Sony India has recently unveiled its latest addition to the headphone lineup, the WH-CH520. These on-ear wireless headphones have been designed to deliver exceptional audio quality in a compact and comfortable form factor. With a remarkable battery life of up to 50 hours, these headphones ensure uninterrupted music enjoyment throughout the day. Moreover, the WH-CH520 excels in call performance and incorporates advanced features such as the Digital Sound Enhancement Engine (DSEE) and multipoint connection capability, making it a versatile and convenient choice for discerning listeners.
The WH-CH520 aims to provide users with an immersive audio experience, allowing them to enjoy their favorite music exactly as the artist intended. The headphones feature Sony’s renowned DSEE technology, which intelligently upscales compressed audio files, restoring details and nuances that may have been lost during the compression process. This ensures that listeners can indulge in high-quality sound reproduction, with enhanced clarity and accuracy.
One of the standout features of the WH-CH520 is its impressive battery life, offering up to 50 hours of continuous playback. This means that whether you’re embarking on a multi-day road trip or attending a long festival weekend, you can rely on these headphones to provide uninterrupted music enjoyment throughout your journey. Additionally, the headphones support quick charging, ensuring that even if you’re short on time, a few minutes of charging will provide you with enough power to keep the music playing.
The WH-CH520 also excels in connectivity options with its multipoint connection feature. This functionality allows you to effortlessly switch between two connected devices, such as a smartphone and a tablet, without the need for manual re-pairing. This seamless transition enables you to stay connected and enjoy your favorite content across multiple devices with ease.
To further enhance your listening experience, the WH-CH520 offers sound customization through the EQ Custom feature on the Sony| Headphones Connect App. This empowers you to tailor the sound output according to your personal music preferences, ensuring that you can enjoy your favorite tracks exactly the way you like them.
Design and Comfort: The WH-CH520 retains the familiar design language of its predecessor. With on-ear cups and an adjustable headband, these headphones offer a lightweight and comfortable fit for extended listening sessions. However, some users may find the on-ear design to cause discomfort and pinching on the earlobes after prolonged use. Despite this, the headphones have sufficient clamping force to keep them securely in place, and the swiveling earcups allow for a customized fit. The plastic construction helps keep the weight down, but it does feel slightly less premium compared to headphones with more premium materials.
Features and Connectivity: One of the notable upgrades in the WH-CH520 is the inclusion of Bluetooth 5.2, ensuring a stable and reliable wireless connection. The headphones provide seamless pairing with compatible devices and offer Bluetooth multipoint support, allowing you to connect to two devices simultaneously. This is particularly useful for those who frequently switch between devices. The Sony Headphones app adds an extra layer of customization, providing access to firmware updates, a customizable equalizer, and playback/volume controls. However, it is worth noting that the headphones do not support high-quality audio codecs like LDAC, limiting the audio quality to SBC and AAC.
Battery Life and Performance: The WH-CH520 boasts an impressive battery life, with Sony claiming up to 50 hours of playback time. In real-world usage, the headphones can easily last several days on a single charge, making them ideal for long trips or extended periods away from a power source. Additionally, the headphones support fast charging, allowing you to quickly top up the battery when needed. Call quality is another area where the WH-CH520 excels, thanks to Sony’s beamforming microphone technology that isolates the voice and reduces background noise. Callers reported good voice clarity, although it struggled a bit in noisy environments.
Sound Quality: Equipped with a 30mm driver, the WH-CH520 delivers a smooth and pleasant audio experience. The headphones offer a tonally balanced sound signature with a slight emphasis on the treble frequencies. High notes and vocals are presented with good clarity and detail, while the bass maintains a solid presence without overpowering the overall sound. However, the soundstage can feel congested, lacking the spaciousness and separation found in more premium headphones. The definition and sharpness of instruments and voices are slightly compromised, resulting in a less detailed presentation compared to some competitors in the same price range.
Sony 360 Reality Audio: One of the standout features of the WH-CH520 is its compatibility with Sony’s 360 Reality Audio format. This proprietary immersive audio technology aims to provide a three-dimensional audio experience by placing instruments and sounds around the listener. When paired with supported content, the 360 Reality Audio enhances the soundstage, offering a more immersive listening experience. While it may not match the level of immersion found in high-end audio systems, it is a commendable feature for an on-ear pair of headphones.
Conclusion: The Sony WH-CH520 offers a compelling package of features and decent audio performance at an affordable price. With its comfortable design, robust wireless performance, long battery life, and compatibility with Sony’s 360 Reality Audio, it presents a strong value proposition for casual listeners and commuters. However, it falls short in terms of sound
