Customer Ratings & Reviews

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.

Definitely feels different in the ear. Doesn't feel secure but it stays in the ear. The buds are really light and it is comfortable. My ear doesn't feel blocked. I work moving around a lot unloading materials everyday and it is not noticeable like my beats pro. Sound is good enough. It's something not to be blasted. The downside is that when I wear a hoody, it will hit the buds and pause/skip the music sometimes. Overall I am satisfied. I can listen to music and talk to my co workers.

I dont really like the way they fit and i cant seem to figure out if i am doing something wrong. The sound it great but the life of a full charge is not great. I begin at 6 pm and by 10 - 11 pm they sound low battery. I got these for Christmas so i dont feel great about returning them.

I liked them a lot but I had to return them. The overall concept and design of these are amazing and sound quality doesn’t take too big of a hit. Bass is still pretty good. I liked the 4 options for the wing tips. App is very good too especially with the custom equalizers and what not. Now I did not keep them because my ears are too small. I have this same issue with most ear buds and it really sucks. I wanted to keep these so bad but they made my ears hurt because they were too big and keeping them crammed in my ears wasn’t worth it. I would highly recommend this to people who are looking for this type of product. Even though I retuned them I’m still giving 5 stars because they deserve them. Price is very good for what they are.

These are some of the first buds to stay in my ears and not move - at all. Like, not even a little bit. They lock in, stay there, and do not come out until I choose. This alone is amazing, as I have always had an extremely hard time finding buds that will do just this. Of course, the design is going to be the most talked about thing. But I really needed to point out the fit as once I got them in my ears that really was the most amazing thing to me, and the last thing I was expecting. Yes, your mileage may vary, though with the included assortment of ear locks (XS-XL) I'm willing to bet others that have had a history of buds not fitting will likely find these to be a joy. On the sound-side of things, the LinkBuds are a little lacking, especially if you are a bass fanatic and/or someone who is accustomed to certain brands that have a very bass-heavy EQ built into them. I am not one of those people and even still I felt the sound to be a little lackluster. Not terrible, but not what I'd expect once you start getting into this price-point. The Sony app allows you to change the EQ to your liking, which is great, but that means nothing if the drivers themselves aren't capable of delivering the sound; the case here. If you are familiar with the aforementioned app all the same things are present. You can set up a profile for your ear shape, control your music through it regardless of the source (Spotify, Youtube, etc etc) which at first doesn't seem like a huge thing, but then you realize you don't have to keep jumping back and forth between apps when making adjustments. With that all out of the way, the design. Yes, these are really cool looking. They are made out of recycled plastic (as is the case) and it has a subtle texture to it which is much more pleasant to touch than gloss. Sony managed to keep the size down across the board to the point you barely notice they're in when looking at your ear even from the side. Very subtle to say the least. I look forward to what Sony (and the competition) does in this area now that these have set a new benchmark for not only look, but also fit. Would be a five-star review if the sound were a little more robust.

I wanted to get something that would be a comparable option for the commute to work, without having to schlep my Bose 700 over-ear headphones everywhere. These were the newest option and so I wanted to see how they would work for everyday use. The sound quality was great in quiet environments, but forget about being able to hear anything if you are near loud noises/city traffic. They were very comfortable to wear for long periods of time, but the battery life leaves much to be desired. I found that I needed charge the headphones two times from being dead in the course of one 8-hour work day. Also, I found that repeatedly I would put my phone in my front pocket and the Bluetooth connection would drop almost immediately. Ultimately, they weren’t for me. They might get better with more software updates or firmware, but I had them for only a week before I returned them. They could be an option for people who work remotely, but they didn’t pan out as well as I hoped it would.

