Sony WF-SP800N review
Our Verdict
The Sony WF-SP800N are legit wireless sports earbuds with strong aesthetics, battery life, and audio, but are missing some features.
For
- Deep, customizable sound
- Superb battery life (on a unmarried charge)
- IP55 h2o-resistant
- Tons of features via Sony Headphones app
- Modest active noise cancellation
Against
- Very buggy
- Missing QN1e processor and other signature Sony features
- Bulky, protruding blueprint
Tom's Guide Verdict
The Sony WF-SP800N are legit wireless sports earbuds with strong aesthetics, battery life, and sound, merely are missing some features.
Pros
- +
Deep, customizable sound
- +
Superb battery life (on a unmarried accuse)
- +
IP55 water-resistant
- +
Tons of features via Sony Headphones app
- +
Modest agile noise cancellation
Cons
- -
Very buggy
- -
Missing QN1e processor and other signature Sony features
- -
Bulky, protruding design
The Sony WF-SP880N attempts to do for sport headphones what the Sony WF-1000XM3 did for sub-luxury in-ear buds: make active noise cancellation (ANC) seem like a must-have characteristic. As such these are more than durable, more lightweight buds than the WF-1000XM3, but still offer sound-silencing capabilities while cut the price downward to more affordable levels.
The WF-SP800N possesses a bass-forward contour that pumps out energetic audio, which can be customized through the Sony Headphones app, along with some of the best battery life in its class. While these buds hit many marks, they also miss several. There are several bugs in the organization, and they lack the QNe1 processor and other notable features that made the WF-1000XM3 i of the best wireless earbuds out at that place.
- Check out the competition: Apple AirPods Pro review
- And read our Jabra Elite Active 75t review
If you're looking for a sportier alternative to the AirPods Pro, only with much amend battery life and a cheaper price, read our Sony WF-SP800N review to see why these buds are worth a expect.
Sony WF-SP800N Specs
Colors: Black, Bluish, Orangish, and White
Bombardment life (rated): 9 hours (single charge), 18 hours (with charging case)
Noise cancellation: Yes
Water resistance: IP55
Weight: 0.33 (per bud)
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0
Sony WF-SP800N: Price and availability
The Sony WF-SP800N has an $199.99 MSRP simply is currently available effectually $148. It's is bachelor in four colors: Black, Blue, Orangish, and White. The black and blue versions are available at major online retailers, including Amazon and Best Purchase, or directly from Sony. The white version appears to exist exclusive to Target, while the orange version can exist found on Amazon and Sony'south sites.
Sony ships the WF-SP800N with a brusk USB-C charging cable, reference guide, and two sets of arches and ear tips.
Sony WF-SP800N review: Design
The WF-SP800N is bare in appearance, only brawny in construction. Information technology borrows the same large, elongated blueprint as the WF-1000XM3, only it's more minimal in detail. Gone are the attractive gilded accents and Sony branding in favor of a apparently white logo. Sony also decided to ditch the absurd-looking circular touch panels for what I would describe as tear-drib-shaped panels that offering a fleck more touch coverage. The only flair you lot're going to get out of these is in the color options, and that's if you get with anything other than blackness.
Sony built these buds with an IP55 rating, so they are dust-, sweat-, and water-resistant. They'll survive heavy splashes, only don't plan to swim laps in the pool with them. It's difficult to decide how well the buds perform against perspiration since I've had piddling opportunity to appoint in hardcore workouts, but I can attest to how durable they are, having dropped and (mistakenly) stepped on them outside. No scratches or scuffs were sustained. The plastic casing is very solid, which is what you essentially want from any pair of wireless sport earbuds.
Let's move onto the charging instance. Information technology'due south a large chunk of plastic, much like the WF-1000XM3, except that ane was a lot easier on the optics with a premium cigarette holder-inspired look and two-tone colorway. This isn't something yous're going to discreetly slide into your denim pockets. On the plus side, it does have a potent magnetic lid that keeps the instance close and stores the buds deeply.
I get that Sony needed to create a bigger frame to house all of the WF-SP800N's high-powered circuitry, but Apple tree and Jabra have shown that you lot tin clasp lots of functionality and special features into a tinier, sleeker blueprint.
Sony WF-SP800N review: Condolement and Fit
Despite its hefty appearance, the WF-SP800N is incredibly comfortable and fits well on the ears. The real question is how well? I tin can say these buds will remain safely in place when speed walking or during light jogs around the neighborhood. Any other lateral-heavy activities will cause them to slip out on occasion.
Sporting the buds for two hours daily was pleasant. The angled audio port slides easily into the culvert and the body rests gently on the ears. Even on days when I went by the 2-60 minutes listening mark, fatigue never set in, a similar experience I had with our vary favorite wireless earbuds, the Jabra Elite Active 75t.
The tips created a decent seal, while the arches molded perfectly into the cymba to keep the buds anchored during lite exercises (e.thousand. ab crunches, lunges, pushups). And granted the WF-SP800N is heavier than about other models, it felt extremely light on my ears.
