In the audio market, everywhere you go features a pair of wireless earbuds. Generally, having plenty of options is appreciated, but with so many selecting the best one can become daunting. Thankfully, we found a top-notch product to go for, which we will discuss in our Sony LinkBuds Review.
The LinkBuds boasts a distinct open ring design that gives you a hole at the centre of its driver. This setup allows your ear canals to hear the environment while continuously enjoying your music. Aside from this, the product is among the smallest earbuds around that feature an ingenious control system.
This control system helps adjust music playback and more, but how does the LinkBuds fare? Is it as good as claimed and worth the purchase? Continue reading and learn more about the product in our Sony LinkBuds Review.
Sony LinkBuds Packaging
Our earbuds arrived in a clean-looking all-white package, which gives off a minimalist approach. In addition, the box displays an image of the product with its name and company branding.
Opening the box, you will find a step-by-step sheet that is straightforward to understand. Aside from the document, you will find a charging case underneath, which houses your LinkBuds. Also included is a USB-C charging cable and supporters with varying sizes.
Sony LinkBuds Review – Design and Functionality
While writing our Sony LinkBuds Review, we observed the distinct design of the LinkBuds. They are round with a doughnut-shaped part that sits around the ear canal. It means you will find a hole at the centre, which avoids blocking your ear.
Although it sports an unusual open non-conventional design, the earbuds are comfortable to use even for longer hours. It provides comfort since no ear tips are poking into the ear canals. Additionally, there are no hooks surrounding the ears.
It is also for people who feel discomfort when ear tips slip into their ears. Fortunately, you will not find any of these on the product.
A ring-shaped driver is on each earbud that links to a rounded housing. Along with it is a ring portion surrounding the ear canal, while the housing rests above your ear. Additionally, it stays in place thanks to a rubber fin.
Sony included differently-sized rubber fins in the box to keep the earbuds in place. The company also has a video via the Headphones Connect App to help if wearing these confuses you. Moreover, the LinkBuds are also the smallest true wireless earbuds from Sony and only weigh 4.1g each.
Before we shift to the features of this product, our Sony LinkBuds Review will briefly discuss the charging case.
We mentioned earlier that the earbuds are small, so you can expect their container to be tiny too. Size-wise, the charging case is as small as a ring box.
Looking at its front, you will find a button to flip the lid open, which also lights up a LED. The LED lights notify how much battery is available in your earbuds. Then the back of the charging case houses a pairing button and a USB-C charging port.
Key Features of the Sony LinkBuds
Listed here in our Sony LinkBuds Review are the features of these earbuds. These are elements that make the product a favourite and worth considering.
Crystal-clear and Noise-free Calls
The LinkBuds use advanced audio signal processing and precise voice pickup technology. As a result, the person on the other end of the call can hear your voice even in noisy environments.
Sony used AI machine learning to develop its noise reduction algorithm. Additionally, the company utilises over 500 million voice samples to extract your voice and suppress ambient noise.
Natural and Authentic Sound
With the Integrated Processor V1, the LinkBuds offer an authentic listening experience. It delivers clear mid-high range with reduced distortion, resulting in high-quality audio.
The earbuds feature a uniquely-designed 12mm ring driver with a high-compliance diaphragm to guarantee rich, well-balanced sounds.
Boosts Your Music
Compressed original music loses its high-frequency elements that increase the richness and detail of a track. With DSEE (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine), LinkBuds brings these elements back to produce high-quality audio that resembles the original recording.
Wide Area Tap for Ease of Use
Although the LinkBuds are small, they are easy to use, thanks to Wide Area Tap. It allows you to tap two to three times in front of either ear to control music playback. And you will not need to touch the earbuds to operate them.
Automatically Adjusts to the Environment
One of the intelligent functions of the LinkBuds is Adaptive Volume Control. It automatically adjusts its volume based on your current environment. The earbuds lower the volume levels when you are in quiet areas and increase it in noisy environments.
Talk and Hear Ambient Sound Only
Setting Speak-to-Chat pauses the music immediately upon you begin speaking to someone. It allows you to hear your conversation and ambient noise only. The earbuds automatically play tracks again when you finish your conversation.
Hands-free Control
The LinkBuds use hands-free technology, letting you use your voice for different commands. You can enjoy various media, gain information, connect with friends, and listen to music. In addition, it allows you to control other features of the earbuds, including checking the battery level.
