Customer Ratings & Reviews

The wireless earbud market is more competitive than ever, with all major brands focusing on improved noise cancellation, better battery life, and smaller earbuds. With the LinkBuds, Sony has taken a completely new and innovative approach with the "open ring" design allowing you to hear what's happening around you. I love the concept and I was excited to try these out so I could wear them at my office and still hear my co-workers talk to me. After a steep learning curve on how to properly insert these into my ears, === DESIGN AND COMFORT (4 Stars) === - The LinkBuds are small and very lightweight. The "open ring" portion is smaller than a dime and is the portion that goes inside your ear. The round buds protrude ever so slightly from your ears, but they are certainly smaller than larger noise cancelling earbuds. - The LinkBuds have small silicone tips which Sony says should be "pushed into your ear grooves" to ensure a secure fit. It took a lot of trial and error, but after a couple of hours I finally found the right combination of tips for my ears. Strangely, I needed the large tip in my right ear and the medium tip in my left ear. This is the first pair of earbuds where I've had to use a mirror to ensure I'm inserting them properly. I even had to watch all of Sony's support videos to see just how to make these fit. The biggest take-away is that you need to get the silicone tips to "lock" behind the groove/lip of your ear. I would highly recommend watching Sony's support videos and following the diagrams/illustrations provided in the packaging. It might take a few tries and a few different combinations of silicone tips before you figure it out. - When they are in my ears, the LinkBuds feel rather comfortable. There's no pain or pressure to speak of. After 10 minutes or so, I forget I'm wearing them. - I would highly recommend to "try before you buy." Go to your local store to see if they have a pair you can try on to ensure the fit works for your ears. === Open Ring/Ambient Sound (4.5 Stars) === - This is undoubtedly the main selling point of the LinkBuds, and those who prefer open-back headphones will likely appreciate the soundstage achieved by such small earbuds. The "transparency" effect with the LinkBuds is miles ahead of anything you'll get from a transparency mode in noise cancelling headphones or earbuds. - There are no seals around the LinkBuds to prevent ambient sounds from reaching your ear canal. As such, you can have full conversations with the LinkBuds in your ears or hear the sound of traffic as you walk on the sidewalk -- as long as the volume isn't up too high, that is. - One downside to the open ring/no seal design is that sound will likely leak out of the LinkBuds so those around you can hear what you're listening to. Not a huge issue, but something to be aware of when you're in a quiet setting. - There's no question that the LinkBuds provide the best transparency or ambient sound passthrough of any earbuds on the market. If you frequently walk around in a major city or work in a busy office where you need to hear your surroundings, these could be a game-changer. Frequent fliers or those who need noise cancellation should definitely look elsewhere. === FEATURES (4 Stars) === - The LinkBuds are too small to have touch controls built in. To get around this problem, Sony introduced a feature called Wide Area Tap. Insteal of tapping or swiping on the LinkBuds to control your music, you simply tap the area around your ears. By default, double- or triple-tapping around your left ear controls volume, while taps around your right ear control music playback (skip forward/backward). The feature works remarkably well -- almost too well, sometimes, as I have accidently skipped a couple of songs by simply scratching my face. Still, this is a very unique feature and I hope it's something that Sony can incorporate into its other earbud products. - The charging case is very compact and has a nice texture - it's not too slippery and it will not pick up fingerprints or scratches. It charges via USB-C, but does not have wireless charging. - Battery life is rated at 5.5 hours, while the charging case provides an extra 12 hours when fully charged. This is fine, but certainly not great. - The Sony Headphones app is easy to use and has a ton of customization options such as an equalizer, 360 Degree Audio, and more. === SOUND QUALITY (4 Stars) === - As long as you understand the inherent drawbacks to open designs like that of the LinkBuds, you'll be pleasantly surprised by the sound quality offered here. In relatively quiet settings, vocals and highs sound crisp and clear, if not a little muted. There is very little distortion, even at higher volumes. - The largest drawback is the lack of bass -- it's practically non-existent in the LinkBuds, so you'll want to keep another set of headphones or earbuds handy for your EDM music. - The open ring design allows for a much wider soundstage compared to traditional sealed earbuds. Music sounds like it is coming from all around you - almost like a perfectly placed set of speakers at a large concert venue. - Would I use the LinkBuds as my primary earbuds/headphones for music? Probably not, but they are a great secondary pair to have at the office or in my backpack when I need to hear what's going on around me. === OVERALL (4 Stars) === The LinkBuds are the most unique earbuds introduced in quite some time. While most manufacturers have focused on things like noise cancellation, Sony recognized there was a desire for earbuds that don't completely block out the world around you. The LinkBuds certainly deliver on that front, although the design and strange fitment will not suit everyone. It took me quite a while to learn how to achieve the best fit, and even now, I'm still a bit uneasy that they will fall out of my ears unexepctedly. I commend Sony for its innovation in this space, but I would highly recommend potential buyers try these on at a store if possible before purchasing.

