Notice: Your browser is not supported or outdated so some features of the site might not be available.
Notice: We're proud to introduce Test Bench 2.0, which overhauls our audio measurements, with new tests and usages. There's even a brand new multi-target graphing tool! You can read all about this in our changelog, featuring commentary from our Test Designer, Pierre.
- Table of Contents
- Top
- Main Differences
- Design
- Sound
- Isolation
- Microphone
- Active Features
- Connectivity
- Comments
Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless vs Sony WF-C500 Truly Wireless
Side-by-Side Comparison
Products
Apple AirPods (2nd generation)
Sony WF-C500 Truly Wireless
Tested using Methodology v1.5
Updated Apr 19, 2024 06:39 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comTested using Methodology v1.5
Updated May 14, 2024 05:18 PM
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
TypeEarbuds
EnclosureOpen-Back
WirelessTruly Wireless
TransducerDynamic
Noise CancellingNo
MicYes
TypeIn-ear
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessTruly Wireless
TransducerDynamic
Noise CancellingNo
MicYes
Variants
- AirPods (2nd generation) (With charging case)
- AirPods (2nd generation) (With wireless charging case)
- WF-C500 (Black)
- WF-C500 (Green)
- WF-C500 (Orange)
- WF-C500 (White)
Our Verdict
Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless
Sony WF-C500 Truly Wireless
The Sony WF-C500 Truly Wireless are better than the Apple AirPods (2nd generation) for most purposes. The Sony have a more neutral default sound profile, which some may prefer, and they are customizable with a graphic EQ and presets in their companion app. They also have easier-to-use onboard controls, a longer continuous battery life, and passively isolate you from much more noise. On the other hand, some may prefer the Apple’s open design, which allows you to hear ambient sound. They also feel sturdier and have a mic with a better noise-handling performance.
Check Price
With charging case
AirPods (2nd generation)
Searching
Finding storeBlack
WF-C500
Searching
Finding storeWith wireless charging case
AirPods (2nd generation)
Searching
Finding storeGreen
WF-C500
Searching
Finding storeOrange
WF-C500
Searching
Finding storeWhite
WF-C500
Searching
Finding storeMain Differences forNeutral Sound
Neutral Sound
Threshold
Neutral Sound
6.6
7.4
Bass Accuracy
5.8
9.3
Passive Soundstage
2.9
0.8
Frequency Response Consistency
5.6
9.3
Mid Accuracy
8.4
9.0
Imaging
8.5
6.9
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Design Picture 2
Type
Earbuds
In-ear
Enclosure
Open-Back
Closed-Back
Wireless
Truly Wireless
Truly Wireless
Transducer
Dynamic
Dynamic
Comfort
7.5
7.0
Comfort Picture
Weight
0.02 lbs
0.02 lbs
Clamping Force
0 lbs
0 lbs
Controls
4.3
6.8
Controls Picture
OS Compatibility
Not OS specific
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use
Subpar
Good
Feedback
Subpar
Good
Call/Music Control
Yes
Yes
Volume Control
No
Yes
Microphone Control
No
No
Channel Mixing
No
No
Noise Cancelling Control
No
No
Talk-Through
No
No
Additional Controls
Voice Assistant
Voice Assistant
Breathability
9.2
Breathability After Picture
Avg.Temp.Difference
0.8 °C
Portability
9.6
9.5
Portability Picture
L
1.7" (4.3 cm)
1.2" (3.1 cm)
W
1.0" (2.5 cm)
1.1" (2.9 cm)
H
0.6" (1.5 cm)
0.9" (2.2 cm)
Volume
1.00 in³ (16.39 cm³)
1.20 in³ (19.60 cm³)
Transmitter Required
No
No
Case
8.5
7.5
Case Picture
Type
Hard case
Hard case
L
2.1" (5.3 cm)
3.1" (8.0 cm)
W
1.7" (4.3 cm)
1.4" (3.5 cm)
H
0.7" (1.8 cm)
1.2" (3.1 cm)
Volume
2.50 in³ (40.97 cm³)
5.30 in³ (86.80 cm³)
Build Quality
8.0
7.5
Build Quality Picture
Stability
6.5
7.0
Stability Picture
Headshots 1
Angled Picture
Side Picture
Headshots 2
Front Picture
Rear Picture
Top
Top Picture
In The Box
In The Box Picture
Sound
Sound Profile
Frequency Response
Bass Amount
-8.65 dB
0.81 dB
Treble Amount
0.39 dB
-0.81 dB
Frequency Response Consistency
5.6
9.3
Consistency L
Consistency R
Avg. Std. Deviation
1.13 dB
0.15 dB
Raw Frequency Response
Bass Accuracy
5.8
9.3
Std. Err.
6.68 dB
0.92 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
70.25 Hz
10 Hz
Low-Bass
-13.78 dB
1.66 dB
Mid-Bass
-1.58 dB
-0.18 dB
High-Bass
2.09 dB
-0.47 dB
Mid Accuracy
8.4
9.0
Std. Err.
2.17 dB
1.29 dB
Low-Mid
1.31 dB
0.01 dB
Mid-Mid
0.07 dB
-1.69 dB
High-Mid
3.01 dB
0.64 dB
Treble Accuracy
7.4
7.5
Std. Err.
