Sony WH-CH535 On-Ear Wireless Bluetooth Headphones - Cobalt

Solid performance

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] These headphones are a very comfortable fit, they connect seamlessly to Bluetooth and are simple to operate and use. The sound quality is great and can be adjusted from the accompanying Sony app. Each ear piece is marked with a clearly visible L and R ensuring you wear them the correct way round. The battery life is incredible, I fully charged the headphones when I first got them and still haven’t had to recharge, speaking of which, the only one disappointment was no USB-C charging cable in the box, but I’m sure people who purchase them must have access to one of these.

DentalMental, Widnes, Cheshire

Simple, affordable, well engineered

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Sony WH-CH530 series on-ear headphones My First impression was how light these on-ear headphones are, at just 150g. They resemble a smaller version of the premium Sony MX over-ear range, with a similar adjustable headband cushioned at the apex and flexible ear cups that move in both planes to fit perfectly on the ear. They connect to the same Sony Sound Connect app that the premium range does, with a good deal of functionality included: like an equalizer, options to connect to two devices, connectivity quality, and a media player. They also connect easily via a Bluetooth. There are just three buttons on the right cup: press the outer two for volume or press and hold to move between tracks; use the centre for pause / play or press and hold for the power options. The right cup also has a charging / Bluetooth indicator light, as well as a microphone for calls and a USB C charging port. And what a great idea, if not obvious, to label each cup with an L and R inside. A first-time tutorial shows how to position these on your head, which might seem obvious but it’s good to understand the proposition that these headphones have over the premium versions. When positioned correctly on the ears they feel incredibly comfortable and light, like you could wear them for long periods of time. The sound quality is very good for the price point. I would recommend first finding the type of music you like and heading into the equalizer option to manually adjust the bass and treble, although the presets are useful for a quick setting. I found this improved and widened the sound range. Calls are very clear, both for being heard and hearing the caller. Battey life is fantastic at up to 55 hours, and a quick three min charge will give you 1.5 hours of play. They come in six different colours, feel well built and durable, regardless of the plastic feel. For the budget they are exceptional value for money and without doubt the very best that I have come across for the quality and functionality they provide at that price. Would highly recommend!

DoctorSimon31, East Sussex

Great headset

Bought for holiday excellent battery life & great sound no problems at all

Wayne, 65 or over

Over-Ear & Wireless Headphones

I was sent the headphones by the Sony testers programme. I have found them to be of very high sound quality for me, who has a slight age-related hearing loss, and the volume was set at about a quarter of the maximum. They are a lightweight, comfortable, compact set. I think for the price point, they are a great buy.

WeeMalky992

Good sound, light.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Packaging as always from Sony very immaculate. First impression was bid disappointing after unpacking, as they felt very plasticky and on the cheap side. Hey, but they are relatively cheap. Another point of notice straight away is that they not foldable, but once again, price range!!! For this kind of price my expectation was unreasonable. Still, transporting them you need to take care. The good thing is they very light. One more point I would address is that control buttons too crowded, very easy to press wrong button, you need time to get used to it. Performance, where do I start! After charging them and connecting through Sony Sound Connect app, I was amazed how well they sounded. Battery lasted me all week to go to the work and back on tube and into the next week on single charge. Traveling time is 1 hour a day. Impressive! As I said sound is amazing, well balanced, offering plenty of bass, middle and high frequencies. There is no noise cancelling function, but I still manage to hear music on the tube and on the street quite clearly. You obviously will hear surrounding noise, but I was impressed. Can say the same about having phone call, on both ends we hear each other clearly without any problem. Overall I would recommend them purely for the sound quality, connectivity and price.

egis, London

Great headphones

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Great headphones – really impressed. I’m really pleased with my Sony WH-CH530 headphones. They’re very comfortable to wear, even for longer periods, and don’t feel heavy or uncomfortable. The sound quality is excellent, with rich depth, clear tones and a good balance that makes music, podcasts and videos enjoyable to listen to. They’re also very easy to use, with simple controls and a straightforward setup. The battery life seems very good so far, so I don’t have to worry about charging them constantly. They look stylish and feel well made, giving them a good- quality finish. Overall, they’re a great pair of headphones that offer comfort, impressive sound, ease of use and a good battery life. I’m very happy with them and would definitely recommend them to anyone looking for reliable, good-quality headphones.

Edward C, South Gloucestershire

Surprisingly Good

This was as part of a Sony promotion and I took them even though I wasn't sure I needed them. I am very glad I did as they work very well, are lightweight and allow me to roam all over the house and remain connected to the my laptop something you can't do with a cable. The sound quality is pretty good, almost as good as my Bose headsets, and built in mic means I can move around while on a conference call.