Super excited about these as the design is super cool and unique and I couldn't wait to get my hands on them. The fit reminds me of those OG Apple Headphones before they went to airpods. Definetly worth trying out.. Don't listen to Soundguys or Maxtech review... Those people are Audiophile snobs & Apple Fanboys Quick Pros: + These things get LOUD + Best "transparency" mode lol + Mics are Great + Music sounds great + Audiobooks sound FANTASTIC + Sony App integration + 360 Audio + Really light and Comfy + IPX4 water resistance, good for working out, Running outside + Tiny compact case Quick Cons: - So-So battery (like 17 hours total w/ case) - So-So Base - People can hear your music if its over 80% volume - No MultiPoint - No qi charging Overall I am enjoying them and forget they are in my ear. I was surprised how loud they got and I can only handle them around 60% volume.lol Overall I'd give them a 4/5 ... If they had Qi Charging, Multipoint, or Priced at $150 then it would be an Easy 5.

My ears fell out no matter how I tried to wear it. I returned it to the store.

Where to begin, connectivity is not good with these. I've tried on different types of phones, from good flagship to lower quality phones. First they randomly keep disconnecting from the phone. Second, it sometimes out of nowhere unpairs from the phone and cant be reconnected, you have to put them back in the case and wait a few seconds and take them back out. Third, it keeps hanging up my phone calls and its set for double tap to answer/hang-up. But the crazy part about this is, that it doesn't do this everyday, but every other day. I honestly just want my money back and get something else. NOT WORTH THE BUY

Listen, these were almost $200 and have garbage sound. The idea is nice to have the ability to shut them off and not have to take them out to hear people but seriously, why did the sound quality have to suffer. I expected a lot more from them. I'm definitely not happy with purchase.

LinkBuds look cool and maybe a bit techno hipster at the same time. They are super lite and more comfortable to wear then they look, once you get the correct band fitted and properly insert them in to the outer folds of your ear. Not sure all will agree, but when used as intended. These buds really add a new level of daily enjoyment by having your own private background music. Kind of like having your playlist running on a retail store speaker system as you walk around or do activities. Just wish the battery lasted a bit longer than 5+ hours for true all day use without case top off. Of course for those about to rock, you can crank them up too much without distortion (this will also let others hear your audio) and never hear anyone else unless using the app's "speak-to-chat" feature that as soon as you talk, stops all audio. Speaking of app, this uses the same app as the high end Sony XM4 headphones. Many Sony fans will already be familiar with what features are best and how to set up the track and volume taps that now can be done by touching skin right in front of the ears! Like to see that feature on my XM4's. I applaud Sony for their choice in using recycled materials for the buds/case and giving this form factor a try. I know LinkBuds won't be perfect for some. And while bass is lacking in this open form factor. And noise reduction would defeat the reason for the design. Its a great second set to have once you already have the noise canceling headphones. These are great for riding bikes and other activities where you need to be more alert to external noise in your environment. * Note to other buyers/users. I did not see anything showing the button below the charge light was a release for the case lid. I thought it was for bluetooth connection if you had issues connecting. Just thought the case was a tad difficult to pry open. It is a very, very compact non-Qi case. This fat fingered person will help the rest who also missed this or held the box lid while pushing the tiny button and nothing happened. :D