I had high hopes for these earbuds. It solved an issue for me (I hate not being able to hear people next to me when wearing earbuds), and the reviews of them seemed good. The actual build quality of these was pretty good - and I liked the size and fit of them. The default EQ on these is, in my opinion, too trebley and hollow. The problem was, Sony had broken it's app to configure these, so I couldn't change any settings like that. The app would just immediately crash. When I called Sony, they first tried to get me to try a different phone. I have an Xperia 1iii, so that's not really acceptable. If they don't work on that, I don't want them. Then they tried to exchange them - couldn't see how that would fix the app so I refused. Pretty poor experience all around. Tried them at the gym, and the one kept falling out when I was exercising, which wasn't great. Fast forward to today, and the app finally got an update and lo and behold it now works! So it was nothing to do with the actual buds. When I finally configured them, I found that the 360 sound only works on certain premium music apps, which I don't have. Also found that the bass and mid response can only be adjusted so much. There just isn't enough depth to the sound for me. The wire area tap feature was cool though, which is why they get 3 stars instead of 2. For the price, I felt like they didn't have enough punch. So, this evening I returned them. My JLabs sound better to me, even if I have to sacrifice the nice little features. In summary - not enough bass or mid. Sony's customer support isn't great. 360 sound will cost you another subscription.

Loved them but my ears are too small so I returned them. They're perfect for an environment where you need to hear around you. They don't give that claustrophobic feeling that in ear buds can give. They do not have a ton of bass but they are not intended to. If you enjoy classical, some rock and maybe just music outside of bass heavy music they are perfect. They are crystal clear for phone calls and being able to connect to my work laptop plus my phone was great. I guess the take away is that if you have small ears then these just flat out might not work without pain even on the smaller adapter. But they are great buds, maybe they'll make a smaller version in the future and I'll purchase again.

These earbuds have great sound and a very comfortable fit. Because of the looped tab, they stay in the ear very well. The only drawback is that after getting them positioned just right to maximize directing sound into my ear canal, they tend to move just a little. The sound quality is still great, but some of the volume is lost. This may have to do with the shape of my ear.

Excellent!!! Extremely comfortable, and they don’t fall out, even when doing yoga. Love the fact they don’t impede ambient noise, so nice to wear them to keep up with podcasts while doing yardwork and still be able to enjoy hearing the birdsongs around me. Easy volume control (2 taps on the left bud to raise volume, 3 taps to lower volume), easy to pause listening (2 taps on the right bud) or skip ahead on music tracks (3 taps on the right bud). Either bud can be tapped to answer or end phone calls. Controls can also be customized with the optional app (which also allows “pause to chat” feature and equalizer settings). Sound quality for phone calls is better than the Sony WF-C500. I’m perfectly pleased with sound quality for music, too. Very easy to link devices. Wish they had longer battery (about 5.5 hours before needed to recharge in the case), but the trade off for the fact they’re so small, light, and comfortable is worth that minor occasional inconvenience.

I just received them but unfortunately they are not a good fit for my ears. It is curbersome to insert into ear. The max volume is a little low. The controls are very limited. there is only double tap, and triple tap. I think they are overpriced for what they offer. The box feels a little cheap. There is no wireless charging. They should be priced at $119 max IMHO.

I *really, really* want to like these. They are exactly what I was looking for- earbuds that eliminated the severe irritation I get from silicone earbud tips and integration with the Google Assistant. They are comfortable and truly allow you to hear the world around you. I went through two pairs of buds, and neither could maintain a stable connection between the right ear bud and my Pixel 6 Pro, even when the phone is in my hand in front of my body. I tried every troubleshooting action there is- re-pair, factory reset, change connection settings and connection priority, and a different phone. The only solution to a stable connection is to have the phone on the desk in front of me and for me to sit still. This is not acceptable for ear buds of this price and with the Sony name on them. There is something seriously wrong with the technical design of the Bluetooth radios in these buds. I cannot recommend these to anyone that would use these for anything other than sitting at a desk.

Like having a different option open to ambient sound but still not the perfect fit for both music and phone calls. Battery life is below average for this type. Nice not having my ears completely plugged due to the open air design and also not squeezing my head like my other open air type that wraps around. I have larger ears so these fit fine. I also did not have to watch videos about fitment maybe bc I understand the shape of me ears where these are supposed to fit. Music sound quality on these is A ok for me. Late at night I like streaming TV through them while still able to hear if one of my kids call out. For phone calls the jury is still out until I use them with more of my regular callers. So far the first person not knowing I was not on my usual (plantronics voyager edge) complained that I sounded muffled. I also dislike the absence of sounds inside the headset letting me know calls are going out or coming in. As I mentioned above, battery life seems short IMO. Used them at the gym this morning and in my pocket since. Put one in my ear for a call and hear a voice say the battery is empty.