Unfortunately, the enlarged shape of these buds isn't applied for exercises that require lifting your arms; they got in the manner many times when raising dumbbells higher up my head. When factoring in their extra weight and some moisture, the buds are prone to slip out also, especially during side planks. I prefer the Elite Active 75t or Beats Powerbeats Pro for a more secure fit.
Sony WF-SP800N review: Smart controls
I area where the WF-1000XM3 vicious hard on its protruded posterior was the touch controls, which didn't operate well. Sony must have taken this criticism to eye because the WF-SP800N is a complete 180 with far-improved touch input. The sensor now has a tiny bump near the cease that serves 2 purposes: it acts every bit a border to go along the user inside the surface range and offers a second method to execute touch gestures. I found that the WF-1000XM3 responded better to swipes than taps, and though taps annals fine on these buds, you'll discover that swiping provides more accurate results.
Sony programmed the WF-SP800N with on-ear detection too, Music will automatically intermission when removing the buds from your ear and resume playback when wearing them. Similar the WF-1000XM3, information technology works half of the time; my buds would proceed playing songs when placed on a apartment surface.
The WF-SP800N supports the large three digital administration: Google Assistant, Alexa, and Siri. The feature is extremely buggy. Every time I called upward Google Banana, either nothing happened, or the program would wait for me to voice a command without whatever notification. Normally, a pop-up appears on your smartphone screen giving you the greenlight to share an inquiry, but nada would ever show up. On rare occasions when I did get to employ the feature, information technology lagged horrendously, responding v seconds after to a request. Information technology was much of the same when using Siri on macOS.
Sony WF-SP800N review: Active racket counterfoil and ambient listening
The WF-1000XM3 offers highly effective dissonance cancellation, thanks to the QN1e processor, which is basically a toned-downward version of the chip featured in the brand's flagship Sony WH-1000XM4 over-ear headphones. Information technology's a workhouse capable of cancelling out a big amount of ambient noise and producing hi-res sound. Sadly, information technology'due south absent on the WF-SP800N, but despite its omission, these buds do an admirable job of blocking unwanted noises — enough for it to make our listing of the best dissonance-cancelling earbuds, in fact.
I'm not sure what ANC engineering Sony employs hither, just information technology's effective enough to silence barking dogs, chatty neighbors, and speeding cars. Information technology won't make louder noises (due east.g. passenger vehicle engines, power tools) unnoticeable, but, then once again, neither does the AirPods Pro's racket cancellation; high frequency sounds eventually make their way through. The WF-1000XM3 handles these transient noises slightly better. Still, the WF-SP800N is acceptable for minimizing environmental distractions during workouts.
Sony's Ambient Sound fashion has likewise been improved, allowing you to hear what's going on in your vicinity more conspicuously. When enabled, I could hear birds chirping and the gleeful kids correct next to me pestering their parents for candy. The characteristic benefits outdoor runners most, as it keeps them aware of oncoming traffic or construction work. Sony even lets you adjust the amount of ambient sound you want to hear via mobile app.
At that place are some other intuitive listening features programmed into these buds such as Avant-garde Adaptive Sound Command, which automatically adjusts the ambient sound settings based on your environment or what y'all're doing. Information technology'due south been a challenge testing this thoroughly because of the COVID-19 pandemic, so I'm hoping to provide an update in the coming weeks on how well the technology works.
Sony WF-SP800N review: Audio quality
The WF-SP800N is a minor footstep down from the beautiful-sounding WF-1000XM3. Is that a knock? No. These are some bass-forward earbuds that produce lively sound to fuel your workouts. At the same time, the absence of Sony's QN1e processor is noticeable, particularly with clarity.
To get the engine running before my jog around Midtown, I pulled up Snoop Dogg'due south "Gin and Juice" and was instantly met with vivacious lows. The WF-SP800N's signature is definitely on the warm side, which is applied for sports earbuds and perfect for bass lovers, granted it likewise harshens the vocals on certain tracks. This was certainly the case when hearing Vanessa Williams' "Work to Practise," equally the default contour accentuated the depression end more than necessary and produced sibilant noises; there were lots of hissing and static effects. I feel the WF-1000XM3 does a much better job of rendering sound.
To test the WF-SP800N'southward musical range, I played some Jazz classics during my post-workout absurd downwardly. John Coltrane's "In a Sentimental Mood" demonstrated the buds' quality reproduction, allowing me to fully hear some of the record'south subtle details such as the different howdy-hat arrangements and lightly touched pianoforte keys. The song does audio clearer on both the WF-1000XM3 and Elite Active 75t.
If you actually desire to get the all-time sound out of these buds, switch the EQ over to the Vivid setting in the Sony Headphones app. This makes a huge divergence and equalizes the soundstage so that mids and highs aren't lost in the groundwork. You'll also enjoy better bass operation when listening in standard or ANC manner, which gives songs some actress oomph.
