10 reviews for Sony WH-CH520 Wireless Headphones Bluetooth On-Ear Headset with Microphone, Blue New : Electronics

1. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Rose – 06/09/2025

   5.0 out of 5 stars

   Long lasting headphones with amazing battery life and sound.

   Had these headphones for 5-6 years until I had accidentally sat on them, causing one of the muffs to snap off. And even then, the headphones still worked! I just had to buy another pair because I couldn’t glue the muff back to the headband. But honestly, these headphones are so durable. They’re a steal given its amazing quality.Durability: You don’t need to store them in any headphones case. You can put it in your purse, backpack, or bag leave them lying anywhere without worrying about them breaking. Coming from someone who uses these headphones all the time and as a to go for my workouts, and even wearing them on rainy days. Exposure to sweat and moisture in general never affected its sound quality at all! They’re super comfortable and light to wear and I find them so much better than $100-$300+ headphones.Comfort/Battery life: You can wear them for hours comfortably. I only needed to charge them once or twice every two weeks, and I use them for 4-5 hours daily. You only need to charge them for like 15-20 minutes and you’re good to go. They last FOREVER.Design: I love that they’re light weight and simple, making them really comfortable to wear. Personal preference but prefer lighter/simple headphones designs than chunky headphones.Sound: Even though they’re not noise cancelling they pack powerful sound and pretty good bass. You can listen on full volume without worrying about damaging them.Had to write a review bc these headphones are a gem. You should absolutely buy these if you’re looking for high quality and long lasting headphones on a tight budget.

   30 people found this helpful
2. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Alan F. Jordano – 06/09/2025

   5.0 out of 5 stars

   I AM IMPRESSED

   The product arrived well packaged. There was a delivery delay but it was not horrendous and to be expected given that it was ordered during Parime Days,The headphones arrived almost fully charged, Set up was relatively easy, but you really do need to use their app to complete the set up process. The app also allows you to change some settings and select equalizer settings that work for you.The switches have a nice feel to them. They do have raised areas designed to help you find the correct switch by feel. There are times however when I find that it is easier to adjust the volume using the phone or I remove the headphone to make a change. This is a very subjective items so you may not have the same issue. No stars were deducted for that reason.These are an on ear device. It was not uncomfortable to me, but it did take some getting used to and here again…Personal preference comes into play. On a warm and humid day you may experience some sweating where the ear cup rides on your ear. That may allow for some movement / shifting of the headphone depending on what you are doing. They may thus not work out well for use doing exercising as an example.The sound quality is great at this price point. I have Bose ear buds. The sound from this device is not Bose quality and you should not expect it to be Bose quality. It is good to very good however. The equalizer settings allow you to control all five typical equalizer settings PLUS a separate adjustment for th4 bass.Paring was easy and fast. The connection remains stable most of the time. There is a selection that allows you to select either top quality sound or a more stable connection. I chose sound quality an the vast majority of the time the connection was stable with no noise present. There may be times however, that due to local conditions / interference you may have a little popping or very brief drop out. I have worn these headphones a LOT since they arrived and while I have experienced that, it was very limited. Now I also have a lot of electric / electronic devices in use on my property and that will may explain what I experienced. I did have some interference from some household devices when I wass very close to them.The battery life seems to be very good. I have worn m for several hours and the voice system still indicates 100% at startup. Unlike my Bose products the battery monitoring system is not linear where it will call out 100%, 90%, 80%b etc… It may call out 100% until the battery hits 50% (As an example) and then te voice system will drop from stating 100% to 50%. I do not see that as an issue or negative given the very long stated by the manufacturer battery life, and I have no disagreement with their claims about battery life aty this point in time,So again…Thus far I am very pleased with the fit, quality, and sound quality of these headphones. Do bed aware that tey are NOT noise cancelling. There will be some outside noise reduction dur to the ear cups of course.

   276 people found this helpful
3. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   gd – 06/09/2025

   5.0 out of 5 stars

   Good headphones with great charge. But the pink is actually purple!

