Customer Ratings & Reviews

Few consumer electronics devices emote personal preference as earbuds. This is a category where variety is essential. I personally have two requirements when choosing an earbud for general use: - It can't create a seal in my ear - I hate that pressure - It has to be secure - if it feels like it's going to pop out I find myself fixated on the bud I also have a couple nice to haves: - I want something that is small. The case has to fit in my pocket and I don't need something big sticking out of my ear - I tend not to like ear hooks - I find that my ears ache after a few hours. It would appear that these Sony Link Buds were made for someone like me! Unboxing: I'll just never understand why more manufacturers don't take a simpler approach. The box was small and compact, and the cardboard quality was stout, but it took way too much effort to get through the outer layer, open the box, dig through the smaller boxes containing the instructions and USB-C cable. First Impressions: Man these are tiny! The case itself left a little to be desired. The top cover that flips up felt flimsy and I don't like that it latches with a push button. A couple of well placed magnets would have been more satisfying and offered a premium feel. The quality of the buds though is impressive! Inserting into the ear: I was nervous at first that these would be difficult to insert. After a couple of tries I found what works best for me. I insert the rubber ring supporter into the inside of my ear arch first then slide the bud into my ear canal. This allows me to use a larger ring which makes the fit nice and secure. Pairing: If I were to give this particular aspect a star rating it's definitely a 3-star. Sony advocates that you download a separate headphone app for full controls and customization. I have enough apps on my phone - I just want my headphones to work. It's not that pairing was difficult - it just reminded me of how I used to pair bluetooth 5 years ago. Another HUGE downside is that I had to pair separately on my iPhone and my iPad. I'm not sure if the license is available for Sony to sync devices automatically with others on the same iCloud account - but if it's allowed - they should make it a priority. Comfort & Fit: I'm in love. I wore them last night for 4 hours and again this morning while working out and cleaning around the house. No ear fatigue and I never felt like they were going to fall out. The big test was eating my breakfast bagel - other earbuds I've tried would loosen when chewing. The Sony Link Buds stayed in place like a champ! Pleasantly surprised with how comfortable they are! Sound Quality: Let's be practical here - if they're this comfortable they aren't going to sound as good as something with a complete seal. I'm OK with that. Go in with the right expectations and you'll be fine. Working out with the same playlist I normally use I found that the music sounded a little flatter than I'm used to - lack of punch if that makes sense. Others may mention bass but I think it's a little more than simply frequencies not heard. Detail is good - separation is great. Sound is not muddy. Very clean sound. Volume is not an issue. Just not a lot of oomph. Open Ring Driver: The selling point from Sony is the open ring driver allows ambient noise to sound natural. This is an area I would give 6-stars if I could! When not listening to music I can hear everything at let's say 90% of what I could if I wasn't wearing anything at all. It's the type of feature that would allow me to wear these all day long. If I'm working I like to have instrumental music playing sometimes, but I get up to walk around my house to do something I would always take my earbuds out. With the Link Buds I find myself leaving them in because they're comfortable and I can still hear. It's weird to put in a coffee pod and not hear the lid close - with the Link Buds I hear everything! That said - don't expect to carry on a conversation with music playing. At the end of the day there's still a tiny driver in your ear and it's going to fill your ears with sound. Final Thoughts: These Link Buds are nearly perfect. For Me. For a work-from-home, multi-use, comfort focused user these are great! If you're in a noisy office and want to melt away into your work - these might be a pass. If you're a jet-setter and want something to block out engine noise - these are definitely a pass. If you're on a train frequently? I might consider these - you definitely want to be aware of your surroundings so the open ring might be appropriate. Thanks Sony for taking the risk to be different and for delivering a great product!

Look, these earbuds are cool. I appreciate the support for open-ear earbuds. They are comfortable and the mic quality is honestly insanely good. I have a pair of $70 open-ear earbuds that I got on Amazon, and they sound better and are WAY louder than the Sony LinkBuds. I think the LinkBuds are a great product, but at the asking price of $175, it's too much. They don't get nearly loud enough and the battery life is average. I would say if you're going to be in a quiet setting and will be having a lot of voice calls, then these are perfect for that. For me, at $200 with tax, it's not worth it for my use case.

