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  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Style
    2. Comfort
    3. Controls
    4. Breathability
    5. Portability
    6. Case
    7. Build Quality
    8. Stability
    9. Headshots 1
    10. Headshots 2
    11. Top
    12. In The Box
  5. Sound
    1. Sound Profile
    2. Frequency Response Consistency
    3. Raw Frequency Response
    4. Bass Profile: Target Compliance
    5. Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
    6. Treble Profile: Target Compliance
    7. Peaks/Dips
    8. Imaging
    9. Passive Soundstage
    10. Virtual Soundstage
    11. Weighted Harmonic Distortion
    12. Test Settings
  6. Isolation
    1. Noise Isolation - Full Range
    2. Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
    3. Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
    4. ANC Wind Handling
    5. Leakage
  7. Microphone
    1. Microphone Style
    2. Recording Quality
    3. Noise Handling
  8. Active Features
    1. Battery
    2. App Support
  9. Connectivity
    1. Wired Connection
    2. Bluetooth Connection
    3. Wireless Connection (Dongle)
    4. PC Compatibility
    5. PlayStation Compatibility
    6. Xbox Compatibility
    7. Base/Dock
  10. Comments

Sony WF-C500 Truly Wireless vs JBL Vibe Buds True Wireless

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Sony WF-C500 Truly Wireless
JBL Vibe Buds True Wireless

Tested using Methodology v1.5

Updated May 14, 2024 05:18 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v1.8

Updated May 13, 2025 01:08 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Sony WF-C500 Truly Wireless Picture
JBL Vibe Buds True Wireless Picture
TypeIn-ear
Noise CancellingNo
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessTruly Wireless
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
TypeIn-ear
Noise CancellingNo
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessTruly Wireless
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
  1. Recommended in 14 articles:
  2. Wireless Earbuds
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  4. Budget And Cheap
  5. Wireless Earbuds For Android
  6. Cheap Earbuds
  7. JBL
  8. Budget And Cheap Wireless Earbuds
  9. Wireless Earbuds For Sound
  10. Earbuds For Bass
  11. True Wireless Earbuds
  12. Budget Wireless
  13. Earbuds Under $50
  14. Under $50
  15. Wireless Earbuds Under $50

Variants

  • WF-C500 (Black)
  • WF-C500 (Green)
  • WF-C500 (Orange)
  • WF-C500 (White)
  • Vibe Buds (Beige)
  • Vibe Buds (Black)
  • Vibe Buds (Mint)
  • Vibe Buds (White)

Review

See Sony WF-C500 Truly Wireless Review
See JBL Vibe Buds True Wireless Review
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0 

Our Verdict

Sony WF-C500 Truly Wireless

JBL Vibe Buds True Wireless

The Sony WF-C500 Truly Wireless and the JBL Vibe Buds True Wireless are similarly performing wireless buds with slight differences. While both buds are well-built and decently comfortable, the Sony support a virtual soundstage for a more immersive audio experience and have a longer continuous battery life. However, their carrying case holds fewer charges. Conversely, the JBL have a longer total battery life but have a shorter continuous one.

0 

Check Price

Black
WF-C500
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Black
Vibe Buds
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White
WF-C500
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White
Vibe Buds
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Green
WF-C500
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Beige
Vibe Buds
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Orange
WF-C500
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Mint
Vibe Buds
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Read more

Main Differences for
Neutral Sound

Threshold 

0.10

Neutral Sound 

7.4
7.7

Treble Accuracy 
 

7.5
9.5

Mid Accuracy 
 

9.0
8.5

Peaks/Dips 
 

7.7
8.4

Bass Accuracy 
 

9.3
8.9

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Design Picture 2  

Sony WF-C500 Truly Wireless Design Picture 2
JBL Vibe Buds True Wireless Design Picture 2

Type  

In-ear
In-ear

Enclosure  

Closed-Back
Closed-Back

Wireless  

Truly Wireless
Truly Wireless

Transducer  

Dynamic
Dynamic
Show Text 

Comfort 
 

7.0
7.0

Comfort Picture  

Sony WF-C500 Truly Wireless Comfort Picture
JBL Vibe Buds True Wireless Comfort Picture

