Open-ring design that allows you to hear calls, listen to music, play games, and hear other types of online content anytime, all while remaining naturally connected to whatâs happening around you. Crystal clear phone calls and conversations with Precise Voice Pickup technology. Integrated V1 Processor for balanced high-quality sound. Up to 5.5 hours of battery and a total of up to 17.5 hours with the charging case. IPX4 splash-proof and sweat-proof design. Ultra-small and light for a fit that stays all day. Control audio by tapping in front of your ears. Adaptive Volume Control optimizes sound to your environment. Alexa enabled for voice access to music, information, and more. Activate with a simple touch.
Open-ring design that allows you to hear calls, listen to music, play games, and hear other types of online content anytime, all while remaining naturally connected to whatâs happening around you. Crystal clear phone calls and conversations with Precise Voice Pickup technology. Integrated V1 Processor for balanced high-quality sound. Up to 5.5 hours of battery and a total of up to 17.5 hours with the charging case. IPX4 splash-proof and sweat-proof design. Ultra-small and light for a fit that stays all day. Control audio by tapping in front of your ears. Adaptive Volume Control optimizes sound to your environment. Alexa enabled for voice access to music, information, and more. Activate with a simple touch.
Open-ring design that allows you to hear calls, listen to music, play games, and hear other types of online content anytime, all while remaining naturally connected to whatâs happening around you. Crystal clear phone calls and conversations with Precise Voice Pickup technology. Integrated V1 Processor for balanced high-quality sound. Up to 5.5 hours of battery and a total of up to 17.5 hours with the charging case. IPX4 splash-proof and sweat-proof design. Ultra-small and light for a fit that stays all day. Control audio by tapping in front of your ears. Adaptive Volume Control optimizes sound to your environment. Alexa enabled for voice access to music, information, and more. Activate with a simple touch.
Open-ring design that allows you to hear calls, listen to music, play games, and hear other types of online content anytime, all while remaining naturally connected to whatâs happening around you. Crystal clear phone calls and conversations with Precise Voice Pickup technology. Integrated V1 Processor for balanced high-quality sound. Up to 5.5 hours of battery and a total of up to 17.5 hours with the charging case. IPX4 splash-proof and sweat-proof design. Ultra-small and light for a fit that stays all day. Control audio by tapping in front of your ears. Adaptive Volume Control optimizes sound to your environment. Alexa enabled for voice access to music, information, and more. Activate with a simple touch.
Last updated at 06/09/2026 00:26:13
SONY LinkBuds YY2953 Truly Wireless Earbuds - Left Earbud Only - Grey
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Sony Linkbuds Wf-l900 True Wireless Open-ear Earbuds Gray
Free delivery
Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a small commission for purchases made through this link at no extra cost to you. This helps support our site. Thank you!
Sony Linkbuds Wf L900/wm Wireless Earbuds Open Box Near Mint Authentic
Free delivery
Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a small commission for purchases made through this link at no extra cost to you. This helps support our site. Thank you!