Fcumb

Best in class

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] As with all Sony products, these headphones are no exception where it comes presentation. The box they arrived in was elegant and understated. The functions were displayed on the outer sleeve and consist of the following: A maximum playback time of 55 hours 3 minutes of charging will provide up to 1.5 hours of playback. Hands free telephone calls Multi-point connections Max volume control Equaliser The earpieces rotate to fold flat for easy storage. They don't come with a case, so that's a consideration if they are to be used on journeys. In use, the earpieces are worn on the ear, rather than covering the ear and I wondered if heating might be a problem. However, I used them for over an hour in a warm room and they were fine. They are also very light, so the session wasn't at all tiring. The earpieces are also labelled L and R to avoid any confusion. The three controls are on the right earpiece and are distinguished for touch by a small nub for increasing the volume, a small prominence that controls on/off, Bluetooth connections, receive/refuse/terminate calls. The third control is distinguished by having no touch features. Each control works as expected with no latency. All other settings are controlled through the Sony Sound Connect app. Recharging the earphones is through a USB-C port. No cable is provided, but the earphones arrive fully charged. There is no socket for connecting a device to the earphones if the battery is depleted. With a claimed battery life of 55 hours, this should not really be a problem, especially as the remaining battery percentage is announced when the earphones are switched on and is also available through the app. Connection is via Bluetooth 6.0 and is very quick and reliable. The built in microphone provides good clarity to listeners, and reception is equally good during phone calls. It is possible to connect two devices at once, but one connection gives way to the other when switched over. This means that, for example, you are listening to music when you get a call. The earphones will automatically switch to the phone call, and when the call ends the music will resume. As they are weigh very little, I was concerned about the sound quality. I mainly listen to orchestral music and was a professional player, so I'm quite judgemental. I was pleasantly surprised, but not overly so. For what they are, these earphones produce quality sounds, with a good range from bass to treble. I wore them on a walk next to a busy road and the traffic noise was not too intrusive. The earphones performed far better than earbuds. When selecting earphones for taking calls, listening to pop or hip-hop music, I would deem them to be a very good choice and have recommended them to someone that will use them like that. However, they do not provide the profound depth of sound for 'classical' music. I tried all the options available through the equaliser and found the 'Clear' option suited my taste. The biggest negative for me, though, is the lack of active noise cancellation. The earphones provide some protection from external noise, but that's it. To sum up, I would describe the earphones as being well designed, constructed and of good quality, with commensurate sound reproduction. I own a number of Sony products: TVs. cameras, DVD Surround Sound players, etc and frequently replace them with the latest versions if I deem the upgrades worth it. I live in South Oxfordshire, UK.

Raff, South Oxfordshire. UK

Pleasantly surprised

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I’m not used to wearing such small headphones, most of mine have been big cans. On this occasion though I was pleasantly surprised. They are comfortable to wear and sat just where I wanted them. I’ve listened to music on my hifi and portable player and they seem capable enough. Obviously you’re not going to get the same sound quality and extras as a more premium product but they certainly haven’t disappointed. They are light to wear and I didn’t feel as though someone had their hands on my head pushing down. They work well with the Sony app and any firmware updates can be downloaded and installed via that app. It’s good that the volume can be controlled via the headphones rather than just the device they are attached to. You can also skip to the next track and back as long as your player allows it. I think the Sony WH-CH530 wireless headphones are a good option for everyday listening. They offer useful features, a long battery life and a lightweight design. Although they do not have active noise cancellation, they are suitable for people who want simple and reliable wireless headphones. Overall, I would recommend them to someone looking for affordable headphones for every day use.

Chuckie832170, Wednesbury, West Midlands

My Sony WH-CH Headphones

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I received the Sony WH-CH530 wireless headphones 10 days ago before the time of writing my review...1st impressions at unpacking were that they seemed quite lightweight and for a very lightweight set, they felt robust in build. The sliding adjustment is smooth to use and the ear pads are soft and very comfortable to wear. I normally wear a hearing aid in each ear during my day and the ear pads fit over them perfectly and don't irritate at all. Inside each ear piece is an etched indicator 'L' & 'R' but it took no time at all to get used to them with the controls always on my right ear, however they could easily be used in the opposite way, you can of course choose personal preference. The controls are straight forward to use and I recommend the Sony Connect app as an aid to setting up the headphones, as I use the same app for using my Sony buds. I have several devices for my personal use including a laptop, my mobile phone, a tablet and 4 Sony Tvs in my house as well as a DAB radio, I was able to pair the headphones without any problem at all to each of these devices and using the Sony Connect app allows for connection to 2 devise at the same time including the headphones. I also could accept and make calls in conjunction with my mobile phone whilst still wearing and using them by touching the buttons on the right hand side earpiece. It hasn't taken me long at all to 'feel' the correct buttons to use this facility. A big bonus for me is that I can use the headphones without removing my hearing aids. It's the 1st set I have used where there is no feed back at all to them. I find this a big plus as I can take them off and not have to set up my hearing aids again. The sound quality is excellent and there appears to be no loss of quality in sound or speech when using them , there is a limiter on the loudness when a 'beep' warns you of maximum volume but I found I could increase the volume using individual devices settings. There is no ANC system on the headphones but I use them privately and it doesn't seem to be a problem though with an increased volume in a public environment, sound could escape depending on the volume setting .. There is also a built in equaliser which at this level of tech is limited but adequate. So far I have found the battery time gives lots of hours and I have only needed to charge them once after 10 days. but i did a 5 min charge at one time in early use and they re- charged very quickly. The Sony Connect app shows the battery level when you switch them on, a very useful aspect of the settings. When removed and not in use they 'naturally ' fall flat as you place them on a surface, this is good when draw space can sometimes be limited. Overall I would say these headphones are extremely good at their level of technology and I have already told several colleagues how pleased I am with them.

shep