Sony MDR-1000X vs Sony WH-CH520

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MDR-1000X compared with WH-CH520

	SonyMDR-1000X	SonyWH-CH520
Overview
Released
Released	September 2016	March 2023
Sound
Type
Type	Over-ear	On-ear
Noise cancelling
Noise cancelling	Yes	No
Transparency mode
Transparency mode	Yes	No
Driver size
Driver size	40 mm	30 mm
Back
Back	Closed	Closed
Bluetooth codecs
Bluetooth codecs	SBC, AAC, aptX and LDAC	SBC and AAC
Lossless over USB-C
Lossless over USB-C	–	No
Drivers
Drivers	40 mm dome-type drivers with aluminium-coated liquid crystal polymer diaphragms, CCAW voice coils and neodymium magnets; 4 Hz to 40 kHz wired frequency response; 46 ohms powered on or 14 ohms off at 1 kHz	Bluetooth response 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz at 44.1 kHz sampling
Noise cancelling detail
Noise cancelling detail	Sense Engine with dual noise sensors and a Personal NC Optimiser; Ambient Sound Mode offers Normal and Voice settings, and Quick Attention passes outside sound through while a hand covers the right earcup	–
Audio features
Audio features	LDAC, aptX, AAC and SBC over Bluetooth; DSEE HX upscaling and S-Master HX amplification; NFC pairing	DSEE upscaling and customisable equaliser in Sony | Sound Connect (formerly Headphones Connect)
Battery
Listening time (maker's claim)
Listening time (maker's claim)	Up to 20 hours	Up to 50 hours
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Up to 20 hours with noise cancelling on or 22 hours off; up to 24 hours of talk time with noise cancelling on; full charge in about four hours	Up to 40 hours of calls and 200 hours on standby; no passive operation or wired playback
Fast charging
Fast charging	–	3 minutes gives up to 1.5 hours; full charge approximately 3 hours
Design
Weight
Weight	275 g	147 g (better)
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	4.1	5.2
Two devices at once
Two devices at once	–	Yes
Headphone cable
Headphone cable	Yes	No
Controls
Controls	Right earcup touch panel for playback, calls and volume; separate power, noise cancelling and ambient-sound buttons	Physical buttons for playback, calls, volume and track selection; press the play/call button to use the connected phone's Siri or Google voice assistant
Microphones
Microphones	Omnidirectional electret condenser microphone with a 100 Hz to 8 kHz frequency range	Built-in call microphone with noise suppression processing
Fit and ear tips
Fit and ear tips	Circumaural ear cushions; swivelling earcups fold into the supplied carrying case	Adjustable padded headband, soft earpads and swivelling earcups
Water resistance detail
Water resistance detail	–	No water resistance rating published
Works with
Works with	Bluetooth A2DP, AVRCP, HFP and HSP; 3.5 mm detachable cable allows listening with the headphones switched off; Micro-USB charges the battery	Two-device multipoint, Fast Pair and Swift Pair; approximately 10 m range, profiles A2DP, AVRCP, HFP and HSP; USB-C is charging-only (SoundGuys)
Colours
Colours	Black, Grey Beige	Black, Blue, White, Beige; Pink and Yellow added in March 2025; One Piece Black and One Piece White limited editions on the current UK page
In the box
In the box	Headphones, carrying case, 1.5 m headphone cable, Micro-USB cable and in-flight plug adaptor	Headphones and USB charging cable; no carrying case listed