Home Wireless Earbuds Sony Wf C500 Vs. Sony Linkbuds S

A Review By Comparison of the Sony Wf C500 Vs. Sony Linkbuds S

Last updated on Mar 14, 2023   7 min read
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Sony LinkBuds S

Sony LinkBuds S

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Reasons why you might like the Sony LinkBuds S

Overall Score 6.2 Represents average audio ecosystem compatibility score.

  • Ingress Protection (Ip) Rating of IPX4
  • Has Active Noise Cancellation (Noise Control)
  • Battery Life of 6 hours
  • Has Usb Type-C
  • Number Of Microphones of 6 only
  • Has Ambient Sound Mode
VS
Sony WF C500

Sony WF C500

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Reasons why you might like the Sony WF C500

Overall Score 5.3 Represents average audio ecosystem compatibility score.

  • Ingress Protection (Ip) Rating of IPX4
  • Battery Life of 10 hours
  • Has Usb Type-C
  • Number Of Microphones of 2 only

A summary of the review by comparison

Category Features Sony WF C500 Sony LinkBuds S
DESIGN ingress protection (ip) rating IPX4 IPX4
weight 10.8g 9.6g
has no wires or cables
sweat resistance
has stereo speakers
SOUND QUALITY has active noise cancellation (noise control)
has passive noise reduction
driver unit size 5.8mm 5mm
lowest frequency 20Hz 20Hz
highest frequency 20000Hz 40000Hz
has a neodymium magnet
POWER battery life 10hours 6hours
battery life of charging case 10hours 14hours
charge time 2.5hours 2hours
has a battery level indicator
CONNECTIVITY has usb type-c
bluetooth version v5 v5.2
maximum bluetooth range 9meters 10meters
has aac
has ldac
MICROPHONE number of microphones 2only 6only
EXTRAS has ambient sound mode
has in/on-ear detection
has find earbuds feature
supports fast charging
has a mute function
control panel placed on a device
warranty period 1Years
has voice prompts
travel bag is included
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A breakdown of the review per specifications

Design

Ingress Protection (Ip) Rating

Sony LinkBuds S IPX4
Sony WF C500 IPX4

Ingress protection ratings is the level of protection given by a casing, against solids and liquids. In the format of IPXX, 'X' represents a number The first value of the IP rating represents protection against solids say dust, while the second refers to protection against liquids (sweat).

Scoring IPX4, the Sony WF C500's rating is read as, the first value of X denotes that no data available to specify a protection rating, and the second number of 4 means that they can withstand low pressure spray similar to that of a shower head when tilted at 180° for 10 minutes.

In comparison to the Sony WF C500, Sony LinkBuds S have a rating of IPX4 meaning that we are not yet certain of their rating with solids (dust) and that of liquids is that, they both have the same rating against liquids

Weight

Sony LinkBuds S 9.6g
Sony WF C500 10.8g

Sony WF C500 have a weight of 10.8g . We take in account a lower weight better for the reason that lighter devices are more comfortable to transport.

The Sony LinkBuds S, at 9.6g weigh less than the Sony WF C500 with a difference -1.2g

Has No Wires Or Cables

Sony LinkBuds S
Sony WF C500

True wireless devices have no cables linking any part of the device together, Sony WF C500 are true wireless for this matter since they don't have wires. This is a key distinction since wireless earbuds have wires linking the pair of earbuds .

Sony LinkBuds S also is true wireless since it has no cables connecting the pair of earbuds together.

Sweat Resistance

Sony LinkBuds S
Sony WF C500

Sony WF C500 have sweat resistance

Sony LinkBuds S's resistance to sweat makes both devices good for use during long-distance running, marathons, cardio sweat workouts , etc

Has Stereo Speakers

Sony LinkBuds S
Sony WF C500

Sony WF C500 have stereo speakers, devices with stereo speakers deliver sound from separate channels on both left and right sides, creating a richer sound and a better listening experience.

Both Sony LinkBuds S and Sony WF C500 have stereo speakers

Sony LinkBuds S
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Sound Quality

Has Active Noise Cancellation (Noise Control)

Sony LinkBuds S
Sony WF C500

ANC makes use of more advanced kind of tech to reduce unwanted ambient sounds. How it works, it detects and analyzes the sound pattern of incoming noise and then generates a mirror signal to counter it. In simple terms, it's like having +1 (sound from your surrounding) and adding -1 (inverted noise) to make zero therefore "diluting" the noise.