   I don’t really care much about sound quality and I’m hardly a headphone aficionado, just needed something for those situations where you can’t blast stuff through your phone speakers.Design: They don’t go over the ear, and they’re not very sound canceling. I personally prefer it that way because I want to know what’s going on around me. They don’t make my head hurt like other headphones do when they’re on my head for a long time. They’re lightweight, but they feel a little like they’re easy to snap in half. I would definitely recommend getting a case for them for this reason. I would never throw these in a bag on their own, but I personally just travel with them around my neck. The ear parts have a very soft cushion and they swivel for easy storage in a case.Sound Quality: The sound is pretty clear, and the headphones come with an app where you can mess around with the settings/equalizer. Again, I don’t care much about that stuff so I didn’t get the app, but some people might like it. Also, these can get LOUD. Sometimes i just have them around my neck and use them as a speaker.Battery: That’s the star of the show for me. It’s crazy how long these last.One criticism is that I ordered the pink, which is actually a pastel purple in real life. Though that is of great importance to me because I love pink, it’s not enough to remove a star because this is inconsequential to most other people lol!Another thing is that they didn’t come with a case, which for the full price I’d expect at least a cheap little case for storage since they’re so lightweight and since they seem fragile. But I snagged these for damn near half off so I don’t care!

   7 people found this helpful
4. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Alli Mosley – 06/09/2025

   4.0 out of 5 stars

   Good quality and sound, but small.

   A bit small, works well with my Fire tablet, iPad Pro Max, and iPhone, but I got it to sync with my new Vizio TV, which it won’t do. It’s a good headphone, quality is good, and it’s a good price, but as I mentioned first, it’s small. I’ll keep them, but will need to find a compatible headphone for the tv.

   2 people found this helpful
5. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Marc – 06/09/2025

   5.0 out of 5 stars

   Can’t go wrong with Sony.

   Didn’t know what to expect because of such a low price but these are a 10/10 for me. The battery life is amazing, the sound quality is great even though there is no noise cancellation & I love how lightweight they are. Highly recommend these for anyone!

   3 people found this helpful
6. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Maxine – 06/09/2025

   5.0 out of 5 stars

   Need (free) app, but the headphones are great

   Sound quality is great. To use the headphones, you have to get an app, but you’re able to connect to multiple devices at once so that’s pretty nice. Easy to set up. I have the headphones set up with my phone and computer at the moment. For the price, they seem pretty durable. I ordered the pink version of these headphones but they look slightly purple to me. The headphones are comfortable and come with a very short Type C charger.

   3 people found this helpful
7. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Allie – 06/09/2025

   5.0 out of 5 stars

   The best choice for affordable headphones!

   I’ve had these headphones for about 4 months now, and I’m really impressed with their quality for the price. They’re not marketed as noise-cancelling, but they still do a really good job of it; if I’m listening to music I can hear almost no background noise at all. The sound quality is great. They hold a charge for SUCH a long time. I don’t use them every day, but still pretty often, and I have to charge them maybe once a month. I don’t own any expensive headphones so I don’t really have anything fancier to compare them to, but I’m really impressed with how sturdy they are and how well they work for the price!

   9 people found this helpful
8. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   ivvv – 06/09/2025

   4.0 out of 5 stars

   Great Headphones but..