Sony LinkBuds WF-L900H TWS In-Ear Headphone, Grey B
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Sony LinkBuds Truly Wireless Earbuds - WFL900/H (Renewed)
Delivery between 15â18 June $29
Sony LinkBuds WF-L900 True Wireless Earbuds (Dark Gray)
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Sony LinkBuds WF-L900 True Wireless Earbuds (Dark Gray)
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originally posted on ebay.com
I find a lot of reviews complain about the sound quality, but they never seem to realize WHY these are the way they are. These earbuds are meant to allow sound in while still being able to listen to your music. They are not noise cancelling, they are not ear plug style, they let in all the noise around you. That is exactly what they are designed for. They are akin to open-back headphones. Sony has thought outside the box with these so you don't have to go "mono" by using a single earbud to be able to listen to the world around you. This means if you're in a place where you must speak/be spoken to, you will be able to hear much more clearly than with normal ear plug style earbuds. A lot of reviews (especially Youtube) will have you believe that these are absolutely ... MoreI find a lot of reviews complain about the sound quality, but they never seem to realize WHY these are the way they are. These earbuds are meant to allow sound in while still being able to listen to your music. They are not noise cancelling, they are not ear plug style, they let in all the noise around you. That is exactly what they are designed for. They are akin to open-back headphones. Sony has thought outside the box with these so you don't have to go "mono" by using a single earbud to be able to listen to the world around you. This means if you're in a place where you must speak/be spoken to, you will be able to hear much more clearly than with normal ear plug style earbuds. A lot of reviews (especially Youtube) will have you believe that these are absolutely terrible sound quality and they aren't worth listening to. What they (again) fail to realize is that these aren't meant to give you that head-pounding bass and ear-splitting top end. Most of the sound will come from the middle of the curve (a sound curve, like when you set your equalizer). That being said, I do hear bass and I do hear the top end, but since your ear isn't plugged, you don't get the full effect of it, but it IS there. Sound will get drowned out if you're in a noisy area, this is to be expected, but you're buying these to be able to hear what's around you anyway, the music is just a bonus. Touch controls are easy to learn and easy to change. My right bud is pause/skip forward while my left bud is volume control. The Far Field controls are also nice because you don't have to touch directly on the earbuds to change settings, just the area in front of your ear. Sounds quality is fine, it's not $3000 fine, but it sounds just fine. When I'm working early morning, I forget they're letting sound in when there is no one around, but someone calls my name and I can hear it clearly. Don't go into this expecting studio sound quality, that's not their intent.
originally posted on sony.co.uk
These link buds are by far the most comfortable in ear headphones I have ever used. Over the years Iâve tried many in ear type products but these do feel like they could be worn all day without causing any discomfort at all. I like that they come with a selection of the small rubber loops so that you get a comfortable snug fit without the buds falling out or feeling too tight.Iâve found the real beauty of these buds is that you can have them on around the house listening to whatever you fancy but can still hear whatâs going on within the house as they almost do the opposite to some other products that have noise cancelling feature meaning you canât hear whatâs going on around you whilst still listening to your favourite songs etc. One example of this was I was ... MoreThese link buds are by far the most comfortable in ear headphones I have ever used. Over the years Iâve tried many in ear type products but these do feel like they could be worn all day without causing any discomfort at all. I like that they come with a selection of the small rubber loops so that you get a comfortable snug fit without the buds falling out or feeling too tight.Iâve found the real beauty of these buds is that you can have them on around the house listening to whatever you fancy but can still hear whatâs going on within the house as they almost do the opposite to some other products that have noise cancelling feature meaning you canât hear whatâs going on around you whilst still listening to your favourite songs etc. One example of this was I was listening to a podcast whilst my baby was napping and I had the monitor next to me. I was able to listen out to the monitor and to my podcast without either interfering with one another, win/win.Iâd say the sound quality on these little buds is good and for most people for general use will not be disappointed however if you really like a strong base and thumping dance music these may not be your best choice. Iâm happy with them as they meet my needs, are easy to link, comfortable and very user friendly. I like the double/triple tap on your jawline feature to play/pause and skip and think they offer something a little bit different to your usual ear buds or over the head headphones. The battery life is good and if needs be a quick charge in their case and they are back up and running in just a few minutes.Great, comfortable set of ear buds.
