Review: Sony's new WF-C510 is a value-for-money product

Let me start with a disclaimer: I was a Sony fanboy for a long time back in the day when Sony bestrode the world of consumer electronics like a colossus. And the blades of that fan are still prone to powering on occasionally these days even after the Japanese giant has lost its undisputed preeminence that it enjoyed back in the noughties, the 1990s and earlier, as Sony goes about reclaiming its lost glory.

However, being a Sony fan is not only about fawning over the brand’s products, but sometimes means being extra critical of them, because you often have higher standards for those who you consider closer to you. So, this review of Sony’s new WF-C510 earphone will attempt to tread a fine line between fawning and fretting at the features of the gadget.

In the last few years, Sony has been on a mission to reclaim its position atop the global gadgets heap. We have seen some great releases from the company in every sphere it operates – be it in televisions, cameras, home cinemas, gaming or audio.

And with the new WF-C510 earphones, it seems even more evident that Sony has learnt some lessons from its recent past well. The brand now knows that getting to that leading position in a market crowded with a plethora of competing brands – and staying there – is not just about making the most sophisticated, complicated, cutting-edge and pricey product out there. It is also about catering to the mass market, the lower end of the consumer spectrum, with equally good and value-for-money products.

The WF-C510 answers very well to these last two descriptors. As one of the biggest players in the premium personal audio segment – be it with the over-ear cans or earbuds – Sony is of course well-versed in how to make a good listening device. Now, that expertise has percolated down to its offerings in the budget earbuds market.

The finish of the device is pure Sony. It comes in a case that is roughly the size of two slim lipstick cases stacked on top of each other, so the dimensions are very, shall we say, pocketable. The case is finished well.

Flip open the lid and inside, the two in-ear earpieces are equally well-finished and, most importantly, light-weight. Sony says these are its smallest-ever closed-type earbuds, but whatever their size, they fit extremely well in my ears, with just the right level of snugness. In fact, I was impressed by how much ambient noise the buds blocked out with just their fit the moment I put them on, immersing me in a world of noise isolation even while remaining comfortable.

And with this high level of comfort, I had no problems wearing them for hours on end, even though I’m more partial to over-ear headphones than in-ear ones.

These earbuds also feature a flat and wide surface on the outside, where they sport tactile press-button controls, eliminating the touch and tapping business of higher spec models that can be so frustrating. No more pausing the music when you have to scratch your ear or hook your hair behind your ears and accidently end up brushing your hand on the touch control.

But if these earphones are comfortable enough to use for a long time, there obviously has to be a large enough battery capacity to match. Again, we were not disappointed. The WF-C510 gave over 10 hours of playback on a full charge, living up to Sony’s claim of 11 hours. And you can get an additional hour with a five-minute charge.

More on the features front, the WF-C510 enables you to connect two Bluetooth devices simultaneously and also have an Ambient Sound Mode, which brings you out of your noise isolation, allowing you to hear the sounds around you when you need to. There is also a Voice Focus function when you’re in this mode, which focuses on external human voices while suppressing other ambient sounds – very useful when you’re being spoken to in a noisy place while you still have that podcast playing.

All of these functions are of course accessible on Sony’s app for the WF-C510 that also has several other features for the device, such as an equaliser with several presets – which brings us to the heart of the matter, the sound.

The Sony WF-C510 is definitely loud. There is no dearth of volume and full-bodied sound, and Sony has done a commendable job in this department. Wearing the C510 on my commute to work on the bus and Dubai Metro, never once did the loudness of the music get overshadowed by any outside noise, retaining that sense of being cocooned and isolated.

However, this positive feature can also be the C510’s Achilles heel. The loudness leads to a muddled soundstage, with the music seeming to be reaching your ears through a sonic fog. This device is more than good enough for casual listening, and most pop, rap or hip-hop tracks sounded not just fine but even good, given the earphone’s bass boom. But when we played more nuanced and particular sorts of music – such as treble and voice heavy Bollywood tracks or demanding jazz pieces with ensembles of instruments in a spectrum of various frequences – the limitations of the C510 were exposed.

Turning to the equaliser helped things only somewhat, with presets such as “Bright”, “Excited”, “Mellow”, or “Relaxed” only adding further discolouration to the sound. There are also other presets like bass and treble boost that helped marginally, while the “Vocal” preset did not highlight the glory of Freddy Mercury’s voice when used on Bohemian Rhapsody.

There are manual and custom modes on the equaliser too, and after some cumbersome fiddling with them, we arrived at a sound stage that could be called passable for the serious music lover with eclectic taste.

Ears as finicky as audio testers are not that common, however, and we would still recommend the sound quality of this Sony. In fact, we were about to mark it down in our star ratings for the sound when we looked at the official retail price – Dh219 – and instantly added a star; for, the sound quality of the C510 punches way over its price point and is above and beyond not just its immediate competition, but also earphones from other big ticket brands at double its price point and more.

Having heard Sony’s top-of-the-range WF-1000XM5 before, the folly was ours in trying to compare the CF510 to its older, way-more-expensive sibling.

Given the finish and design, the looks and versatility – Sony offers a choice of blue, yellow, black or white for this model – and, especially, the price that its performance comes in, the Sony fanboy in me has no hesitation in recommending these earphones highly.

- Best value for money in the market

- Loud sound

- Good design and finish

- Equaliser modes could be simpler

- Not for finicky ears

Dh219

4 stars