First off the cheap build quality on these are immediately apparent. I read a comment that said its almost like something you would find in a happy meal from a fast food joint and they are not too far off. I have gotten cheap $40 chinese buds from Amazon that were built better and have a more premium quality to them than these. With that said that brings me to the most major issue with these buds and that is how grossly over-priced they are. Sony, its great that you are trying new things but right now these buds are $100 over the amount they should be. After tax these things are almost 200 bucks and nothing about them justifies that kind of price. The fit is terrible and it doesnt seal inside your ear at all, it just kind of pops into your initial ear pocket and then sits there. I know everyone's ears are different but coming from the Jabra 65ts and 75ts, these feel like those horrible old earbuds that always came packaged with the original Game Boy. The sound quality is pretty good considering the fit just sits flat up against your ear canal and does not seal inside it. Bass is obviously lacking a bit but it still packs a decent punch considering all the loss from an open design. Battery life was pretty good. Think I got roughly around 7 hours with most of the features turned off like speak to pause and the DSEE. Range really isnt the best so you wont be able to go very far away from your device. In the same area as my Jabra 65t's, they got roughly just over half the range of the the 65t's and that is with the same exact scenario and devices involved. Tried with both a Pixel 3XL and a Pixel 6 and same results. There is only 1 sensor for controlling the buds and that is you double tap or triple tap and luckily you can change what each one does and individually per each bud independently. There is also an option that works pretty well called wide-tap and it extends the area that affects the tap sensor to your skin or cheek. You can tap your cheek area right in front of the ear and it will register. Most of the extra features were useless to me at least. The speak to pause was a nice feature but was too inconsistent to be of use. Tried each sensitivity setting and still it would pause the music when it detects you talking but then 7 times out of 10 it would not resume the music after talking had ended. The biggest feature which is why I was interested in these to begin with is the open hole design that allows you to hear properly while still listening to music. Great concept but problem is that the way they are designed it still blocks or muffles external sounds just enough for it be annoying. The Jabra 65t's I use now use a microphone to pick up ambient external noises and it passes them through to the speaker inside the bud and as of right now they do a better job of allowing me to hear outside noises than LinkBuds do with there hole in the middle design. Even with all the cons I still would probably have kept these if they were around $80-$90 mark but almost $200 for these is just an insane waste of money. There is no way you can justify spending that on these cheaply built buds and almost as if a slap in the face from Sony; they advertise their "commitment" to protecting the environment which is a pathetic way to justify their decision to use recycled materials and cheap parts and charge more than most other products out there.

