Edifier WH500 Review

Edifier has released some solid wireless products in the past, and the WH500 is their most affordable option yet. I recently checked out WH950NB and really enjoyed it, and before that, I was high on their NeoBuds S true wireless earbuds. This brand is on a nice streak, and I’m excited to see if they can make something different out of a fifty-dollar set of on-ear headphones.

What You Get

• Headphone
• Type-C Charging Cable
• User Manual

Look & Feel

I’m not the biggest fan of on-ear headphones, but as long as the fit works you really can’t complain. That’s the case with the WH500. It’s a simple, compact pair of headphones that you can’t go wrong with. The earpads are soft and actually have a unique design. They’re easily adjustable and transportable, making them easy to travel with.

Design & Functionality 

A 30mm dynamic driver is utilized here, which is quite small but for the price and how small the headphones are themselves, it makes sense. The headphone’s output has some surprising gain to it leaving you with a generous amount of headroom from your music. Like all of Edifier’s recent Bluetooth products, the WH500 expands its features through its companion app, where you can access extra features like EQ, dynamic sound mode, and game mode.

Bluetooth

The WH500 has a stable connection and fast pairing, supporting Bluetooth version 5.2. Only SBC is supported though, but I never experienced any desynchronization or dropouts from the wireless connection.

Battery Life

You’ll be able to get 40 hours of playtime out of the WH500. This is pretty substantial for a pair of fifty-dollar headphones, with six hours of playtime being available after only ten minutes of charge.

Soundstage

There aren’t a lot of affordable wireless headphones that will deliver a fully engrossing soundstage, but the WH500 does the best it can. Some generous room is made in the middle for vocals, but the stage doesn’t expand much beyond that. Its spatial ability is limited, but not offensive to the performances. The imaging grants the sound elements some localization, but the headspace is just too tight for positioning to really stick out. Everything mostly appears in your head, with only extreme left and right panning communicating any form of movement. Tallness is actually quite good here though, and it really fills out the soundstage well without feeling too congested.

Low End

The bass has a strong body to it, providing thickness and form to its engaging tone. It encompasses a significant amount of the sound signature but never regresses into muddiness. With a mix of surface-level sub-bass impact and blooming mid-bass texture, the WH500 delivers a low end that has a fun edge that knows how to show control.

Mids

Using EQ will matter a lot here, but you’ll find it hard to get past the considerable points of recession in the midrange. In their standard form, the tone doesn’t exhibit a ton of energy. Aside from some mid-bass amplitude, many instruments are relegated toward the background of the mix. Electric guitars have a marginal bite, but in their sustain become undefined. Vocals only show a slight uptick in resolution, but the EQ can be used to sharpen their timbre.

Highs

Most of the treble will be pretty soft, but boosting the gain with EQ reveals more enjoyable qualities. Without EQ, the highs are still clear and natural, which I wasn’t expecting. EQ can be used to express more height and shimmer here. They don’t have a ring to their timbre, but they feel articulate and well-detailed for the price.

Summary

For a pair of budget on-ear headphones, the WH500 from Edifier is solid. Those looking for something small and affordable will instantly find these headphones worthy, and their added features only sweeten the deal. Its sound isn’t perfect, but for the price, it is exciting enough in its bass and high frequencies to provide a fun performance.

The Edifier WH500 is available on Amazon.