Something else worth mentioning is the WF-SP800N's slap-up racket isolation. There was barely any exterior interference that pulled me away from the music. The buds do a surprisingly good job of minimizing audio leakage too; my fiancée couldn't fifty-fifty tell I was diggings hip-hop songs right across from her. In addition, the volume levels are well balanced and don't go obnoxiously loud, nor practise they misconstrue audio when listening at max book.
Sony WF-SP800N review: Sony Headphones app and special features
Sony'due south mobile app has been updated with some new features and a cleaner, easy-to-navigate interface. You're blessed with a host of options to personalize these buds, from the controls to the soundstage. Most of your time will be spent playing with the EQ; users can create their own sound profiles by adjusting the frequency levels or selecting from nine unlike presets that each lend themselves well to specific genres. They're all on bespeak.
The WF-SP800N works with Sony's 360 Reality Audio platform. This technology delivers a more immersive listening feel, though it requires a compatible streaming service (e.g. Deezer, Tidal) to go the virtually of it. In that location's also the aforementioned Advanced Adaptive Sound Control, along with battery life indicators for both buds and the charging case. Other standout features include toggle options for automatic firmware updates, ability off, and notification and vocalism guide alerts.
While there is plenty to exist thrilled about here, I would be remiss not to mention what is missing, which in this case, are some surprising exclusions. The kickoff is touch-to-pair NFC, a signature feature that's become synonymous with almost of the brand'southward wireless audio products. 2nd is multipoint connectivity to pair to two devices simultaneously. Third is wireless charging, something that many mod wireless earbuds with charging cases are adopting.
Sony WF-SP800N review: Battery life
The WF-SP800N is rated at 9 hours with ANC on, thirteen hours with ANC off. After several days of testing, I can say these numbers stand, as I secured about eight.5 hours on a single charge during my trial run. Keep in mind this includes heavy ANC usage, loud volume, and a few Skype calls. That's very impressive. I also loved that the buds came seventy% charged out of the box.
This places Sony'south buds in the aforementioned visitor as the Powerbeats Pro (9 hours) and higher than most other competitors, including the AirPods Pro (four.5 hours) and Aristocracy Active 75t (7.v hours).
The real difference in bombardment life lies in the charging cases; the WF-SP800N only holds 18 hours compared to the Powerbeats Pro'south 24-hour and Elite Agile 75t's 28-hour charging cases. That's about 2 to 3 fewer charges. Luckily, 9 hours fully charged is a lengthy amount to piece of work with in betwixt charges. Also, the buds have quick charging to become 1 hour of playtime on a 10-minute charge.
Sony WF-SP800N review: Call quality and connectivity
When using Sony's buds for calls, volume was peachy and I could hear people loudly and clearly. I also liked how well the buds performed indoors, which fabricated video chats with friends more fun. Some claimed that my vox sounded a chip muffled, but still understood what I was maxim.
I'chiliad agape to report that the same problems nowadays in its fancier predecessor remain hither. My fiancée mentioned hearing a lot of background noises when taking her calls exterior, from loud passengers to taxis speeding through the streets. I've nevertheless to test the WF-SP800N in breezy conditions, but when taking into business relationship its mic sensitivity and what other reviewers are saying about current of air resistance, I tin can run into these buds not performing well in drafty environments, much like the WF-1000XM3. I'll make sure to provide an update when the weather is more brisk.
Connectivity has never really been an issue with Sony's wireless headphones and earbuds, which is why I'm disappointed in the WF-SP800N. Oddly, the setup process was more seamless when pairing to my MacBook Pro than it was to my Google Pixel 2 Xl and iii XL. Trying to pair to these Android devices resulted in several troubleshooting errors.
I had to get through the Sony Headphones app, and when my handsets finally recognized the buds, information technology wasn't until I gave the app admission to my contacts that they finally connected. This is where NFC support would have been well-nigh clutch. In one case past the frustrating setup, the buds operated smoothly and re-paired to devices instantly.
Sony WF-SP800N review: Verdict
The Sony WF-SP800N is a solid addition to Sony's popular wireless earbuds lineup with dynamic sound, strong bombardment life, and water-resistant protection. These three facets may exist its biggest strengths, just the real selling point for these buds are the adaptive listening modes, in particular, active noise cancellation.
While not up to the caliber of Sony's own WF-1000XM3, or the AirPods Pro, the ANC on these buds is serviceable to at least savour peaceful runs in your neighborhood with minimal distractions. Y'all'll only desire to stay away from super-rowdy environments to go the best functioning. Ambient Sound is also a dandy feature to have on mitt for practicing improve social awareness.
Do they warrant their $200 price tag? When compared to the more than avant-garde WH-1000XM3, or category leaders similar the Jabra Elite Active 75t? I don't think so. They can definitely benefit from a price drop. But if you're a fitness junkie who favors excellent battery life (on a single charge), Sony'southward bass output, and some sonic privacy in the form of noise cancellation, so the WF-SP800N is an ideal workout companion.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/sony-wf-sp800n
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