Customer Ratings & Reviews

While the XM line of headphones are top tier, they carry an exorbitant price. The CH350 is a budget friendly pair of headphones that has terrific sound that will satisfy most everyone’s needs. Not to mention the fun colors you can get. IN THE BOX Sony does a pretty good job of minimal packaging. You get the headphones and that’s it. Part of me wishes it came with a cable, but let’s be honest, at this point we should all have lots of charging cables. SETUP I use a Google Pixel phone. I’m confident the setup is similar for iPhones and other Android devices; but it was dead simple as most every Bluetooth headphones/earbuds.. I turn it on, and my phone instantly connects. Of course, it asks me to download the Sony Connect app (which I already had). But it’s not necessary. It just gives you a little more control (see below about the app). DESIGN Admittedly, the headphones feel “cheap.” They’re made of plastic and are ridiculously light. There’s cushions on the headband as well as the ear cups. They don’t go around your ear, but rest on them. There’s three tactile buttons on the right ear cup - a big plus as they’re easy to locate with your fingers. There’s obviously a USB-C charging port on the right ear cup as well. There’s convenient lettering in the inside of the ear cup so you know which way to wear them. Not truly necessary - you know the ear cup with the buttons goes on the right, but a nice touch.I love the colors, they bring a little character and charm to otherwise blah black colored headphones. Mine was the mint green which I really like. The headphones, while small, do not fold up. I didn’t find that to be too big of an issue, but I’m always worried about stuffing them in a bag -simply because they feel cheap. The earcups themselves rotate and flex to provide some type of contour fit to your head. COMFORT Oddly, I find these comfortable to wear - in other words, I don’t really feel them or have fatigue - but when I take them off, my ears feel a tad sore. See, these earcups sit on your ears and don’t cover them in their entirety. I’m used to ear buds and/or large noise cancelling headphones where the earcups wrap around my ears in their entirety. For pure comfort, I prefer over the ear and/or earbuds. SOUND QUALITY First, these do not have active noise cancellation. In most headphones with ANC you can turn it on and off. Not here. It relies on seal. So long as they’re sitting on my ears, I really can’t hear much. Granted, I’m not wearing them out in a busy/noisy city. But testing them around my house, I couldn’t hear people talking to me - I could hear a little voice, but couldn’t make out the words. In my office, it blocks most noise out, and I can barely notice my mechanical, clicky keyboard. The sound quality is superb and the reason I would recommend these. Of course this is somewhat dependent on the person and is subjective, but for the casual user, you’ll find these to be really good. It has a nice amount of bass with clean vocals. There’s a lot of details when listening to rock bands and classical music (which I listen to when working) sounds crystal clear. Sound quality on phone calls is a little worse. When making calls, everything sounds good on my end, but the other person said my sound was a little muted. BATTERY LIFE The battery life is pretty solid. It’s rated for 50 hours. I’ve been using mine primarily at the office for the past week and the battery is still at 90%. It has a quick charge feature whereby a few minutes’ charge gets you about 1.5 hours of battery which is convenient. SONY CONNECT APP The app isn’t necessary and it’s light on features. About the only thing you can do is adjust the EQ - which some people like others may not care. The only gripe I had with the app is that it kept telling me there was a firmware update but I could not figure out how to install it. I wasn’t sure if it was a bug or not. But the headset works fine, firmware update or not. CONCLUSION These headphones are a terrific budget option. It has a few limitations which are understandable given the price range; including the inability to fold, there’s no wired connection (which I would prefer to use on my PS Portal and Switch 2), can be uncomfortable to some over long periods. But the sound quality more than makes up for it.

First impression out of the box is WOW! these are SO LIGHT! My scale shows them at 5.3oz, about 150g. I almost don’t know I have them on. I like that the ear cups fold flat so they don’t take up much room in a backpack. Since these are an on ear style headphone the ear cushions are especially important and these are PLUSH. They are very comfortable to wear for hours. I wear a 2XL hat and I was able to adjust these to fit with room to spare. That’s unusual for me, normally I have to run the adjustment to the max and the headband pad is tight on my head. No so with these, they sit lightly on my noggin which I appreciate. I had to search up what LE Audio is. I had heard of Bluetooth LE but LE Audio is different. According to the Bluetooth Special Interest Group website, LE Audio provides “improved audio quality, reduced power consumption and improved interoperability.” Which is what allows these headphones to sound amazing and claim a battery life of 55 hours. I’ve been using them for hours every day on the initial charge from when I received them and they still show 90% charge in the Sony Sound Connect app. These headphones support 360 Reality Audio but that can only be used if you are using an app that supports 360 Reality Audio. There is a sound sample in the Sony app to allow you to listen to what it does for the music. The app allows you access to the Bluetooth connection method, it’s set to Bluetooth Classic by default but you can enable Bluetooth LE Audio for devices that support it. The app also allows you to access the EQ settings, there are seven presets and two you can customize to your taste. In the app you can also set up auto switching between the headphones and a compatible Bluetooth speaker, enable DSEE which upscales compressed audio tracks for better sound, or set a max audio level to protect your hearing from undesired loud sounds. Very nice headphones, amazing value, highly recommend!