originally posted on sony.co.uk
The LinkBuds come beautifully packaged, with everything you need tucked into the box is separate compartments. The charging case keeps the LinkBuds fully charged and you get notifications on your phone, and via the light on the charging case, when the case needs charging.Straight out of the box they were ready to go, and linked to my iPhone (12) very easily and quickly. I already have the Sony Headphones app and it is required to operate the LinkBuds. Initially I used the medium loops as they came on and felt fine, however, after they fell out whilst I was jogging I've moved up to the XL.The sound quality is superb with very clear highs and warm lows.When walking/running these are excellent as you can truly hear everything around you. The sound is almost as if ... MoreThe LinkBuds come beautifully packaged, with everything you need tucked into the box is separate compartments. The charging case keeps the LinkBuds fully charged and you get notifications on your phone, and via the light on the charging case, when the case needs charging.Straight out of the box they were ready to go, and linked to my iPhone (12) very easily and quickly. I already have the Sony Headphones app and it is required to operate the LinkBuds. Initially I used the medium loops as they came on and felt fine, however, after they fell out whilst I was jogging I've moved up to the XL.The sound quality is superb with very clear highs and warm lows.When walking/running these are excellent as you can truly hear everything around you. The sound is almost as if the music was being played through a nearby speaker and conversation is easy to have without the need to remove them. This is especially useful when using them on a phone call as you don't get your own voice trapped in your ears.However, the total lack of noise cancelling does mean that louder external sounds override what can be heard. I eat my lunch in a busy staff cafeteria where chatter and coffee machines etc are prominent, and found myself turning up the volume to full in order to hear the spoken words of my show. Similarly I did have these in whilst driving the van and whilst it was very helpful to be able to hear all sounds, it meant my music was drowned out by the loud van engine, but equally I donât tend to use headphones whilst driving anyway. I should point out that I have Sony WH-1000XM3 noise cancelling headphones that I use for travel and music production when Iâm not driving.Iâve never used earphones that donât have a rubber in-ear tip and have found that after about an hour the LinkBuds do start to become uncomfortable. Iâve tried to avoid adjusting them too much once theyâre in my ears to lessen the discomfort, but theyâre still not something Iâm totally comfortable with.I have them in white and people generally donât immediately notice Iâm even wearing them so they do tuck away into the ear very nicely.Finally, the tap control via the top of the jaw/cheekbone is very innovative. However, I have had to turn it off as when I chewed it was triggering the sensors causing random skips of songs and volume changes.
| Model year | 2022 |
| Mounting Hardware | Cable, Fitting Supporter |
| Microphone technology | Omnidirectional |
| Headphones form factor | In Ear |
| Batteries Included | Yes |
SONY LinkBuds YY2953 Truly Wireless Earbuds - Left Earbud Only - Grey
Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a small commission for purchases made through this link at no extra cost to you. This helps support our site. Thank you!
Sony Linkbuds Wf-l900 True Wireless Open-ear Earbuds Gray
Free delivery
Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a small commission for purchases made through this link at no extra cost to you. This helps support our site. Thank you!
Sony Linkbuds Wf L900/wm Wireless Earbuds Open Box Near Mint Authentic
Free delivery
Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a small commission for purchases made through this link at no extra cost to you. This helps support our site. Thank you!
Sony LinkBuds WF-L900H TWS In-Ear Headphone, Grey B
Free delivery
Sony LinkBuds Truly Wireless Earbuds - WFL900/H (Renewed)
Delivery between 15â18 June $29
I find a lot of reviews complain about the sound quality, but they never seem to realize WHY these are the way they are. These earbuds are meant to allow sound in while still being able to listen to your music. They are not noise cancelling, they are not ear plug style, they let in all the noise around you. That is exactly what they are designed for. They are akin to open-back headphones. Sony has thought outside the box with these so you don't have to go "mono" by using a single earbud to be able to listen to the world around you. This means if you're in a place where you must speak/be spoken to, you will be able to hear much more clearly than with normal ear plug style earbuds. A lot of reviews (especially Youtube) will have you believe that these are absolutely ... MoreI find a lot of reviews complain about the sound quality, but they never seem to realize WHY these are the way they are. These earbuds are meant to allow sound in while still being able to listen to your music. They are not noise cancelling, they are not ear plug style, they let in all the noise around you. That is exactly what they are designed for. They are akin to open-back headphones. Sony has thought outside the box with these so you don't have to go "mono" by using a single earbud to be able to listen to the world around you. This means if you're in a place where you must speak/be spoken to, you will be able to hear much more clearly than with normal ear plug style earbuds. A lot of reviews (especially Youtube) will have you believe that these are absolutely terrible sound quality and they aren't worth listening to. What they (again) fail to realize is that these aren't meant to give you that head-pounding bass and ear-splitting top end. Most of the sound will come from the middle of the curve (a sound curve, like when you set your equalizer). That being said, I do hear bass and I do hear the top end, but since your ear isn't plugged, you don't get the full effect of it, but it IS there. Sound will get drowned out if you're in a noisy area, this is to be expected, but you're buying these to be able to hear what's around you anyway, the music is just a bonus. Touch controls are easy to learn and easy to change. My right bud is pause/skip forward while my left bud is volume control. The Far Field controls are also nice because you don't have to touch directly on the earbuds to change settings, just the area in front of your ear. Sounds quality is fine, it's not $3000 fine, but it sounds just fine. When I'm working early morning, I forget they're letting sound in when there is no one around, but someone calls my name and I can hear it clearly. Don't go into this expecting studio sound quality, that's not their intent.