Sony's latest Linkbuds earbuds are truly unique and bring a new perspective to in-ear audio. The lightweight Linkbuds come with its charging/carrying case, charging cable (not a wall charger), and 3 pairs of small plastic bands to adjust the earbuds to your ear size and for comfort. The earbuds are IPX4 rated as well. Upon opening the small case and removing the earbuds, you immediately notice the circular hole in each earbud. Sony claims this allows for outside noise to enter your ear while playing music or listening to podcasts. After trying them out, I realized how stunning of an idea it was. The Linkbuds are easy to setup and use right away. Upon opening up the charging/storage case, my Android phone immediately notified me the earbuds were available to be paired and I didn't have to go into the Bluetooth settings. After setting them up on my other devices, I found this was only when first setting it up. To set the Linkbuds up on another device, place the earbuds back in the case, close it, re-open the case and remove both earbuds, and on the back of the case click and hold the small circular button for around 6-7 seconds. The notification light on the case will begin to blink blue signifying they are in pairing mode. Sony also recommends downloading their Headphones Connect app where you can adjust the audio (EQ) and sign up to record your listening habits for measuring how long you use your new earbuds. When I first saw the Linkbuds, I thought it was a great idea but didnt know how practical they would be. After trying them in different environments, I've grown to prefer them over my other standard in-ear earbuds. The speakers are located on the circle around the hole of each earbud and allow for you to listen to your surroundings while listening to your preferred audio. Although audio is not as rich when compared to other Sony earbuds due to its design, audio sounds clear and I could notice hints of bass in my music. I also found that the earbuds can become loud enough to tune out your surroundings, if you prefer. I wouldn't recommend using these earbuds in loud environments though. I personally have found it more beneficial to be able to listen to both my audio and my surroundings. Another great characteristic of the Linkbuds is that the call quality is exceptional. Background noise can be blocked out while the caller can hear your voice clearly. With other in ear earbuds, when speaking, I feel the vibration of my voice and cannot carry a conversation. Also, while exercising, I cannot hear if someone tries to grab my attention or if someone is nearby. I no longer have to worry about these things with the Linkbuds. The Linkbuds make it easier for people to carry on through their day while listening to their favorite speakers or music. One thing to note is the Linkbuds do not provide noise cancelation nor were they made for that purpose. Additionally, they are not totally transparent earbuds. While you can still hear your surroundings well, you would not be able to make out what someone is whispering from 10 feet away. The Linkbuds also have a very useful feature that by tapping behind or in front of your ears, they recognize the taps and perform a certain function such as skipping to the next song. I would like to see Sony extend the customization of these gestures in the future. They do have the ability to use Amazon Alexa's capabilities as well as Google Assistant while connected to your phone. While there is much to love about these earbuds, one of the downsides I found initially was some in ear discomfort due to the earbud design. It took my ears a few uses to get used to them. Also, the battery life is something that can be improved. Sony claimed they last a little over five hours on a single charge although with the volume being high, I only received closer to 4 hours. The charging case adds an additional twelve hours of audio playback to the Linkbuds bringing the theoretical total to over seventeen hours. Overall, I thoroughly enjoy using the Linkbuds. I like having the ability to listen to music and my surroundings as well. I would recommend them to anyone with the same idea in mind and wanting to try something new.

I loved them until my dog chewed them out... and for the price, I never bought them again. They are super comfortable, have a very low profile, and sound great for an open earbud, low bass ok mids. But the right ear drains faster than the left due to the Bluetooth connection, and the batery is not really great, which are two of its biggest flaws. But the price is my reason for not repurchasing these. Samsung's battery last longer, and they have more bass... beats sound good, last longer, and are much chraper.