The Sony WH-CH530 is Sony’s latest wireless budget model as contrasted to its premium siblings namely the XM series. But don’t let the budget label fool you. This review is to show that this model can actually deliver. First being a budget model, there are things that are expected from being a budget model. As such, this model is minimalistic that it has only a brief quickstart guide which is expected. But more so, it did not include a USB-C cable. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting that. The norm nowadays is not to include a charger, but not to include a cable is new to me. But really that is not much of a big deal to me. Build quality as expected to be at par with the XM or XB series which I both have. It is more aligned with the wired ZX series which I used to have. Like the ZX series the build is plasticky and has a firm grip. The ear cushions tend to strain your ears after extended use unlike its premium siblings. The CH530’s major selling point is that it boasts of a 55H battery life. It’s predecessor the CH520 has a 50H battery life. My unit came with a 60% charge and I’ve been using it daily for a week now and I am still at 30% battery life. I am so far impressed. As for the sound quality, this model can compete with the premium models sans the noise cancelling feature. But do note the XB series which means extra bass, of course is different but it can compete with the XM series. It’s sound features are similar to the other models and since I have two older Sony headphones, customization such as settings for 360 audio is already setup. Hence, it’s comparable sound wise. It has the same BT connectivity and clear voice calls plus integration with Google. It’s practically the same and again without the noise cancellation feature. Overall, this is a value for money headset. And unlike the other premium models, this comes in four colors, black, cobalt, pink and white. This model is a performer!

This Sony Bluetooth Headphone is lightweight and very compact. The on-ear headphones are comfortable and offer up to 55 hours of battery life. Also, the headphones have built-in microphone and iPhone users can be used the headphones to interact with Siri. Build-quality is actually great for entry-level headphones; everything just feels solid and worthy of Sony’s big name. The headphones use Bluetooth LE, which makes the headphones easy to connect with our devices while conserving the power when not in use. The headphones also support 360 audio, which is a fun feature to use. Music listening As an entry-level headphone and being an audio enthusiast, the sound quality is good but not great. It lacks dynamics and audio quality that much higher price headphones can offer. But to be fair, I don’t expect these entry-level headphones to exceed my expectations in terms of audio performance. Podcasts and Movies This is where the headphones shine. Dialogue and spoken voices sound clear. With such a long battery life, these headphones are great for traveling. Watching a couple of movies on a long flight would be great with these headphones. Conclusion These headphones are clearly designed for the budget conscious market and Sony has done a pretty good job. Audio performance for music listening is good but not great. Podcasts sound very good and the headphones are very comfortable to use for watching full length movie. Bearing in mind that these headphones are designed as an entry-level, these headphones are actually great. Pros: Lightweight Comfortable to use Long battery life Bluetooth LE Cons: Audio performance for pure music listening

Very nice pair of headphones. Thery'e super compact and feel good quality. They were pretty easy to use too. Just charge them (by the way, they only include a type C USB cable, no power adaptor), turn them on and par with your phone via blue toot. My android picked them up as soon as I turned them on, then Sony's app was installed from the Google play store and it was ready to go. The app has great features, like and sound quality restorer for lower quality songs (like heavily compressed mp3 sons). You can also do EQing with it. There is also a feature for spatial sound, were it will take pictures of your ears to father personalized the sound. This is how you would find firmware updates. Once I had them on, they felt super comfy and the earpads just go over my earlobes, on top of them, instead of completely encasing them like regular ones. They are a little tight at first but then the headband becomes ok after a few cycles of putting them on and off. I was surprised at how good, strong and clear is the bass and sub bass are on these, tremendous punch for the small size, that's for sure. The mids and highs were clear and not offensive at all. Its also very versatile as it supports multipairing, so you can have them paired to two devices at the same time. You listen to music on them, while they can be used for phone calls (have an integrated mic), The buttons on them feel good and can be used to change things on the fly, like volume, mute, pause, forward (tracks) etc. They offer good value and are the perfect gift too!