I personally think that True Wireless Earbuds have been one of the best personal tech advances in the last handful of years. They provide so much functionality all while barely even noticing they are there. The new Sony LinkBuds take a risk by providing something totally different than other True Wireless Earbuds and I think they totally delivered. UNBOXING / SETUP: - The unboxing was quite easy as Sony did a minimal packaging job which I can really appreciate. - But once you opened it, I was really amazed at how small the case was and the earbuds are. And I say that in a positive way because everything about it seems very discrete which I love. - I’d also love the “white” color although I’d say its more of a speckled gray, which I think look fantastic. - I used the Sony Headphones app to help with setup and it was super easy! You don’t need the Sony Headphones app to use these, but its must have if you want to do software upgrades, voice assistants, and various settings like EQ. - Lastly, I’d add that I did need to charge mine a bit before I could use them because they were not at 100% out of the box which is the case with pretty much any battery operated headphones. PROS: - The concept behind these “hole” shaped buds are that they allow exterior sound in while still allowing you to listen to music, taking calls, etc. I personally felt that aspect was fantastic and I really enjoyed them! More often than not, I need to hear what’s going on around me rather than silence off the world around me so I thought they did a great job of allowing you to use the earbuds while still be aware of your surroundings. - That being said, the sound quality is fantastic! I was truly happy with how full the sound felt and how clear the audio was in my ears, even with the open ear design. I used the Sony Headphones app to change the EQ to add more bass and I was happy with how easy it was to change that! - The LinkBuds can get really loud too which is impressive for how small they are. So even with the open ear design, you could still drown out the background with the volume easily. - Like I said above, these things are so small and so discrete in your ears which I really love. I wore them while running errands, putting stocking caps on/off, taking sweatshirts on/off and these earbuds never fell out once. I was quite happy with how they rested in my ear and did not get caught on anything. - I also wore these while working out and on runs / walks. I had no issues with them falling out or moving around too much and was very pleased with how they worked! - Phone calls are probably where these earbuds shine the brightest. When testing these on calls, the LinkBuds do an excellent jump ignoring background noise and focusing just on your voice. My voice came across as clear and with the open ear design, I can hear how loud I am talking which is a plus since noise cancelling buds tend to make me not know how loud I am talking. COOL NEW FEATURE: - I wanted to specifically call out the coolest thing about these earbuds which are, the touch controls. - Instead of touching the earbuds to play/pause, answer calls, change songs.. you touch the area on the side of your head right next to your ear. - This feature has worked so so well for me and I could not be more impressed! I just think moves like this really push earbuds to be more creative and make tech better. - Also I like how I never have to touch the earbuds since I already want to make sure they are resting in my ears right and not move them around. - Lastly, these charge via USB-C which is great as USB-C is becoming the new standard for every device. CONS: - The biggest downside to me is no wireless charging and batter life. The earbuds only last about 5.5 hours on one charge which is fine but I really wish they should be more like 8 hours. On top of that, when I do need a quick charge I can not do it on a wireless charger. - Although these fit well in my ears, I think the fit might not be comfortable for some. There is no padding on them so it’s really just the plastic buds just sitting wedged in your ears. - Lastly, although the case is small and nice looking, it just does not have a premium feel to it. BOTTOM LINE: - The Sony LinkBuds are a unique take on the wireless earbuds. Their hole shaped design, open ear flow, and sound delivery are something you do not find in most buds! But I think that they provide great sound quality of music, are fantastic for taking calls, and will be very welcomed by people who are out running / walking or in public and want to hear their surroundings. The LinkBuds provide people with a fresh take on wireless earbuds and they deliver!

I had high hopes for these when I took them out of the case but as much as I have tried I just can't love them. I have tried using every different size ear piece they came with and can't find one that keeps these in my ear snug for me to work out or be active at all. The only way I have gotten them to stay in is to have them jammed down in my ear canal and finagling them with the plastic ear piece to try and get enough pressure for them to stay in. Maybe I just have large or odd shaped ear lobes but no matter what I do I can't see myself using these daily for working out or doing activities outside. There are some pros for these which I will list below but for me I just can't use these for how I intended to. Pros: *Great sound quality *Good battery life *Charge quickly *Small and light weight *The 360 sound is pretty cool when you get them positioned in your ear correctly *Not noise cancelling so you can still hear ambient noise around you Cons: *Can't get them to stay in my ear! *Anytime I talk or move my jaw they become loose and almost fall out *Hurts my ear when wearing them the way I have to shove them in my ear canal so they don't fall out Like I said I wanted to love them because the sound quality is great but I just can't. If you have ear lobes that these will fit in better then you will more than likely enjoy them.