These link buds are by far the most comfortable in ear headphones I have ever used. Over the years Iâve tried many in ear type products but these do feel like they could be worn all day without causing any discomfort at all. I like that they come with a selection of the small rubber loops so that you get a comfortable snug fit without the buds falling out or feeling too tight.Iâve found the real beauty of these buds is that you can have them on around the house listening to whatever you fancy but can still hear whatâs going on within the house as they almost do the opposite to some other products that have noise cancelling feature meaning you canât hear whatâs going on around you whilst still listening to your favourite songs etc. One example of this was I was ... MoreThese link buds are by far the most comfortable in ear headphones I have ever used. Over the years Iâve tried many in ear type products but these do feel like they could be worn all day without causing any discomfort at all. I like that they come with a selection of the small rubber loops so that you get a comfortable snug fit without the buds falling out or feeling too tight.Iâve found the real beauty of these buds is that you can have them on around the house listening to whatever you fancy but can still hear whatâs going on within the house as they almost do the opposite to some other products that have noise cancelling feature meaning you canât hear whatâs going on around you whilst still listening to your favourite songs etc. One example of this was I was listening to a podcast whilst my baby was napping and I had the monitor next to me. I was able to listen out to the monitor and to my podcast without either interfering with one another, win/win.Iâd say the sound quality on these little buds is good and for most people for general use will not be disappointed however if you really like a strong base and thumping dance music these may not be your best choice. Iâm happy with them as they meet my needs, are easy to link, comfortable and very user friendly. I like the double/triple tap on your jawline feature to play/pause and skip and think they offer something a little bit different to your usual ear buds or over the head headphones. The battery life is good and if needs be a quick charge in their case and they are back up and running in just a few minutes.Great, comfortable set of ear buds.
The LinkBuds come beautifully packaged, with everything you need tucked into the box is separate compartments. The charging case keeps the LinkBuds fully charged and you get notifications on your phone, and via the light on the charging case, when the case needs charging.Straight out of the box they were ready to go, and linked to my iPhone (12) very easily and quickly. I already have the Sony Headphones app and it is required to operate the LinkBuds. Initially I used the medium loops as they came on and felt fine, however, after they fell out whilst I was jogging I've moved up to the XL.The sound quality is superb with very clear highs and warm lows.When walking/running these are excellent as you can truly hear everything around you. The sound is almost as if ... MoreThe LinkBuds come beautifully packaged, with everything you need tucked into the box is separate compartments. The charging case keeps the LinkBuds fully charged and you get notifications on your phone, and via the light on the charging case, when the case needs charging.Straight out of the box they were ready to go, and linked to my iPhone (12) very easily and quickly. I already have the Sony Headphones app and it is required to operate the LinkBuds. Initially I used the medium loops as they came on and felt fine, however, after they fell out whilst I was jogging I've moved up to the XL.The sound quality is superb with very clear highs and warm lows.When walking/running these are excellent as you can truly hear everything around you. The sound is almost as if the music was being played through a nearby speaker and conversation is easy to have without the need to remove them. This is especially useful when using them on a phone call as you don't get your own voice trapped in your ears.However, the total lack of noise cancelling does mean that louder external sounds override what can be heard. I eat my lunch in a busy staff cafeteria where chatter and coffee machines etc are prominent, and found myself turning up the volume to full in order to hear the spoken words of my show. Similarly I did have these in whilst driving the van and whilst it was very helpful to be able to hear all sounds, it meant my music was drowned out by the loud van engine, but equally I donât tend to use headphones whilst driving anyway. I should point out that I have Sony WH-1000XM3 noise cancelling headphones that I use for travel and music production when Iâm not driving.Iâve never used earphones that donât have a rubber in-ear tip and have found that after about an hour the LinkBuds do start to become uncomfortable. Iâve tried to avoid adjusting them too much once theyâre in my ears to lessen the discomfort, but theyâre still not something Iâm totally comfortable with.I have them in white and people generally donât immediately notice Iâm even wearing them so they do tuck away into the ear very nicely.Finally, the tap control via the top of the jaw/cheekbone is very innovative. However, I have had to turn it off as when I chewed it was triggering the sensors causing random skips of songs and volume changes.