These headphones impressed me with excellent build quality. Although they appear to be all plastic, they seemed quite sturdy. Ear cups can swivel a full 90 degrees. These are “on-ear” type headphones. Blue Tooth connection was straightforward and connecting to both computer and phone went without a hitch. When using the headphones, I found the clamping force somewhat high, and as these are on-ear, became uncomfortable when using for any length of time. Other users may not find that to be the case. For budget headphones, the sound quality was reasonable. Bass was deep but slightly boomy, mid-range had presence. However, the treble seemed a bit recessed. I found the Sony Sound Connect app awkward, and extra added complexity. Some may like the ability to organize playlists, and apps. I did find using the EQ in the app does allow for wide customization / personalizing of sound. And, the 360 degree Reality Audio offers a wider sound field for enhanced listening. Overall impression is that at the price point, these do an adequate job with fairly good sound quality. But even though lightweight headphones, some may find uncomfortable for longer listening time. The Sony app can add functions such as sound level monitoring, EQ, listening history, Discovery, etc. And, these can also be paired directly with other devices such as your laptop for more flexibility. These may be a good fit for those who like on ear headphones. And at the price, sound is good. The Sony app may be a plus for some to organize settings, play lists, and music services.

Sony is refreshing some of its classics. The Sony WH-CH530 is a refresh of its predecessor the Sony WH-CH520. There are some small and meaningful changes that do make it a pretty attractive option. The CH530 are nearly identical to the CH520. I think the design of these are fairly classic which I like. It's a simple design, and as headphones do these days, they go well with any casual street fashion. Sony has included several different colorways so you can be as expressive and daring as you want. Now unfortunately, they do not fold. They actually take up more space than you would think. Most of time, I guess you just keep it around your neck. Now these are intended to be budget headphones so they do save some money with the materials. It is all entirely plastic and yes it does feel cheap. However, it is very lightweight which I actually like. These are also very comfortable to wear. They have just enough clamping force for me with enough cushioning that it creates a good seal without causing excessive fatigue. I actually could wear these headphones for long periods of time. That being said, they are still on-ear headphones so they do cause more fatigue for me than over-ears but they are still one of the more comfortable on-ears that I have used. I don't really have strong feelings about the Sony app but you can use it for the equalizer. You now can set a maximum volume which I absolutely love. I want to hear until I'm 90 so its nice to not be suddenly surprised by loud audio. In terms of connectivity, it is strictly Bluetooth. There is no wired option. I think this was a miss as there still is use for headphone jacks. For air travel especially, the only option is usually a headphone jack. That being said, you probably shouldn't use this on an airplane because while the passive noise cancellation is ok, it definitely is not enough to drown out the air cabin noise. It also certainly does not have active noise cancellation (what do you expect at this price?). Now the most important is the sound. The sound quality is excellent and even more so for the price. There was great clarity and details. The bass can be a bit strong but nothing you can't fix with the equalizer. I think the sound quality is where this headphone will grab a lot of fans. Battery life is also also amazing. I didn't really time to see if it was 55 hours but I absolutely believe it given that I have not charged it since I opened it and it is still going. All in all, these are good budget headphones that have excellent sound. I think they could have included some features that wouldn't have added too much to the final cost but I think for people who just want casual headphones without breaking the bank (and you don't need it for air travel), then these should be on your short list.

These Sony headphones rock! They're on-ear, lightweight, comfortable and the music quality for the price is outstanding. They have great clarity, highs and bass. Although there's no noise cancellation, the earpads do a go job of sealing off outside noise. Use the Sony Sound Connect app to get the most out of what they have to offer. There are five preset equalizer settings or customize the EQ settings. I like the one labeled "Hard" the best, it enhances both bass and treble. You can also connect a 2nd device. I have both my phone and my desktop connected so I can listen to music from my phone or easily switch over to my desktop for gaming or movie watching. Or a second device could be a Bluetooth capable TV. There's a Bluetooth Connection Quality selection on the app to choose Low Latency (LE Audio). LE Audio will sync the audio much more tightly with video/gaming. However, it's a bit of a pain to enable. After you've paired the headphone initially with your phone you have to disconnect, enable LE Audio for the headphones in your phone settings, then go back and re-pair the headphones and set it to LE Audio. The LE Audio will stay enabled unless you pair the headphones to a device that doesn't support LE Audio. There's a DSEE (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine) off/auto option that I also recommend using. It uses algorithms to restore highs lost in compression. The Max Volume Control has five settings in increments of 10% from 30% to 70%. When turned on it prevents the volume from being turned up past the setting selected. I found that for me the 60% setting is perfect. The volume can't be turned up over 60%, but it can always be lowered. You can also take calls with this headset. One thing to note about this is if you have a smartwatch that calls ring through to you may have to go to your phone settings and uncheck Phone Calls for the watch. I had to do this for my Pixel Watch 3, otherwise the calls would not ring on or be answerable on the headset. Call quality just like music quality is excellent. The right earcup has 3 simple buttons for control. Volume Up/Next Track, Play/Pause/On/Off/Pair/Answer/Disconnect Call, Volume down/Previous Track. Battery life is excellent - it's advertised as 55 hours which I haven't approached but I've been listening for somewhere between 5 and 10 hours and the battery level has dropped only 10%. For casual listening these headphones are great. I've really enjoyed listening to my music on them.