These earbuds have surprised me in almost every way. From the minimalist packaging, to the unique earbud style, I feel that these Sony earbuds will catch you off guard. When I first opened these earbuds I was not quite sure what to think. I felt like they were perhaps cheaply made due to the packaging and very light feel of the case. I downloaded the Sony headphones app and paired the earbuds. I popped them into my ears and immediately noticed that my surroundings were not muted like most earbuds. These buds feature a ring opening in the middle of them to allow ambient noise in. This is much better than noise cancelling buds with an electronic ambient feature that feels stuffy and fuzzy. These feel very natural and you almost don't even know they are in your ears. I then started to play music. I was very impressed. The sound came in very clear and I felt like the music was very robust and immersive. I then went into the app to play around with the different equalizer settings. I put on some Hip Hop and switched the EQ to extra bass and was blown away how earbuds with this form factor can produce such sound. After a few minutes I decided that the fit was not great so I went with a bigger rubber ear piece and they fit perfectly. The battery life is close to advertised, at about 5 hours on the charge. It also depends on how loud you are using them. The case does provide additional time as well. The only cons I can think of is that if you have a cut or sore in your ear, these solid plastic buds will be very uncomfortable. This actually happened to me. The case also does not have wireless charging capabilities. The last 3 buds I have purchased have all had them, and at this price point I feel these should have had it. There is something to be said for placing your earbuds case on a wireless charger, it is very satisfying. These are also not noise cancelling, so if you are specifically looking for that feature then these buds are not for you. I definitely have more interactions where I need to be aware of my surrounding than I need noise cancelling, so these are perfect for me. Overall I feel that these buds work exactly as Sony intended them to. I took these with me everywhere since I got them and have not used any of my other buds since. I will likely come across a situation where I need active noise cancelling, but otherwise these are my go to buds.

PROS: + Open-Ring Design is Very Effective For Audio Transparency + Good Battery Life + Charging Case Works Great + Compact + Lightweight + IPX4 Water Resistance + Mics Sound Good For Calls + DSEE & Speak-To-Chat Work Great + Tap Control Works Great For What It Can Do CONS: + Comfort Depends on Ear Shape + Music Lacks Bass + Automatic Volume Control Not Great + Tap Control Options Are Limited Overall + Adaptive Audio Control & 360 Spatial Sound Personalizer Didn’t Work Great For Me + Audio Bleed At Larger Volumes TRANSPARENCY The Sony LinkBuds offer a very unique concept on wireless earbuds, providing the best transparency experience of any earbud or headphone I have used. This is thanks to the open-ring design, which essentially provides a hole for sounds to passthrough, meaning you can still hear your environment without needing digital audio processing or artificial passthrough to let you hear your environment while wearing your device. The result is hearing your environment naturally, almost as if you were not wearing earbuds at all, even while listening to music. It’s a novel concept, but one that actually works well in almost all scenarios, and coupled with the IPX4 water resistance, makes these a very strong product for working out or commuting. COMFORT Stacked on top of this key selling feature is a good battery life that should satisfy most listening sessions, and lightweight and compact ergonomics which should make these extremely comfortable, if you have the right ear-shape. This brings me to my first issue with the device, which is that, for me personally, these are not the most comfortable earbuds. They aren’t as uncomfortable as they might look at first glance, given they fit entirely in your ear, but even after I dialed in the fit with the included interchangeable rubber rings (I needed the largest size), which work amazingly well at keeping the earbuds from falling out, I found that after about 2 hours or so, my ears would start to get sore. This being said, your mileage may vary, with my partner finding them very comfortable for her ears. Regardless, despite seeming like they would fall out often, once you get used to how they should rest in your ear, I found them to be extremely secure, even during workouts with lots of head movement. SOFTWARE On the software side, Sony, as they are known for, provide a full suite of software enhancements via their headphone app. Among these, my favorites were the DSEE system, which tries to enhance compressed audio to original high-quality, and the Speak-to-Chat system, which automatically mutes your music once you start to speak. Both of these are optional features, but work great for the most part, so I tended to leave them engaged at all times. While the speak-to-chat can be annoying if you tend to sing along or hum to yourself while listening to music, it can be great for most situations where you want to talk to someone else without needing to manually pause your music. Paired with the high-level of transparency where you can hear others easily, it is especially great while I am at work. Less successful for me is the 360 Spatial Sound Personalizer & Adaptive Volume Control. For me, while the 360 Spatial Sound Personalizer might work great with other earbuds or headphones, I simply found the resulting 360 audio tracks hallow sounding, with very little 3D audio effect or spatial sound. The set-up process where you take photos of your head and ears to optimize the sound is very cool, but just didn’t seem to have much positive effect for my listening. I much preferred traditional audio tracks to the 360 audio tracks, but your mileage may vary. Likewise, the adaptive volume control tries to adjust the volume to your surrounding environment, so if you are in a quiet place, the volume will be lower, but louder environments will cause the volume to raise. However, I found that it changed volume far too often, and frequently in response to subtle ambient sound changes, which made the effect more irritating than effective. Thankfully, like all of the other software features, this can be toggled on or off depending on your preferences. Beyond this, you get various tuning capabilities in the app as well, providing a great software suite for these earbuds. CONTROLS In terms of controls, because of the in-ear nature of the buds and their compact size, you can control the buds with tap commands, which actually register by tapping the area in front of your ears, rather than the buds themselves. It Is a simple system, with two taps for one command (like pausing or starting music) and three taps for a second command (like skipping a song). It’s a bit novel, feeling like something out of a sci-fi show where you tap your head to control your tech, but it does work and quite well. In fact, the taps tended to register quite a bit better than other touch based earbuds I have used in the past, with a wide region where taps will be picked up by the buds. My biggest issue is the simplicity of the tap commands means you don’t have much control over other functions, like volume, without needing to use the source device or a voice-assistant. SOUND QUALITY In terms of sound quality, this is where I was personally the most disappointed. It doesn’t sound bad, with a fairly neutral profile, but it is lacking quite a bit when it comes to bass, even for an earbud. As a result, a lot of the music I like to listen to, like rock & metal, tend to feel a bit flat compared to other earbuds I have used. I would classify the overall sound quality of these as fine, but for the price, they do feel a bit lacking. That being said, for calls or audiobooks, vocals are well-represented and present, which makes these a better value proposition if you do a lot of listening to voice-based content. In terms of volume, they get loud enough to my ears, but even at 100%, I didn’t feel like they were overwhelmingly loud. If you are someone who works in a loud environment, or likes to crank their music loud, you may find these earbuds can’t be pushed as far as you’d like. Likewise, because of their open-ring design, and how they fit in your ear, they do bleed sound more than I’d like. Once you get past the ~70% point, it is audible that you are listening to something, and if you use these in a quiet environment, at loud enough volumes you may start to share what you are listening to with others close by. CONCLUSION Overall, these are nice little earbuds, with a lot going for them. They try several new things, with the open-ring design & some software features in particular being very impressive. If you need audio transparency, these should be top of your search list, as they really are great for that, and will be my in-office work choice for a while to come. However, if you are primarily concerned with bass heavy audio quality, or you need a lot of volume for a noisy environment, these might not be what you are looking for. In many ways, these feel like a proof of concept that can be improved upon with later iterations, but as a first pass, these are really successful in a lot of the most important ways.

