Sony WI-C100 Wireless in-Ear Bluetooth Headphones with Built-in Microphone, Blue

This is actually my *third* pair of WI-C100s- the first pair lasted a good several months (if not over a year) but the cable from the battery to the earbud came loose on one side; the second I lost on the way to work after months of use, probably while having to run for a bus or snagged on my backpack strap and fell off (was...not a good morning hah) So....yes, since they're so light they are easy to slip off accidentally if you don't have one or both ears in-use to keep it from running off your neck (mostly when running or leaning/laying back, basic day-to-day activities don't usually knock em loose ime) that's really the only "big" downside I've found so far across these- and I've been using this same model for a few years now. And worst case scenario, if you do lose em they're cheap and easy to replace, widely available- sometimes even at local stores (though my nearby places didn't this time around) Because they're tethered together, I don't have to worry about losing one ear because it fell out mid-use or I forgot to put it back into the case when not in use. Sometimes you may need to be careful using these when wearing any "cross-chest strap" bags or otherwise (messenger/gym/duffel bags, purses, arm-slings, tools with a neck/shoulder strap, etc) to make sure the earbuds don't get caught under the strap- but for the tradeoff of reliability and peace-of-mind of having them semi-wired, I don't mind that occasional snag too much. Even when they do lightly catch on my backpack strap, they haven't seemed to wear down or come loose around the wire at either end (the pair I had that *did* break in that way came loose at the battery end, and wasn't caused by a shoulder strap- was also after several months of heavy use, even while sleeping) So build quality is reasonable, how do they sound? Honestly, for a $20-30 pair of *wireless* earbuds, pretty decent ^-^ sure it may not satisfy any audiophiles, but again....don't forget the price- even for that, they still sound great to me (of course, that could just be Sony and their reasonable consistency/quality with even budget headphones over the years heh) and the extra features from the Sound Connect app are a nice bonus. Of course it's not going to have extra-thumpy bass (try their "XB" line of products for that) or Sennheiser/Bose/what-have-you quality- but the equalizer and DSEE do give you some extra control over how they sound. Oh, and you can also enable/disable the voice msgs from the app, so it'll only speak up when turning on/off the headset, and when the battery is low The connection consistency and quality have been pretty good across all 3 pairs I've had. For reference, I not only use them with my phone daily (close proximity, but also connecting to Android over BT often works better than with Windows) but also with my PC just as often- and I've never had a problem with initial pairing or swapping between the two. When in use with my PC, even when in another room several ft away they still maintain a good connection, only *rarely* drops out from far away if I move my arm in the way of the line-of-sight (granted, that may also be another advantage of the "pair on the same wire" style of headset over individual or TWS [true wireless sound, or "airpod style" with the separate batteries/bt connections per ear] buds- ymmv with your device(s) of choice) The battery life....hoo boy, they're not kidding when they say upwards of 20-25 hrs. Not only do these have a larger battery thanks to the type of headset- but also since the battery is along the band instead of the buds themselves, the earbuds are much lower profile and work great for wearing during sleep without having to worry about them falling out or losing charge too soon (as long as you don't mind the wires- but even then, they're pretty lightweight and unobtrusive) especially with the right eartips to help keep em snug and secure. Personally, with my living situation having something playing in my ears to drown out outside noise while sleeping was....a necessity- with some memory foam eartips (the included ones would normally be ok, but my inner ear is a bit wide even for the included large tips to work ._.) you almost don't need active noise-cancelling with these ^-^ speaking of eartips, the posts on these are also decently long unlike most TWS buds, so they have a bit more flexibility with options for those (one of my major problems with several TWS pairs I've tried) Between the long battery life (and decently fast charging speed, even over a PC USB instead of 2A wall adapter), comfortable wear, decent sound quality for price, and extra features in the companion app, I'm pretty happy with these as a daily driver (As for the provided eartips, there's nothing wrong with em and will likely work for most, I'm just a bit of an odd case with ear shape hah)

