The Sony WF-SP800N are sports-oriented, truly wireless earbuds with quite a few extra features. They’re well-built, quite comfortable, and do a great job of staying in your ears. You can customize their punchy, bass-heavy default sound profile in the Sony| Headphones Connect app. They also have an adjustable active noise cancelling (ANC) system, but unfortunately, it doesn't block out much more noise than when it's off. Their control scheme also lacks a volume function, although you can remap some controls in the app.
Our Verdict
The Sony WF-SP800N are alright for neutral sound. Their default sound profile is bass-heavy, suitable for genres like EDM and hip-hop, but while vocals and lead instruments are present and clear, they sometimes lack finer details. These headphones also have a poor passive soundstage performance, like most in-ears. Fortunately, you can use the Sony| Headphones Connect companion app to access a graphic EQ and presets, which allows you to customize their sound profile to suit you.
- Very stable fit.
- Graphic EQ in companion app.
- Closed-off-soundstage.
- Somewhat boomy out-the-box sound profile.
The Sony WF-SP800N are good for commuting. With a continuous battery life of more than nine hours, they should be able to get you through a long day of travel. They also come with a case that holds about one extra charge. They do a good job of blocking out the chatter of fellow commuters, but they struggle to reduce the volume of lower-pitched ambient sounds like plane or bus engines. Also, their ANC system is almost useless and does very little to improve their passive isolation capabilities.
- Sturdy build quality.
- Very stable fit.
- Graphic EQ in companion app.
- Long continuous battery life.
- Ineffective ANC system.
- No volume controls by default.
The Sony WF-SP800N are great for sports and fitness. They have a very stable fit that allows the buds to stay in your ears, even during intense workouts. They’re quite well-built, with dense plastic construction and an IP55 rating for dust and water resistance, though we don’t currently test for this. They also provide a bass-heavy listening experience that can help keep you motivated during your next run or workout at the gym.
- Sturdy build quality.
- Very stable fit.
- No volume controls by default.
The Sony WF-SP800N are decent for office use. They’re comfortable enough to wear for extended periods and barely leak any audio, so you can listen to your music at pretty high volumes without annoying your coworkers. They do a good job of blocking out mid-range noise like ambient chatter, too. If you bring their charging case with you, you should have more than enough battery life to get you through a couple of 9-5 workdays. Unfortunately, they don’t support multi-device pairing, which is annoying if you tend to switch between using your phone and your work computer.
- Very stable fit.
- Long continuous battery life.
- No multi-device pairing.
- Ineffective ANC system.
The Sony WF-SP800N are truly wireless headphones that aren't compatible with PlayStation or Xbox consoles. You can use them with Bluetooth-enabled computers and phones, but their latency is too high to recommend them for gaming.
The Sony WF-SP800N are Bluetooth-only and can’t be used with a wired connection.
The Sony WF-SP800N are okay for phone calls. Your voice should sound fairly natural and almost completely distortion-free over the phone, but also somewhat thin and muffled. Their integrated mic struggles to separate speech from ambient sound, so your voice might drown out if you use them for a phone call in a loud place. They also have a mediocre noise isolation performance, so you may not be able to hear the person you're talking to if you're calling from a moderately noisy setting.
- Very stable fit.
- Mic struggles with noise handling in loud places.
Changelog
- Updated Feb 28, 2022: Added Sony's 360 Reality Audio feature to Virtual Soundstage.
- Updated Aug 26, 2021: Updated review for accuracy and clarity.
- Updated Aug 05, 2021: Converted to Test Bench 1.5.
- Updated Aug 17, 2020: Review published.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Sony WF-SP800N Truly Wireless come in a few different colors: 'White', 'Black', 'Blue', and 'Orange'. We tested them in Orange, but expect our results to be valid for the other variants as well.
You can see the label for the unit we tested here. If you come across another variant, please let us know in the discussions, and we'll update our review.
Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Sony WF-SP800N are a versatile pair of sports-oriented truly wireless headphones. They feel sturdy and have a comfortable, stable fit, not to mention their punchy sound profile and feature-rich companion app. Unfortunately, like the Sony WF-SP700N Truly Wireless, their ANC system is mostly ineffective, and they isolate you from far less noise than the Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless or the Sony WF-1000XM4 Truly Wireless.
If you're looking for other options, check out our recommendations for the best true wireless earbuds, the best wireless Bluetooth earbuds, and the best wireless earbuds for running and working out.
The Jaybird Vista Truly Wireless are closely matched to the Sony WF-SP800N Truly Wireless when it comes to sports and fitness. The Jaybird have a slightly more intuitive control scheme, a sturdier build, and a parametric EQ to give you greater control over how your music sounds. That said, the Sony have a better-integrated mic, last much longer off of a single charge, and block out slightly more ambient noise. The Sony also have a higher IP55 rating for dust and water resistance, though we don’t test for this.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds+ are better suited for mixed usage than the Sony WF-SP800N Truly Wireless. The Samsung are smaller but have an equally secure, comfortable fit, deliver a much more well-balanced listening experience out-the-box, and have a better-integrated mic. At over 13 hours, they’re also one of the few truly wireless headphones that have a longer continuous battery life than the Sony. However, the Sony retaliate with a more intuitive control scheme, less audio leakage, and a companion app with a graphic EQ to the Samsung Galaxy Wearable app’s simple audio presets.
The Jabra Elite 75t Truly Wireless are slightly better for mixed usage than the Sony WF-SP800N Truly Wireless. The Jabra have onboard, out-the-box volume controls, a more premium-feeling construction, and support for multi-device pairing. They also have a better-performing active noise cancelling feature. Meanwhile, the Sony have a more stable fit, a slightly better-integrated microphone, and a longer continuous battery life.
The Bose SoundSport Free Truly Wireless and the Sony WF-SP800N Truly Wireless are fairly evenly-matched premium sports-oriented in-ears, though the Sony have an advantage in mixed usage scenarios. The Bose have a semi-open back design that lets in more ambient noise at lets you stay more aware of your surroundings. They also feel slightly more premium. The Sony are more stable in the ear, last longer off of a single charge, and have a better integrated microphone, not to mention a companion app that allows for a much higher degree of personalization.
Our How We Test Headphones article takes you behind the scenes in our lab. You'll learn how we choose and purchase products and dive into the details of our review philosophy, from testing and scoring to writing and editing.
You can also discover how we produce recommendations like this one so that you can find the best headphones (or earbuds!) for your needs.
Test Results
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