I moved over from the Google Pixel Buds Series A and I'm glad I did. I'm not the biggest fan of having my ears plugged up, so when I saw these release, I HAD to try them. Bass, I've seen from most, is the biggest callout, but honestly, open ear earbuds nor over the ear headphones are good for bass response, so if that's what you're looking for, I'd look elsewhere. The quality is an 8/10 in my opinion and serves my needs working out or listening to music while out and about. Call quality: Callers couldn't really tell that I was on a set of headphones - big fan. Weight: These are awesome because I can literally walk around for hours and forget they're in my ears (more on this below) and I can listen to music while strolling around IKEA and not feel like I'm cut off from the world. Comfort: Why I'm a 4/5 - Maybe it's just my ears getting used to something new, but the plastic pressing against my ears can get uncomfortable, but nowhere near enough to get rid of them. Features: The wide area tap is freaky cool!! Never had any issues whatsoever. These are now my daily drivers - good job Sony trying something new and innovative!

They're very comfortable, once you find the right ring. I can hear callers and they can hear me fine. Battery life is not good. It claims 5.5 hrs. I deactivated all bells and whistles, and I can only get about 2.5 - 3 hrs max. Also for some obscure reason, the right bud drain its battery faster. Thinking about returning them.

They're really cool earbuds with an impressive sound for their size. Lightweight, I really like the material and the carrying/charging case. The main feature here, the thing that differentiates them from all other similar earbuds, is that these ones have a big donut-like hole that allows sound to pass through them and straight into your ears. Very cool if you want to listen to music but still be aware of your surroundings, maybe when biking or walking in high traffic areas, or working in an office but wanting to be available for your colleagues to chat with. Unfortunately, the real negative for me is how they fit in my ears, with a little flexible loop providing pressure on one of my inner ear folds. They hold well - it's just that I find them to be terribly uncomfortable. After only about 20 minutes I really notice them and they're almost unbearable for me after about an hour. There are different size loops to try but even the smallest ones didn't help me out. If I found them comfortable I would love these. Unfortunately I can't really use them.

I bought these because I have issues with AirPods staying in my ear. These are very comfortable takes getting use to. They are not noise canceling you can here your surroundings when they are in your ear. Sound it good need more bass for me but over sound is fine.

Sony's LinkBuds were the answer. I hate earbuds that have to be rammed into my ear canals. The discomfort and the sound. These were the best of all worlds regarding private music listening. Sounded great, were portable, comfortable, stayed put... Notice I used past tense for every description? Less than a year of occasional and careful use and they stopped charging. I read about this possibility in reviews before I got them, but that doesn't excuse the failure. Having registered them with Sony I tried to reach out and report the problem, but cannot get through using the links from my registration emails. I'm posting this review hoping to draw the attention of someone who cares.

If you like open backed headphones these are fantastic. They take a bit to figure out how to insert into your ear properly but they feel very comfortable. I love the sound quality. They are excellent for driving since they let you still hear passengers and road noises. I especially like how they make you feel like you're just hearing background music while still getting feedback from the world around you. Also I have extremely small ears and these actually fit. So major bonus there. Sometimes they will glitch while connected and one ear will lag but it is solved by pausing and resuming. It seems to only happen if you get too far from your phone

Honest review. This is for a target group. If you enjoy going on runs in very populated areas where you have to worry about cars on your runs, or enjoy working from home but you have to keep tabs on your children these are for you. You can hear everything very clearly. Better than the AirPod pros in my opinion. Furthermore, the sound quality is very clear and sounds nice. Yet, don’t expect to be BLOWN away, the bass isn’t crazy… even after messing with the Sony app. The fit, is comfortable but for some reason my left one tends to become uncomfortable after a while even after changing the ear tips. The biggest thing I really enjoy is that, they don’t fall out or tend to get loose like AirPods. Again, if you’re not looking for ANC and want the best Ambient Sound these are a solid choice.