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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 Accuracy
    5. Mid Accuracy
    6. Treble Accuracy
    7. Peaks/Dips
    8. Imaging
    9. Passive Soundstage
    10. Virtual Soundstage
    11. Weighted Harmonic Distortion
    12. Test Settings
  6. Isolation
    1. Noise Isolation
    2. Leakage
  7. Microphone
    1. Microphone Style
    2. Recording Quality
    3. Noise Handling
  8. Active Features
    1. Battery
    2. App Support
  9. Connectivity
    1. Bluetooth
    2. Non-Bluetooth Wireless
    3. Wired
    4. PC / PS4 Compatibility
    5. Xbox One Compatibility
    6. Base/Dock
  10. Comments

Sony WI-C400 Wireless vs Anker SoundBuds Life Wireless

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Sony WI-C400 Wireless
Anker SoundBuds Life

Tested using Methodology v1.4

Updated Jan 16, 2024 02:41 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v1.3.1

Updated Dec 03, 2021 10:48 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Sony WI-C400 Wireless Picture
Anker SoundBuds Life Wireless Picture

Variants

  • WI-C400 (Black)
  • WI-C400 (Blue)
  • WI-C400 (White)
  • SoundBuds Life

Our Verdict

Sony WI-C400 Wireless

Anker SoundBuds Life Wireless

The Anker SoundBuds Life Wireless are better around-the-neck in-ears than the Sony WI-C400 Wireless. The Anker have a much better sound quality and a more premium and durable design despite their thin cables. The Anker also have a much better battery and latency performance when compared to the Sony. On the other hand, the Sony are more lightweight and have slightly better cable management. The Sony also support NFC, which makes pairing with mobile phones a lot easier.

0

Check Price

Standard
SoundBuds Life
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Standard
SoundBuds Life
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Standard
SoundBuds Life
B&H
 
Standard
SoundBuds Life
BestBuy.com
 
Standard
SoundBuds Life
Anker

Notice: Two or more of the products selected have been tested with different test methodologies, so some of the results below aren't directly comparable. Learn how our test benches and scoring system work, and read more about the latest changes to our headphones test methodology.

Main Differences for

Threshold 

0.10

Mixed Usage 

6.7
6.8

Treble Accuracy 
 

9.0
6.2

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Design Picture 2  

Sony WI-C400 Wireless Design Picture 2
Anker SoundBuds Life Wireless Design Picture 2

Type  

In-ear
In-ear

Enclosure  

Closed-Back
Closed-Back

Wireless  

Yes
Yes

Transducer  

Dynamic
Dynamic

Show text

Comfort 
 

7.0
7.0

Comfort Picture  

Sony WI-C400 Wireless Comfort Picture
Anker SoundBuds Life Wireless Comfort Picture

Weight  

0.08 lbs
0.12 lbs

Clamping Force 
 

0 lbs
0 lbs

Show text

Controls 
 

6.6
7.4

Controls Picture  

Sony WI-C400 Wireless Controls Picture
Anker SoundBuds Life Wireless Controls Picture

OS Compatibility 
 

Not OS specific
N/A

Ease Of Use  

Decent
Good

Feedback  

Good
Decent

Call/Music Control  

Yes
Yes

Volume Control  

Yes
Yes

Microphone Control  

No
No

Channel Mixing 
 

No
N/A

Noise Cancelling Control  

No
N/A

Talk-Through 
 

No
N/A

Additional Controls  

Bluetooth Sync
No

Show text

Breathability 
 

9.3
9.2

Breathability After Picture  

Sony WI-C400 Wireless Breathability After Picture
Anker SoundBuds Life Wireless Breathability After Picture

Avg.Temp.Difference  

0.7 °C
0.8 °C

Show text

Portability 
 

7.0
6.9

Portability Picture  

Sony WI-C400 Wireless Portability Picture
Anker SoundBuds Life Wireless Portability Picture

 

6.5"
7"

 

5.4"
5.8"

 

1"
1"

Volume  

35 in³
40 in³

Transmitter Required  

No
N/A

Show text

Case 
 

0.0
5.5

Case Picture  

Sony WI-C400 Wireless Case Picture
Anker SoundBuds Life Wireless Case Picture

Type  

No case
Pouch

 

N/A
N/A

 

N/A
N/A

 

