Customer Ratings & Reviews

The Sony LinkBuds Open True Wireless Earbuds offer great sound - deep, rich bass and excellent noise cancellation. For the purposes of this review, I am comparing them with the earbuds I use every day with my iPhone and Macs. The Good: - The setup is straightforward and easy. - Charging out of the box took about 3 hours. - The Sony Sound Connect app is fantastic for customizing the LinkBuds, although it's a little bit clunky to figure out. - The app helps you set up various features including spatial recognition and the ability to nod up and down to answer a call or shake side to side to decline a call. - I was able to set up the LinkBuds to work with Alexa which is also an option in the Sony Sound Connect app and is very useful and far more reliable than the earbuds I usually use on a day-to-day basis. - The LinkBuds have OUTSTANDING battery life - after the first charge several days ago, I'm still over 50% which is definitely a stand-out feature in comparison to other earbuds. The Not-So-Good: The LinkBuds have an odd fit. I don't know if it's just me and the way my ears are shaped, but the small rubber flap that is supposed to secure the LinkBuds into each ear just didn't work for me. The LinkBuds were constantly falling out of my ears. It's a shame because the sound quality and the battery life are amazing. I would have given these LinkBuds a 5-star review if not for the fit issue. Perhaps it's just the shape of my ears -- I am not sure, but I would recommend these with the caveat that you may have difficulty keeping the LinkBuds in your ears.

I've been a big fan of the Sony earbuds/headphones for quite some time now. Biggest feature for me being their Extra Bass setting which is great for the music I listen to as well as their noise cancelling feature. I have their WH1000XM3 headphones as well as their WF-1000XM3 earbuds which are probably my most favorite for listening to music. Both these have great sound and noise cancellation but these LinkBuds kinda fall flat compared to these other ones I have. As far as sound, they sound OK in my opinion. There isn't that ooompf on those low bass notes like with the other headphones I have. Even with the noise cancelling active, still not really that impressive to me. Highs/Mids come out OK but doesn't seem as crisp as one would expect. My biggest complaint with these is the fit. I have normal ears and have no problem with using the Sony headphones/earbuds, Beats or Apple Air Pods. The fit with these LinkBuds is downright terrible for me. They don't fit well at all no matter how I position them or how tightly I cram them in my ear. As such, they come loose just from walking, chewing food or talking. Unless I hold my head completely still, they'll fall out. The right one, specifically, WILL NOT STAY PUT and it drives me crazy. I've already dropped them several times just from them falling out on their own. Kind of makes it impossible to enjoy and music when this keeps happening. These earbuds come with a very small charging/storage case which is nice as well as short USB-C cable for charging. Normally I love Sony audio products but I'm not really sure what they were trying to accomplish with these.

