Sony - LinkBuds Open True Wireless Earbuds - Black

I purchased these refurbished Sony earbuds. Much to my delight, it was like purchasing a brand new set at less than half of the full prize. The sound quality...excellent. The fit...perfect. Also came with extra earbud cover replacements. I've always bought Sony bluetooth earbuds. Never have they failed me. Normally, I buy them brand new. However the last two pair I purchased were refurbished. They lasted me a good two years. Very satisfied with my purchase!

This New Gen Sony LinkBuds Open set out to be earphones with a unique open-ear design and premium sound. As I am using this earbuds for a while, I can give you my honest opinion. Superior Architectural and Design Work: You can't help but notice the Sony LinkBuds Open’s distinctive open-ear appearance. By positioning themselves slightly outside the ear canal, these provide a more "open" listening experience compared to the conventional in-ear earbuds. For people who dislike the feeling of a gadget buried deep inside their ear for long periods of time, this design becomes more comfortable, even though it seems unusual at first considering our practice of inserting our ears into headphones for a more immersive experience. Crafted from a sturdy yet aesthetically pleasing matte plastic, these buds are not only lightweight but also fashionable. Additionally, a compact, spherical charging case is included, eliminating the need to carry a bulky case. You may easily include these Sony earphones into your daily routine because of their subtle design. For unwinding, I can say that having used numerous earbuds, the LinkBuds Open’s exceptional comfort was a pleasant surprise. Since they don't rest so deeply in your ear canal, they won't clog it up or cause any pressure like in-ear models. The fact that I could wear them for hours on end without getting tired or uncomfortable is a huge plus, particularly for things like walking, commuting, listening to music, or extended phone calls. The opposite is true if you plan on wearing them during strenuous physical exercise; you may not experience the most secure fit. Even while they remain placed well when used casually or while sitting at a computer, I had to reposition them numerous times while jogging. Clarity of Sound: Okay, let's get down to brass tacks—audio quality. Although the open-ear design may not provide the same amount of bass or sound isolation as closed-ear headphones, the sound quality is surprisingly good considering their form. Perfectly defined mids and highs highlight the instruments and singers, making them ideal for podcasts, acoustic music, or even traditional radio. Those who like bass-heavy or heavily electronic music, though, might find the lower frequencies lacking. You won't get the same punchy bass from these open-ear headphones as you would from traditional in-ear or over-ear designs. On the other hand, the soundstage is top-notch. You will adore this if you are seeking a more natural, ambient listening experience. It makes the sound seem more like it's surrounding you, rather than coming from your head. By simulating a speaker system rather than headphones, you can achieve a less isolating listening experience. The Sony LinkBuds Open’s ability to subtly handle ambient noise is one of their numerous impressive features. Because of its design, background noise can be easily detected without compromising audio quality. People who like to listen to music or talk on the phone at the same time as they listen to traffic, announcements, or other sounds may appreciate this function. The earbuds have the ability to adjust the volume, so you may listen to music loudly in a busy metropolis and softly in a quiet area. All of this is made possible by Sony's groundbreaking adaptive sound control technology. In spite of my frequent wishes for greater control over the adjustments, this tool serves its purpose admirably. Time Between Charges: The LinkBuds Open’s time between charges is adequate but nothing special. With moderate use or daily commutes, I was able to get around 5 or 6 hours of playback time on a full charge. However, if you're using them nonstop, you could need more juice. The charging case gives a good additional 14 hours of use, which should be more than enough for a day or more of typical use. With a quick 5-minute charge, you may enjoy up to 60 minutes of playtime, perfect for those moments when you're strapped for time but still want to play. It usually takes about 1.5 hours to fully charge. Features and Connections: There are a plethora of practical uses for these earbuds. Because they work with Google Assistant and Alexa, you can control your music, ask questions, and make calls without ever lifting a finger. The delicate touch controls on the sides of the earphones allow you to pause, skip tracks, and answer calls. By integrating with Sony's Headphones Connect app, you can customize these controls and adjust the equalization settings. From what I can tell, the connection has always been stable. I had no problems pairing them with my phone, and the Bluetooth connection stayed strong even as I moved around my office or home. The LinkBuds Open really won me over with its excellent call quality. Despite ambient noise, the other party assured me that they could hear me clearly thanks to the open-ear design that allowed the mics to pass through. Although the call quality isn't ideal, it's sufficient for casual use or light office tasks. Although the LinkBuds Open are very eco-conscious and comfortable, they do have a few drawbacks. The lack of bass may be off-putting to some, and they aren't ideal for crowded areas where you want to get into the music. Furthermore, there are earphones that cost the same yet have battery lives that are far longer. Additionally, fitness enthusiasts shouldn't choose them because of how they don't provide a solid fit throughout intense workouts. During regular use, they stay put, but when you work out, they could slide a bit. Overall, the Sony LinkBuds Open are a great pick for people who prefer music with less bass and more ambient sound and who value situational awareness. Their one-of-a-kind design is perfect for people who like to live in the now when traveling, but they might not be the best option for those who like to listen to music at a low level or who have to deal with a highly noisy workplace. If you care about comfort, natural sound, and the environment, these earbuds are a great choice. If you're looking for earbuds with top-notch noise cancellation and bass response though, you might want to look at other Sony models.

