We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-18 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
If you want compact, everyday true-wireless earbuds with a pocketable charging case and a quick-charge top-up, choose Sony WF-C510; if you need an open-ear headset with a boom mic, on-mic mute and all-day call comfort, choose NUROUM OpenEar Pro.
• Sony WF-C510 — biggest strength: a genuinely pocketable true-wireless design with up to 11 hours per charge (22 with the case) and a 5-minute quick charge that gives you up to an hour of playback.
• Sony WF-C510 — biggest trade-off: there's no noise cancelling at all ("noise control: None"), so it relies on Ambient Sound Mode and Voice Focus rather than blocking the world out.
• NUROUM OpenEar Pro — biggest strength: an open-ear, soft-silicone build with a boom mic, ENC noise reduction, HiFi 4 DSP and a one-button mute — clearly built for calls and long wear rather than isolation.
• NUROUM OpenEar Pro — biggest trade-off: it's a band-style headset, not pocket buds, and NUROUM's own description admits the bass still won't match a typical in-ear pair.
• Who each is for: Sony for commuters, gym-goers and anyone who wants small, simple, splash-resistant earbuds; NUROUM for remote workers, drivers and call-heavy users who want their ears left open.
The WF-C510 is Sony's minimalist, wire-free option — two buds, a small cylindrical case and nothing else to think about. The headline number is battery: up to 11 hours in the buds and up to 22 hours total with the case. That's an unusually long single-charge figure for a bud this size, and the 5-minute quick charge (good for up to an hour of playback) is the detail that matters most in real life. Forgot to charge before a commute? Five minutes on the cable covers the trip.
Where it earns its keep is everyday, in-and-out listening. Bluetooth 5.3 with multipoint means it can hold two devices at once and jump to whichever one is ringing, so a laptop and a phone can both stay connected without you re-pairing. Ambient Sound Mode pipes the outside world in when you want it, and Voice Focus is tuned to let human speech through while pushing other noise back — useful at a counter or a platform. The built-in mic handles hands-free calls with a wind-noise reduction structure, and DSEE upscales compressed streaming audio, which is a real benefit if most of your music arrives as lossy files.
Comfort is the whole pitch: light, compact, with hybrid silicone tips and a choice of yellow, black or white. IPX4 means splashes and sweat are fine, so it survives runs and rain, but not a swim. The 6 mm dynamic drivers, 16-ohm impedance and response up to 20,000 Hz are modest, honest specs — this is a balanced everyday bud, not a bass monster. EQ in the Sony Headphones Connect app lets you shape it.
Buy it if you want small, light, sweat-resistant earbuds with big battery numbers, multipoint and a case that disappears into a pocket. Skip it if you need active noise cancelling, a boom mic for meetings, or you dislike things sitting inside your ear canal. Touch controls only — no physical buttons.
The OpenEar Pro takes the opposite approach: nothing goes in your ear. It's an open-ear headset with soft silicone earhooks that rest in front of each ear, plus a silicone neckband that wraps around the back of your head for stability during running or jumping. The design goal is spelled out plainly — no ear fatigue, no pressure, and full awareness of your surroundings. That's the entire reason to buy it.
The second reason is voice. NUROUM pairs a HiFi 4 DSP processor with ENC (environment noise cancellation) and claims to reduce ambient noise by up to 99.9% so your voice cuts through on calls. The distinguishing hardware feature is the boom mic: it swings down near your mouth for calls and tucks away for storage, and there's a mute button right at the end of the boom. That's a genuinely practical detail — muting from the mic itself, without hunting for your phone or remembering a touch gesture.
Battery is up to 15 hours on a single charge, with a 2-hour recharge over USB-C, and the headset powers off automatically when you plug it in, so you'll need to switch it back on after charging. Bluetooth 5.3 gives a 10-meter range and multipoint for hopping between a PC and a phone — it lists compatibility with iOS, Android, Windows, Mac and Linux, which tells you the work-from-home and softphone crowd is the target. Controls are all physical: a multifunction button plus volume buttons for calls, tracks and volume.
Sound is described as powerful with DSP bass enhancement, but NUROUM is upfront that even boosted, the bass won't be as rich as common in-ear headphones. The open structure also means your audio leaks less than you'd expect — the design is meant to keep your listening private without sealing you off. It's black, silicone, and sweatproof, so workouts are in scope.
Buy it if you live on calls, want your ears open to traffic and colleagues, and prefer buttons and a boom mic over touch controls. Skip it if you want deep bass, pocket-sized buds, or earplugs-style isolation.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for total battery with a case → Sony WF-C510, at up to 22 hours including the charging case.
• Best for a fast top-up → Sony WF-C510 — 5 minutes gets you up to an hour, where the OpenEar Pro needs 2 hours for a full charge.
• Best for calls and meetings → NUROUM OpenEar Pro, thanks to the boom mic, ENC noise reduction and one-button mute.
• Best for blocking out the world → neither, strictly speaking — the Sony buds have no noise cancelling and the OpenEar Pro is deliberately open. Sony's Ambient Sound Mode and Voice Focus are awareness tools, not isolation.
• Best for workouts and sweat → Sony WF-C510 (IPX4, in-ear, secure tips) for running and gym use; the OpenEar Pro's silicone hooks and neckband are better for jumping and long outdoor sessions where ear fatigue is the enemy.
• Best for all-day wear without ear fatigue → NUROUM OpenEar Pro. Open-ear plus soft silicone is the whole design brief.
• Best for travelling light → Sony WF-C510. A small cylindrical case versus a headset with a neckband and boom — one fits in a coin pocket, the other doesn't.
• Best for bass and immersive listening → Sony WF-C510, by NUROUM's own admission that its bass won't rival in-ear headphones.
• Best for mixed device switching at a desk → both do multipoint on Bluetooth 5.3, but the OpenEar Pro's PC-friendly compatibility and physical controls give it the edge for work.
My Verdict
Not universally. The WF-C510 wins on portability, total battery with its case and quick charging; the OpenEar Pro wins on call hardware, open-ear comfort and per-charge runtime. They're built for different jobs rather than the same one.
No. Its noise control is listed as none. It uses Ambient Sound Mode to let surroundings in and Voice Focus to make human voices clearer — it doesn't cancel noise the way an ANC headset would.
Yes, that's a core use case. The soft silicone earhooks and silicone neckband are designed to stay put during running and jumping, and the build is sweatproof. It's open-ear, so you keep hearing traffic and your surroundings.
Sony rates the WF-C510 at up to 11 hours per charge and up to 22 hours with the case, with a 5-minute charge giving up to an hour of playback. NUROUM rates the OpenEar Pro at up to 15 hours per charge, with a 2-hour recharge over USB-C.
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