Watermelons and soccer fields become the battleground for this audio duel.
YouTube channel “Let’s Test Laurence” recently took on the challenge of comparing cheap and expensive headphones. In this review, the Sony WH-CH510, priced at about $50, represented the budget-friendly option, while the AirPods Max, costing around $550, stood in for the high-end choice.
The channel used unique testing methods to get clear and mostly objective results. This ranged from grip strength on watermelons to Bluetooth range on soccer fields. Surprisingly, the findings showed that the Sony WH-CH510 held their own against the AirPods Max despite being available for only 10% of the cost of AirPods Max.
Cheap vs Expensive Headphones: Objective Tests
The review kicked off with a quirky “head grip theft test” involving a watermelon to mimic a human head.
The goal was to see how well the headphones would cling on during movement. Interestingly, the cheaper headphones had a better grip. These stubbornly clung to the watermelon a bit longer than the more expensive pair.
Next came the sound leak test.
Music was played through each pair of headphones at a consistent volume, and a decibel meter measured any escaping sound. The cheaper headphones allowed 43 dB of sound to leak, slightly more than the 42 dB from the expensive ones. The difference isn’t much, though, so it can be negligible.
He also used the same decibel meter to measure the volume capabilities of both headphones. The expensive headphones reached 82 dB, slightly louder than the 80 dB from the cheaper ones, indicating a small advantage in maximum volume.
A balance scale test then revealed that the AirPods Max were heavier.
Laurence placed both headphones on a balance scale, and it immediately tipped down the expensive headphones’ side.
The Bluetooth range was tested on a soccer field.
Laurence tested this by walking away from the camera until the headphones lost connection. The expensive headphones had a slightly longer range, but both were deemed okay for general use.
Another quirky test is the exercise overheating test.
This required him to jump with a thermometer attached to his ears while wearing the headphones to measure the heat build-up. This test found that cheaper headphones heated up to 38 degrees, which is just a degree warmer than the expensive ones.
Cheap vs Expensive Headphones: Subjective Tests
While Laurence tried to quantify the results with quirky tests, he wasn’t able to do that with all categories such as comfort, noise cancellation, and audio quality. For these, he relied more on his subjective opinion.
He tested the comfortability of cheap and expensive headphones by running with them and by placing his head on a pillow while wearing them.
In evaluating noise cancellation, Laurence used a drill to create loud noise while wearing the headphones. He didn’t give much detail here, but he claimed:
Laurence then judged the audio quality by simply listening with the headphones.
This one’s more subjective. But, he found the cheaper headphones surprisingly good, though the expensive ones had the edge in sound quality.
The Community Reaction
Viewer feedback was highly positive, with many appreciating Laurence’s thorough and unbiased approach to the review.
Comments also included personal testimonials about the Sony WH-CH510, the cheaper headphones tested. These mostly backed the review’s results, where the cheaper headphones stood well enough against the AirPods Max.
Despite some minor complaints about comfort over time, the consensus was clear: the cheaper headphones provided significant value.
However, some users mentioned durability issues regarding the cheap headphones. But they claim it’s an understandable compromise considering their price.