I've used its cousin, the WI-C130, for the past two years and felt like it was about time to replace them given their waning battery life. I've used those out and about, listening to music and, most importantly, while lying in bed listening to audiobooks (including side-sleeping). Most earphones aren't comfortable for that; either they poke out too much, are generally uncomfortable, or too loose/unsecure. But these (both C100 and C130) are amazingly comfortable for that use-case. The WI-C100 is comparable to WI-C130. Given Sony's notoriously confusing naming scheme, its not clear which of the models is meant to be a step-up over the other. - In minor aspects of build quality, the WI-C130 seems better; slightly better quality plastic with magnets (at least weak ones) on the eartips for convenient attaching when not in use. - But otherwise, the WI-C100 seems better; the sound quality (from initial impressions) and the availability of software preferences. E.g., after initial connection with an android smartphone, it prompts you to install the Sony SoundConnect app which has a nice equalizer with a "clear bass" option. It also includes helpful guides on the button functionality and choosing the right sized eartips for your ears. It also includes (what seems like) a gimmick feature: a "360 live sound" app which simulates surround sound and adapts it to a model of your ear shape. I'm not sure whether this applies globally, or only in the small collection of paid bloatware apps it offers to install. The app could've been more polished, and if the 360 live sound thingy was better implemented, it would definitely outcompete other such branded apps. Two important shortcomings: - These should've had multipoint bluetooth connections so that at least two devices could be connected at a time. It seems they could've implemented that in this package, esp. at this price-point. - These don't automatically turn off after a timeout period when there's no sound. I suspect this needlessly shortens their battery health overtime, like it does for the WI-C130, especially when used during sleep time. Its a shame because an automatic-switch-off feature would've made these even more robust and long-lasting. TL;DR: In the relatively overlooked niche of wireless neckband earphones, this is a very decent, economical option, providing Sony-level sound quality and reliability. (Having said that, the WI-C130s were $18 two years ago, now these comparable WI-C100s are almost double the price. That's regrettable especially since the cheap plastic build quality is nothing to write home about, also with the two shortcomings above. There are other companies providing more features at this price-point (albeit without the Sony-level comfort). I hope Sony limits price-hikes for these and related models, or at least justifies them with tangible improvements in build quality, sound, IP rating, battery life, QoL features, etc). Bonus tip: cross the earphones around the neck for a more secure fit. This advice goes for most wireless earphones with neckbands.

Quality listening is nice. Battery is great. Fit is ok. Color is ok. Regarding functionality I believe this item should have the magnet to keep both sides together in neck when you are not using them and that detects and pauses what you are listening when in break. That helps out to not loose them, feel more comfortable and have more battery durability. They function well but to carry is harder.

The Sony WI-C100 Wireless In-Ear Headphones deliver a nice, crisp sound and get good life on each charge. The cord length is just right to make the controls easy to reach. I wanted this style after losing one of a wireless pair, and the fact that they're wired to each other keeps that from happening. They're very comfortable and callers tell me the voice clarity is exceptional.

These Sony WI-C100 earbuds really surprised me. The sound quality is clean and balanced, with more bass than I expected for a budget pair. They’re super lightweight and comfortable to wear and the neckband design keeps them from falling out and getting lost while moving around. The battery life is excellent—I can go several days of normal use before needing a recharge. Bluetooth connection is good, and they pair quickly with my phone every time. If you want simple, reliable wireless earbuds without spending a lot, these are a great buy. Five stars from me.

I really wanted to like these more...in fact, initially I thought they were great, but the more I've used them, the more I've considered returning them. These replaced a few-years-old LG Tone headset/headphones so I compare these to those. That was my preferred style/pair (a plastic band worn across the back of the neck, with the earbuds coming out the ends but easily connected to the band ends by magnets. I first got LG Tone as a gift about 10 years ago, for my first Bluetooth headphones, and liked them so much I would just get the same (on eBay) every few years when one of the earbuds would lose its sound (cord wearing down), but now they are not available. I don't like the airpods style for several reasons -- I don't like the hard plastic in my ear, don't think they fit well/stay in place well, are too easy to lose since they aren't conjoined, and the controls are too difficult to use effectively for my big fingers (e.g. adjusting volume/track). So for this Sony pair, pros and cons: PROS 1) battery life is EXCELLENT, this is one aspect far superior to the former LG pair; the box says 25 hours and that might be right--i use at the gym for roughly 3-8 hours a week, and I've charged them just TWICE in the two months I've had them 2) value is good as they are under $20 for a name-brand 3) sound quality is solid, especially for the price - there is supposed to be some special sound processing tech, not sure if it's any better or worse than the "aptX" the LG's had 4) charging is easy with a USB-C connection (no a cable isn't included, but I have like 10 extra cords lying around, they are pretty ubiquitous these days and I'm sure you can get one for like a dollar if you didn't happen to have one) CONS: 1) connection stability is POOR - they drop the connection generally once a listening session, which gets really old fast. The LGs I previously had would only do this roughly once every 50 uses or so 2) they can take forever to pair (sometimes up to two minutes), and it only does it automatically when turning on roughly half the time without going into the phone's menu to connect them 3) design does not necessarily work well when "active," e.g. at the gym -- draping them across the back of the neck, with the "L" on the left and the "R" on the right, they constantly shift around, making them frustrating to wear -- another reviewer (must be a short/small person?) suggested the cord length in between the L and R control "boxes" should be SHORTER?? but for me they need to be significantly longer. For reference, I am 6'2" (1.87 m). With them worn this way, the controls are also not intuitive to use (and it's also annoying you have to press and hold the + or - buttons for like three seconds to go to previous or next track) **[As I write this review, the connection just dropped! Then clicking connect on the phone, it only connected for phone audio, then dropped again entirely]** 4) when they initially connect, or re-connect when it invariably drops, often there is a long delay for the audio, like 10-20 seconds after you hit play and they actually start playing through the buds 5) trying to re-connect them as I write this review, they refuse to re-connect despite three attempts (oh wait, now it finally did on the 3rd attempt and after turning off and on, and after taking around 45 seconds to connect) **I discovered they are better to wear with the ears flipped -- drape across the back of your neck but with the L on the right and the R on the left, and then place into the corresponding ear, so they crisscross across the bottom of the front of your neck/upper chest. This way the controls are in easy reach of your right hand, and they stay in place better (mostly).