TLDR: Bluetooth drops out when outdoors with Pixel 4a in front pants pocket. Basically does not function at all. Bluetooth drops often when holding phone in hand while walking, swinging arms normally. Bluetooth mostly works outdoors when phone is held in front of stomach or when phone is in shirt pocket. Full Review: Love: the open ear aspect. I would often leave one earbud out when using my cheap Bluetooth wired earbuds so that I can hear my surroundings; could hear cars, joggers coming up behind me, crickets, frogs, traffic while both earbuds are in. Would give this 6/5 stars for the surrounding ambience. Love: the sound. Sounds great, App will allow you to change response. Good: The App. Gives you a lot of control over features, tells you how to insert the earbuds and how to ensure a good fit. Good: The case. LinkBuds snap into place, case doesn't open if it falls and LinkBuds are secure in case (won't fall out upside down) Needs work: Software update. Failed 5 times then told me to disable any other Bluetooth devices - had disconnect my Garmin smartwatch to finally update successfully (luckily the smartwatch had that option and I didn't have to "forget" it on my phone). Needs Work: Fit. When I first put the LinkBuds in my ear, the sound is slightly high & muffled. I can push the open part a bit further into my ear canal to get the full high quality sound (& base), but it hurts slightly (would be worried that after several hours a day for a week I might have a worn area on my skin) and will work itself out a bit after 5 minutes or so. Soft Fail: Wide Area Tap. This feature allows you to tap the side of your head in front of your ears to control the LinkBuds and your phone - two taps to pause, three taps to advance music, etc. Taps are assignable - Answer Phone, Adjust Volume Up, etc, and can be switched between left and right sides of faces (2 taps to left side will advance music, 2 taps to right side will rewind). Over the last 10 minutes have had 3 WAT actions though I didn't initiate them. Mostly have had WAT off. Complete fail: Outdoors Connection. When I'm exercising, I don't want to have to hold my phone in my hand; my previous cheap Bluetooth headset (two earbuds with wire between them) mostly worked fine this way (occasionally the part of the wire that had the Bluetooth antenna would fall down my back and the connection would get spotty - it would just require me to move that piece back to the front). The LinkBuds don't work at all outdoors when phone is in my front pocket, and barely work when holding the phone in my hand, moving it normally with walking motions (ie, back and forth at waist level). When the connection gets spotty, the track would often get disjointed and one ear would be a second behind the other (requiring me to manually stop the music on the music app and restart it - stopping it through the earbuds wouldn't resync the music). LinkBuds will work indoors when my phone is in my pocket - not sure if there's more interference outdoors, or maybe I'm walking faster and moving the phone into and out of range, or the signal is bouncing off walls indoors but of course wouldn't do that outdoors. I have set the Sony Headphone App to Prioritize Stable Connection, I downloaded the Sony Music Center App to Prioritize LDAC (Off), and set the LDAC Playback Quality to Priority on Stable Connection, and turned the Pixel 4a Bluetooth settings to HD Audio: ACC OFF. So pretty sure it's not something on my end; the "help" does say "don't have anything (including your body) between the phone and the LinkBuds", so maybe this just won't work with the phone in my pocket. I'll probably give these another week of trials, but will return them if I can if they don't get better.

Great concept, and I actually think they sound pretty good, especially for what I was expecting! These are definitely specialty earbuds and are not for everyone but if you're looking for a natural ambient sound while listening to your music or podcast or on a call. I haven't tested the call quality, but music sounded much better than expected from other reviews I saw. Obviously you won't get a ton of bass because it's an earbud but overall it sounds surprisingly full if you tweak the EQ a little. They aren't the most comfortable since, after all, it is a piece of plastic you're putting in your ear, but they are very lightweight and if your ear is the right shape you could probably forget they're there which is good. I don't exactly think they're worth full price, but if/when they go on sale I would be more inclined to recommend them!

I’ll just sum it up quickly for those who don’t want to read all the details. Overall: I recommend these earphones, but they’re a little overpriced. Not a bad option though. Pros: -Interesting Design (you can hear your surroundings at lower volume levels) -Good quality sound and decent bass -Fit comfortably (with the right wings tips applied) -Little to no ear fatigue -Battery life is good especially for the size -Extremely portable case -Sony Headphones App allows you to tweak sound settings -Packaged well with recyclable materials -Various wing tip options -Interesting & smooth case and earphone material Cons: -A little overpriced -App software isn’t terrible but can be optimized (ex: improving pairing speed) -Doesn’t get as loud as other earphones like the beats pro or AirPods Pro (but that’s not it’s purpose) -For the price, Sony should’ve included a protective case for the charging case. Would’ve made it more enticing to buy These are pretty good earphones and I’m enjoying them!

I love how I can hear everything around me and the sound is great on these. Getting the fit right in my left ear with the silicone rings was a breeze but I’m having more trouble with my right ear. I like falling asleep listening to something and an issue I’ve run into with AirPods is they hurt my ears, but I can keep these in all night no problem. The wide area tap is really cool and accurate and I hope other companies adopt the tech. The one thing though that is a deal breaker for me is you can’t just use the left bud by itself. It connects to the right bud so that one has to be out of the case and on in order for the left bud to connect. I frequently use only one of my headphones while I’m doing random things throughout my day, and being limited to only being able to use the right one is a bummer since the battery life on these is shorter than headphones. Plus in this day it seems a little out there to not let both headphones connect individually.