Later in our Sony LinkBuds Review, we will learn more about this hands-free control technology and how well it works.
Immersive AR Gaming Experience
The LinkBuds use spatial sound technology and a new sensor to make the audio for AR games more immersive. It delivers sound from different directions based on the action happening in the game.
Water-resistant
With the IPX4 protection rating, you will not have to worry about splashes and sweat damaging your earbuds. As a result, you can keep moving while enjoying your music.
Enhanced Bluetooth Stability and Clarity
The Integrated Processor V1 delivers low-latency and high-quality audio by transmitting Bluetooth signals to both ears simultaneously.
Charge in Minutes and Listen All Day
The LinkBuds offers 5.5 hours of playtime and additional 12 hours of charge from the charging case. You can enjoy listening to music for up to 17.5 hours. If you are in a hurry, charging for 10 minutes recharges the earbuds to make them last 90 minutes.
If your charging case drops below 30%, you will get notifications from the Sony Headphones Connect app.
Compact Charging Case
The ultra-compact charging case has a stylish rounded design to fit comfortably in your hand or pocket.
Certified for a Personalised Experience
The 360 Reality Audio-certified LinkBuds and the Sony Headphones Connect app analyse your ear shape. The data lets the earbuds optimise your audio, giving you the best immersive music experience.
Specifications
This part of our Sony LinkBuds Review lists the product specifications for you to know more about the LinkBuds.
General Specifications
- Headphone Type: Open Dynamic Earbuds
- Range of frequencies that can be transmitted via Bluetooth® communication: 20Hz to 20,000Hz (44.1kHz sampling).
- Magnet: High Power Neodymium Magnets
- Water resistance: IPX4 sweat-resistant
Bluetooth
- Supported audio formats: AAC, SBC
- Bluetooth Version: Bluetooth 5.2
- Frequency Range: 2.4GHz Band (2.4000GHz to 2.4835GHz)
- Effective Range: 10m
Dimensions
- Earbud weight: 4.1g each earbud
- Charging case weight: 34g
- Driver size: 12mm ring
- Case dimensions: 41.4 x 48.5 x 30.9mm
Hands-on with the Sony LinkBuds
We will share our hands-on experience with this product in our Sony LinkBuds Review. During our tests, we used its unique features for calls and listening to music to see how well it would perform. But before we proceed, we will discuss everything you need to know about the Sony Headphones Connect App.
We recommend installing Sony Headphones Connect to maximise the LinkBuds and its features. The application provides access to an equaliser and firmware updates. It also has the Sony 360 Reality Audio feature.
The app also offers a degree of customisation to the on-ear controls. Its default settings are two or three taps, but it allows setting an individual control profile for each earbud.
Aside from control options, the app has an adaptive volume adjustment. Plus, it has the DSEE feature that helps enhance the sound quality of compressed audio files.
Upon wearing the earbuds, we were immediately impressed with the audio quality. Calls were clear, and it was convenient to communicate even in noisy environments. Our voices were also natural-sounding.
When we used the earbuds for music, we first noticed the excellent separation of instruments. LinkBuds also delivered adequate balance and solid detail in the mid-bass and treble. In addition, the soundstage was wide and airy with an energetic sound signature.
Despite the lack of bass, its audio quality was excellent, especially in quiet environments. This sound profile makes the earbuds perfect for offices. Another thing we loved about these earbuds is their unsealed design, which lessened ear fatigue.
The ring speaker caused some tracks to sound hollow due to its struggle to produce deeper notes. This sound quality made the earbuds best for pop, rock, and songs without thumping bass.
Aside from the audio quality, we were impressed with the hands-free control feature of the LinkBuds. It worked effectively and without issues, so we did not need to access the app while using this.
Sony LinkBuds Review Summary
The LinkBuds is a unique pair of innovative earbuds that deliver high-quality audio and are comfortable to wear. Sony executed its unoccluded design excellently, thus, making it perfect for running and other outdoor activities. Furthermore, its optimised technologies allow you to hear your audio clearly while being aware of your surroundings.
If you are looking for an open-fit alternative to switch from your conventional earbuds, we highly recommend LinkBuds. It is a competitive option that offers superior comfort and audio quality.
To learn more about LinkBuds, visit the official product page of Sony.
