What to know

  • Sony WF-C510s are a great upgrade over the last-gen WF-C500s.
  • With 11hrs battery (and 11 more hours with the case), Sony WF-C510s keep rocking all day.
  • Multi-point connection (2 simultaneous connection) is a great addition at the sub $60 (or Rs. 4500) price point.
  • The design changes are minimal, and the sound remains the same.
  • Adjusting the sound, however, can be cumbersome.

Sony's budget earbuds have made quite a splash in recent years. Thanks to its superb value for money, the erstwhile king of budget TWS earbuds - Sony WF-C500s - had many takers. Unfortunately, Sony has since laid them to rest. But fret not, for there's an updated version out, updated with a few new features like multipoint connection, extended battery, a slight change in design and controls - but at no extra cost. If you're in the market for a solid pair of TWS earbuds from a well-known brand, then there's really no beating the all new Sony WF-C510s. Here's why!

Sony WF-C510 - Budget earbuds for all!

Going with the if-it-ain't-broke-don't-fix-it philosophy, Sony's WF-C510 follows in the footsteps of the massive success that was the WF-C500. And while much of what made Sony's budget earbuds so popular is kept intact, wherever Sony could throw in an upgrade, they have - thankfully!

Given the superb value-for-money that were the Sony WF-C500s (and having used both the Sony TWS earbuds) comparisons are bound to be made. This review comes on the back of using the WF-C510s for 3 months daily during which time I've had the chance to test it and push it, stopping just short of taking it apart.

Sony WF-C510 - Everything you need in budget earbuds (just about)

Before I begin, I've got a few disclaimers to get out of the way. Firstly, I'm a rock and metal buff with a soft spot for classical music, some jazz from time to time, and the occasional Coldplay song. I'm also a sucker for physical buttons (something that drew me to these earbuds in the first place). Finally, I hate being told to charge my earbuds, so the longer I can go without charging, the happier I am. Although I'll go over all the little details, much of it will revolve around these preferences.

Audio quality

Let's begin with what matters most - the sound! The audio quality on the Sony WF-C510 is, at least to my ears, exactly the same as on Sony WF-C500. That is to say, these are not bass heavy or have overly refined sound. While they're not 'flat' in the studio headphones sense of the term, they won't blow your socks off either. They're clear as day with ideal mids and highs and perfect for acapella tracks, podcasts, and can cover most genres without any issue.

While you'll need to temper your expectations with the Sony WF-C510s, especially if you're coming from the more expensive earbuds/headphones, they have a wide range of presets to choose from. The Sony Headphones Connect app also lets you customize your sound profile and add more bass with 'Clear Bass' by (x10) which can cover much of its audio shortcomings. As such, at the end of the day, the overall sound profile is quite expansive.

For a rock and metal head, I managed to eke out the sound that best fit the thrashy mid-heavy profile. And apart from the main presets, you also get 2 custom profiles so you can switch between them easily.

The WF-C510 also takes advantage of Sony's DSEE (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine) technology that improves the quality of compressed files. Given that TWS earbuds don't give a faithful representation of lossless music, DSEE provides a way to make low-res compressed audio sound like high-quality audio.

Battery

With the WF-C510s, Sony has also upped the battery life of the earbuds. While it's gone from 10hrs on the WF-C500s to 11hrs on the WF-C510s, this time around the earbuds actually deliver the advertised battery life. Mind you, these are only for the earbuds. The case provides an additional 11hrs of charge. So you'll get a total of 22hrs of battery life.

Even though the case only provides a single full charge for the earbuds, I personally don't mind this. What I actually care about is how long I can go without having to put the earbuds to charge. The longer the earbuds can go, the better they are in my books, and at 11hrs for the earbuds, they're really pushing the limits.

Do not however that you'll hit these numbers only if you're running them on base settings. That means, without the Ambient Sound, DSEE, and Custom EQ. While ambient sound is not something I care for too much, DSEE and Custom EQ I keep enabled at all times. But even then, I managed to eke out about 9.5hrs from the earbuds - way more than any other TWS earbuds can offer, never mind the budget.

And with the quick-charge battery technology nowadays, you can always get a quick 5-min top up lets you listen for an hour. But that's nothing new.

Build, Design, and Fit

While the build of the Sony WF-C510s is all plastic (as you'd expect), they've received a slight design update. The earbuds are now more in line with some of the other recent Sony earbuds.

Where the Sony WF-C500s had a rounded control unit, the WF-C510s take after their more expensive cousins, the Sony 1000XM5s, and their slightly curved back design. But it's only a slight change in design, not enough to be mistaken for the XM5s which are four times their price.

The fit is as snug as it's ever been. Sure, it's a subjective thing. But if the out-of-the-box tips don't feel like the perfect fit, you'll find a few earbud tips in the box as well.

