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Updated April 11, 2024·
If price is a strong consideration, the Creative Labs Zen Air may be the right choice, as they are significantly less expensive than the Sony WH-CH520. However, if you prioritize comfort and battery life for longer listening sessions, the Sony WH-CH520 is described as having "Best in Class" comfort and a much longer battery life. The Sony headphones also offer better performance for TV and video, so they might be more suitable for multimedia purposes. The Creative Labs Zen Air is more portable and has a higher rating for use during exercise, so if you're active or on the go, they might be more appealing. Both have good overall sound quality, but the Sony WH-CH520's sound is better for gaming and book/podcast listening. Neither option supports low latency which is important for gaming and watching videos, but if noise isolation and active noise canceling are important, the Zen Air includes those features, unlike the Sony. 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 Zen Air
- The Creative Labs Zen Air has no clear advantages over the Sony WH-CH520.
Advantages of the Sony WH-CH520
- Good for music
- Very good for gaming
- Very good for TV and video
- Very good for podcasts and audiobooks
Key differences
Music
6.8
7.6
The Sony WH-CH520 is good for music, while the Creative Labs Zen Air is only fair.
Gaming
5.1
8.8
The Sony WH-CH520 is very good for gaming, while the Creative Labs Zen Air is poor.
Phone Calls
5.1
6.7
The Sony WH-CH520 is only fair for phone calls, while the Creative Labs Zen Air is poor.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
5.4
8.0
The Sony WH-CH520 is very good for podcasts and audiobooks, while the Creative Labs Zen Air is poor.
TV and Video
5.6
8.2
The Sony WH-CH520 is very good for TV and video, while the Creative Labs Zen Air is poor.
Noise Reduction
7.0
4.6
The Creative Labs Zen Air is good for noise reduction, while the Sony WH-CH520 is poor.
Battery
5.0 Hours
52.0 Hours
The Creative Labs Zen Air has 5 hours of battery life. The Sony WH-CH520 has 52 hours of battery life.
Cost
$30
$40
$0
$10
$20
$30
$40
$50
The Creative Labs Zen Air has a price of $30 and the Sony WH-CH520 costs $40.
Build Quality
9.0
7.0
The Creative Labs Zen Air has excellent build quality, while the Sony WH-CH520 has good build quality.
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How the Creative Labs Zen Air and the Sony WH-CH520 compare to other earbuds and headphones
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Creative Labs Zen Air | Sony WH-CH520 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$30 | $40 | ||
Brand | |||
Brand | Creative Labs | Sony | |
Release Date | |||
Release Date | December 1, 2022 | April 1, 2023 | |
Form Factor | |||
Form Factor | Earbuds | Headphones | |
Connectivity | |||
Connectivity | Wireless | Wireless | |
SOUND | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Music Score | |||
Music Score | 6.9/10 | 7.7/10 | |
Phone Calls Score | |||
Phone Calls Score | 5.1/10 | 6.8/10 | |
Gaming Score | |||
Gaming Score | 5.1/10 | 8.8/10 | |
TV and Video Score | |||
TV and Video Score | 5.7/10 | 8.2/10 | |
Exercise Score | |||
Exercise Score | 6.9/10 | 6.4/10 | |
PERFORMANCE | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery life | |||
Battery life | 5 Hours | 52 Hours | |
Wireless charging | |||
Wireless charging | Yes | No | |
Charging time | |||
Charging time | 2 Hours | 1.9 Hours | |
Bluetooth version | |||
Bluetooth version | 5 | 5.2 | |
Case Battery Life | |||
Case Battery Life | 12 | N/A | |
FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Active Noise Cancelling | |||
Active Noise Cancelling | Yes | No | |
Noise Reduction Score | |||
Noise Reduction Score | 7/10 | 4.6/10 | |
Virtual Surround | |||
Virtual Surround | Yes | Yes | |
Android App | |||
Android App | Yes | Yes | |
iOS App | |||
iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
Mic Quality | |||
Mic Quality | 7/10 | 8/10 | |
BUILD AND DESIGN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality | |||
Build Quality | 9/10 | 7/10 | |
Comfort score | |||
Comfort score | 7/10 | 10/10 | |
Size | |||
Size | Medium | N/A | |
Weight (headset or single earbud) | |||
Weight (headset or single earbud) | 5 Grams | 147.41 Grams | |
Microphone style | |||
Microphone style | Integrated | Integrated | |
Shopping
Creative Labs Zen Air
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Dig into reviews and images
Headphone Check
Maike Paeßens | February 2023
"The Creative Zen Air’s weak points are its low battery life and rather short Bluetooth range. On the other hand, the strengths of these weatherproof True Wireless in-Ears are the sound and the wide attenuation of the Active Noise Cancellation. Considering the price range, the speech intelligibility during calls is also exceptionally good."
Sony WH-CH520
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Dig into reviews and images
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 Zen Air 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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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.
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