After trying out the new Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones, I grabbed my hand with Active Volume Sink, Sony’s Wireless Headphones. These ANC real-time wireless headphones sell for $ 199, a more compact and affordable option than the Sony WF-1000XM4.
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Sony LinkBuds S in short
The Sony LinkBSS will be available for $ 199 as of May 20, 2022, and will be available in three colors: black, white and black, along with Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones.
LinkBuds S is not intended to replace Sony WF-1000XM4, the manufacturer’s main headphones. No, they are a separate region created by the original Sony Link group. These were open-ended headphones that should be fully open. The idea is to allow you to stay awake and know your surroundings without going through any transparency mode.
LinkBuds S — by which S is silent — contradicts this logic by providing active volume reduction and partial ear format. But why does it?
Design: Very compact and discreet
Sony LinkBuds S are very compact and clean low-end headphones that make them very sensible when worn in your ear. According to Sony, these are the smallest true wireless headphones in the world.
I liked it:
- Matt cover and ecru color.
- Cause of compressed form.
- Insightful design in terms of visibility and comfort.
- So is a compact charger.
- IPX4 verified.
I don’t like it.
- Not 100% good support, partial ear formatting obligations.
Sony has recently made great strides in ergonomics. I still have my pair of WF-1000XM3 and they are real headphones compared to LinuxBDS. We went from a 2000 gigabyte headset to a small flat 4.8 gram shell once hidden in your ear.
Sony’s idea is that you can wear them all day without even noticing them. The manufacturer speaks of a “never-ending” effect. For comparison, the Apple AirPods Pro headset weighs in at 5.4 grams.
In terms of comfort, I didn’t feel any strength during the short minutes I spent with this headset, this is not much. We are not in a comfortable and completely open format like the basic LinkBuds. We are not in a clean ear format like WF-1000XM4. LinkBuds S provides mid-partial e-ear format with a headset without having to go too far. Similar to AirPods Pro.
The headphones come in three colors: black, white and eccentric, my favorite beige one with Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones. The matte finish and the BJ color headphones make it feel like a skin extension. Okay, no one really has beige skin, but emotionally, there is less sense of having plastic pebbles in your ears. When I adjusted one of the headphones or tapped the touch control, I felt more comfortable.
For the rest, you can imagine the grid that covers the microphones designed to analyze ambient sound. As for the charger case, it is very compact, slightly touchy compared to the WF-1000XM4 but there is a premium product feel.
Sound quality: 5mm drivers not big but strong?
Sony LinkBuds S audiofil headphones are not, but still offer high quality listening, thanks in part to Sony LCD codecs.
love it –
- LCD codec and DSEE Extreme technology.
- Multi-point Bluetooth.
- Fast pairing with fast pairs (Android) and Swift pairs (Windows).
- Siri, Google Assistant, Alexa Compatible
does noti don’t like:
- aptX and aptX HD codecs are not supported.
- Very few drivers.
I can’t honestly comment on Sony LinkBuds audio quality. As I write this, I picked them up on May 5, 12 days ago. I only noticed that the drivers’ diameter of 5mm was very small. No ear (1) has 11.6mm drivers, e.g. We also have 6mm on the WF-1000XM4.
However, due to their partial input format, we can expect better sound quality than the basic LinkBuds with the exception of LinkBuds.
Sony LinkBuds S explicitly supports the manufacturer’s proprietary LCD code as well as basic SBC and AAC. In LCD, LinkBuds S frequency ranges from 20 to 40,000 Hz and with SBC / AAC from 20 to 20,000 Hz.
Sony has firmly abandoned compatibility with Qualcomm’s aptx (HD) in support of its own solution. This is something to consider if you plan to listen to your tracks in HD (CD quality, FLAC), although a few Android smartphones currently support LDAC, like my OnePlus 10 Pro.
In any case, LinkBuds S offers Sony’s DSEE Extreme technology, which enhances mp3 tracks to improve audio quality.
Sony emphasized the quality of the microphones on LinkBSS. The manufacturer did not specify how many microphones were in each headset. I also have to try the “voice focus” feature for phone calls.
ANC Lite Active noise reduction and ambient noise control
Sony LinkBuds S provides Active Volume Reduction (ANC) and other fun features to manage your voice environment.
I liked it:
- Better-practice isolation than semi-ear format.
- Extremely customizable ANC strength
does noti don’t like:
As explained above, LinkBuds S differs from basic LinkBuds in that they mainly offer Active Noise Cancelling.
But Sony’s idea is again to present something between them. So yes, LinkBuds S have a more effective passive voice isolation than standard LinkBuds due to their partially integrated format. But they also provide ambient noise control.
This feature, called Ambient Sound Control, allows you to adjust the ambient sound level according to 20 intensity levels. Basically, it’s a 2-in-1 ANC and transparency mode that lets you know more or less about your sound environment.
Link BudSS can also detect four voice modes (walking outdoors, running outdoors, office, home) to automatically change the ambient voice control power, by pushing ANC or vice versa, by pushing external sounds.
Personally, I think Sony has done a lot for the popular voice control. I have to admit that I don’t understand anything special about him. It is only ANC and transparency mode. These characteristics are already well known.
Battery life is 6 hours of listening time with ANC
The Sony LinkBuds S with a charging case provides a total of 20 hours of battery life. Each headset can be activated by ANC for up to 6 hours and can last up to 9 hours.
I liked it:
- Strong 6-hour battery life on paper.
- Fast charging.
Disliked:
According to Sony, the charger can have a battery life of up to 14 hours or at least two before it needs to be plugged into its own network. These figures are very accurate and consistent for this price range.
Still, according to the manufacturer, 5 minutes of charging with a USB-C cable is enough for 1 hour of self-management. It takes about 2 hours to fully charge the headset from 0 to 100% and the box itself takes 3 hours to fully charge. The latter does not accept wireless charging.
Technical data
Technical details | |
---|---|
Product | |
Example | |
Design | Partial ear weight: 4.8 g (per head) / 35 g (home) | Port Knowledge | Touch controls |
Audio | 5mm Drivers | DSEE Extreme for Best Songs |
Frequency response |
|
ANC |
|
Bluetooth |
5.2 | LDAC, SBC, AAC codecs | Multiple points | Fast pair and fast pair |
Battery life |
|
Price | $ 199 |
Summary My first impressions
My first impression of the Sony LinkBuds S is positive. Despite my limited use, they are really good wireless headphones with ANC in quality / price ratio. I like the smart design and LinkBuds S’s “never-ending” approach that emphasizes a comfortable fit that you can forget once you wear it.
I don’t understand why Sony does them with the WF-1000XM4. These ANC headphones are among the best references on the market. Why another pair of headphones with active sound reduction?
Yes, at $ 199, they cost more than the XM4, which sold for $ 278 when released. But why call them LinkBuds? The first LinkBuds had a unique concept, which was completely open headphones, just like headphones. It was a new product and should have its own line in the Sony audio catalog.
But LinkBuds S looks exactly like standard wireless headphones. In short, it is an unusual choice by Sony. But who cares, and the clarity of the product catalog only focuses on tech people like me. Anyway, I hope I can give you a full test of LinkBuds S soon to give you a more accurate comment.
Sony LinkBuds S
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