The Sony LinkBuds Open are completely wireless earbuds that most users are now accustomed to. A rather unique (at least to me) design feature is that there is a hole in the middle of the driver that allows for outside noises to pass through into your ears so that you are not cut off sonically from the outside world. Meaning the driver, or speaker looks like a donut with a hole in the middle. This makes it safer to wear in public because you are more aware of what is going on around you, and also allows you to interact with others without having to remove the buds from your ears to hear them speak. The product (like most nowadays) does not come with a paper user guide. I tried finding the full user guide on Sony’s web site searching by model number, using the model number listed on the back of the charging case, but that wasn’t the right one. There is a QR code on the “Reference Guide” paper that comes with the buds, but it makes no indication as to what it links to - the QR code on the outside of the packaging links to information about Sony and the environment. It IS worth your time to peruse the online “Help Guide” and to download it for future reference as these are no longer simple listening devices like the old days of wired and even some wireless earbuds. By the way the model number is WF-L910, and not YY2964 like it appears to be. LinkBuds Open includes the ear buds, a charging case, and an 8 inch long charging cable (USB-A to USC-C). Eight inches long…really? Plugging into your computer is about the only place where the case will not be dangling in thin air, like from most electrical outlets. There is no charging adapter as is the case with virtually every new rechargeable electronic device nowadays. Sony is doing its part for sustainability with packaging that is completely paper product and parts of the buds and charging case are made of recycled plastic. The first thing you should do is download the “Sony ⎮Sound Connect” app to your phone - this used to be called “Sony ⎮ Headphones Connect”, so you might already have it and just have to update the app. Then fully charge the case and earbuds, then you should update to the newest firmware for the earbuds. The app stated this update could take up to 60 minutes for an iPhone, and that is just about how long it took. I don’t think I’ve ever had even a complete operating system update on my phone take that long. The electronic “Help Guide” for the LinkBuds is 147 pages long - for real? And I just discovered another link on their web site for a Help Guide for the Sound Connect app, and that is 93 pages long! Large sections are devoted to proper fit of these earbuds and troubleshooting of fit issues. I give Sony credit for coming up with a design that fits in your ear with an integrated flexible, silicone tip that negates the need to buy a third-party, add-on “wing” or “fin” to keep the buds in your ears. That said, I must also state that I have never had such a frustrating time getting these things in my ears so that they stay in place. Every suggestion made in the text or videos was of no help to me in getting the buds to stay in my ears. I can sum up what worked for me in two sentences. “Insert the left LinkBud into the ear with the driver openings facing the ear canal and twist the whole bud clockwise until it is seated firmly in the ear. Insert the right LinkBud into the ear with the driver openings facing the ear canal and twist the whole bud counter-clockwise until it is seated firmly in the ear.” Done. Granted, everyone’s ears are shaped slightly different, but I have never had earbuds that required so much documentation for wearing them, and app tools to detect proper use (using your phone’s camera), as with the Sony LinkBuds Open. Somewhere during the fit I had in fitting these in my ears, there was mention of being able to obtain different “fitting supporters” (this is what Sony calls the soft, silicone tips that keep the buds in your ear) from Sony. I can only assume these are of varying sizes or shapes as I cannot again find where I originally saw mention of this information the first time. The Help Guide is full of links that jump you around in the electronic document. While I can understand the want to do this, it leads to frustration in getting back to where you were prior to the jump, as I could find no easy way back. And makes it hard to remember where you saw something. These earbuds are so chock full of sophisticated (and sometimes complicated to use) features, there is no way for me to cover all that they can do in this review. In the Sony ⎮ Sound Connect app it lists 43 items under “What You Can Do With Sony Sound Connect App”. It should have come with a dictionary. In the Help Guide was the curious word “tragus”. I had to look it up to see what they were talking about…and I worked in healthcare for 40 years. While I commend Sony for developing a set of earbuds designed to have something for everybody, and maybe too much for a lot of somebodies (especially me), what it comes down to for a lot of people for earbuds is how do they sound? I was not particularly pleased with their sound signature. Not only do I have to futz around with settings in the Sound Connect app, I also have to do so in any other app that have settings that affect sound reproduction, such as the “Music” app on my phone. Granted, this isn’t a big deal if you have just the one set of earbuds and all of your listening is through them. I have multiple sets that I keep in a variety of locations and do occasionally switch amongst them. This requires a lot of fiddling around to tailor the sound to my liking when using a different listening device. I found the LinkBuds to sound a little “muddy” and lacking in high frequencies. Even after playing around with the settings, which I did a LOT, they still were not my favorite when it came to both music reproduction or when listening to the spoken word such as a phone call or podcast. I have had a lot of Sony products over the decades, and a lot of them hit a home run in performance, features, or both. I have to say in all honesty that I found the LinkBuds Open to be frustrating on many fronts, and somewhat of a disappointment when it comes to the ultimate parameter which is sound quality. I really wanted to like these and I spent a lot of time working with them because I wanted to give Sony a fair review. I agonized over writing this for a long time. Maybe I am getting too old for new things, I don’t know. I want to give them 5 stars for all the technology built in to them, but I want to give 1 star for the frustration I had with fit, and the documentation that I found confusing and hard to use. I’m going to go with an average of 3 stars and urge people to try them before committing to purchase, or make sure of the return policy in case you don’t care for them.

These headphones are great unfortunately I did return them, but they are absolutely wonderful and ended up getting a pair for my wife because she actually very much liked them!

When I first got my hands on Sony's new Open Air Linkbuds, I was immediately impressed with the small form factor of the carry/charge case. It’s compact, protects the Linkbuds securely, and charges them effectively when inserted. For something so small, it does the job perfectly, making them easy to stash in a pocket or bag without worrying about damage. The Linkbuds themselves have a unique design. They are circular, ring-shaped ear fittings that sit snugly in the ear without any additional winged tips for a perfect fit. This could be hit or miss depending on your ear shape, but for me, they sat securely enough. I’m guessing Sony markets them as “open air” buds because of the ring-shaped driver that allows for ambient sounds to filter in naturally. However, I was expecting more from this feature. While it does let in a bit more sound compared to traditional pass-through technology, it’s not the level of environmental awareness I hoped for. I wanted that seamless blend of music and the world around me, but it only slightly improves my ability to hear my surroundings. That said, the sound quality of the Linkbuds is superb. The clarity and volume are outstanding when streaming music, delivering a rich, immersive listening experience. Phone calls also worked great. I had no issues being heard, and the person on the other end said I came through clearly, even in slightly noisy environments. Comfort-wise, the Linkbuds are excellent, at least for a while. They’re light and easy to wear for extended periods, but after several hours, I did start to experience some ear fatigue. It wasn’t a dealbreaker, but it’s worth noting for those planning on wearing them all day. The one major disappointment for me were the touch controls and speak to chat feature. This was where things fell apart for me. The touch input is not very intuitive or sensitive enough for my liking. I struggled with getting the volume, track skip, or call answer functions to work. The built-in voice and motion controls felt like an interesting concept at first, but in practice, they just didn’t work for me. I’m not a fan of speaking commands to my earbuds, and the motion controls, like nodding to answer a call or shaking my head to decline, while innovative, made me feel awkward, as if I was in need of some serious psychological help! It’s a neat feature, but in public, it’s just not practical. The speak to chat feature got annoying really quick. This feature pauses music when you start speaking, so I was not able to listen to streams and speak at the same time. Of course, these settings can be turned off in the app, just worth mentioning if you wanted to get these for that feature. Aside from the quirks with the controls, the Linkbuds offer a solid overall experience. Their small size, comfort (in moderation), long battery life, and excellent sound quality make them a good pair of earbuds. While they’re not quite delivering the "open air" experience I expected, they still have plenty to offer for everyday use. Sony’s got something interesting here, and with a few tweaks, the Linkbuds could be even better.