Weight  

0.02 lbs
0.02 lbs

Clamping Force 
 

0 lbs
0 lbs
Show Text 

Controls 
 

6.8
7.1

Controls Picture  

Sony WF-C500 Truly Wireless Controls Picture
JBL Vibe Buds True Wireless Controls Picture

OS Compatibility 
 

Not OS specific
Not OS specific

Ease Of Use  

Good
Good

Feedback  

Good
Good

Call/Music Control  

Yes
Yes

Volume Control  

Yes
Yes

Microphone Control  

No
Mute/Unmute

Channel Mixing 
 

No
No

Noise Cancelling Control  

No
No

Talk-Through 
 

No
No

Additional Controls  

Voice Assistant
Voice Assistant
Show Text 

Breathability 
 

Breathability After Picture  

Avg.Temp.Difference  

Portability 
 

9.5
9.6

Portability Picture  

Sony WF-C500 Truly Wireless Portability Picture
JBL Vibe Buds True Wireless Portability Picture

L  

1.2" (3.1 cm)
1.2" (2.9 cm)

W  

1.1" (2.9 cm)
1.3" (3.3 cm)

H  

0.9" (2.2 cm)
0.6" (1.6 cm)

Volume  

1.20 in³ (19.60 cm³)
0.93 in³ (15.31 cm³)

Transmitter Required  

No
No
Show Text 

Case 
 

7.5
7.0

Case Picture  

Sony WF-C500 Truly Wireless Case Picture
JBL Vibe Buds True Wireless Case Picture

Type  

Hard case
Hard case

L  

3.1" (8.0 cm)
1.1" (2.8 cm)

W  

1.4" (3.5 cm)
2.7" (6.9 cm)

H  

1.2" (3.1 cm)
1.5" (3.7 cm)

Volume  

5.30 in³ (86.80 cm³)
4.36 in³ (71.48 cm³)
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

7.5
7.5

Build Quality Picture  

Sony WF-C500 Truly Wireless Build Quality Picture
JBL Vibe Buds True Wireless Build Quality Picture
Show Text 

Stability 
 

7.0
7.0

Stability Picture  

Sony WF-C500 Truly Wireless Stability Picture
JBL Vibe Buds True Wireless Stability Picture
Show Text 

Headshots 1  

Angled Picture  

Sony WF-C500 Truly Wireless Angled Picture
JBL Vibe Buds True Wireless Angled Picture

Side Picture  

Sony WF-C500 Truly Wireless Side Picture
JBL Vibe Buds True Wireless Side Picture

Headshots 2  

Front Picture  

Sony WF-C500 Truly Wireless Front Picture
JBL Vibe Buds True Wireless Front Picture

Rear Picture  

Sony WF-C500 Truly Wireless Rear Picture
JBL Vibe Buds True Wireless Rear Picture

Top  

Top Picture  

Sony WF-C500 Truly Wireless Top Picture
JBL Vibe Buds True Wireless Top Picture

In The Box  

In The Box Picture  

Sony WF-C500 Truly Wireless In The Box Picture
JBL Vibe Buds True Wireless In The Box Picture
Show Text 
Sound

Sound Profile 
 

Sound Profile  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Normalization Frequency 
 

650 Hz

Bass Amount 
 

0.81 dB
2.6 dB

Treble Amount 
 

-0.81 dB
-0.5 dB
Show Text 

Frequency Response Consistency 
 

9.3
9.1

Consistency L  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Consistency R  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. Std. Deviation 
 

0.15 dB
0.18 dB
Show Text 

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw FR L  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Raw FR R  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Bass Profile: Target Compliance 
 