The Sony LinkBuds Open offer a unique open-ear design, allowing users to stay aware of their surroundings while listening to audio. This design includes a stabilizer fin for a secure fit, providing comfort during extended use. I could wear them for hours without discomfort, and while they felt like they could fall out with sudden head movement, they stayed secure the entire time. The open-ear design results in significant ambient noise intrusion, which may not suit those seeking noise isolation. However, the sound quality is balanced, with clear highs and mids, though the bass is not as pronounced. The voice call quality on the Sony LinkBuds Open is generally good. The open-ear design allows for natural ambient sound, which can be beneficial in quieter environments. However, in noisier settings, the lack of noise isolation might make it harder to hear and be heard clearly. The Wide Area Tap feature enables playback control by tapping near the ear, enhancing user convenience. Additionally, the earbuds support LE Audio for improved sound quality and reduced latency. The earbuds offer approximately 7 hours of battery life on a single charge, with the case providing an additional 12 hours of charging, making them adequate for all day use. a 3-minute charge will add approximately 60 minutes of run time. The LinkBuds Open ensure stable Bluetooth connectivity with both Android and iOS devices. They also have an IPX4 rating, making them splash-proof. Smart features include instant pause/play when you take out an earbud, or answer the phone with yes/no head gestures. The Sony LinkBuds Open are designed for users who prioritize situational awareness and comfort over noise isolation. While they may not appeal to those who prefer noise isolation, they provide a solid listening experience while keeping you in tune with your surrounding.

TLDR: I have a love / hate relationship with the LinkBuds. I love the fit, love the weight, and the clarity, but hate the near complete lack of bass. These LinkBuds have great mids and highs, but without any real form of bass response make them disappointing for music and movie buffs. SET-UP The LinkBuds are set-up using Sony’s SoundConnect app. I find it works well for the most part with minimal frustrations. However, there are too many submenus after initial set-up making certain features more difficult to find than it should. Initial set-up though, couldn’t be easier. The SoundConnect app will walk you through the entire initial set-up without issue. Sony has taken a great deal of care designing the app to ensure that the LinkBuds sound their best and fit correctly to nearly anyone and everyone. Between equalizer settings, profiles, fitment guides, etc. the customization options are extremely thorough and nearly endless. USE Bottom Line Up Front – The LinkBuds are the lightest, most comfortable ear buds I’ve ever used. They fit great, are much more stable and secure than normal ear buds, and have outstanding audio clarity, but they have nearly zero low-end bass response making them less than ideal for music and movie lovers. Unlike traditional ear buds that stick down into your ear canal, the LinkBuds rest inside the dent in your ear without protruding into the ear canal. An interchangeable “tail” makes sure they are correctly positioned in your ear and secure as to not fall out. But, how do you know if you have the ear buds set correctly? Easy. The SoundConnect app uses your phone’s camera to measure your ear and pick the correct tail piece for the bud. Slick and effective! Once I selected the proper sized “tail” for the LinkBuds, I found them far more secure and resistant to falling out than normal earbuds. Like I said above, the LinkBuds are impressively light, impressively comfortable, and impressively small. Unlike normal earbuds that stick into the ear, these are the first buds that don’t wind up getting itchy and annoying after an hour or two. As a matter of fact, these are the ONLY earbuds I’ve used that I can tolerate in my ears for hours without annoyance. This has never happened before, and Sony hit it out of the park with the comfort. BATTERY LIFE Battery life, even with noise cancellation is excellent. Up to 8 hours of continuous use. This seems about right, as I was just under 50% after about 4 hours of constant use. While the LinkBuds technically might not make it a whole workday without a recharge, it isn’t a problem, as a simple 3-minute rest in the case gives you an extra 60 minutes of playtime. SOUND PROFILES & EQ I like the way Sony has implemented their equalizer settings in the SoundConnect app. There are your traditional equalizer settings like: Bright, Exciting, Bass Boost, etc. But Sony goes a step farther and includes a sound profile section in the app. This helps tailor all playback to your liking. What I appreciate about it, is that it doesn’t indicate what functions you are attempting to manipulate. Instead, you put on some of your favorite tunes and start selecting numbers based on which sound profile you prefer. Not until you are done, does the app tell you what adjustments it is making to the EQ. Well done! The LinkBuds utilize the same audio processor contained in Sony's excellent XF-1000 headphones. The processor is extremely effective at audio reproduction and active noise cancellation. Combine that with Sony’s DSEE tech and 360-degree audio with head tracking and you would be hard pressed to find a more comprehensive feature set on any set of earbuds or cans. Noise cancellation is surprisingly effective for an earbud that doesn’t protrude down into your ear and technically has a big hole in the middle of it. Owners of Bravia TV's can get even more benefit with the