I love these buds. I always have trouble with earbuds because my ear canals are very narrow, so even the smallest size ones don't fit well and tend to pop out. Also, they are uncomfortable. So when I saw this design I didn't really understand them until I saw how they fit in the ear and that the driver was open. I had been wanting to buy them for a while, but I wasn't going to pay full price, so I found them on sale at Amazon and ordered them, then the next day cheaper at Target and ordered them again, finally I saw these refurbished ones on ebay and did a third and final purchase. The other 2 I returned and I have been using these for a couple of weeks now. I am very satisfied with the design, they fit comfortably and the tap on the side of the ear feature is ... MoreI love these buds. I always have trouble with earbuds because my ear canals are very narrow, so even the smallest size ones don't fit well and tend to pop out. Also, they are uncomfortable. So when I saw this design I didn't really understand them until I saw how they fit in the ear and that the driver was open. I had been wanting to buy them for a while, but I wasn't going to pay full price, so I found them on sale at Amazon and ordered them, then the next day cheaper at Target and ordered them again, finally I saw these refurbished ones on ebay and did a third and final purchase. The other 2 I returned and I have been using these for a couple of weeks now. I am very satisfied with the design, they fit comfortably and the tap on the side of the ear feature is pretty cool. The only issue I have with them is that since they are refurbished, they have the name "Matthew's Linkbuds" on the phone app. I haven't really looked into changing this so it's a minor inconvenience.
So these were very intriguing when I seen the announcement stream; the hole in the middle to allow sound in for a safer listening experience had me intrigued about sound bleed where those noises would interfere with the listening experience. Also I was excited as these were the first âin-earâ earphones, which donât actually go inside the ear canal - I suffer with ear infections and so canât really use earphones, because they make them worse or cause an infection as the ear canal canât âbreathe.â These provided hope of a solution.I want to personally thank Sony for these earphones, as I actually have a pair of âin-earâ earphones I can use, as these allow me to experience wonderful sound quality and the convenience and portability of earphones, thanks to them not ... MoreSo these were very intriguing when I seen the announcement stream; the hole in the middle to allow sound in for a safer listening experience had me intrigued about sound bleed where those noises would interfere with the listening experience. Also I was excited as these were the first âin-earâ earphones, which donât actually go inside the ear canal - I suffer with ear infections and so canât really use earphones, because they make them worse or cause an infection as the ear canal canât âbreathe.â These provided hope of a solution.I want to personally thank Sony for these earphones, as I actually have a pair of âin-earâ earphones I can use, as these allow me to experience wonderful sound quality and the convenience and portability of earphones, thanks to them not actually entering the ear canal. I am also delighted to say that Sony has worked some scientific magic with these earphones: sound quality is wonderful; voice isolation is fantastic and call quality is amongst the best Iâve had reported by one friend who is a particular pain about call quality. Now donât misunderstand me, the sound quality is wonderful, but it doesnât replace the dynamic range and quality of high-end headphones such as the Sony WH-1000XM4 or in-ear high-end earphones such as WF-1000XM4 - but it comes extraordinarily close! But if youâre expecting that, youâre missing the point of these earphones; the sound quality is good enough and so well balanced that you can listen to literally any genre (I tried every genre I could find) using a range of streaming services, set to highest quality - taking advantage of Sonyâs proprietary DSEE wireless standard - and you lose very little detail in sound, a little bit of punch from the bass - though notably not much and these earphones are so light, comfortable and do their job so well, that for casual listening and/or phone calls, and especially price range, you canât beat these in my opinion.Oh and I felt this deserved its own little section, the pairing process is completely seamless and very, very similar to a competitors set of earphones connection process. You open the case and remove the earphones from the case near to an Android smartphone, and it will pop-up and say âConnectâ tap connect and thatâs it, youâre done. There is a manual connection button on the case to connect to the iPhone; both work well, but you will get the best experience on Android thanks to the DSEE transfer protocol and the connection process. Also the use of recycled plastic and keeping the footprint as low as possible is something that shouldnât be overlooked, but