9.3
8.9

Bass Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

0.92 dB
3.0 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

10 Hz
20 Hz

Low Bass 
 

1.66 dB
3.87 dB

Mid Bass 
 

-0.18 dB
2.68 dB

High Bass 
 

-0.47 dB
0.7 dB
Show Text 

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance 
 

9.0
8.5

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

1.29 dB
1.48 dB

Low Mid 
 

0.01 dB
-1.27 dB

Mid-Mid 
 

-1.69 dB
0.47 dB

High Mid 
 

0.64 dB
1.94 dB
Show Text 

Treble Profile: Target Compliance 
 

7.5
9.5

Treble Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

3.72 dB
1.68 dB

Low Treble 
 

0.42 dB
0.09 dB

Mid Treble 
 

-1.79 dB
-1.22 dB

High Treble 
 

-5.05 dB
-1.72 dB
Show Text 

Peaks/Dips 
 

7.7
8.4

Peaks/Dips Graph 
 

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Peaks 
 

1.4 dB
0.96 dB

Dips 
 

1.31 dB
1.2 dB
Show Text 

Imaging 
 

6.9
7.3

Group Delay  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Phase Response Mismatch  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Weighted Group Delay 
 

0.16
0.61

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

40.44
28.07

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

1.19
0.2

Weighted Frequency Mismatch 
 

1.46
1.75
Show Text 

Passive Soundstage 
 

0.8
1.1

PRTF  

Sony WF-C500 Truly Wireless PRTF
JBL Vibe Buds True Wireless PRTF

PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.) 
 

N/A
N/A

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

N/A
N/A

PRTF Distance 
 

N/A
N/A

Openness 
 

3.2
4.7

Acoustic Space Excitation 
 

0.6
0.6
Show Text 

Virtual Soundstage 
 

4.1
0.0

Virtual Soundstage  

Sony WF-C500 Truly Wireless Virtual Soundstage
JBL Vibe Buds True Wireless Virtual Soundstage

Head Modeling 
 

On/Off
No

Speaker Modeling 
 

On/Off
No

Room Ambience 
 

No
No

Head Tracking 
 

No
No

Virtual Surround 
 

360 Reality Audio
No
Show Text 

Weighted Harmonic Distortion 
 

7.6
8.3

Weighted Harmonic Distortion  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

WHD @ 90 
 

0.278
0.195

WHD @ 100 
 

0.158
0.068
Show Text 

Test Settings 
 

Firmware 
 

1.0.4
v4.2.0

Power 
 

On
On

Connection 
 

Bluetooth 5.0
Bluetooth

Codec 
 

SBC, 16-bit, 44.1kHz
SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz

Test Instrument  

Audio Precision APx517B

EQ 
 

Off
No EQ

ANC 
 

No ANC
No ANC

Tip/Pad 
 

Silicone (small)
Silicone (small)

Microphone 
 

Integrated
Integrated
Show Text 
Isolation

Noise Isolation - Full Range 
 

6.8
5.3

Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Noise Cancelling  

No
No

Overall Attenuation 
 

-20.06 dB
-12.97 dB

Isolation Audio 
 

Bass 
 

-6.86 dB
-1.59 dB

Mid 
 

-18.67 dB
-13.87 dB

Treble 
 

-35.74 dB
-25.78 dB
Show Text 

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios 
 

4.9

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph  

See details on graph tool

Airplane Noise Attenuation 
 

-11.33 dB

Airplane Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Office Noise Attenuation 
 

-11.68 dB

Office Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Street Noise Attenuation 
 

-12.12 dB

Street Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Noise Isolation - Voice Handling 
 

Female Voice 1 
 

Male Voice 1 
 

Female Voice 2 
 

Male Voice 2 
 

ANC Wind Handling 
 

ANC Wind Handling Graph  

JBL Vibe Buds True Wireless ANC Wind Handling Graph

ANC Wind Noise 
 

N/A

Leakage 
 

9.4
9.5

Leakage  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Leakage Audio 
 

Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

24.41 dB
23.76 dB
Show Text 
Microphone

Microphone Style 
 

Integrated 
 

Yes
Yes

In-Line 
 

No
No

Boom 
 

No
No

Detachable Boom 
 

No
No

Mic  

Yes
Yes

Recording Quality 
 

6.9
7.4

Microphone Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Recorded Speech 
 

LFE 
 

250.34 Hz
306.43 Hz

FR Std. Dev. 
 