These are my absolute favorite bluetooth headphones - I use them for calls at work and listening to music/podcasts at home or the store. I like that they are wireless enough to be mobile but still have the cable between earbuds. I cannot be trusted with two tiny individual earbuds honestly, and for work there are some situations where it's beneficial if coworkers can immediately see a cord and know I'm on a call (and they can't as easily tell with just earbuds). The sound is great for calls and decent enough for the price with music. I'm not someone who is willing to spend 100+ on sound quality as a hard of hearing person so maybe there are much better earbuds but I still think the sound is very clear and smooth. Control buttons are easy to use, the design layout is super intuitive in my opinion so I didn't need to spend time learning a whole system to raise/lower volume, skip/repeat a song, or pause/pay.

I was in need of a new headset and bought 2 different sets - this and the Tonemac N8s, both were in the under $30 range. There is a more detailed review for the Tonemacs on that product page but I will touch on a few points for both in case others are comparison shopping. The Good: 1) The Sony headset has an exceptional sound at this price point. Solid bass, clear vocals and treble, no muddled sound. You can distinctively hear individual instruments and vocal tracks, sounds are crisp and clear. They sound higher end than the price point and significantly better than the Tonemacs. 2) The Sony buds connected to my Bluetooth immediately. I had no issues with the connection dropping which was not the case with the Tonemacs. The range is decent as well. There is a very clear female voice that advises the power status and battery level, connecting, etc. 3) The Sony earbuds are very comfortable in the ear. There is a left and right side. They come with 3 pair of tips, small, medium and large. They aren't noise canceling but do block most outside sounds. 4) The volume range is quite good and clear at even low levels. This is a significant improvement over the Tonemacs, that had to be at nearly full volume but still had muddled sound. 5) Battery life appears to be quite good and 25 hours seems to be spot on. The Tonemacs boast about 40 hours. The Bad: 1) I'm not a fan of the multi-function buttons on just about every electronic device these days. I prefer separate track select buttons but these are combined with the volume up/down buttons however they do work well. You hold the volume up or down button about 2 seconds to move to the next or previous track. It chimes when it changes the track, which is a nice feature. The Tonemacs were a hot mess, flipping through multiple tracks, etc. 2) The flexible neckband is a pain. It slides and flops around. If you are wearing these while exercising, they will eventually fall so far to one side that it pulls the earbud out. I have found putting the controller on the right side and then crossing the earbuds in the front of your neck (so the bud on the right side is in the left ear, etc.) is really the only way to keep them in place if you are moving around. They should have included magnetic tips but apparently Sony had to save a few pennies. 3) I was shocked that a charge cord isn't included. I mean, come on. It isn't a huge deal to me because I have several C cords but that may not be true of everyone. I don't think people should have to purchase an additional item just to get the product to function. These cords are inexpensive, which is all the more reason it should be included. Ridiculous and so petty and cheap on Sony's part. Just an FYI in case anyone is wondering - you can't listen and charge simultaneously but that is the case for most headsets. 4) The build quality is decent but very basic, no frills. The absence of magnetic tips is annoying because they could help keep them from falling off. The plastic cover over the charge port feels extremely fragile but the cords seem to be decent enough. The headset is lightweight, but doesn't feel cheap or flimsy. Build quality is on par with the cost. Overall, the sound of this headset is what makes it stand out. Everything else is really quite basic. To me though, the sound is what matters and these sound WAY better than the Tonemacs. Just make sure you have a C charging cable or you won't be able to use them.