C700N does have the advantage of noise cancellation but it is only one NC mic, and not dual like Sony's other earbuds models. So for me, I see the WF-C510 as a WF-C700N but without the NC and less expensive.
WF-C510 vs WF-1000XM4
While it really is not fair comparing an entry level model to Sony's flagship, the WF-C510 does put up a good fight against Sony's top model. While the WF-C510 does have balanced sound and good quality, the WF-1000XM4 has a better bass, more depth, clarity, and much better overall sound stage. While not sound quality related, the main disadvantage for the WF-1000XM4 is its size, which is a tad large for me. The WF-1000XM5 does solve this, as it is smaller. There is a large price difference, so one would expect the premium WF-1000XM4 would sound better than the entry level WF-C510.
I will be re-testing the WF-C510 in the future with different tips to see if it makes any difference in sound quality. Not sure if I will update this post, or make a separate post. So stay tuned for that.
Battery Life
The battery life on the earbuds is great. There have been times when I listened to them for well over 8 hours and still not heard the low battery notification. It does also depend on your settings, like EQ, ambient sound, and DSEE. Users on reddit have remarked that the talk time is less in real world scenarios, but I have not tested them in that regards, so no idea.
One of my gripes with the WF-C500 and WF-C700N was the battery level notification. Unlike in the WF-1000XM4 (and LinkBuds S), the entry level models only give a range. Unfortunately this the same on the WF-C510. At least this is how Windows 11 shows me the battery life. It only drops down in portions, first down to 70%, then 50%, and finally 20%. I tested it on my Android phone and the same thing happens. I ran the earbuds for around 2 hours and the battery indicator did not drop. I turned on ambient mode, EQ, and DSEE as to drain the battery quicker, but it kept showing 100%.
Not sure why it is like this for Sony's lower end models, but it should be fixed, so we can see at least an estimate of battery level not just a range. I would even accept battery percentages in levels of 10, so 90%, 80%, 70%, etc.
Pros
- Very good sound quality for the price
- Ambient sound is a great addition
- Multipoint works great
- Small, lightweight and compact size
- Solid wireless connection
- Can remove functions from buttons
- Very good battery life
- Multiple colour options
Cons
- Plastic quality not up to Sony brand name
- Battery level indication not good enough
- Fingerprints more visible than other Sony models
- Weaker earbud and case magnets
- No LC3 support
- No wireless charging
- No auto on/off
- Internal battery not easily replaceable
- Similarly priced competitors have more features
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