Overall these new earbuds have been pretty slick, however there is definitely some areas of improvement in my eyes. First of all, The unboxing of these earbuds are pretty neat, the box they come in is very well designed to allow the user to easily pair and complete the initial set up. However, once you get past the initial set up phase, the companion app is a bit too involved in my opinion even though it does provide a good amount of value for the end user. The app syncs the headphones then asks for pictures of your head to suggest which ear piece would fit the best. If then suggest yet another app to install to get full 360 degree sound. It just seems as if there are a lot of hoops to jump through to get up and running. On the other hand, the sound is good, but I wouldn't say excellent, the amount of bass that pumps through is about average in my opinion. One thing I really like though, is the ear fittings that are supplied (and make sure you located before throwing box away because they are sort of hidden). They come with several sizes allowing them to snuggly fit in my ears. Past ear buds I have used have not been that good of a fit. All in all, I think the companion app needs some work but the fit and sounds offset that negative experience. Worth picking up in my opinion!

Overall I am satisfied with these headphones. The Audio quality doesn’t blow me away but anyone that expects open ear headphones to have phenomenal audio quality has incredibly unrealistic expectations of the current technology. I bought these for the specific feature of being able to hear everything around me while also listening to music. I have yet to test them in a loud environment but I would expect that the outside sound will somewhat over power the volume of the headphones. Anyone that expects anything other then this should buy noise canceling headphones. They are literally designed to let noise in so what else would you expect… The case feels a tad on the cheap side but if their claim of using recycled plastics is to be believed then I’m okay with that. It’s not a make or break for me personally. I watched the video about how to wear them(it took me a couple minutes to get it down and now I pop them in and out no problem) and picked out which little silicon band fit my ears best and I have yet to have any discomfort and they stay in my ears very well. Most earbuds start to aggravate my ears after a couple hours but these are so far very comfortable and light. The tapping on your head next to your ears takes a little getting used to finding out where exactly you need to tap for this function to work. You can always tap the headphone itself also if you can’t get the other tap option figured out. The app works well enough and has a decent bit of customization options. EQ doesn’t do much noticeable to change the audio quality, if you have expectations of a Bass machine go another direction. You don’t get the bass you would expect with other headphones with the way these headphones are designed. I have had zero connectivity issues so far, connected quick to Bluetooth and has worked since but things like that are always subject to change I guess. My one gripe about these headphones is that there was a very very small line where they molded the shell I would guess and it irritated my ears but a couple seconds and razor blade and I was able to shave that line off without damaging my headphones and it made a world of difference for me personally. Which is the main reason I give it 4 stars but other people may not even notice that line but I guess my ears are sensitive. I don’t use headphones to talk on the phone so I can’t comment on mic quality or anything like that. I use mine pretty much only for music and I like what they offer. So overall if you don’t have unrealistic expectations of what these headphones are supposed to be used for then these might be for you. If you are expecting excellent audio quality then don’t buy these. The style of speaker doesn’t allow excellent audio quality. If you are expecting these to somehow magically block out noise in loud places then don’t buy these. They were literally made to let noise pass through them. If you are expecting them to over power loud noise then don’t buy these. They won’t and to be quite honest all you’re doing is damaging your hearing if you need to listen to music that loud anyways. I’d prefer to keep my hearing for when I’m old but that’s just me. Hopefully my review helps some people out

If you had fit issues with the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live, skip these as well. The sound was fine, but i found that they made my ears hurt in the same places the Galaxy Buds Live did. The little silicone attachments you add to make them fit better were pretty flimsy. You have to use the specific app that's made for the LinkBuds to connect them to your mobile device. My phone didn't pick up the headphones at all in the Bluetooth menu without that app initiating the connection. Connecting the LinkBuds to your phone through the designated app wasn't the easiest either. A note about the actual set i bought and returned: they were a used/open box item that was sold to me as if it were brand new. When I connected them to my phone, they were labeled as "Letitia's LinkBuds". That's not my name. When I went through all the fitting supporters/silicone attachments, one side of the large was missing. When I was sold the product, I noticed the little sealing sticker that keeps the package closed was a little messed up, but I thought it was because of shipping and not because it had previously been used. When I returned the product and addressed it with the employee, they tried to tell me it wasn't open box or used since it didn't have the red sticker on it. But, missing item, already named earbuds, and messed up package sealing sticker = used item. If I had liked the earbuds, I would have been more upset to have bought a used item at a new item price.