I was really excited to try out the Sony Linkbuds. I have Sony over-ear headphones that are a favorite of all the over-ear headphones I’ve tried, and as a whole is a headphone brand I would recommend. Unfortunately, the Linkbuds just aren’t for me. I tried multiple tips but could never find a secure fit for my left ear, despite the right bud staying in without issue. This tells me, it may be more of a “me” problem, with an ear shape not conducive to the Linkbuds than anything at fault with buds themselves (apart from lacking universal compatibility). In addition, I found the size of the Linkbuds to cause my ears to ache after a while, similar to how those cheap wired headphones that come with phones or you get on a long airplane ride would feel. Those types of headphones have an audience, so it’s definitely possible the Linkbuds will fit well and comfortably for a large number of people, but I unfortunately am not one of them. I actually really like the look of the Linkbuds too, which made the discomfort that much more disappointing. The other great thing is the small form factor case they come in and charge with. The case itself is small and charges via USB-C. I was happy with the audio quality of the buds, and they support 360 sound, though it requires a subscription to specific music providers that offer that type of music. The Linkbuds do include a trial code that lets you have several months of a music service to be able to test out the enhanced sound experience, which is another nice benefit. Overall, I prefer in-ear buds with silicone tips over the style of the Linkbuds. If you’ve had similarly shaped headphones in the past, the Linkbuds still might be a great buy, but since they weren’t for me, I’d have trouble recommending them at this point. The one thing I really liked about the Linkbuds vs in-ear silicon tip headphones was the ability to hear people around me when the music was turned off. I didn’t have to rely on an external microphone to relay the sound from the outside world to my ears. If these were more comfortable, I can definitely see them being a go-to pair of headphones while riding a bike or otherwise wearing headphones in public. I’d suggest trying this style of headphones out before investing in Linkbuds, but if you know this style works well for your ears, you’ll likely be satisfied with these as well.

