A lot of you will hate me after reading this review, especially those who just bought a new pair of TWS. Your pair of cheap truly wireless earbuds are trash. They slip out of place as you move your head around, experience a lot of signal issues in the form of lost connections, and do not come with proper app support. After a long relationship with my TWS, I am dumping them in favour of the Sony WH-CH250 on-ear wireless headphones. The form factor differences are obvious but I had my own reasons for ditching true wireless earbuds. Here are my thoughts on Sony’s latest budget on-ear wireless headphones.
Last year, I bought a pair of true wireless headphones during an online Diwali sale. Although they were small enough to toss in my pocket, I had some difficulty keeping them in my ears when moving around. The audio quality was not great either. My sole reason to buy them was that they cost me less than Rs 2,000 and nothing else. Then the unthinkable happened. While on an official tour, they stopped working. These were the only earphones I had. That was a pretty miserable experience and I was without headphones when I needed them the most.
Headphones are an integral part of life. I spent a large chunk of my time outdoors. My headphones give me the freedom to enjoy my own company when I am commuting to work, and help me relax when I go for an evening walk. But at the same time, headphones also help me focus on work when I am transcribing an interview or attending calls.Disappointed with low-cost TWS (which obviously was a big mistake I still regret), I had been looking for a new pair of headphones for many months. The Sony WH-CH520 came at the right time. I don’t call myself an audiophile and probably wouldn’t want absolute high-end headphones. I wanted nicely designed wireless headphones that can provide both comfort and performance, but not at a very high cost.One major change that may seem to have upset some users is that the WH-CH250 cannot be folded into themselves for better portability but yes, the cups do swivel. Play/pause and volume control buttons are placed in the cups, along with a power button and the USB Type-C port for charging the headphones. You will also find a built-in microphone and a small LED on the right ear cup.
Listening experience: The WH-CH250 sound fantastic. They sound wonderful. Enrique Iglesias’ “Hero” (a track that instantly boosts your mood), sounded right and well-balanced. I could pick up every instrument clearly and crispiness of the music on the WH-CH250 is surprisingly good. I haven’t heard headphones sounding as vibrant as these at this price point, but then it’s a personal thing. The bass is less boomy, but it can’t be traded for the pure quality that these headphones deliver.I don’t currently have any other on-ear headphones with which I can put them up against but I do have the JBL CLUB950NC, a pair of semi-premium over-the-ear headphones. In comparison to WH-CH250, they sounded flat. I tested Sony’s on-ear headphones with the iPhone 14 and they work just fine with no lag or drop in connection. They also have the ability to switch between two devices.
The Sony Headphones app (Android and iOS) is a great add-on. The app can be used to tweak EQ so that the music sounds exactly how you want it to be. The Sony WH-CH520 supports the SBC and AAC audio formats as well as 360 degrees audio.
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