   1 YEAR LATER UPDATE (Sept 21, 2024): Ok so I said in my last update that was going to be my last, but seeing how a year has passed, I thought maybe someone out there may find it useful and are curious as to how these are holding up so here I am back at it again: Yes the headphones still work, no issues with battery, Bluetooth, turning it on, etc… Everything still works wonders. The padding on the headphones haven’t flaked off. No weird crackling sounds from audio, still crispy and clear. Mic still works. The white version hasn’t turned yellow or any sort of weird color, still looks brand new. I haven’t ran into any issues with these. They haven’t randomly shut off or stopped working. I haven’t had problems with the headphones wearing down or pieces breaking off. Everything is still intact like when I first got it. My final thoughts? Honestly, I’m still a proud owner of these headphones. I don’t regret buying these. They are well worth every penny spent. They have saved me and spared my wallet many trips at constantly trying to replace my wired earbuds hehe :)UPDATE (Dec 10, 2023): This is going to be my last update probably, but I finally got around to testing the calling feature accidentally and it works great. Friend was able to hear me clearly and loudly while I was walking around crowded areas and I didn’t have to talk so loudly when calling. My talking volume was like when you talk to a friend that’s right beside you. Kind of like loud whispering haha, had no problems connecting the headphones to the call at all either, super easy process :)UPDATE (Nov 22, 2023): For those wondering, nearing the 1st-2nd week of October the battery finally went down to 75% and than later it went down to 50% so the battery did in fact last for a month (maybe even longer if I didn’t charge it). I used it for a couple hours (1-3hrs) between classes, though I didn’t use these headphones everyday so that may be why it lasted for a month. The app connected with the headphones works great and bluetooth still works fine, no random disconnects. I still agree with everything I said in my previous update!UPDATE (Sept 30, 2023): So it’s been about a month of usage and the battery life is absolutely insane. I haven’t charged it since the day I got it (Sept 4, 2023) and it’s been a blast. These headphones are pretty durable. I can confidently throw them in my bookbag and not have to worry it might get damaged. I also don’t have any issues with the headphones getting dirty easily (specifically the white version) if that’s a concern you may have. Sound leaking is still apparent, I always have to be conscious about my volume being too high or not in a quiet room which is still something I can’t get used to. I noticed the more I used the headphones, the less tension it caused for my ears and the more my ears started to adjust to them. I think at first your ears may feel tight, but after awhile it kinda gets used to it and hurts less, at least, that’s how it was for me. Headphones are still going strong and still look brand new. 100% would recommendORIGINAL REVIEW (Sept 4, 2023):To address the other reviews I’ve been seeing, here’s what I’ve come to terms with:WHAT I LIKED:- Very sleek and minimalist. I live for the design, I think it’s a great and very aesthetically pleasing.- You have the option of changing the EQ setting (I changed it so bass can be more and they sound great even without tweaking the settings. Big fan of this feature as this is my first time ever being able to control the EQ settings)- Connects easily once you get through the app process + Bluetooth connection is pretty good, doesn’t disconnect randomly.- Sound is good for me. Not very headphone savvy, but I can feel the beat of my music and that’s always an A in my books.- Good PASSIVE noise cancelling, these definitely aren’t active noise cancelling, but the padding does make your surroundings a little bit muffled so you don’t hear as much. Which is fine with me since I’m planning to go to school with these and need to hear my surroundings most of the time.- Doesn’t bother my earrings, don’t even notice they’re there.- Good battery life, nothing to complain about. Works throughout the day and can usually take on a few more days, which I find to be pretty impressive.- like that it’s lightweight, I can put it around my neck without it being bothersome for long periods of time and while walking with them on, I don’t feel like there’s a weight on my head.WHAT I NOTICED/OTHERS MAY FIND BOTHERSOME:- In terms of sound leaking, these DO leak. they leak if you go past 50% or higher. This isn’t an issue for me since the sound is already pretty loud at 20-30%, but considering those who love to blast music, it may be an issue.- hurts your ears when wearing it for too long.- these do NOT fold. Might be kind of inconvenient if you want to travel a lot with these, though, there are cases to store these specific headphones so it might not be so much of a problem for some.- the volume up/down and pause buttons are hard to differentiate between. They all kinda feel the same when wearing the headphones and although it’s not a big deal to me, it could be inconvenient and frustrating to others.Haven’t tested out connecting w/ 2 devices at the same time, but the things I said above were the things I noticed when I first unboxed and tested them. In my opinion, I think these are great, they work for me, and I like them. Gave it a 4 stars due to all the factors I noticed that may be a hindrance to myself and/or others when wearing these headphones. Otherwise, I think these headphones are worth a try. 9/10 for me

   780 people found this helpful
9. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Kevin ChoiKevin Choi – 06/09/2025

