Sony LinkBuds review: A hole in your ear?
A TEST REPORT from Nils Ahrensmeier 
on April 18, 2022, 10:00 p.m. | Write a comment
With the Sony LinkBuds, Sony wants to take a completely new approach in the in-ear segment. TechnikNews tested the TWS.
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What's in the box
The scope of delivery of the LinkBuds is positively noticeable due to the little plastic. The scope of delivery is almost exclusively made of cardboard, in which the headphones are packed. In addition to the case and the headphones, there is also a USB-A to USB-C cable and eartips. You can find an unboxing here.
design, processing
The design of the Sony LinkBuds is unique. Unlike other in-ears, they do not have a component that extends into the auditory canal, but rather they have a donut-shaped loudspeaker that lies in the ear. The question then arises: How do the headphones sit in the ear? Answer: Through a replaceable silicone flap that holds the headphones in the ear. The advantage in this design then lies in the environment. Because instead of noise cancellation such as very good in the WF-1000XM4, which my colleague David Haydl tested for you, the LinkBuds rely on deliberate noise amplification. This means that you can still hear what's going on around you while cycling, on the subway or in the office. That was especially nice for me, because in my home office I like to answer the door when the postman rings or the phone rings. I also liked the workmanship of the headphones.
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- The Sony LinkBuds have an extraordinary design (picture: TechnikNews)
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- They don't have a plug that sits in the ear. (Picture: TechnikNews)
Above all, the headphones and the case are surprisingly small. Especially when compared to the Nothing ear(1), the Galaxy Buds Live and the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro the case looks almost puny. It fits easily in any trouser pocket and takes up almost no space there. The workmanship is of high quality, but I expect that for the price of 180 euros RRP.
comfort
It gets difficult when it comes to wearing comfort. Because the different structure ensures a different hold in the ear than usual. I made lots of the silicone wingsproand found a relatively good combination for me, but I didn't really feel safe with it. The LinkBuds are therefore not really suitable for sports, but this did not bother us when cycling. A tutorial on the packaging and in the app illustrates this Process to select and use the headphones, this was the Proclearly more understandable.
The LinkBuds don't always stay in the ear well (Picture: TechnikNews)
Overall, I found the wearing comfort to be pleasant and after several hours wearing the TWS was still not a problem Proproblem But I have never felt as safe as with other TWS, such as the Nothing ear(1), or the Liberty 3 Pro.
Battery life
Sony specifies the battery life as 5 hours and 30 minutes, and the case should allow a little more than two more charging cycles. This would be arithmetically at about 17 hours, which is a little low compared to other TWS. Here the small case has its disadvantages on paper compared to the competition, which is sometimes well over 20 hours.
Unfortunately, I have to confirm the battery life. The TWS were empty on a 4-hour morning, after three days of use the case had to be connected to the charging cable again. Disappointingly, QI loading is not possible, which is also probably due to the small case. So the battery life is disappointing, at least for this price.
sound quality
The sound quality is totally acceptable for the new form factor. I was concerned that this design would result in bad sound, but I was surprised at how well it all worked. Very pleasant and yet detailed highs are convincing, especially with high-quality audio. Beautiful voices are also possible, as is at least an acceptable bass. A sound quality of the Liberty 3 Pro But the LinkBuds don't come close, that's simply not possible due to the construction factor, since no loudspeaker goes directly into the ear. We don't want to talk about ANC, because this is simply impossible and was not Sony's intention. However, the sound is only achieved if the headphones are properly fitted and this was not always the case. That's why it's actually as important as with hardly any other in-ears to test or try the TWS somewhereproto be able to beer in order not to be disappointed by the sound in the end.
For me, the area of “Bluetooth codecs” also belongs to the sound quality, unfortunately LDAC is not used here. However, SBC and AAC are both available, and the headphones are then connected to the respective devices via Bluetooth 5.2. Small rule of thumb about the codecs: AAC is good for Apple, SBC is good for Android devices.
Headphones Connect app and smart features
The headphones are connected via the Headphones Connect app. This was required for the test pattern provided by Sony for 10 days, a normal connection via Bluetooth was not possible. So you download the app, want to set up a new device there and then connect the headphones via NFC, which then establish a Bluetooth connection. The app from Sony is then really good. No account is necessary, although I like to use one (because of cloud synchronization of settings on new smartphones). The headphones can then be completely adjusted in the app, as well as other equalizers or settings for controlling music. The sound optimization worked really well, and the connection modes (either stable connection or better sound) are sensible options. An update also arrived, which was installed directly on the headphones.
The Sony LinkBuds have an app that convinces review (Picture: TechnikNews)
Apropos control, Sony has come up with something interesting here. You can not only tap on the headphones, but also on an area next to it (e.g. on the head), the typing should then also be recognized. It worked surprisingly well, but of course it looks a little strange on the train. But you can turn off the whole thing in the app if you don’t want this control. As a further smart feature, Sony has introduced a "Speak to Chat" feature, so as soon as you start talking yourself, the music is automatically paused. This is really very helpful and works well because you don't have to take the headphones out of your ear for a moment. The headphones also work with Siri, the Google Assistant or Spotify, which can be set up in the app.
Prices and availability
The Sony LinkBuds are now available in the colors "white" and "grey" for an RRP of €179. The street price is sometimes 130-140 €.
Sony LinkBuds: Conclusion
The Sony LinkBuds are an innovative idea, but have not yet been fully thought through. But the experiment works surprisingly well. Despite the "hole in the ear", the earbuds deliver a good sound, smart functions and a WOW effect. But as soon as you want to use the LinkBuds as "normal headphones" to isolate yourself from the outside world, the headphones fail completely. Because ANC etc. is not possible with the TWS, which considerably limits the group of users. So for €180, or around €130-140 now, you have to be very sure that you want the LinkBuds and not some other set of transparent mode headphones. The battery life also needs to be improved, but a plus point is the innovative idea of also controlling the headphones with your skin, which saves you the annoying tapping on the earbud.