The Sony LinkBuds Wireless Earbuds are a tough review for me. I have owned many different brands of headphones from Jabra, Apple, Sony, Bose, and Beats over the years. I am a real estate agent and wedding photographer and I use my phone all day long. I find that for my voice calls I will use the bluetooth speakers in my car or the speaker phone while I'm driving. The majority of the time that I am using headphones it is to listen to music at the gym. I go about 5-6 days a week and really enjoy listening to music while I'm working out. I prefer to listen to uptempo dance or Rap/R&B music with decent bass and a decent range of sound and I like my music loud. Enter the Sony Linkbuds. The design is super sleek, almost futuristic and the headphones themselves are very comfortable. They fit very well into your ear canal with the use of the small plastic notch that fits into the top of your ear. They come with many different sizes for different ears and I found a nice snug fit. Setup was relatively easy through their Sony Headphones App. The interesting design choice was the headphones themselves have a hole in the middle of the speaker to allow you to hear all your surroundings. I understand the intent, to be able to hear music or be on a phone call and hear the others around you easily, but unfortunately for what I use headphones for it's a bit of a mess. Walking into the gym and listening to music I immediately hear all the other sounds in the room due to the hole in the design. It was almost like the gym was amplified in my ear and made me not really able to hear the music that well at all. Unfortunately the headphones don't go loud enough or have any noise cancelling features to be able to offset the surrounding noise. To me this is a big design flaw for anyone who wants to use these in a gym or noisy setting. I think these headphones are for people who want a small sleek headset for phone calls or being able to hear the surrounding noise while still wearing headsets but for me they aren't a great fit. The music that plays through the headset sounds great and phone calls are crisp and clear and for that I give it 3 stars, but the design to me is a huge flaw that makes them almost unusable in a gym setting.

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.

After a while with the Linkbuds they definitely fill a use case, for me that's almost all the time. While there are times that I want a noise cancelling, closed off experience. 90%+ of my use is just doing tasks around the house, taking phone calls at work, or in the car. The link buds open back design not only allows me to do these things without closing off the world but I much prefer the sound of the open back when listening to videos or music. The downside is certainly the strange fit. It's not perfect, over weeks of using it I have gotten very used to the fit and have no major problems any more. When you first get started it is going to feel like they are falling out of your ears, and probably will fall out of your ears at some point. I also appreciate the open back design as it should prevent some hearing damage that comes from the pressure seal that comes from closed and seal in ear (see 64 Audio and ADEL research for more information). I do really really wish the case was wireless, also the song app on Android at least needs some work, it will pop up to tell me how much battery is left in the buds which is cool, until it does it again 2 minutes later, and then 3 minutes after that, and then 30 seconds after that. Also the battery life/battery charging time doesn't seem to be as good as their higher end noise cancelling buds or something like the airpods pro. The connectivity also isn't as good as the higher end models (the ones with the awful name (WF1000 something). With those I can go anywhere in my house and out to the mailbox with my phone on the counter. The link buds will cut off significantly sooner than those. It is however not a problem if you don't leave you phone on the counter when you go places around the house. Overall I really like it. I lost mine and I'm buying another pair so that should give you some idea of how much I use them

I really wanted to love these. Such a unique design with a unique intent from Sony. The good: I love the size of the case as well as the earbuds themselves. They are very compact and easy to carry. I love the feel of the case as well. I also like that they include different size ear attachments as well. The app is also nice. Easy to navigate, easy to setup the earbuds. Pairing was simple and I have not had any communication problems between the earbuds and my device which is always a good thing. The bad: I think the biggest problem I have with these, is even with them in my ears correctly, I constantly find myself trying to adjust them. It’s a very annoying problem to have. The sound changes dramatically based on how they sit in your ears. I don’t find them easy to set and like I said, I’m constantly trying to re-adjust them. The max volume on these I find is pretty low. It’s a little misleading as I feel I’m always trying to turn up the volume but it’s already as high as it can go. This is a big problem for me because I feel like there are times when I want to listen to music or podcasts etc at a low volume and sometimes I want to listen to them at a high volume but the highest volume is what I would describe as a medium low. This makes these headphones somewhat useless in noisier environments. These may work for some folks looking for certain features in their earbuds but they just don’t work for me.

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.