   5.0 out of 5 stars

   Solid performer all around for the price with a timeless design

   These are great headphones for this price, and they can often be found at a discount. I’ve used them extensively for the past few months and they have gotten better over time.COMFORT:Initially, they were a bit stiff and uncomfortable, especially the ear pads. They would make my ears a bit sore after an hour or two of use. After a few months, the ear pads and headband have softened up and they feel much more comfortable. I can wear them all day and not feel a thing. They somehow feel more comfortable than my Sony WH1000XM4’s which are $300 premium noise cancelling headphones. The XM4s make my ears very hot and the top headband hurts the top of my head after a while. These WH-CH520s keep my ears cooler by virtue of them being on-ear rather than over-ear, as well as staying comfortable on my head all day due to their light weight.SOUND QUALITY:The sound quality on these is great for the price and size of the drivers. Out of the box with no EQ I’d describe the overall sound as being slightly warm but very accurate. They have a slight V-shape Harmann Curve sound profile, with very clear and present mids. The bass is clear and pretty clean without being too thumpy; not the quickest bass response I’ve heard though. The trebles are a bit recessed but pleasant on the ear. However, you can boost the treble up with EQ in the Sony Headphones app at 6.3K Hz by a few dB to get more detail. These are definitely geared towards general consumer use with a very slightly sound profile perfect for pop, rap, rock, edm, indie, podcasts, etc. However, I was surprised to find that the bass is very tame and accurate, and the mids are crystal clear and sit perfectly in the mix. At this price-point and target consumer I was expecting these to be very boomy and washed out sounding, but they are actually very balanced and accurate. They really shine in vocals, voices always sound very forward and detailed. In terms of sound stage, they’re a clear step above any in-ear headphones, but they aren’t as wide as a typical over-ear headphones, which is to be expected. Imaging is great and accurate, they do a great job accurately placing all of the instruments in a stereo mix. Overall the sound on these pleasantly surprised me and definitely punch way above their weight class for the price. They sound as detailed and accurate as $100 headphones. If you’re looking for something very “neutral,” these are your headphones. But with the EQ provided in Sony’s Headphone app, you can theoretically have these sound almost exactly how you want.BATTERY LIFE:Battery life on these is amazing. They can last me around 4-5 days with around 7-8 hours of use each day. I use them nearly all day during work. They charge really quickly too, which is great.FUNCTIONS:They have a standard pause/play/skip/answer/hang-up middle button, as well as volume up and down buttons. You can skip and rewind by holding the volume buttons.They can also be paired with Sony’s headphone app which allows you to change the EQ settings for these and have them sound how you want. There aren’t a ton of sliders for the EQ, but enough for most people to customize their sound to their liking. There’s also a fun custom EQ feature in the app that asks you to pick your favorite sound profile from various examples and builds you a custom EQ profile based on your taste.The microphone on these are pretty good for headphones. They sound better than average in terms of headphone mics, but they don’t sound nearly as good as the iPhone 15’s built-in microphone. But if you need these for a quick phone call or video call, they work great. They can’t fold up in any way but the ear cups can swivel up. So if you take them off your head and swivel them to hang around your neck, the ear pads will face up; which isn’t good nor bad, just something to keep in mind.EXERCISE:If you’re the type to use headphones rather than earphones when exercising, these would probably suffice. They are breathable and lightweight, while also having a decent clamping force to stay on your head. If i shake my head vigorously though, they inevitably fall off. The earpads are a faux-leather so they’re very easy to wipe off and clean. Although, I’m typically the type of person to use earphones while exercising. The most extensive exercise I’ve done with these headphones is skateboard with them, but as soon as I start jumping around to do any tricks, they start to slide off my head. They should do fine with typical gym exercises movements though, they won’t slide off if you’re looking down.NOISE CANCELLATION:In terms of noise cancellation, they are decent. They obviously don’t have any active noise cancelling features, but passively, they block a bit of noise, maybe 10-12 dB or so. They aren’t going to blow your mind though in terms of noise cancellation. However, if you have music playing at around 40-50% volume, they block out a considerable amount of outside noise like most headphones do. I can walk through busy downtown streets with these and not hear much at all if I have music going. They’ll definitely block out a considerable amount of noise in an office, cafe, train ride, etc. so long as you’re actually listening to something.BUILD QUALITY:These headphones are built surprisingly well. The materials are obviously cheap, but they don’t feel like it. The plastic is lightweight, but solid at the same time. The earpads and headband padding are both the same faux-leather, which is a bit stiff at first but softens up over time. The padding feels like it will last a long time simply because of its synthetic nature.DESIGN:Taste in the way these are designed is obviously subjective, but I think these look great. They have a modern, but more timeless design. They don’t look super retro, but they don’t look super modern either. They just look like clean, standard headphones that will look great for years. I love how the Sony logo is faintly placed on one side of the headband. It’s there, but not obnoxious.