rather championed.Theyâre not perfect, there is definitely a technique to placing them on the ear lobe correctly to ensure optimum sonic performance and for them to remain secure âinâ the ear. However once you do place them correctly you get long battery life; wonderful sound quality; great call quality and access to all the features one would expect in a higher-end pair of earphones. If youâre an audiophile who gets easily annoyed at less than perfectly punchy lows and full sonic dynamic range, then you wouldnât be looking to use these anyway, as you already know the importance of a multitude of factors which make earphones incredibly difficult to give you a âperfectâ audio experience - though I stress that the compromises here are small and should only affect the most die-hard audiophiles. But for the vast majority of people and audiophiles who are willing to forgive the minor drop in dynamic range and slightly less punchy lows for the portability and comfort; these are a no-brainer option.I tested movie playback, across all genres; podcasts; lectures and music across all genres and found the sound quality to be exemplary, especially for their size, weight and comfort.
I've spent a good 2 months with my Sony LinkBuds, and even now, they're a difficult novelty to review. I was attracted by the idea of being able to hear my surroundings (and the doorbell!) whilst working, converse with colleagues in the office, and simply be aware and present of the world around me when outside, all whilst having my earphones in, and they do certainly deliver on these fronts. Their downside that there a few situations where Iâd prefer the world to be blocked out, like when commuting, or in a loud office, or even just walking in an area with heavy traffic, but the hole in each bud means this noise will be let in too.In a quieter environment, music comes through with a good level of detail but lacks the kick that come with earbuds which create a ... MoreI've spent a good 2 months with my Sony LinkBuds, and even now, they're a difficult novelty to review. I was attracted by the idea of being able to hear my surroundings (and the doorbell!) whilst working, converse with colleagues in the office, and simply be aware and present of the world around me when outside, all whilst having my earphones in, and they do certainly deliver on these fronts. Their downside that there a few situations where Iâd prefer the world to be blocked out, like when commuting, or in a loud office, or even just walking in an area with heavy traffic, but the hole in each bud means this noise will be let in too.In a quieter environment, music comes through with a good level of detail but lacks the kick that come with earbuds which create a seal. The result is that I enjoy listening to music with my LinkBuds but I will typically reach for a pair of phones which block background noise. The quality of the sound will diminish the greater the background noise in your environment, and I would discount these headphones if your focus is on optimising your listening experience. Voices come through really nice and clear on podcasts and in calls, and have a very natural sound. Unfortunately, I would need to give up trying to listen to podcasts when on a particularly noisy commute like the underground.They are light weight and the fit is unique which helps if you intend to wear them for long periods of time. Instead of being jammed into the ear canal, they are secured in place by the top and bottom of your inner ear, and Sony provide difference size tips to fit different ear sizes. For me, the buds would become uncomfortable after wearing them for a few hours no matter which tip I used, but eventually, I learned to position them in a way that worked for me (and my ears simply became accustomed to the presence of the buds after a while) and I would now say they are comfy. I canât say it was an immediate match made in heaven as some others have found, though, as it took a breaking in period.They are comfy enough, in fact, to be in my ears most of the time in a typical working day. They last a good 5 hours without needing to be in their case, and whilst a longer battery life would be ideal, I can't say it's ever been an issue. They are perfect for working from home and still feeling connected to the real world around you. I would, however, warn you that they may not be perfect for a noisy office, as your virtual colleagues will be competing with those next to you for your attention, which can cause you a bit of strain. They would still suit a quieter office nicely though.To close, I feel like this device is situational, and they will suit someone who has a specific practical use case in mind rather than the individual looking for the next best experience of general use headphones. Personally, I really do enjoy using them and will continue to do so, but if I was making my purchasing decision again with the benefit of hindsight, Iâd probably go for the more conventional Linkbuds S (or similar device from other brands) that give you the choice of either letting the world in or blocking it out as the situation demands.
