Sony Launches True Wireless Sports Earphones With Active Noise Control

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Sony today introduced its new WF-SP800N true wireless headphones, 100% wireless Active Noise Control (ANC) in-ear headphones for sportsmen and women, available from July 2020 for €200.

If you’ve been following our lexicon of Sony’s strange terminology for audio products, you know that WF stands for “Wire Free”, “SP” stands for “Sport”, the “N” stands for Noise Cancellation.

The 800 tells us that the model is a high-end product, necessarily more expensive than the entry-level equivalent, the WI-SP510 launched last March.

A Design For The Most Active Music Lovers

The Sony WF-SP800N are intended for “active” or sporting use, so they are logically IP55 certified.

They are not the most waterproof earphones on the market, but they will withstand sweat and splashes without a problem.

The in-ear cups are available in three different and rather sober colours: black, white and blue.

Support fins or “stabilising arches” as Sony calls them, are combined with the curved three-point design to ensure a stable and comfortable fit during your most sporting activities.

The Design of The Sony WF SP800N
The Design of The Sony WF SP800N

Touch controls on each earpiece allow you to play, stop or skip music and adjust the volume by simply placing your finger on the right earpiece.

You can turn on amplification of ambient noise by simply placing your finger on the left earpiece with the Quick Attention feature.

This allows you to instantly lower the volume to let in ambient sound for a quick conversation, for example.

Identical Specs To WF-1000XM3 and The Absence of HD Codecs

The Sony WF-SP800N features 6mm drivers with a bass boost feature called Xtra Bass,

which is designed to flatter the lower frequencies and deliver a more punchy sound without drowning out the rest of the musical message.

They are equipped with the same Bluetooth chip as the excellent WF-1000XM3, Sony’s flagship true wireless in-ear unit.

But like the latter, the WF-SP800N supports only the basic SBC and AAC codecs, not aptX or LDAC, so no aptX or LDAC.

Instead, there is an Active Noise Reduction (ANC) function with 20 different intensity levels that you can set via the dedicated Sony Headphones Connect application.

There’s also an option for amplifying ambient noise and adapting to your sound environment.

We’ve already seen them on the WF-1000XM3 and it’s good to see them on this model.

Sony WF-SP800N Specs
Sony WF-SP800N Specs

When fully charged, the case provides 18 hours of music enjoyment with the noise reduction function and 26 hours if the noise reduction function is turned off.

With an autonomy of 9 hours per earphone, the case thus allows three full recharges.

The USB-C case is compatible with quick charging and offers 60 minutes of listening with only 10 minutes of charging time.

The WF-SP800N also allows you to enjoy 360 Reality Audio, an immersive audio technology for sound spatialization.

But this requires a compatible smartphone (Android or iPhone) and a subscription to Deezer Hi-Fi or Tidal.

For 200 euros, the price of the Sony WF-SP800N is much lower than that of the WF-1000XM3 (250 euros at launch) as is that of the Airpod Pro (280 euros).

The active noise reduction is also a big plus for intra-sporters. We look forward to offering you a competent test of these very promising earphones.

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