When I wear ‘tipped’ or in-ear-canal earbuds, I almost always wear just one, because I like to hear my surroundings clearly. So, when I saw these, I instantly knew I had to try them. After watching and reading generally positive reviews they were a confident buy and I received them shortly after. I like the size (of the case), color, weight, and advertised battery life, though I never used them long enough to fully test that out. I also like the concept itself and the sound quality, which was about what I was expecting for ‘open-back earbuds’. The Wide Area Tap was also cool, though a bit sensitive, and it would register taps sometimes when adjusting the positioning of the buds. The microphones on these, according to friends who have joined me on calls, are incredible, and the background noise cancellation just as much so. They always complain about my audio while driving in the car, but when tested, they said that they couldn’t really hear any unwanted noise through these at all. The most major downside though is the size of the buds themselves. I’m a fully grown adult male, though on the short side and with small ears, and these were too big. One ear fit okay, though it began to hurt after ~20min of wear; but the other was instantly uncomfortable and very quickly painful. No size of the silicone wings or position adjustments could make them both be comfortable and stay in my ears— nor could any amount of advice from other customers, Samsung diagrams, or pictures/stills from reviews. Eventually I had help and measured the more troublesome ear to about 24mm from ‘shelf’ to bottom of the inside, which is shorter than the buds (about 25mm across longest points, w/o wings). The other ear measured about 25mm long. If these earbuds came in a small/medium/large, with these being medium and the small size being 5-10% smaller, they would be a 5/5 and my daily drivers. Until then, it’ll be back to mono audio and waiting for some company to make another product like this.

As a new take on earphones they’re pretty cool. This is a niche product, definitely not for everyone. It’s curated more for smaller ear types. They can get a little uncomfortable during extended use. The sound quality is good despite being “open back” although the bass is almost nonexistent. Using an available bass feature does help a bit but the design is its main downfall in regards to the clarity and volume. If you need a pair of true wireless earbuds to workout in or listen to podcast and still be aware of your surroundings this is it, if you like ANC or better audio clarity this isn’t for you.

These earbuds are some of the best ear buds I have ever used. I don't know if it's due to the Open-Ear design, or just simply because the earbuds are so good. I've never used Open back head sets before so the sound characteristics might be due to that. At any rate, it's excellent. The fit is very comfortable for these ear buds. They are not heavy and fit well in the ear. They are also fairly secure. I don't know if they'd stay in if you were head banging to some heavy metal, but for general movement and exercise I have not had any issue with them staying put. I will also say that I can wear these much longer than previous ear buds I have tried without discomfort. (Previous ones being Sony WF-1000XM3, XM4s and various other lower costing ear buds) As noted about, for sound quality these are excellent. I usually like noise canceling ear phones / buds, with these being "Open-Ear" that obviously isn't possible. So I was skeptical initially going into them, but they sound is good enough to make me prefer these over the noise cancelling features of my others. Granted the noise canceling ear buds still have their place if I'm in a noise environment, but if not and going purely for the pleasure of the sound these are amazing. Build quality overall seems good. I do have some concern if the little wings will hold up over time. But as of right now everything is great. Using these on a call the microphone seems to work well. I've done some recordings with it and it sounds descent. Callers have not complained about not being able to hear me or excessive background sounds. As for battery, it's pretty good too. With the case I can easily get an entire day out of these. I think it's about 4 to 5 hours of continuous listening before needing to put them back into the case for a little bit.