Most of the time I prefer to be able to hear whatâs going on around me, so I want buds that donât close the ear canal. The type of buds that hang in the bottom of the ear, are not an option because they simply fall out of mine.All the other ear buds I have seen are held within the ear but rely on silicone tips to close off the ear canal so that the lower frequencies arenât lost. These donât work for me either because the openings to my ear canals are not circular - they donât fit so they are uncomfortable, and they sound thin because the low frequencies are lost.So, LinkBuds, that fit in the ear but are not designed to fit into or close off the ear canal, meet my requirements very well.In use they work well and I would make the following comments:1) The ... MoreMost of the time I prefer to be able to hear whatâs going on around me, so I want buds that donât close the ear canal. The type of buds that hang in the bottom of the ear, are not an option because they simply fall out of mine.All the other ear buds I have seen are held within the ear but rely on silicone tips to close off the ear canal so that the lower frequencies arenât lost. These donât work for me either because the openings to my ear canals are not circular - they donât fit so they are uncomfortable, and they sound thin because the low frequencies are lost.So, LinkBuds, that fit in the ear but are not designed to fit into or close off the ear canal, meet my requirements very well.In use they work well and I would make the following comments:1) The sound is very good although I would prefer slightly stronger lower frequencies.2) They are light.3) Iâve not run the batteries down, but the expected battery life is a little low4) Iâve experienced some slight discomfort, but this is due to my ear shape.5) I like the wide area tap.6) Calls are clear for me and my caller.7) I found setting up my Sony account to be rather slow.8) I donât much like the on-line âmanualâ.9) Iâve not done anything with the app on my phone yet.
This product's greatest strength is also its greatest weakness. Yes it's great to be able to hear your surroundings while listening to music in situations that need it - e.g. cycling. However in real life I've found it is rather pointless in said situations because the sounds you want to hear (e.g. traffic) are too loud and drown out all the music coming out of the headphones. Might as well take them off. Heck, I couldn't even use it while in public transport like a bus. The roaring engine simply overpowered all the music.Ironically the only real situations I found this useful was when I was in a relatively quiet place - cooking, waiting in a queue to be called out my ticket number, or in the office where I need to know when colleagues are calling for me, etc. So ... MoreThis product's greatest strength is also its greatest weakness. Yes it's great to be able to hear your surroundings while listening to music in situations that need it - e.g. cycling. However in real life I've found it is rather pointless in said situations because the sounds you want to hear (e.g. traffic) are too loud and drown out all the music coming out of the headphones. Might as well take them off. Heck, I couldn't even use it while in public transport like a bus. The roaring engine simply overpowered all the music.Ironically the only real situations I found this useful was when I was in a relatively quiet place - cooking, waiting in a queue to be called out my ticket number, or in the office where I need to know when colleagues are calling for me, etc. So for that purpose it's ok. But it's not like transparency modes don't exist.Minus one more star for the very poor battery life. The headphones are tiny & comfortable, but the sacrifice that had to be made is far too much. Wouldn't have minded if it was slightly larger for better battery capacity.On a brighter note, kudos to how far Sony went to make the packaging environmentally friendly. Very clever package design with minimal plastic.