N/A
N/A

Volume  

N/A
N/A

Show text

Build Quality 
 

6.5
7.0

Build Quality Picture  

Sony WI-C400 Wireless Build Quality Picture
Anker SoundBuds Life Wireless Build Quality Picture

Show text

Stability 
 

7.5
7.5

Stability Picture  

Sony WI-C400 Wireless Stability Picture
Anker SoundBuds Life Wireless Stability Picture

Show text

Headshots 1  

Angled Picture  

Sony WI-C400 Wireless Angled Picture
Anker SoundBuds Life Wireless Angled Picture

Side Picture  

Sony WI-C400 Wireless Side Picture
Anker SoundBuds Life Wireless Side Picture

Headshots 2  

Front Picture  

Sony WI-C400 Wireless Front Picture
Anker SoundBuds Life Wireless Front Picture

Rear Picture  

Sony WI-C400 Wireless Rear Picture
Anker SoundBuds Life Wireless Rear Picture

Top  

Top Picture  

Sony WI-C400 Wireless Top Picture
Anker SoundBuds Life Wireless Top Picture

In The Box  

In The Box Picture  

Sony WI-C400 Wireless In The Box Picture
Anker SoundBuds Life Wireless In The Box Picture

Show text

Sound

Sound Profile 
 

Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool

Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool

Bass Amount 
 

-6.13 dB
3.22 dB

Treble Amount 
 

-1.88 dB
-0.57 dB

Frequency Response Consistency 
 

10
9.6

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 dB
0.08 dB

Show text

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw FR L  

See details on graph tool

Raw FR L  

See details on graph tool

Raw FR R  

See details on graph tool

Raw FR R  

See details on graph tool

Bass Accuracy 
 

5.5
8.0

Bass  

See details on graph tool

Bass  

See details on graph tool

Std. Err. 
 

5.94 dB
2.75 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

68.25 Hz
10 Hz

Low-Bass 
 

-11.52 dB
4.03 dB

Mid-Bass 
 

-2.33 dB
2.08 dB

High-Bass 
 

3.05 dB
2.91 dB

Show text

Mid Accuracy 
 

8.4
7.8

Mid  

See details on graph tool

Mid  

See details on graph tool

Std. Err. 
 

2.07 dB
3 dB

Low-Mid 
 

2.15 dB
-1.65 dB

Mid-Mid 
 

-1.61 dB
-4.29 dB

High-Mid 
 

0 dB
-1.68 dB

Show text

Treble Accuracy 
 

9.0
6.2

Treble  

See details on graph tool

Treble  

See details on graph tool

Std. Err. 
 

1.3 dB
4.92 dB

Low-Treble 
 

0.76 dB
2.41 dB

Mid-Treble 
 

0.92 dB
-0.03 dB

High-Treble 
 

-9.33 dB
-7.12 dB

Show text

Peaks/Dips 
 

7.2
6.7

Peaks/Dips Graph  

See details on graph tool

Peaks/Dips Graph  

See details on graph tool

Peaks 
 

1.99 dB
1.95 dB

Dips 
 

0.95 dB
2.44 dB

Imaging 
 

8.1
9.1

Group Delay  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Phase Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Weighted Group Delay 
 

0.16
0.18

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

1
0.82

Weighted Frequency Mismatch 
 

3
0.76

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

4.77
1.29

Show text

Passive Soundstage 
 

1.3
1.3

PRTF  

Sony WI-C400 Wireless PRTF
Anker SoundBuds Life Wireless PRTF

PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.) 
 

N/A
N/A

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

N/A
N/A

PRTF Distance 
 

N/A
N/A

Openness 
 

4.0
4.0

Acoustic Space Excitation 
 

1.7
2.5

Show text

Virtual Soundstage 
 

0.0

Virtual Soundstage  

Sony WI-C400 Wireless Virtual Soundstage

Head Modeling 
 

No

Speaker Modeling 
 

No

Room Ambience 
 

No

Head Tracking 
 

No

Virtual Surround 
 

No App

Weighted Harmonic Distortion 
 

6.9
8.4

Weighted Harmonic Distortion  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

WHD @ 90 
 

0.598
0.169

WHD @ 100 
 

0.301
0.064

Test Settings 
 

Firmware 
 

Unknown

Power 
 

On

Connection 
 

Unknown

Codec 
 

SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz

EQ 
 

No EQ

ANC 
 

No ANC

Tip/Pad 
 

Silicone (small)