   332 people found this helpful

   

10. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    SaraSara – 06/09/2025

    4.0 out of 5 stars

    A solid pick

    I bought these for a bargain price. My Sony MDR-XB650BTs kept breaking (and while I adore the sound on those they kept going up in price). Knowing Sony’s sound quality to be good, I looked for another pair of Sony bluetooth headphones and stumbled upon these for an incredible sub $50 bargain.I apologize in advance for the constant comparison to MDR-XB650BT in my review. I’m no headphone afficiando, but the only fully experienced reference point I have to compare these to are the MDR-XB650BT which I bought these to replace.MATERIALOn the WH-CH520, the material of the pads appear to be made of synthetic leather. The issue with this is that this material absorbs moisture (oils and sweat) and wears down the fabric over time causing pilling and eventually tearing of the fabric, leaving your ear pads with a spongy hernia.Unfortunately I wasn’t aware of this until only recently and had this happen to multiple MDR-XB650BT ear pads, but I took preventative measures for my WH-CH520 by purchasing a pair of silicone ear pad covers like another reviwer had mentioned to protect them from degrading.Despite the headphones being lightweight and made of plastic they feel sturdy at the same time. They feel less fragile than the MDR-XB650BT which is definitely a plus but I haven’t had them for long enough to talk about the build quality and how long you can expect them to last. By handling them I get this feeling they’re pretty durable. The only thing I find I might be concerned about over time is the swivel.FIT AND DESIGNI have a small head and these fit me fine. The headphones are worn on-ear. They’re a snug fit but can become uncomfortable after about an hour but that’s usually because I wear them tight but I can loosen them when I please. Because of how round the design is there’s a bit of space between my head and headband when it connects to the earpeices which can look kinda goofy (see pic) but it’s nothing major and has no bearing on what I’m looking for in headphones. The good news is because of this gap you can probably wear them comfortably with glasses. The actual ear pads a little small compared to other headphones.I really enjoy the design. The WH-CH520 are minimalist, streamlined, and the matte is charming.SOUND AND SOUND QUALITYBottom line: It’s good.In comparison to other cheaply priced headphones I’ve had the experiences of trying (but not owning myself), the sound quality is good. It’s not stellar but it’s definitely good for the price.One thing that bugs me is the depth of the sound dynamics. In the app, you’re able to adjust and set your own custom EQ settings but the sound quality is slightly boxy or stuffy. I’ve tried a ton of different settings adjustments in the app’s equalizer with it and I experiment with different songs to see which settings holds up between songs, but there’s still a baseline emphasis on lower-mid frequencies in this sound of these.The EQ setting that I find sounds best ends up just being the flat default with bass turned up and 400Hz slightly cut. I do wish the equalizer options in the app were more granular.Overall I find that the WH-CH520 has less of a dynamic range than the MDR-XB650BT. An analogy to this are “blackest blacks” and “whitest whites” on a screen with a dynamic range monitor. In terms of sound this is loudness and quietness in instruments which create a feeling of depth in the music. With the WH-CH520 the actual balance of the volume of the instruments are a bit muddled compared to the MDR-XB650BT.Their noise isolation leaves something to be desired but it’s better than nothing.It’s not the end of the world and I would still recommend these for the price. When you can adjust it right to work around the low-mid oddity it’s actually pretty good.Also, everyone hears things differently and I’m quite sensitive to subleties in sound so take what I’m saying with a grain of salt if you’re not as sensitive.BATTERY LIFEI haven’t even charged them out of the box yet after using them nearly every day and they’re only at 50% battery life. Phenomenal. That’s all there really is to say.FEATURESThere’s a minor feature of these headphones that bug me. At least pairing it with my iPhone, the volume control on these is tied directly to the volume of your phone. If you click the volume up button on the headset, that’s going to use your phone’s volume. The MDR-XB650BT has a separate sound adjustment from your device. Unlike the MDR-XB650BT, with the WH-CH520 you can’t further increase the volume on your headset if the volume of the song on your phone is a tad quiet. This takes away a bit of listener flexibility.As other people have stated, the buttons are difficult to distinguish by finger.The MDR-XB650BT that I’m used to has a button that sticks out between the volume controls where you can press it inward to pause/resume the music or flick the button forward or backward to change the song in a playlist.The WH-CH520’s buttons are flat which makes it harder to distinguish and it does not have that controllability from the headset. You can pause and resume your music with the middle button (which you might mistake for the volume buttons unfortunately) but if you want to change your song to the next or previous, you’ll have to do it on your device.Despite all the negative things I have said, these points are all relative. In a vacuum, these headphones are great for the price especially if you just need a set of headphones that can get the job done while sounding pretty good. You’re probably gonna get more than you expect for the price.

    122 people found this helpful