Detailed Test Results
Design and features:
This Bluetooth wireless portable earbud model provides very good sound. Its non-isolating design doesn't muffle outside sounds so you'll be able to hear that door bell ring, train announcement, or car horn when you are wearing these earphones. The LinkBuds has a volume control plus an integrated microphone and player function controls. Additional features include - a unique ear bud design - the earpieces are supported by the ear bowls like a typical ear bud model, but they have a doughnut-shaped driver assembly that has an actual hole through the center so it does not block the ear canal. Either earpiece can be used alone for one ear monitoring of Bluetooth streamed audio and telephone communications. Carrying case/charging cradle has built-in rechargeable battery that the manufacture claims can be used to add an additional 12 hours of play time for a total of 17.5hrs. Manufacturer claims water resistance (IPX4). Has touch controls for play/pause/skip forward and call connect/disconnect (default), touch controls can also be set to control volume, digital voice assistant activation. Has sensor function that allows tapping the face in the area in front of the ears to control earphone operation (duplicates the earphones touch control settings). Earphones pause audio when removed from ears and resume audio when placed back in ears. Has adaptive volume level function that increases and decreases the earphone volume as the ambient sound increases or decreases. Has power on/off alert tone and voice announcements, Bluetooth connect/disconnect/battery level voice announcements. Supports Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri, and Google Assistant digital voice assistants when used with mobile devices that have those features. Has quick charge feature: 10 min of earphone charging will provide 1.5 hrs. of playtime. Earbuds are compatible with Sony's 360 Reality Audio virtual surround sound on several streaming services (Deezer, Tidal, Nugs.net). Bluetooth connected Apple mobile devices using iOS Version 5 and above will show the battery level. Free Sony Headphones Connect app download for Apple and Android mobile devices can act as a audio program player and can provide tonal balance presets and equalization, provide earphone control customization, optimize the Sony 360 Reality Audio feature, disable the voice announcements, enable/disable the auto-pause function, enable/disable the adaptive volume level function, and update the earphone's firmware. Supports Google Fast Pair for Android devices and Swift Pair for Windows 10 computers. The LinkBuds comes with 5 pairs of ear bowl supports in various sizes, USB-C connector charging cable, charging cradle/recharger battery/carrying case, Warranty Booklet, Reference guide. Free Sony Headphones Connect app download for Apple and Android mobile devices. This model comes with Portable Bluetooth wireless non-isolating earbud earphones that come with 5 pairs of ear bowl supports in various sizes, USB-C connector charging cable, charging cradle/recharger battery/carrying case, Warranty Booklet, Reference guide. Free Sony Headphones Connect app download for Apple and Android mobile devices.
Sound quality:
We found the LinkBuds delivers sound quality that falls in the very good range - it reproduces music and voice very well although it does have some noticeable sonic quirks. The sound of these earphones is very dependent on how they sit in the ears, and it takes some fiddling to position this model so it provides its best sound quality. With the Sony Headphones Connect app set with the Equalizer off and clear bass set to 0 (as received state of the earphone) and the earphones positioned so they provide their best sound quality the bass (as in bass drums, bass guitars, stand-up bass, etc.) has good impact and goes fairly deep. The midrange (voices, guitars, horns, etc.) is fairly even, somewhat grainy, and a bit hazy and congested. The treble (cymbals, the upper range of violins, etc.) is extended, but a bit prominent, sizzly (sounds that should have a delicate shimmer have a sound reminiscent of bacon frying) and smeared (sounds that should have a delicate shimmer sound blurred). The sound also has a good sense of liveliness and is somewhat open--sound-wise it almost seems like you don't have anything plugging up your ears and does a decent job of recovering room ambience. Neutral to coolish character. The overall sound can best be summarized as fairly even and somewhat grainy. When these earphones are not positioned to provide their best sound quality the bass is very subdued, the midrange is very thin, and the volume is very low. The Sony Headphones Connect app eq controls had a noticeable effect on the sound.
Comfort and Fit:
This is a unique ear bud design - the earpieces are supported by the ear bowls like a typical ear bud model, but they have a doughnut-shaped driver assembly that has an actual hole through the center so it does not block the ear canal and does not muffle ambient sounds. The earphones can be controlled via touch sensors on the earphones themselves and by tapping the face in the area just in front of the ears. Users with small earbowls might find that the earphone body feels bulky in their earbowl and that they stick out too far and feel like they may lever out of place, that they have to fiddle a bit to find the position that provides the best sound quality, that the most stable fit does not provide the earphone orientation the produces the best sound quality, and the earphone orientation that produces the best sound quality does not provide a secure, stable fit even for casual use. Users with medium and large sized ear bowls may find that they have to fiddle a bit to find the position that provides the best sound quality, that the earbowl support size that provides the most stable fit does not provide earphone orientation the produces the best sound quality, and the ear bowl support size that allows the earphones to produce the best sound quality does not provide a secure, stable fit even for casual use, some may also find that the earphone body feels a bit bulky in their earbowl. Incidental contact with the touch controls on the earphone can cause unintentional playing or pausing.
