The Sony LinkBuds use clever technology to create sound that feels so natural from a pair of true ... [+] wireless earbuds that are so comfortable and small.

Occasionally, you see a product launch and think to yourself: “That’s a bit of a silly idea. It will never catch on!” Then you get to try the product and you see what all the hype is about and all your ideas and experience are challenged. A case in point happened this week when I managed to get my hands on a pair of Sony’s new LinkBuds. You can read the news announcement here, but today I’m focusing on the review of how these unique earbuds work and how they sound in a real life. 

The Sony LinkBuds use a unique ring driver in each earpiece instead of the more usual ear tip arrangement. The LinkBuds perch in your ears and are so ridiculously light you don’t even know you’re wearing them. The ring driver looks like a tiny grey bagel and all the electronics and battery power for the earbuds are stored in a round plastic housing connected to the ring driver. 

Choosing the correct size of ear wing is essential with these headphones. Once the correct wing is fitted, the LinkBuds feel like the most comfortable earbuds I’ve ever worn. I don’t get on with the earpod style of earbud but these LinkBuds are a revelation. You could wear them all day and your ears will never itch or feel sweaty.

The LinkBuds are probably the smallest earbuds Sony has ever made. They fit in the entrance to the ... [+] ear canal and yet the ring driver allows sound through from outside when necessary. The audio quality is incredible.

The LinkBuds come in a tiny charging case that’s made from recycled plastic and stone dust. It’s a strange finish but not at all unattractive. The case holds a further 12 hours of charge while the earbuds can play for up to five and a half hours on a single charge.

What is so different about the LinkBuds is there’s a hole in the middle of the ring driver than allows sound from outside to reach your ears but not in an intrusive way. It feels like magic and is hard to explain but these are noise canceling earbuds without being noise canceling. That ring driver is powerful enough and sufficiently loud to block out sounds that you don’t want to hear and yet you can hear enough should someone call your name.

The real revelation with the Sony LinkBuds comes once you’ve paired them with your smartphone. The sound created by Sony’s ring driver is stunning. It’s an incredible experience with a well-focused soundstage and even without adjusting the EQ using the Sony Headphone app, the LinkBuds sound almost perfect to my ears. There are so good. I can’t praise them highly enough. 

The unique Sony ring drivers look like a bagel. The hole in the middle lets sound through so you can ... [+] hear what is going on. The sound produced by these little marvels is nothing short of stunning.

The smartphone app that you can download to use with the LinkBuds offers the opportunity to set up the LinkBuds to work with Sony’s 360 Realist music. It’s a little like Atmos audio that Apple is using. It gives the listener a sense of being surrounded by the music and it’s possible to alter the sound to make it appear as if it’s coming in a certain direction depending on your head movement. To be honest, I prefer my music straight up in plain stereo but maybe I’ll get into 360 when I give it more of a try.

The Sony app also enables the user to turn on Sony’s DSEE (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine) which can restore compressed music tracks to a much higher audio quality. Sony’s Integrated Processor V1 reproduces detail in the music from a plain old MP3 and will finesse it to something more akin to a hi-res music track with minimal distortion. 

When it comes to making phone calls, the LinkBuds are excellent. Sony’s technology filters out background noise that might otherwise be picked up by the LinkBud’s microphones. Precise voice pickup technology performs advanced voice signal processing using Sony’s noise-reduction algorithm that’s been developed with AI machine learning. Sony sampled more than 500 million voices to create an algorithm that can suppress ambient noise and extract the speaker’s voice with greater clarity. It really works. 

The unique design of these earbuds can adapt how much external sound you can hear depending on what ... [+] you are doing.

Adaptive Volume Control is another feature the LinkBuds offer. When switched on, it automatically optimizes the volume based on where the listener is. It enables the user to listen to favorite tracks at a comfortable volume in a whole range of situations, making listening to music in the open air a more enjoyable experience without being spoiled by unwanted sounds. 

Despite their size, the LinkBuds are easy to use and as well as touch controls, you can turn on some instead of using touch controls, the LinkBuds can be controlled by the user tapping their face. I turned on this Wide Area Tap function and was able to double tap with two fingers in the area just in front of their ears. This paused the music perfectly. Two more taps and the music was back on without me needing to even touch the earpieces.

With Speak-to-Chat, the LinkBuds can automatically pause the audio as soon as the user begins speaking to someone. Once the conversation is over, the music comes straight back on without needing to touch any controls. LinkBuds also come with hands-free help so users can get information, connect with friends, set reminders and activate their preferred voice assistant just by saying “OK Google” or “Alexa.”

A lot of advance research went into developing the ring driver that makes the Sony LinkBuds such a ... [+] joy to use.

Sony’s LinkBuds support Google’s Fast Pair feature for easy pairing with Android devices. There’s also a function that can help you locate where you left your LinkBuds. Swift Pair makes it easy to pair the LinkBuds with Windows 11 or Windows 10 laptops, desktop PCs or tablets. Just take the earbuds out of their charging case and a window will pop up on the computer ready to connect. With Quick access, the LinkBuds can even be configured to resume Spotify playback with just a couple of taps and no need to touch your smartphone.

The enhanced capabilities of the LinkBuds integrate with Microsoft Soundscape. Their open shape enables users to hear audio beacons and callouts of buildings or intersections, all with the natural sound of the surroundings. Compass/gyro sensors inside the earpieces can detect the direction of the user’s head and enable them to hear the sound from a destination, without holding a smartphone. 

Like many major corporations in the consumer electronics industry, Sony is working hard when it comes to sustainability. The LinkBuds come in a very plain box and there’s not a scrap of plastic. The materials are recycled and even the seal on the box in made of paper. It’s good to see Sony sticking to its environmental pledges. This is how sustainability should be. 

The new LinkBuds are the ultimate urban true wireless earbuds. The sound is incredibly natural.

Thanks to IPX4 water resistance, the LinkBuds will shrug off splashes of water and sweat when you’re in the gym. With a playing time of 5.5 hours, the LinkBuds are also good for the daily commute and a workout plus there’s an additional 11 hours of backup charge available in the LinkBud’s storage case. Even better, a quick 10-minute charge can yield up to 90 minutes of playing time if the user has forgotten to keep their LinkBuds charged.

Verdict: When I heard about the Sony LinkBuds, I was incredibly sceptical. Having now had the chance to try them, I think they are some of the best true wireless earbuds I have ever used. They are superbly comfortable and the sound is out of this world. The unique ring driver that Sony has developed is amazing. I’m running out of superlatives here. The Sony LinkBuds are well worth an audition. If you want the sound quality of a great pair of open-back headphones but with the size of a tiny pair of earbuds, then the Sony LinkBuds are the ones for you. Highly Recommended.

Pricing & Availability: Sony LinkBuds will be available in Grey and White finishes from the middle of February 2022 and will be priced at approximately $179.99 / £149 / €180.

More info: www.sony.co.uk