3.89 dB
3.72 dB
Low-Treble
3.83 dB
0.42 dB
Mid-Treble
3.78 dB
-1.79 dB
High-Treble
-2.62 dB
-5.05 dB
Peaks/Dips
7.2
7.7
Peaks/Dips Graph
Peaks
1.97 dB
1.4 dB
Dips
1.12 dB
1.31 dB
Imaging
8.5
6.9
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Group Delay
0.28
0.16
Weighted Phase Mismatch
2.28
40.44
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
1.37
1.19
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
1.28
1.46
Passive Soundstage
2.9
0.8
PRTF
PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)
N/A
N/A
PRTF Size (Avg.)
N/A
N/A
PRTF Distance
N/A
N/A
Openness
9.6
3.2
Acoustic Space Excitation
3.2
0.6
Virtual Soundstage
0.0
4.1
Virtual Soundstage
Head Modeling
No
On/Off
Speaker Modeling
No
On/Off
Room Ambience
No
No
Head Tracking
No
No
Virtual Surround
No
360 Reality Audio
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
7.8
7.6
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.358
0.278
WHD @ 100
0.104
0.158
Test Settings
Firmware
1A673
1.0.4
Power
On
On
Connection
Bluetooth 4.0
Bluetooth 5.0
Codec
SBC, 16-bit, 44.1kHz
SBC, 16-bit, 44.1kHz
EQ
No EQ
Off
ANC
No ANC
No ANC
Tip/Pad
Default
Silicone (small)
Microphone
Integrated
Integrated
Isolation
Noise Isolation
1.0
6.8
Noise Isolation
Isolation Audio
Overall Attenuation
-1.95 dB
-20.06 dB
Noise Cancelling
No
No
Bass
0.32 dB
-6.86 dB
Mid
0.98 dB
-18.67 dB
Treble
-6.94 dB
-35.74 dB
Leakage
7.2
9.4
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
38.25 dB
24.41 dB
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
Yes
Yes
In-Line
No
No
Boom
No
No
Detachable Boom
No
No
Mic
Yes
Yes
Recording Quality
6.4
6.9
Microphone Frequency Response
Recorded Speech
LFE
261.43 Hz
250.34 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
3.34 dB
2.61 dB
HFE
3,319.91 Hz
6,834.38 Hz
Weighted THD
27.169
3.271
Gain
38.23 dB
0.28 dB
Noise Handling
6.9
6.3
SpNR
13.93 dB
12.32 dB
Noise Gate
Always On
Always On
Speech + Pink Noise Handling
7.5
6.5
Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample
Speech + Subway Noise Handling
6.0
6.0
Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample
Active Features
Battery
6.6
7.0
Battery Type
Rechargable
Rechargable
Continuous Battery Life
4.1 hrs
11.8 hrs
Additional Charges
5.0
1.0
Total Battery Life
24.6 hrs
28 hrs
Charge Time
0.5 hrs
1.8 hrs
Power-Saving Feature
Standby mode
No
Audio While Charging
Yes
Yes
Passive Playback
No
No
Charging Port
Lightning
USB-C
App Support
5.0
7.5
App Picture
App Name
No App
Sony| Headphones Connect
iOS
Yes
Yes
Android
No
Yes
macOS
Yes
No
Windows
No
No
Equalizer
No
Graphic + Presets
ANC Control
No
No
Mic Control
No
No
Room Effects
No
No
Playback Control
No
Yes
Button Mapping
Yes
No
Surround Support
No
Yes
Connectivity
Bluetooth
6.8
6.9
Bluetooth Version
5.0+H1 chip
5.0
Multi-Device Pairing
No
No
NFC Pairing
No
No
Line Of Sight Range
149.00 ft (45.42 m)
250.33 ft (76.30 m)
PC Latency (SBC)
176 ms
241 ms
PC Latency (aptX)
N/A
N/A
PC Latency (aptX HD)
N/A
N/A
PC Latency (aptX-LL)
N/A
N/A
iOS Latency
80 ms
142 ms
Android Latency
165 ms
231 ms
Non-Bluetooth Wireless
0.0
0.0
Non-BT Line Of Sight Range
N/A
N/A
Non-BT Latency
N/A
N/A
Wired
0.0
0.0
Cable Picture
Analog Audio
No
No
USB Audio
No
No
Detachable
No
No
Length
N/A
N/A
Connection
No Wired Option
No Wired Option
Analog/USB Audio Latency
N/A
N/A
PC Compatibility
Analog
No
No
Wired USB
No
No
Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PlayStation Compatibility
PS4 Analog
No
No
PS4 Wired USB
No
No
PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PS5 Analog
No
No
PS5 Wired USB
No
No
PS5 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
No
No
Xbox One Wired USB
No
No
Xbox One Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Analog
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Wired USB
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Base/Dock
2.2
2.2
Type
Charging Case
Charging Case
USB Input
No
No
Line In
No
No
Line Out
No
No
Optical Input
No
No
RCA Input
No
No
Dock Charging
Yes
Yes
Power Supply
Lightning
USB-C
Check Price
With charging case
AirPods (2nd generation)
Searching
Finding storeBlack
WF-C500
Searching
Finding storeWith wireless charging case
AirPods (2nd generation)
Searching
Finding storeGreen
WF-C500
Searching
Finding storeOrange
WF-C500
Searching
Finding storeWhite
WF-C500
Searching
Finding store
Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless
Sony WF-C500 Truly Wireless
Comments
Apple AirPods (2nd generation) vs Sony WF-C500 Truly Wireless: Main Discussion
What do you think of these products? Let us know below.
Looking for a personalized buying advice from the RTINGS.com experts? Insiders have direct access to buying advice on our insider forum.