Great little buds keep you tuned in
Outside noise is ‘on’ with Sony’s safe earphones
It is almost 60 years since Sony produced its first stereo headphones, and 40 since it designed its first in-ear buds. So it is as notable as it is refreshing that, in a world where some electronics are as disposable as fast-fashion, a company in its eighth decade can still make you sit up straight when it announces a new product.
Sony’s new LinkBuds are different to any other headphones I’ve used. Their ring design allows for audio transparency which Sony calls a ‘Never Off’ wearing experience. In practice, this means that you can enjoy music or audio, but you’re not fully immersed, as the sound of the outside world is there – not intrusively – but it’s there.
The LinkBuds are small and light. They weigh about 4g each and even their charging storage case is trim in size, and weighs just 34 grams. It fits in a small pocket, ensuring you have power to top up the headphones if you’re out.
The storage case has a discreet button that flips open the lid when pressed, and an LED light will give you a visual indication of battery life remaining. Also, it’s great to see the buds and the case are made from recycled plastic.
The total listening time if you are out and about is around 17 hours, as you’ll get five and a half from the headphones and the case will have 12 hours in reserve for top ups.
The LinkBuds will also take a fast-charge really well so, if you’re dashing out, just a 10-minute charge will give you a full 90 minutes of listening.
Setting up the buds is straightforward. They use Google’s Fast Pair feature and Swift Pair to link up with a Windows PC.
When you take the headphones out of the case, it is hard to believe you’ll actually get a good fit, as they are so small. However, with the little ring pushed down towards the back of the ear, the spherical body can be nudged a tad to make for a really firm in-ear fit.
Sony’s free app, Headphones Connect, is well worth downloading to get more out of the LinkBuds. In the app, you can see the battery status of the buds and their case and assign tap controls for the buds. There’s also a clever feature called ‘wide-area tap’. This means tapping your face, around the buds has the same control effect as a direct tap and would be really useful for runners or cyclists.
There are also options to enable features such as Speak-to-Chat, where if you start talking the sound tones down. There is also an equaliser function, with pre-sets like vocal boost and mellow, as well as custom settings.
The app also has a surprising feature where you can analyse your ears for the 360 Reality Audio. You snap a few photos of your ears, and the sound is optimised for your ear shape.
I listen to a lot of radio drama and vocals, and the soundscape and detail is wonderful when listening to these.
Phone call audio is excellent and I listened to various music genres with easy-listening and pop sounding particularly well.
10-MINUTE CHARGE GIVES 90 MINUTES OF LISTENING
YOU CAN CONTROL THE BUDS BY TAPPING YOUR FACE
The detail remains good across all types of music with one criticism – these are not for heavy bass lovers, who are likely to want more oomph from drums.
So, while heavy metal listeners might be left wanting, the delicate vocals and piano of someone like Sara Bareilles sounded wonderful, with excellent separation.
Sony makes some of the best Bluetooth headphones available. The in-ear WF-1000XM4 are truly exceptional and hermetically seal you from the world as you immerse yourself in music. If that’s the experience you want, they are a better option.
The LinkBuds though, are something new, and different.
Decent battery life, customisable controls, nice sound-stage, great calls and headphones that let you walk, run or cycle while having a safe awareness of what’s going on around you, make for a very attractive package.