The Sony LinkBuds S have Active Noise Cancellation enabling you to listen at lower levels of volume, causing less ear fatigue as you don't need to crank up the device volume to overcome background sounds.

Has Passive Noise Reduction

Sony LinkBuds S
Sony WF C500

Sony WF C500 sit tightly in place, creating a sound covering that reduces background sounds well as preventing the earbuds voice audio from leaking out .

Both Sony LinkBuds S, and Sony WF C500 have passive noise reduction which implies that they limit ambient noise without using ANC to cancel it out.

Driver Unit Size

Sony LinkBuds S 5mm
Sony WF C500 5.8mm

The Sony WF C500 driver unit is 5.8mm in diameter, the bigger the unit the more powerful, therefor producing better bass. The driver unit is basically a mini speaker that produces sound in the device, the unit size dictates the sound produced by the earbuds.

Sony LinkBuds S driver unit is 5mm in diameter, which means that they have a smaller driver unit than that of Sony WF C500 by 0.8mm , many people have a misconception that driver units of a bigger size automatically produce better sound quality.

However, large drivers find it difficult to produce high frequencies so yes, larger drivers are capable of generating louder sound, but this does not imply that they deliver better quality sound.

Lowest Frequency

Sony LinkBuds S 20Hz
Sony WF C500 20Hz

The Sony WF C500's lowest frequency is at 20Hz, low-frequency response inidcates how well an audio device produces low audible frequencies and if it alters the signal while at it.

Sony LinkBuds S's lowest frequency is at 20Hz, this means that both devices can produce equal bass

Highest Frequency

Sony LinkBuds S 40000Hz
Sony WF C500 20000Hz

The Sony WF C500's highest frequency is at 20000Hz, high-frequency response measures if and how well a particular audio component produces high audible frequencies and if it changes to the signal while at it.

Sony LinkBuds S's highest frequency is at 40000Hz, this means that Sony LinkBuds S generate a clearer and crispier treble than the Sony WF C500

Has A Neodymium Magnet

Sony LinkBuds S
Sony WF C500

Sony WF C500 have neodymium magnets, when used in earbuds produce a higher sensitivity and substantial sound output using less power to do so. They can help produce music at quite a high sound pressure level, with the use of high magnetic flux.

Sony LinkBuds S have it too, devices with neodymium magnets are lighter and more powerful than those which use ferrite magnets. It is also known that they have more bass and clearer high notes.

Power

Battery Life

Sony LinkBuds S 6hours
Sony WF C500 10hours

The Sony WF C500's battery life is 10 hours, a device's battery life is commonly given by the manufacturer, and with more battery hours, you get to use it for longer and requires fewer chanrgings.

Sony LinkBuds S's battery life is less than that of Sony WF C500 by 4 hours . Each time you recharge your earbuds, they get a little less listening time. The effect is not noticeable at first, but over time, your wireless earbuds will have shorter listening time.

Battery Life Of Charging Case

Sony LinkBuds S 14hours
Sony WF C500 10hours

This is given by the vendor, and the Sony WF C500's case is said to have a charge of 10 hours. A charging case with more battery hours allows you to recharge your earbuds on the go several times before having to recharge the case itself.

Sony LinkBuds S's charging case has a battery life of 14 hours, more than that of Sony WF C500 by 4 hours

Charge Time

Sony LinkBuds S 2hours
Sony WF C500 2.5hours

It takes 2.5 hours to fully charge the Sony WF C500's battery. It is highly adivsable to fully charge the battery before using the earbuds for the first time.

Sony LinkBuds S takes 2 hours to fully charge the battery, less than that of Sony WF C500 by 0.5 hours

Has A Battery Level Indicator

Sony LinkBuds S
Sony WF C500

Sony WF C500 have a battery level indicator, an indicator alerts you when the device has a low battery. The battery indicator lights indicate the charging state of your device and charging case.

Sony LinkBuds S too have a battery level indicator, these enable you tell the charging state of your device, if charged fully, or the battery is running low.

Sony LinkBuds S
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Connectivity

Has Usb Type-C

Sony LinkBuds S
Sony WF C500

Sony WF C500 support USB TYPE-C, an industry-standard connector for transmitting both data and power in a single cable.

Sony LinkBuds S too have USB TYPE-C. This USB-C plug comes along with most current laptops, phones, and tablets.