LinkBuds, as they can be paired with the TV to get 360-degree spatial sound. Sort of a quasi-Dolby Atmos set-up. I wish I had a TV to test the surround with, as these are the first and only earbuds I would actually consider using in conjunction with a TV. DISLIKES While I was extremely pleased at the comprehensiveness of the set-up process, I find the SoundConnect app difficult to navigate and many of finer details and settings too buried in sub-menus. Things that should be easy to find often require many different taps and even searches to find where they should be more intuitive and readily accessible. Furthermore, the firmware update process is painfully slow and tedious. Where other manufacturers take only a couple of minutes, a firmware update on these Sony's can take up to 60 minutes to complete. OUCH! The MAJOR drawback of the LinkBuds is their nearly complete lack of low frequency response. It is unfortunate too. This product excels at mid and high frequency reproduction. These frequencies are crystal clear, even clearer than many other more expensive headphones and earbuds I own. There’s an openness and I’ve never experienced before. But drop below 250Hz and the audio just gets lost. There is no large mass transducer to reproduce those lows. Movies and music like hip-hop just become boring and bland. CONCLUSIONS There is still plenty to love about the LinkBuds. These are, by far, the most COMFORTABLE earbud I’ve ever used. Leaps and bounds more comfortable than any of the competition. They sport excellent battery life and have many useful features not found on many similar products. Things like gestures to control functions and not having to physically tap the earbud to change functions are slick. Things I wish more manufacturers would adopt. Call quality is excellent. As good or better than any other product I have used to date. The clarity and noise cancellation rivals speaking directly into my phone. Honestly, it’s better on a windy day. The new Sony LinkBuds have become my new go-to earbud. They may lack nearly any form of bass reproduction, but they are so light and comfortable that I won’t stop using them. I can barely stand to use most earbuds for the duration of movie before they get itchy and annoying. Not the LinkBuds. I’ve used them up to 4 hours at a time and quite honestly, they are so light and comfortable, I actually forget I had them in. This is something I could never say about any other can or earbud I own. The only thing holding the LinkBuds back from a perfect 5-star rating is the bass response. It's unfortunate too, because they do everything else so well. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Sony is usually always at the top when it comes to headphones/earbuds in terms of quality/performance. In the market of "open ear buds" there isn't too much competition but these do stand out. Going in, you need to know that this market is for hearing everything around you while keeping them in all the time, not to be confused with pass through on in ear buds. In the box are the buds, the charging case that is the biggest fingerprint magnet in the world due to the piano black gloss top, quick start guide and the smallest USB A to C cable I've ever seen. Setup was standard. You can directly pair it with your normal BT pairing or you can use the new Sony app called Sound Connect (used to be called Sony | Headphones). As I own a couple of pairs of Sony's I already had the app and when I chose the add new option, it found the buds and paired it with no hitches. Using the app (which I recommend) you can get a walkthrough of all the features the LinkBuds can offer. I use the fit checker and the EQ the most. You can use a whole list of presets or for the advanced user, customize the EQ to your preferred liking. Sound is 3-4/5 depending on what you are listening to. The mids and highs sound great but unfortunately there is no bass. Even with Bass Boost or maxing it out on the EQ there is just no thump. This is not just Sony but every open bud's weakness because there is no seal and the sound is just being blasted toward your earholes. Other than that, sound quality is just fine. The design is meant for you to also hear the environment around you. They are great though in an office place that allows them because you can hear your co-workers still. I wouldn't recommend blasting them above 40-50% because then the audio will be loud enough for those who are close to hear. The fit was also difficult for me a little bit. The app will show they are perfectly fit into my ear, but the left one feels too loose. Don't get me wrong, when in, they feel great. Again though, while walking or even just bobbing or moving my head, I found it just kept falling out of my ear. If you look at the design, it is relying on the stem to keep them in. Battery life is decent. During my work week, they on average lasted me 6hrs 15-30min before dying and needing a charge. With the case Sony is claiming up to 22hrs of life and with just a quick 3min charge it should buy at least 1 hour of playtime. Also just me personally, but the glossy black top of the case is annoying and should have been matte like the bottom half. If you are a little more advanced with Codec knowledge then know at these only support SBC or AAC. It's funny because in the app there is an option to choose from either Higher Sound quality or Prioritize Connection. Switching between the 2 gives a pop up that says codecs will change, but no matter what you choose it stays at AAC. Maybe because the sound quality isn't the best of the best that is why Sony made these not compatible with LDAC or aptX so there wasn't a good point to it? Again this is just my observations.