Microphone 
 

Integrated
Isolation

Noise Isolation 
 

6.0
5.8

Noise Isolation  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Isolation Audio 
 

Overall Attenuation 
 

-16.07 dB
-13.99 dB

Noise Cancelling  

No
No

Bass 
 

-0.69 dB
-2.42 dB

Mid 
 

-13.69 dB
-15.16 dB

Treble 
 

-34.98 dB
-25.7 dB

Show text

Leakage 
 

8.5
7.9

Leakage  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Leakage Audio 
 

Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

30.12 dB
33.88 dB

Show text

Microphone

Microphone Style 
 

Integrated 
 

Yes
Yes

In-Line 
 

No
No

Boom 
 

No
No

Detachable Boom 
 

No
N/A

Mic  

Yes
Yes

Show text

Recording Quality 
 

6.1
6.8

Microphone Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Recorded Speech 
 

LFE 
 

164.69 Hz
289.23 Hz

FR Std. Dev. 
 

2.11 dB
1.61 dB

HFE 
 

1,836.52 Hz
3,368.2 Hz

Weighted THD 
 

3.049
7.188

Gain 
 

43.18 dB
36.22 dB

Show text

Noise Handling 
 

6.8
6.5

SpNR  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Speech + Pink Noise  

Speech + Subway Noise  

SpNR 
 

19.23 dB
17.19 dB

Show text

Active Features

Battery 
 

6.5
7.6

Battery Type 
 

Rechargable
Rechargable

Continuous Battery Life 
 

17.5 hrs
17 hrs

Additional Charges 
 

0.0
0

Total Battery Life 
 

17.5 hrs
17 hrs

Charge Time 
 

4 hrs
1.2 hrs

Power-Saving Feature 
 

No
Standby mode

Audio While Charging 
 

No
No

Passive Playback 
 

No
No

Charging Port  

micro-USB
micro-USB

Show text

App Support 
 

0.0
0.0

App Picture  

Sony WI-C400 Wireless App Picture
Anker SoundBuds Life Wireless App Picture

App Name  

No App
N/A

iOS  

No
N/A

Android  

No
N/A

macOS  

No
N/A

Windows  

No
N/A

Equalizer 
 

No
N/A

ANC Control 
 

No
N/A

Mic Control  

No
N/A

Room Effects 
 

No
N/A

Playback Control 
 

No
N/A

Button Mapping  

No
N/A

Surround Sound  

N/A

Surround Support 
 

No

Show text

Connectivity

Bluetooth 
 

7.1
7.1

Bluetooth Version 
 

4.2
4.1

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

No
No

NFC Pairing 
 

Yes
No

Line Of Sight Range 
 

69 ft
129 ft

PC Latency (SBC) 
 

239 ms
140 ms

PC Latency (aptX) 
 

N/A
N/A

PC Latency (aptX HD) 
 

N/A

PC Latency (aptX-LL) 
 

N/A
N/A

iOS Latency 
 

106 ms

Android Latency 
 

128 ms

Show text

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  

Sony WI-C400 Wireless Cable Picture
Anker SoundBuds Life Wireless Cable Picture

Analog Audio 
 

No
N/A

USB Audio 
 

No
N/A

Detachable  

No
No

Length  

N/A
N/A

Connection  

No Wired Option
N/A

Wired Latency 
 

N/A

Analog/USB Audio Latency 
 

N/A

Show text

PC / PS4 Compatibility 
 

PC/PS4 Analog 
 

No
No

PC/PS4 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PC/PS4 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Xbox One Compatibility 
 

Xbox One Analog 
 

No
No

Xbox One Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox One Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Base/Dock 
 

0.0
0.0

Type 
 

No Base/Dock
N/A

USB Input 
 

No
N/A

Line In 
 

No
N/A

Line Out 
 

No
N/A

Optical Input 
 

No
N/A

RCA Input 
 

No
N/A

Dock Charging 
 

No
N/A

Power Supply 
 

No Base/Dock
N/A

Show text

Check Price

Standard
SoundBuds Life
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Standard
SoundBuds Life
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Standard
SoundBuds Life
B&H
 
Standard
SoundBuds Life
BestBuy.com
 
Standard
SoundBuds Life
Anker

Sony WI-C400 Wireless

Anker SoundBuds Life Wireless

Comments

  1. Comparison

Sony WI-C400 Wireless vs Anker SoundBuds Life: Main Discussion

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