Sony Headphones Connect app - EQ, Multipoint connection, DSEE, and Ambient Sound

There's a lot going on in the Sony's Headphone Connect app. If this is your first time getting a pair of Sony earbuds, you'll want to dive into the app and spend some time tinkering with the settings. Here are a few things to check out:

DSEE - As mentioned earlier, DSEE is a digital sound enhancement engine by Sony that makes low-res audio sound like high-res. It may take up some juice, but it's ideal for listening to music in compressed formats.

EQ - The app lets you choose from a variety of presets. You also get two slots to create create custom EQs. And if you've got no idea how to manage this, Sony's app helps you find your EQ as well. Simply play some music and choose from the different EQ profiles the one that sounds the best to you.

Ambient Sound Control - As you'd expect, the feature filters in ambient sound while you're listening to music so you remain aware of your surroundings. You can choose the level of Ambient Sound from 1 to 20.

Multi-point connection - Being able to connect to two devices at once is a game changer in budget earbuds. Switching between devices is quick and seamless and ensures that you don't miss any calls while you're connected to the PC.

Multi-point connection isn't always done right on budget TWS earbuds. But that's not an issue with Sony. It's also a major step-up from the Sony WF-C500 that could only connect to one device at a time. You can disable multi-point connection if you want to conserve the battery as well.

Controls

The playback controls on the Sony WF-C510s are a mixed bag. You get the option to change the functions for both earbuds between Playback Control, Ambient Sound Control/Quick Access, and Not Assigned. Here's how the controls look for both functions:

Ambient Sound Control/Quick Access

  • Press 1 Time - Ambient Sound/Off
  • Press 2 Times - Not Assigned (Or Play a Spotify Recommendation)
  • Press 3 Times - Not Assigned

There's also a throwaway 'Spotify Tap' feature that plays a Spotify recommendation song when you press the left earbud twice. You'll need to set it up from the 'Services' tab. But if you're not using Spotify (or are using a mod of some sort), it's basically useless.

Playback Controls

  • Press 1 Time - Play/Pause
  • Press 2 Times - Next Song
  • Press 3 Times - Previous Song
  • Long Press - Launch the Voice Assist Function

You can set either function (or keep them 'Not Assigned') for both earbuds. What cannot be changed are the volume controls:

  • Press repeatedly 4 times (left) - Lower volume
  • Press repeatedly 4 times (right) - Raise volume

Having to press the controls 4 times to change the volume by a single step is a lot of work and not something I appreciated. I much preferred the controls on the Sony WF-C500s. And while having the option to set ambient sound control and playback controls on either earbuds is a good choice to have, for those who don't care much about ambient sound control, it's not much of choice. I would much rather have each operation (1 press, 2 press, long press, etc.) to be customizable as well to have full control of the earbuds.

All the specs

Sony WF-C510s have clearly upped their specs and features. Here's a rundown of them all:

  • Weight: 4.6g x 2
  • Drivers: 6mm
  • DSEE: Yes
  • Ambient Sound Mode: Yes
  • Multi-point connection: Yes
  • Controls: Physical buttons
  • Frequency Response: 20Hz - 20,000Hz (44.1kHz sampling)
  • Battery: 11hrs (earbuds) + 11hrs (case)
  • Battery charge time: 1.5hrs
  • Case Charge time: 3hrs
  • Supported Audio Format: SBC, AAC
  • Bluetooth: Bluetooth 5.3
  • IP Rating: IPX4
  • Range: 10m
  • Colors: Yellow, Blue, White, Black

How I use the Sony WF-C510

The Sony WF-C510 are easily the best budget TWS earbuds. The extended battery allows me to use them for hours on end. While the case only enables only a single extra charge, it's a nonissue for me as I let them charge overnight. On long trips, I can eke out 20+ hours in total, which is more than I expected from them.

The multi-point connection at this price range is hard to beat. While there are several TWS budget earbuds at one-fourth its price that offer the same feature, they've never been reliable. Fortunately, Sony's name remains unsullied in this respect. Being connected to both my PC and my phone, I can freely consume media on one without missing notifications or calls on another.

The DSEE technology really works well and improves the sound quality of compressed formats. And thanks to the custom EQ (as well as the EQ presets), I can easily adjust the sound and the bass to my preferred levels.

But while the physical buttons are one of the main reasons for my purchase, the volume control remains a little cumbersome to use. No one should have to press the buttons four times to adjust volume by a single step. But hey, you have to take the good with the bad.

Verdict

The Sony WF-C510s offer a great value for money. It's hard to beat Sony's quality, be it in terms of sound quality, the stability of multi-point connection, or the variety of options within its app. At about Rs 4,500 in India (and less than $60 in the US), they're a real steal. If you thought the Sony WF-C500s were great, you'll love the Sony WF-C510s!