2.61 dB
2.91 dB

HFE 
 

6,834.38 Hz
7,240.77 Hz

Weighted THD 
 

3.271
0.25

Gain 
 

0.28 dB
1.54 dB
Show Text 

Noise Handling 
 

6.3
5.6

SpNR  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SpNR 
 

12.32 dB
8.68 dB

Noise Gate 
 

Always On
No

Speech + Pink Noise Handling 
 

6.5
6.0

Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample  

Speech + Subway Noise Handling 
 

6.0
5.0

Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample  

Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

7.0
7.9

Battery Type 
 

Rechargable
Rechargable

Continuous Battery Life 
 

11.8 hrs
8.8 hrs

Additional Charges 
 

1.0
3.0

Total Battery Life 
 

28 hrs
35.2 hrs

Charge Time 
 

1.8 hrs
0.8 hrs

Power-Saving Feature 
 

No
Auto-Off Timer

Audio While Charging 
 

Yes
Yes

Passive Playback 
 

No
No

Charging Port  

USB-C
USB-C
Show Text 

App Support 
 

7.5
8.0

App Picture  

Sony WF-C500 Truly Wireless App Picture
JBL Vibe Buds True Wireless App Picture

App Name  

Sony| Headphones Connect
JBL Headphones

iOS  

Yes
Yes

Android  

Yes
Yes

macOS  

No
No

Windows  

No
No

Equalizer 
 

Graphic + Presets
Graphic + Presets

ANC Control 
 

No
No

Mic Control  

No
No

Room Effects 
 

No
No

Playback Control 
 

Yes
No

Button Mapping  

No
Yes

Surround Support 
 

Yes
No
Show Text 
Connectivity

Wired Connection 
 

0.0
0.0

Cable Picture  

Sony WF-C500 Truly Wireless Cable Picture
JBL Vibe Buds True Wireless Cable Picture

Analog Audio 
 

No
No

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Detachable 
 

No
No

Length 
 

N/A
N/A

Connector 
 

No Wired Option
No Wired Option

Latency - Analog 
 

N/A

Latency - USB 
 

N/A
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

N/A

Recorded Latency Connection  

No Wired Audio
Show Text 

Bluetooth Connection 
 

6.9
8.0

Bluetooth Version 
 

5.0
5.2

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

No
No

NFC Pairing 
 

No

Quick Pair (Android) 
 

Yes

Quick Pair (iOS) 
 

No

Line Of Sight Range 
 

250.33 ft (76.30 m)
334.65 ft (102.00 m)

Latency - SBC 
 

241 ms
165 ms

Latency - aptX 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality) 
 

N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency) 
 

N/A

Latency - LDAC 
 

N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

Recorded Latency Codec  

SBC

AAC Support 
 

Yes

PC Latency (aptX HD) 
 

N/A

PC Latency (aptX-LL) 
 

N/A

iOS Latency 
 

142 ms

Android Latency 
 

231 ms
Show Text 

Wireless Connection (Dongle) 
 

0.0
0.0

Line Of Sight Range 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - Dongle 
 

N/A
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

N/A

PC Compatibility 
 

Analog 
 

No
No

Wired USB 
 

No
No

Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No
Show Text 

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 
 

USB-C
USB-C
Show Text 

Check Price

Black
WF-C500
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Finding store
Black
Vibe Buds
Searching
Finding store
White
WF-C500
Searching
Finding store
White
Vibe Buds
Searching
Finding store
Green
WF-C500
Searching
Finding store
Beige
Vibe Buds
Searching
Finding store
Orange
WF-C500
Searching
Finding store
Mint
Vibe Buds
Searching
Finding store
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Sony WF-C500 Truly Wireless

JBL Vibe Buds True Wireless

Comments

  1. Comparison
 • Posted 1 year ago

Sony WF-C500 Truly Wireless vs JBL Vibe Buds True Wireless: Main Discussion

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