Bluetooth Version

Sony LinkBuds S v5.2
Sony WF C500 v5

Sony WF C500 have Bluetooth version of 5, Bluetooth is a wireless technology standard that allows data movement between devices placed in range, using short-wavelength, ultra-high frequency radio waves.

Sony LinkBuds S has a Bluetooth version of 5.2, newer than that of Sony WF C500 . Newer versions provide faster data transfers.

Maximum Bluetooth Range

Sony LinkBuds S 10meters
Sony WF C500 9meters

The Sony WF C500 have a 9meters distance connecting via Bluetooth.

Sony LinkBuds S have a maximum range of 10meters, longer than that of Sony WF C500 by 1meters

Has Aac

Sony LinkBuds S
Sony WF C500

Sony WF C500 support AAC, a codec that is used for Bluetooth audio. It supports 24-bit audio at 250kbps. Since it uses psychoacoustic modeling, it can provide better results than other codecs at a similar bit rate.

Being the highest quality codec that any Bluetooth-supporting Apple product supports, the Sony WF C500 will work fine with your iPhone. If you intend on using these with Android , ensure that they also support aptX HD, LDAC, or LHDC as well.

The Sony LinkBuds S support AAC as well. Designed to be the successor of the MP3 format, AAC generally achieves higher sound quality than MP3 encoders at the same bit rate.

Has Ldac

Sony LinkBuds S
Sony WF C500

The Sony LinkBuds S support LDAC, a codec developed by Sony which allows streaming high-resolution audio over Bluetooth connections at up to 990 kbps at 32 bit/96 kHz. It is capable of a very high bitrate of 990kbps, which provides high-resolution audio.

Microphone

Number Of Microphones

Sony LinkBuds S 6only
Sony WF C500 2only

Sony WF C500 have 2 microphones.

While the Sony LinkBuds S microphones are 6, more than that of Sony WF C500 by 4 . More microphones record better sound quality and enable the earbuds to filter out background sounds.

Sony LinkBuds S
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Extras

Has Ambient Sound Mode

Sony LinkBuds S
Sony WF C500

Sony LinkBuds S support ambient sound mode, which uses microphones to channel ambient sound to still be heard even while wearing the earbuds

Has In/On-Ear Detection

Sony LinkBuds S
Sony WF C500

The Sony LinkBuds S have in/on-ear detection, the sensors in the device can detect when they are removed from your ears .

Has Find Earbuds Feature

Sony LinkBuds S
Sony WF C500

If misplaced in a room, or can't easily find them in your bag, the Sony LinkBuds S have a find earbuds feature.

Supports Fast Charging

Sony LinkBuds S
Sony WF C500

Sony WF C500 support fast charging. Usually, technologies like MediaTek’s Pump Express, are used to lower the amount of time it takes to fully charge a device.

Also the Sony LinkBuds S too support fast charging. It's very similar to regular charging, only that the battery fills up much faster. Say, with Quick Charge 3.0, the battery can be charged to 50% in just 30 minutes.

Has A Mute Function

Sony LinkBuds S
Sony WF C500

The Sony WF C500 have a mute function, they support the option to mute/unmute a conversation directly from the device.

The Sony LinkBuds S also support the mute function. The mute function means that you are in position turn off the device's microphone, but still hear the other party talk.

Control Panel Placed On A Device

Sony LinkBuds S
Sony WF C500

With the Sony WF C500, so you can easily access the volume control, pause, play, mute, etc whichever features are supported on the earbuds.

The Sony LinkBuds S too have a control panel on them.

Warranty Period

Sony LinkBuds S
Sony WF C500 1Years

Sony WF C500 have a warranty period of 1 Years, the period of time that warrant free repair and adjustment services in case of a malfunction occurring under normal use following instruction manuals.

Has Voice Prompts

Sony LinkBuds S
Sony WF C500

The Sony WF C500 have voice prompts. Automatically receive information through audio messages, like if there is a problem with the connection.

The Sony LinkBuds S also have voice prompts meaning the earbuds will notify you if the battery is running low, and it's time to recharge them.

Travel Bag Is Included

Sony LinkBuds S
Sony WF C500

Sony WF C500 come with a special case. Carrying earbuds openly, or placing them in your pockets without a cover may easily damage them.

Sony LinkBuds S too have a case included, which offers safe transportation.

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