Sony WF-C500

The compact in-ear offers a clear backdrop, which, however, shows weaknesses in the lower frequencies. For this price range, however, this is bearable.

If you can do without noise-cancelling and app bells and whistles, you'll be happy with the WFC500. They deliver the best price-performance ratio in the test and, together with the Elite 3, the best sound in this price range. Wearing comfort and operation are also pleasing.

The Bluetooth headphone test provides results for 240 headphones with and without earpieces. Which ones sound strong, have good batteries and no harmful substances. New in Stiftung Warentest's headphone comparison: 26 current in-ear and boom headphones. Among them are models from Apple, JBL, Samsung and Sennheiser...

The Sony WF-C500 are offered at an interesting market price and come in fresh colours. The app is extensive in terms of features, which may be a little overwhelming for some less technically minded users. The compatibility with 360 Reality Audio is a nice additional feature, but the fact that this feature is only available with some streaming services and then only in a limited selection of available...

The battery life without charging cradle is probably the best feature of the C500, which helps the final consideration. They are perfectly acceptable headphones for this price. Overall, however, the verdict is similar to that of the Oppo Enco Air: if you can expect such an increase in performance for 20 to 25 francs more (Enco 2, FreeBuds 4), then you should seriously consider it.