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Outlier Pro
Company ProductName Specs




WH-CH520
Company ProductName Specs




What we think

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The PerfectRec Earbuds or Headphones team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·

If you prioritize comfort and are interested in using your headphones for gaming or watching TV and video, the Sony WH-CH520 would be a better choice as they are highly rated for comfort and perform well for these activities. On the other hand, if you need earbuds that are suitable for exercise and air travel, with features such as sweatproof certification, active noise cancelling, and better portability, then the Creative Labs Outlier Pro might be the preferable option. The Outlier Pro is also better optimized for calls and meetings. Both options have similar overall sound quality, but the Sony has somewhat longer battery life. Keep in mind that the Creative Labs Outlier Pro also supports wireless charging, which could be a convenient feature not present in the Sony WH-CH520. Give Feedback

this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Creative Labs Outlier Pro
  • Very good for phone calls
  • Very good for exercise
Advantages of the Sony WH-CH520
  • Good for music
  • Very good for gaming
  • Very good for TV and video

Key differences

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Music

5.9
Outlier Pro
WH-CH520
7.6
The Sony WH-CH520 is good for music, while the Creative Labs Outlier Pro is poor.

Gaming

5.3
Outlier Pro
WH-CH520
8.8
The Sony WH-CH520 is very good for gaming, while the Creative Labs Outlier Pro is poor.

Phone Calls

8.3
Outlier Pro
WH-CH520
6.7
The Creative Labs Outlier Pro is very good for phone calls, while the Sony WH-CH520 is only fair.

Podcasts and Audiobooks

8.9
Outlier Pro
WH-CH520
8.0
The Creative Labs Outlier Pro and Sony WH-CH520 are both very good for podcasts and audiobooks, though the Creative Labs Outlier Pro is somewhat better.

TV and Video

5.5
Outlier Pro
WH-CH520
8.2
The Sony WH-CH520 is very good for TV and video, while the Creative Labs Outlier Pro is poor.

Noise Reduction

8.3
Outlier Pro
WH-CH520
4.6
The Creative Labs Outlier Pro is very good for noise reduction, while the Sony WH-CH520 is poor.

Battery

10.0 Hours
Outlier Pro
WH-CH520
52.0 Hours
The Creative Labs Outlier Pro has 10 hours of battery life. The Sony WH-CH520 has 52 hours of battery life.

Cost

$45
Outlier Pro
WH-CH520
$40
Product image
Product image

$0

$10

$20

$30

$40

$50

The Creative Labs Outlier Pro has a price of $45 and the Sony WH-CH520 costs $40.

Build Quality

9.0
Outlier Pro
WH-CH520
7.0
The Creative Labs Outlier Pro has excellent build quality, while the Sony WH-CH520 has good build quality.
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How the Creative Labs Outlier Pro and the Sony WH-CH520 compare to other earbuds and headphones

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Spec Comparison

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Creative Labs Outlier ProSony WH-CH520
Creative Labs Outlier ProSony WH-CH520

GENERAL

Price
$45
$40
Brand
Creative LabsSony
Release Date
April 1, 2022April 1, 2023
Form Factor
EarbudsHeadphones
Connectivity
WirelessWireless

SOUND

Music Score
5.9/107.7/10
Phone Calls Score
8.3/106.8/10
Gaming Score
5.4/108.8/10
TV and Video Score
5.6/108.2/10
Exercise Score
8/106.4/10

PERFORMANCE

Battery life
10 Hours52 Hours
Wireless charging
YesNo
Charging time
1.5 Hours1.9 Hours
Bluetooth version
5.25.2
Case Battery Life
45N/A

FEATURES

Active Noise Cancelling
YesNo
Noise Reduction Score
8.4/104.6/10
Virtual Surround
NoYes
Android App
YesYes
iOS App
YesYes
Mic Quality
8/108/10

BUILD AND DESIGN

Build Quality
9/107/10
Comfort score
7/1010/10
Size
LargeN/A
Weight (headset or single earbud)
7.2 Grams147.41 Grams
Microphone style
IntegratedIntegrated

Shopping

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Creative Labs Outlier Pro

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Dig into reviews and images

Forbes

Brad Moon | September 2022
"If you listen to music for extended periods such as commuting and work, and you hate having to pause to charge, give the Creative Outlier Pro wireless earbuds a try. You should be able to enjoy your tunes all day, or longer, without interruption."

Sony WH-CH520

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Sound Guys

Christian Thomas | September 2023
"If you’re looking for headphones that simply do what you ask them to: the Sony WH-CH520 is a decent option, even if it isn’t very exciting. Sony’s WH-CHXXX line fits this role quite well, and the WH-CH520 offers a decent raft of quality-of-life updates over its predecessor that should keep listeners happy. If the Sony WH-CH520 were a car, it’d be the boring-but-safe commuter compact."

Get a great deal on the Creative Labs Outlier Pro or the Sony WH-CH520

About Creative Labs

Creative Labs is a Singaporean technology company specialized in the manufacture of multimedia products. They created the world-famous Soundblaster soundcard back in 1989 which was a staple of the gaming community for a long time. Nowadays, besides still marketing their discrete audio systems, they offer a wide array of headphones, gaming headsets and speakers that still preserve that same heritage.

About Sony

Sony is a multinational corporation, based out of Japan, with over 75 years of experience in the consumer electronics industry. In the audio market, Sony has been a trendsetter several times throughout its history. In 1979 they released the first-ever portable music player, the Sony Walkman, followed by the Discman 20 years later. Today, Sony is one of the leaders in the wireless headphone and earbud market, especially in terms of Active Noise Cancellation technology.

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Why trust us

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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec earbuds & headphones team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest earbuds or headphones information and makes it digestible for you.

By the numbers

108
Earbuds and headphones evaluated
11,340
Earbuds and headphones stats compiled
15
Proprietary Earbuds and headphones ratings developed
111,200
Recommendations made
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Consumer hours saved

About the Earbuds or Headphones team

Joe Golden, Ph.D

CEO and Earbuds and Headphones Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Jason Lew

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.

Chandradeep Chowdhury

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.

Luis Torres

Earbuds and Headphones Expert
Luis is a Mexico-based headphones expert. He’s been making headphone recommendations for five years and has close to 100 pairs in his personal collection.

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