Sony India introduced the WH-CH520 wireless headphones in the country highlighting its lightweight and compact design, Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity, up to 50 hours of battery life with 3 minutes quick charge support, 30 mm drivers, as well as audio features such as 360 Reality Audio, DSEE (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine), Multipoint connection and more. Here’s what we have to say about the headphones in our Sony WH-CH520 wireless headphones review.
Sony WH-CH520 Specifications & Features
- Model: WH-CH520
- Headphone Type: Closed Back
- Driver Unit: 30 mm drivers
- Frequency Response Range: 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz (44.1 KHz sampling)
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.2, 2.4 GHz band, USB Type-C
- Wireless Range: 10 meters
- Bluetooth Codec Support: SBC, AAC
- Protection: N/A
- Features: 360 Reality Audio, DSEE (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine), Multipoint connection, Google Fast Pair, Swift Pair, Dolby Atmos and 360 Spatial Sound via BRAVIA XR and Wireless Transmitter WLA-NS7, dedicated volume control, voice control, custom EQ via Headphones Connect app
- Design Features: Swivel earcups, compact & lightweight, recycled plastic materials, zero environmental footprint
- Battery & Charging: up to 50 hours of battery life (continuous communication), up to 200 hours of battery life (waiting time), 1.5 hours listening time in 3 minutes of quick charge, 3 hours of charging time, USB Type-C charging
- Weight: 147 grams
- Colors: Blue, Black, Beige, White
- Price: ₹4,490
- Availability: Available on Sony Center, Sony Exclusive, official ShopatSC, major electronic stores, Flipkart, Amazon India, and popular e-commerce websites
- Offers: N/A
Design, Build Quality, & Ergonomics
In terms of design, the Sony WH-CH520 uses a swivel earcup design with a closed-back type and over-the-head style headphones. It’s highly compact and light in weight and is made with recycled plastic materials. Sony ensures that the product has zero environmental footprint.
The design is refined and polished and also appears to be fairly good for the price but is also less likely premium compared to the metallic designed headphones. The Sony WH-CH520 wireless headphones come in four color options – Black, Blue, Beige, and While. We got the Blue color as you can see in the images below.
On the right earcup, you can see buttons, ports, and indicators – you get dedicated volume buttons, a power button that doubles as voice control, an LED power indicator, a USB Type-C port for charging, and a microphone. The headband can be extended to adjust the size of your head and can also be folded for easy travel use.
Features & Audio Performance
The Sony WH-CH520 uses a closed-type design with 30 mm drivers which is decent enough to deliver high-quality sound. The sound quality of the headphones is loud and clear with fair bass, however, the sound enhancements can improve the overall audio quality.
Features such as 360 Reality Audio, DSEE (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine), and custom EQ via the Headphones Connect app are helpful if you want to enhance the sound quality. Other features such as Dolby Atmos and 360 Spatial Sound via BRAVIA XR and Wireless Transmitter WLA-NS7 are available. Sony’s audio products are also popular for features such as DSEE Extreme, DSEE HX, S-Master HX, 360 Reality Audio, and Ambient Sound Mode. Unlike the TWS earbuds, it doesn’t come with additional features like ANC (Active Noise Cancellation).
The Sony WH-CH520 wireless headphones connect via Bluetooth 5.2 and support Multipoint connection, and Google Fast Pair/Swift Pair which means you can connect the headphones to two different devices at once. It also supports dedicated volume controls, as well as uses the voice control button (power button) to speak with Alexa and Google Assistant. The Headphones Connect app also allows you to update the firmware as well as use the additional features via an interface on your smartphone.
Battery Runtime & Charging
On the battery and charging side, the Sony WH-CH520 comes with a built-in rechargeable battery that lasts up to 50 hours on continuous usage (also up to 200 hours of waiting time). If it runs low on battery, you can also do a 3-minute quick charge to get 1.5 hours of listening time which is great. It supports USB Type-C charging which comes bundled in the box and it takes about 3 hours to charge the battery completely from 0% to 100%.
From our experience, the 50-hour battery is long enough for an average user who uses a typical wireless headphones which makes the Sony WH-CH520 on the brighter side in terms of battery life. The 50 hours of runtime is surprisingly good, if used 3-4 hours a day, the headphones can easily last more than 12 to 15 days on a single full charge, although the battery life may vary depending on how frequently it’s used and what volume levels are set.
Verdict – Sony WH-CH520 Wireless Headphones Review
The Sony WH-CH520 wireless headphones are compact, travel-friendly, it’s extremely light in weight, and easy to carry. It also offers an impressive battery life of up to 50 hours and a 3-minute quick charge. The headphones can deliver a decent sound quality in addition to audio enhancements such as 360 Reality Audio, DSEE (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine), and custom EQ that can be useful to tune the sound. The price for the Sony WH-CH520 wireless headphones is ₹4,490 and is available on Sony Center, Sony Exclusive, official ShopatSC, and major electronic and e-commerce stores.