These are pretty great. I use them all day on Zoom calls, phone calls, listening to music and they sound great and are very comfortable. For audio, tweak both the EQ on the app and the EQ in Spotify (if you use it) and you should be able to find a great sound. No issues with not enough bass after the tweaks. Would have loved to see wireless charging but not a dealbreaker. I really appreciate how Sony is always innovating and these are the next step.

I've been using these for about a week, and am really enjoying them. I've always wanted a set of 'open back' truly wireless in-ears, and I saw the Linus Tech Tips review and literally ordered them right away. I don't like using the normal in-ears when I'm biking/skating, since they block out too much sound. I feel very comfortable wearing these biking, since I can still hear everything going on around me. I usually would have speakers with me when I bike, to play music or podcasts, but the problem with that is when there's heavy traffic, it drowns out the speakers; this hasn't been an issue at all with the Linkbuds, so far at least. For sound quality, I would say it's the same as any other wireless in-ear, so it's great for background music and podcasts, but I wouldn't use them over actual headphones if I'm just listening to music. I don't think that's what they were designed for anyways so that's not really a criticism. I prefer the 'open back' sound, but that might be a downside, if you want to block out outside noise. For comfort and fit, that's the one big downside in my opinion. It took me a while to figure out how to wear them without them just falling out right away. Once I figured it out, they're pretty secure, like I've bike around and they didn't fall out (yet). Even still, they don't 'feel' as secure as the in-ears that use the silicone tip and wing. I think the silicone 'wing' the Linkbuds come with don't feel that secure. If they were shaped more like how Bose eartip wings are shaped, I think that would be a huge improvement. Some random benefits I've noticed: You don't have to take them out to have a conversation. To pause, you just tap your upper jawbone twice (I think that can be reconfigured in the app though). Talking on the phone is soooo much better; For some reason the in-ears that have a tight seal make my voice sound really weird to me. These honestly really good for talking on the phone, it makes a huge difference for me. Some downsides: If I'm adjusting the fit, it often registers that as a tap, and pauses. I had to turn off the double tap to stop that from happening. I think they can be configured to pause with a triple tap, so that might help.

Great on fitment. I have small ear canals so finding headests have been difficult. Between these & pixel buds are only ones that fit my ears without falling out. Decent sound quality for what they are made for which is being able to hear surrounding noise & still be able to hear sound clearly. I feel like a lot people give bad reviews for not being loud enough. My biggest issue is battery life. Definitely needs longer life. Overall for 1st version they are pretty good but I don't think the price equates to the product

It fits the purpose. Light and comfortable to wear. Sound is clear but lacks bass. Being able to hear ambient is amazing. Great to wear long term and during exercise. QC issue : my first lair had tear on one of ear guard. My second pair had sound problem after obe month of use. Thankfully bestbuy replaced them without a hassle. Good to be theor elite plus member for longer period to return. Otherwise I had to send this to Sony. Still 4 stars because none others can offer this special feature during exercise

I love the idea of being able to listen to music, podcasts, ect. and still be able to hear ambient sound. The thing I really don't like about earbuds and headphones is how isolating they can make things. These Sony LinkBuds are a really great idea. They were easy to connect, and sound great. I have been a loyal AfterShokz product user (bone conduction) for years, and I can tell you that these sound way better. Now these will never sound as good as a good pair of headphones, but you don't buy these for superior sound. You buy these so that you can hear other things going on around you at the same time you are listening to whatever it is you want to listen to. The LinkBuds get plenty loud, although there is some distortion once you get up around 80%. They can get loud enough to drown out all the ambient noise if you want them to. I also tested these for calls, and the other end said I sounded great, with no background noise, and said I sounded way better than I ever did compared to the AfterShokz I normally use. The real problem for me with these is the fit. I watched all the videos, they were just never comfortable for me. They are not easy to put in without a mirror, but I'm sure that would get easier over time. I tried the different ear tips that come with the buds, but none of them could relieve the pain and discomfort I felt after just an hour or two. I found them to be very uncomfortable to the point where I just could not use them. Too bad, because I really like the concept.