Sony LinkBuds Open After you open the package and plug in the case to charge the LinkBuds Open Noise Cancelling Headphones using the included cable, you’ll want to download the Sony Sound Connect App. Among other things, this app lets you track the music you listened to in different scenarios for future reference. The adaptive volume control automatically optimizes your listening, based on where you are. And advanced signal processing means clear calls for both you and the party you’re talking to. Not sure why they’re called “Headphones” when they’re really earbuds. However, naming them “Headphones” is certainly Sony’s prerogative. Just want to make sure folks understand that they’re what most folks commonly think of as earbuds, not “headphones”. These earbuds attempt to overcome a common problem with most earbuds, and that’s that they are either so tight that they hurt your ears or they’re not tight enough and they tend to fall out of your ears when you make various movements. Sony has designed these earbuds so that the open ring slides into your ear while the fitting supporter tucks into the fold of your ear for a more secure fit. The Sony designers certainly accomplished that goal, since I only had one earbud fall out of my ear over several days of full-time use. And they were comfortable enough to wear all day long. The quality of the sound was good, both for music and phone calls. Several convenient features include instant pause/play when you take out one of the earbuds, or when you answer the phone (are you ready for this?) with yes or no head gestures! And they can be paired with two Bluetooth devices at the same time. Finally, Sony claims a battery time of up to 22 hours with the charging case. And a three minute charge provides 60 minutes of additional play time. My only negative comment about these earbuds is the cost. IMO, a lot of buyers may not be willing to pay $200 for a set of Bluetooth earbuds, so check around for lower prices and/or sales on these Sony earbuds to make sure that you’re getting a price you’re comfortable with.

The Sony LinkBuds Open wireless ear buds seem to exist in a fairly small section of the market. Whereas a lot of noise reducing headphones have implemented various microphone assisted methods for allowing ambient noise to pass through. The LinkBuds Open, on the other hand, trade the noise cancellation for being ambient-noise forward. It works as expected, but the execution leaves something to be desired in certain respects. As with all earbuds that don't have form fitting tips that place the buds more deeply into the ear canal, sound quality will ultimately come down to how well they fit in your ear and how well you can place them in your ear overall. For me, these tend to miss the mark; while I'm able to get them into my ear fine, the included ear "molding" simply isn't large enough for my ears and don't allow for a snug fit which lends to a number of issues. I find that I need to routinely reposition the buds every few minutes, and by extension, any form of physical activity with these is simply out of the question for me. As mentioned previously, this poor fit has a downstream impact on audio quality of these buds, which is generally pretty good if you can get the fitment correct, but which I have persistent issues with. While most ear buds these days come with a few fitment options, that's not the case with these, so I'm stuck with a pair of subpar fitting buds. I really like the concept of these buds. They aim to solve a problem that exists in society today; people being completely removed from their surroundings at the expense of those around them and at times their own safety. My issues stem from the fact that they don't fit my ears correctly, and I feel it would've been prudent for Sony to include at least one other molding to help with this. If you have smaller ears and are looking for ear buds that don't completely remove you from your surroundings, these could be a great option.

Summary: The sound quality of these is better after updating, they stay in well and are decent quality for their price. To start: on an iPhone, the Sony app failed to find the earbuds, but it was easier to pair them from Bluetooth system settings, when I went back to the app it continued. The app wanted to update the headphones and that took a long time to complete (felt like 60+ minutes), what made that difficult was that the earbuds had to be powered on, so I had to leave them in my ears for the entire time. During the update, I streamed some music off YouTube music, and at this point the sound was disappointing—it just didn’t sound clear (like the sound quality of plug in $19.99 Sony headphones from the 90s — which were terrific at the time). It may be because the update was transferring, but the music froze at least three times briefly while listening, as well as one earbud cutting out at times. To compare, at this point in testing I would say the sound quality of these are better than Air Pods Pro 1 but nowhere near the quality of Air Pods Pro 2 (which are more expensive than these). During the update, listening to music, I desperately wanted to switch back to my Air Pods Pro 2, but I had to let the update complete to give these a fair test. One good thing I can say is these stay in the ears well, if you’re going out for a walk/run that’s a good thing. After the update was completed, the sound quality did improve. After I played with the equalizer settings in the app it got even better. However, these still don’t compare to either the Air Pods Pro 2 (in quality or feature sets) or my Bose QuietComfort earbuds but for the price these are decent quality earbuds that, again, stay in very well. I was admittedly disappointed in these, and to top it all off because they were in my ears a little over an hour or so, my ears now hurt.