Sony LinkBuds S Review: Small, But Packs Quite A Punch!
October 3, 2022Diver unit: 5mm
Type: Truly Wireless
Weight: 4.8g x 2
Case Weight: 35g
Waterproof: IPX4
Battery Life: 6hrs (NC ON)/ 9hrs (NC Off) Music Playback time
Case Battery: 20hrs
Features: ANC, Bluetooth 5.2,360 Spatial Sound Personalizer, Atmospheric Pressure Optimizing, Ambient Sounds, Speak to chat, DSEE Extreme, Google Assistant/Alexa, Dolby Atmos
Colour: Ecru, matt colour
Rating:9/10
RM: 929.00
For me, Sony is incapable of making garbage earphones. In all my years of reviewing gadgets, I have yet to experience a sub-par offering from the company. But the LinkBuds S challenged my perception to the point where I had a moment of self-doubt. See, most wireless earbuds, regardless of brand, have a certain weight to them.
This is due to the magnetic mechanisms, electronic circuitry and battery, All of which are confined in a fairly compact shell. The LinkBuds S feel featherlight compared to everything else. At a mere 35g, it feels like you’re holding an empty case. The perceived loss of “heft” led me to believe that Sony might have dropped the ball on this one.
It’s made from recycled plastic, which should appease environmentalists everywhere. But the material doesn’t feel cheap, in fact we believe the contrary to be true. The contours twist about to form a shape that seats perfectly against the concha and flows into the ear canal. But this is no accident. The design is a product of extensive analysis of ear shape data.
In fact, Sony’s work on ears dates back to 1982 with the introduction of its first in-ear headphones. This is why it comes as no surprise as to how well these wireless earbuds fit on your ears. And because each of them weighs a mere 4.8g, you barely notice them.
As a reviewer, in most cases, I’d have to tweak how I approach certain activities to accommodate a pair of earphones. But that wasn’t the case this time. Whether it was a commute to the city, a stroll in the park or an intense Zumba session at the gym, the LinkBuds S remained planted to my ears and never let go.
They feel like Sony purposefully sculpted them just for me. It’s probably how you’d feel as well provided that you’re using the right sized silicone ear tips. And as such, the seal between them and my ears never broke, which helped cocoon my music from the regular ambient disturbances.
Setup & Pairing
You’ll need the Sony Headphones app to successfully pair and use the LinkBuds S with your smartphone. To begin, flip open the case cover. If you haven’t paired the earbuds before, they should automatically go into pairing mode. The app senses this and asks you whether you’d like to pair your phone with the newly found earbuds.
Once paired, you’ll have access to various sound settings and other preferences. The LinkBuds S outer shell is touch sensitive. You can tap either of them to start or pause music, skip tracks and call up your favored voice assistant such as Google’s Voice Assistant or Amazon’s Alexa.
Sony allows you to further tune the audio output to suit your ears. This includes 360 spatial sound, ear size optimizations and various others. However, unless you subscribe to one of the compatible music streaming services like Tidal, you’re barred from experiencing the full potential of this technology.
In all my time reviewing gadgets, this is the first instance where I haven’t had the need to faff about with the audio settings. The LinkBuds S performs admirably right out of the box. Instead of fine-tuning the treble and bass, I just went about my business.
Listening Experience
Despite being 40% smaller than the WF-1000XM4, they are some of the best sounding earphones on the market, period. This is made possible by the well-calibrated 5mm driver unit that is embedded into each earbud. Despite the diminutive size, they pack some serious oomph in terms of depth, clarity and bass.
They are able to accurately deliver across the entire frequency range without faltering. The music doesn’t approach you from a single direction, but from multiple angles. It’s eerily similar to having proper wired headphones glued to your ears. The soundscape is detailed enough that you can tell with distinction what’s happening between the foreground and background.
Both vocals and instruments sound crystal clear, and it feels as though you’re watching a live band. It’s a surreal experience especially when considering that they’re being delivered by pea shaped objects. The LinkBuds S have no business sounding this good, but somehow, they do.
Sony says that they support high-res audio due to the presence of LDAC. It transmits three times more data than conventional Bluetooth audio. It’s probably the reason why the music comes off as headphones-like rather than the muzzled experience you’d expect of regular earbuds.
There’s also DSEE Extreme, which is a system that relies on AI to upscale your compressed music and restore lost sound data. The work is being done in real time, so the effect is felt instantaneously. Now, I’m not a sound engineer and as such not qualified to break down this technology for you. But as an audiophile, I can attest to the depth it offers.
Listening to the LinkBuds S helps rekindle the magic felt when listening to your favorite tracks for the first time. The music hits you in waves, which makes classical music sound extremely good. It’s the same case for jazz, pop, rock, heavy metal and R&B. This clarity doesn’t hurt the delivery of bass either.
Instead of the fake and muddled experience of most earphones, the LinkBuds S offers a punchy, yet classy delivery that is better than most of its competition. I may be so bold as to say that these earbuds can challenge just about anything on the market, which includes Apple’s AirPods line. They are that good.
Amplifying the experience is the highly effective Active Noise Canceling technology. It does an excellent job at blocking most ambient noises from seeping into your ears. It works flawlessly, but the louder, high-pitched stuff can still evade the ANC, but not by much. It’s good enough for a study session or when wanting some alone time.
Special Features
Ambient Sound mode allows your ears to hear the world around as though a pair of earphones weren’t jammed into them. It sounds mostly natural, but it isn’t perfect. At times you can tell that something’s a little off. A metallic tinge is the telltale sign.
Adaptive sound control learns your patterns and automatically adjusts the ambient sound settings to cater to where you are. It learns the patterns and locations that you frequent to deliver a great sound experience. I couldn’t tell if this feature worked on me because the music sounded great right out of the box.
When the earbuds sense that you are talking aloud to someone, they immediately pause your music and turn on ambient sound mode. This saves you the trouble of having to pause the music in order to hear the person clearly. I’m happy to report that it works, but requires a few milliseconds to understand what’s happening.
Once you’re done talking, the music and ANC turn back on immediately. It’s something that Sony’s WH-1000XM headphones have had for years. But it’s impressive that said technology can be miniaturized to fit the LinkBuds S.
The call quality is decent too. The earbuds are able to filter out most of the ambient sounds and allow your voice to be heard clearly. That said, some noises do make it to the other side. The tech works by controlling the microphones inside and outside the earbuds, then isolates what you’re saying to ensure that everything else is drowned out.
On a full charge we were getting close to 6 hours of listening time (with ANC turned on). When used with the case, overall usage goes up to 20 hours. The earbuds also support quick charging technology. In just 5 minutes of being plugged in, the LinkBuds S can offer 60 minutes of listening time. The charging case will also notify you when the charge drops below 30%.
Should You Buy This?
If you can afford to pay RM929.00 for a pair of earbuds, then it’s a no-brainer. These are the best-sounding earbuds you can buy for less than RM1,000. They are extremely versatile and can be used in a multitude of environments such as at the gym, in the office and just about anywhere else.
They are extremely lightweight and are small enough that you forget that they are on your ears. The fitment is good, which should allow for better comfort during prolonged use. As you can tell, I do not have anything negative to say here. Well done, Sony, well done!
