These budget Sony earbuds sound way better than the price suggests

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• The Sony WF-C510 earbuds are available now on Amazon for $60.
• These earbuds produce astonishingly good sound at a budget-friendly price.
• I had trouble getting the sound cranked to a decent volume on Android, but on MacOS all was headbangingly brilliant.

Back in the 80s, you’d have to have taken my Sony headphones out of my cold, dead hands. Throughout undergrad, those headphones pretty much lived on my head. In my student ID photo, you could see them hanging around my neck, ready to pump the glorious sound of Rush, The Fixx, The Tubes, Human League, or any other wonderful band from the era.

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Yeah… I was that guy.

What can I say, I love high-quality sound.

So, when a Sony PR rep asked if I’d like to review their new WF-C510 wireless earbuds, you know I jumped all over it. When I saw the price point for the new earbuds, I had hopes there’d be a new favorite for cost-effective, quality sound.

My hopes were not dashed.

The specs

• 6 mm drivers
• Type – closed
• Frequency response – 20 Hz – 20,000 Hz (44.1 kHz sampling)
• Bluetooth 5.3 with support for SBC and AAC codecs and an effective range of 32.81 ft.
• Battery life – up to 11 hours from a full charge with an extra full charge from the case. With a 5-minute charge, you get 1 hour of playback.
• Ambient Sound Mode
• Built-in microphone for calls
• IPX4 water resistance
• DSEE (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine – more on this in a bit)
• Price – $60 on Amazon

Also: I gave these $79 headphones a second chance, and they surprised me in the best way

My experience

It’s always pleasant when you take out a pair of Bluetooth earbuds and your Pixel phone automatically detects and pairs with them. For those who’ve never experienced this, it simplifies the process and guarantees the connection without having to fiddle with Connected Devices (which isn’t all that challenging to begin with).

Once connected, I decided (in honor of my 80s self) to enjoy music from the era. I fired up Spotify, searched for The Tubes, and played “Talk To Ya Later.” Immediately, I was reminded of that sweet sound from those headphones from my past, only with even more clarity and crispness.

The first thing I noticed was the volume level, which was fairly low. I cranked the Android volume all the way to 100% and the volume of the earbuds was okay, but not nearly as loud as I might normally enjoy. No matter what I did, I couldn’t get the volume to reach “headbanging” levels. Not everyone will be concerned with that, as the earbuds do produce plenty of sound, but on some devices, you’ll need to crank the phone volume up to 100%. 

Also: I listened to wireless earbuds with xMEMs drivers and they’ve set a new standard for me

On a whim, I connected the earbuds to my MacBook Pro, and that made all the difference in the world. I could crank the volume up and hear all that glorious Sony sound. In fact, the earbuds produced even better sound from my MacBook than they did on Android, even without the Sony app. There was more punch at the low end and cleaner highs. 

When I compared the sound of the C510s on Android with DSEE enabled (from the Sony app) and straight out of the MacBook Pro, there was no comparison… the MacBook wins, hands down. I ran through most of The Tube’s discography and felt transported back to that magical period called the 80s. Crank the sound above 50% and the bass really shines. This may sound crazy, but I’d put these $59 headphones up against my favorite Denon PerL Pros (which sell for around $280 on Amazon).

I tapped play for “The Monkey Time” and the sound of one of my first 80s crushes (Martha Davis, from the Motels) was just glorious.

With Martha Davis in mind, I cranked up “Only The Lonely,” which never fails to grab me by the heart and remind me that music can transport you to other places and times. The C510’s brought the Motels sound into the modern era with a perfect blend of lows, mids, and highs, and an impressive soundstage for such small earbuds. 

Also: The best earbuds for audiophiles I’ve tested aren’t by Sony or Bose

The next song was “Human,” by Human League, which never fails to remind me that I am an artist to my core. The opening bars immediately informed me that these earbuds would bring this song to life and pull at my heartstrings like a tug-of-war with the gods. The sound was rich, deep, and emotional.

I love it.

Instead of going back to using these earbuds on Android, I continued my testing on the MacBook Pro. In spite of not having the Sony app, these earbuds shine in ways I did not think possible at this price. But then, this is Sony, so it really should be no surprise. The company knows sound.

ZDNET’s buying advice

If you want a pair of brilliant-sounding headphones that deliver a classic (yet up-to-date) sound, you will not find a better pair for less than $70 than the Sony WF-C510. I’ve tested so many earbuds and headphones over the years and I simply cannot remember a pair that produced such clarity, dimension, and richness at such an affordable price. 

These earbuds are about as “no-brainer” as you can get. If you want expensive sound at an inexpensive price, these are the earbuds to buy. Period. And if I’m wrong, I’m only human, so I’ll talk to ya later.

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