At the refurbished price of I got these for at $59.99 these are a absolute must. Super easy to get on my ear. The Linkbuds sit solidly and only fall out or come loose about as much as any other earbud with regular in ear tips. I found wearing these for many hours to be far more comfortable than traditional in ear buds. Sound quality is respectable. They open back design is exactly that, letting sound in, if you're in a noisy environment like the back of a bus or walking on a busy street the environmental noise is going to override the volume level these can produce. If you need to hear those sounds for your safety in those environments then these are a good choice. I wear the Linkbuds while cycling due to the environmental awareness they give me without the need for ... MoreAt the refurbished price of I got these for at $59.99 these are a absolute must. Super easy to get on my ear. The Linkbuds sit solidly and only fall out or come loose about as much as any other earbud with regular in ear tips. I found wearing these for many hours to be far more comfortable than traditional in ear buds. Sound quality is respectable. They open back design is exactly that, letting sound in, if you're in a noisy environment like the back of a bus or walking on a busy street the environmental noise is going to override the volume level these can produce. If you need to hear those sounds for your safety in those environments then these are a good choice. I wear the Linkbuds while cycling due to the environmental awareness they give me without the need for ambient sound microphones or other tech that is uncomfortable for me. Phone calls are crisp and the mics on the buds seem to work well enough for my conversation partners. The touch controls are unreliable, but as the owner of no fewer than five different pairs of wireless buds, literally nothing beats actual physical buttons and I have yet to encounter any buds that have reliable touch controls. The "expanded" touch areas that allow you to tap your head around your upper jaw to control playback is a gimmick. Thetouch area of your face is... hard to pin down and I found it to be totally unreliable. I also found that leaving the buds in while I was chewing food would trigger the expanded touch areas, constantly pausing or playing my audio and triggering the assistant features. Battery life of the buds themselves are respectable at more than 5 hours though the battery life of the case is pretty low compared to other buds I have used. The case is very small, so that's understandable. I typically have to charge the case up every 2-3 days. I would not recommend these at the full price of $170, but the refurbished ones I got here were like new and come with a warranty for less than half the price of new ones.
So, the USP of these ear buds is that you can hear the outside world as well as what is playing on the headphones. And that works very well. Audio quality isn't bad but compared to say my Samsung Galaxy Buds2, Sony WH-1000XM4s or Shure SE425s not so much - but these are in a different price bracket, and wasn't the reason to get them, I like going out and hearing whatâs going on outside my headphones.There it sort of stops - whatever idiots designed the interface and the clip on system really ought to try another career - circus clown anyone?Control of the playback device is managed by tapping on the buds. There are two or four switches available: double tap or triple tap left and or right â and these can be assigned operations, like pause, next track, up volume ... MoreSo, the USP of these ear buds is that you can hear the outside world as well as what is playing on the headphones. And that works very well. Audio quality isn't bad but compared to say my Samsung Galaxy Buds2, Sony WH-1000XM4s or Shure SE425s not so much - but these are in a different price bracket, and wasn't the reason to get them, I like going out and hearing whatâs going on outside my headphones.There it sort of stops - whatever idiots designed the interface and the clip on system really ought to try another career - circus clown anyone?Control of the playback device is managed by tapping on the buds. There are two or four switches available: double tap or triple tap left and or right â and these can be assigned operations, like pause, next track, up volume down volume etc etc. Of course that means remembering remember which ear does what, three on the left up volume three on the right down or is that two on the left orâŚ? So, four, but much more likely two, operators; but really is that the best you could do? Not a swipe? Not a swipe and tap? And I have now discovered that if happen to double tap my teeth it will trigger the double tap switch and in default mode that pauses the track (I'm sorry but sometimes I tap my teeth to the music - so sue me) and you double tap to start up again.But, then, well, that *maybe* slightly harsh, they are made to a price and a possible answer is they don't have the electronics to handle much more (although I find it hard to believe).The real irritation is the clips that go inside the top ridge of your ear. Now these NEED to work otherwise they fall out of your ear, and hey, guess what, they fall out of your ear.Marshall years back had a set of earphones that clipped on your ear - a very similar concept to what we have here, but these were unashamedly clip on ear, they had a rubber lug that went into the top crease of your ear and the bottom jammed (comfortably!!) into the bottom, these buds didn't go anywhere.The Sony top clips on the other hand, are way, way to soft and floppy, so despite picking the size of clip to best fit your ear the, buds just wobble in place because the top clip bends too easily.My guess is Sony will pitch 'stiffer' addon clips to stop this - and if they don't the third party manufacturers will probably catch on - fingers crossed.All in all a qualified success.And yes, you are right, I do have a lot of headphones.
| Model year | 2022 |
| Mounting Hardware | Cable, Fitting Supporter |
| Microphone technology | Omnidirectional |
| Headphones form factor | In Ear |
| Batteries Included | Yes |
