Sony WH-CH520 vs Sony MDR-ZX110
Quick take: The Sony MDR-ZX110 costs $28 less; only the Sony WH-CH520 supports multipoint (two devices at once).
Which one to buy
What does $28 buy? Mostly freedom from the cable. Both are light Sony on-ears with 30mm drivers. The WH-CH520 runs 50 hours over Bluetooth, connects to a phone and laptop at once, and comes with Sony's full EQ app. The MDR-ZX110 is a $10 wired headphone with no battery, no pairing and no mic (Sony sells the ZX110AP version with one), and its 24-ohm load plays at full volume from anything with a jack.
Each one solves the other's main problem. The CH520 has no wired fallback, so a dead battery or a plane seatback means silence. The ZX110 never runs out but ties you to the device with a short, fixed cord that is its usual failure point. Owners also find the CH520's mic decent for quiet-room calls, which is relevant for school or remote work.
Neither handles long sessions or noise well, since both are on-ears with almost no isolation. Plenty of owners keep a ZX110 in a drawer as the backup for a wireless pair like this one.
Sony WH-CH520
If you want a wireless daily headphone with a usable mic, two-device switching and an EQ.
Sony MDR-ZX110
For a $10 spare, a kid's Chromebook headphone or a wired backup that can never run out of charge.
| Spec | Sony WH-CH520 | Sony MDR-ZX110 |
|---|---|---|
| Approx. price | ~$38 | ~$10 |
| Rating | — | — |
| Type | On-Ear Headphones | Wired & Studio |
| Noise Cancelling | None | None |
| Battery (single charge) | 50 hrs | — |
| Battery (with case) | — | — |
| Quick Charge | 3 min = 1.5 hrs | — |
| Codecs | SBC, AAC | — |
| Bluetooth | 5.2 | — |
| Multipoint | Yes | No |
| Driver Size | 30 mm | 30 mm |
| Weight | 147 g | 120 g |
| Water Resistance | — | — |
| Wireless Charging | No | No |
| Transparency Mode | No | No |
| Spatial Audio | Yes | No |
| App EQ | Yes | No |
Pros & cons
Sony WH-CH520
- ✓50-hour battery at a near-permanent $38 price
- ✓Full Sony Headphones Connect app with custom EQ
- ✓Real multipoint rarely found this cheap
- ✓Just 147 grams for all-day wear
- ✓Surprisingly even stock tuning for the money
- ✓3-minute charge buys 1.5 hours
- ✗No 3.5mm jack — dead battery means a paperweight
- ✗Thin on-ear pads fatigue past a couple hours
- ✗Zero noise isolation and no ANC
- ✗All-plastic build feels light, never premium
- ✗Mic only serviceable in quiet rooms
Sony MDR-ZX110
- ✓Absurd price-to-performance — regularly under $15 from a major brand
- ✓Warm, punchy bass and clear mids that beat everything else at this price
- ✓Very light at 120g with a fold-flat swivel design for travel
- ✓24-ohm impedance means full volume from any phone or laptop
- ✓Durable for the price — owners report years of daily abuse
- ✓Tangle-resistant 1.2m Y-cord with L-shaped plug
- ✗Thin on-ear pads get uncomfortable after an hour, especially on larger heads
- ✗Treble is rolled off and can sound harsh at high volume
- ✗No mic or inline remote (that's the ZX110AP variant)
- ✗Non-detachable cable — when it frays, the headphone is done
- ✗Essentially zero noise isolation
Sony WH-CH520 vs Sony MDR-ZX110: common questions
Is the CH520 worth almost four times the price?▾
If you'll use it every day, probably yes. You get no cable, a 50-hour battery, multipoint, an EQ app and a mic. For a backup, a kid's school device or something that might get lost, the ZX110 does the basic job for $10.
Can I take calls on the ZX110?▾
Not on the standard model, which has no mic or remote. Sony sells a ZX110AP variant with one. The CH520's built-in mic handles quiet-room calls well enough that many owners take calls on it without complaints.