The Sony WH-CH530 Wireless Headphones are a good budget-friendly set of headphones for your listening needs. The packaging the headphones come in isn’t the easiest to open. The outer box has a pull tab with an arrow of the direction you’re supposed to pull, but it doesn’t pull the tab and instead just breaks off. It was quite a challenge to open the packaging without tearing up the box. Inside the outer box, there is another inner box. Inside that box are the headphones wrapped in a white cloth-type material and warranty paperwork. I was surprised there was nothing inside the box to charge the headphones. Many devices are no longer including the charging brick, but they will at least include the charging cable. These headphones came with neither one. I had to use my own cables to charge them, which is not a good look. The headphones are rated to get up to 55 hours of battery life, while also being able to take advantage of quick charge. There’s a QR code on the cover of the inner box that takes you to the App Store to download the Sony Sound Connect app. The app had no issues connecting and setting up the headphones. The sound was decent, but as I adjusted the EQ settings within the app, I was able to dial in and get the exact sound I wanted. The headphones have a really good sound with punchy bass. This is most likely due to its DSEE that helps to bring clarity and fullness to your content. The headphones are lightweight and easy to wear. Other features like hands-free calling and listening level controls help make these a good pair of headphones.

The Sony WH-CH530 wireless Over-the-Ear stereo headset will get no complaints from me. Right out of the box, they were already charged enough and therefore did not require time to become fully charged. The pictorial instructions are universally easy to comprehend. Connecting to my Bluetooth device required me to simply press the power button to start the pairing process. The same power button pressed for 2 quickly times activates the Gemini voice activation feature to make calls with voice command. I could not get Gemini to disconnect the call though. I had to physically press the button myself. Receiving calls are automatic, I press my phone and conversation is clear and crisp through the headset. The volume control can also advance the music tracks or go backwards to the previous music track selection. The volume is sufficient for enjoyable listening, and with the Sony Sound Connect app connected, I can use the equalizer to enhance the bass or treble controls. With the Sound Connect app 360 Reality Audio, music can become programmed to produce a live concert effect. The ear pad material is soft enough for comfort, but is a bit small for my big ears. The Sony WH-CH530 wireless Over-the-Ear stereo headset is made for your basic everyday cruising around the city, when time for music is necessary.

These headphones are simple, stylish and perfect for everyday use. Setup is a breeze and charging is super quick and a full charge took less than hour on first use. As with most devices now, there is no charging cable included and it is a standard USB-C charge port. Connection was effortless using the Sony Connect app. The app gives control of the equalizer presets or you can fine tune the sound to your liking. The DSEE sound function provides excellent and realistic music playback. You can also easily set a maximum volume control to protect your hearing or anyone who is wearing like a child. The color is super cool and they are very light. The earmuffs are small, but are comfortable and fit snug. You can also connect two devices at the same time which is convenient. Using outside in a brisk breeze provided excellent sound quality and call quality is top notch. Phone calls are crisp and the mic picks up your voice clearly. The buttons are easy to get to and answer calls, control music and adjust the volume. Battery life is great and you will not have to charge very often. If you are looking for a good looking everyday headphone to use, this will do nicely.

The best feature of these headphones is battery life. With up to 55 hours of advertised battery life. A quick 3-minute charge will give 90 minutes of play time. The headphones are lightweight and easily carried for travel purposes. Connecting to the SONY Sound Connect application was quick and easy. The app allows for customization of the headphones. You can fine tune the CH530 to your own preferences. The built in DSEE restores the high frequency details lost in compression. The built-in microphone allows for hands free calling. You can control the phone’s volume from the ear cup. The CH530 also has multipoint Bluetooth allowing you to connect to two devices and the same time and switch between effortlessly. Overall, I was not impressed with the sound quality during telephone calls, and the other party kept asking me to repeat myself. At this price point there is also no ANC. It felt like I was crushing my head after about 1 hour of wearing the headphones. The earcups are adjustable and stay where you place them. All controls are on the right earcup and easily accessed.