Sony LinkBuds Open True Wireless Earbuds - Black (Model WFL910/B)

The outer box is small neat and attractive and appears to be entirely recyclable. The box housing the Linkbuds looks like an expensive diamond ring box, again, small and neat, very tactile and easily slips into a pocket, completing an attractive total package.The quality of construction is evident from the start; the box has a certain weight and opens and shuts with absolute precision and the buds snap back into place with a satisfying clunk. The connection to my phone was automatic but there is an unobtrusive pairing button at the rear. In the centre rear is the USB 3 slot for charging. At the front centre, where the lid joins the body, is a tiny rectangular slot which momentarily lights up to show the state of charge when the box is opened. Overall the package ... MoreThe outer box is small neat and attractive and appears to be entirely recyclable. The box housing the Linkbuds looks like an expensive diamond ring box, again, small and neat, very tactile and easily slips into a pocket, completing an attractive total package.The quality of construction is evident from the start; the box has a certain weight and opens and shuts with absolute precision and the buds snap back into place with a satisfying clunk. The connection to my phone was automatic but there is an unobtrusive pairing button at the rear. In the centre rear is the USB 3 slot for charging. At the front centre, where the lid joins the body, is a tiny rectangular slot which momentarily lights up to show the state of charge when the box is opened. Overall the package speaks of thoughtful careful design.I am not going to be a typical user of this product. I am a full-time Carer on call 24/7 which means I take my music when I can. I live in rural Scotland and do not listen to music in the car as one needs complete attention to compete with deer etc and large farm vehicles. Additionally, I have had to wear Hearing Aids for a number of years and whilst the modern ones are excellent, they are not the best medium for listening to music. Accordingly, I believe these headphones may be an answer to a prayer. In short, I am delighted with all aspects of the LinkBuds, their appearance, their convenience and superb sound quality. I am now free to engage in a variety of tasks both within the house and out without the constraints of wires or fear of over-ear headphones falling off whilst actively working, walking or using my cameras but most of all, the ability to enjoy music again as I did in the past. I’ve not yet had time to explore the full potential of the App that accompanies them and look forward to that. I think they are remarkable value for money considering the quality of the sound in such a small convenient package and the obvious build quality. For the moment I have found no downside and don’t expect to.Having been a lover of music from the days when the usual source was a 12” LP and having owned excellent Hi-Fi systems I am still looking for ways to get the best reproduction possible in an endeavour to re-create the sounds I remember. Over the years I have tried several types of headphones and currently use Over-Ear, wired; excellent but has the downside of occasionally seeing your phone crash to the floor when you forget it was wired. The LinkBuds have totally obviated the need for this,They are no more intrusive than my hearing aids and I find I can wear them for long periods quite comfortably, the bluetooth connection is total and constant and the sound quality vastly superior to that I am currently getting. Whilst I have only used The LinkBuds for a relatively short period - I am still exploring the potential of the App - I have been surprised, delighted and amazed by the quality of the sound. Listening to some of my favourite pieces I have been transported back to a time when I could hear all the nuances of the music. I have always been fond of Classical Guitar and occasionally hearing the rasp of the player’s fingers on the strings is something I haven’t heard for a long time, I can now discern the words in vocals and piano music is so crisp & clear. I am not qualified nor would I want to discuss the technicalities of sound but listening via the Buds there is a separation between the tones, a clarity and cleanness that for me has been missing. It’s almost as if a mist has cleared and the soundscape is sharp and detailed.I cannot comment on the sound cancelling qualities of the Buds other than in my own circumstances but they are more than adequate to cope with TV and phone conversations that occur in the room in which I am enjoying my music.

The new Linkbuds Open True Wireless earbuds from Sony are the latest in their line of open-air earbuds, well-known for class-leading headphone technology. It seems readily apparent to me that open-air earbuds by design are best suited for people who desire good quality audio yet still need to be aware of their surroundings. I think these would be perfect for people who like to listen to music or audio books while enjoying outdoor activities like jogging, walking, or simply working in the yard. It’s important to be able to hear what’s happening around you in those situations for obvious safety reasons. If you are looking for the overall best sound quality, especially focusing on the lower bass range of frequencies, then the open-air design is clearly not the best ... MoreThe new Linkbuds Open True Wireless earbuds from Sony are the latest in their line of open-air earbuds, well-known for class-leading headphone technology. It seems readily apparent to me that open-air earbuds by design are best suited for people who desire good quality audio yet still need to be aware of their surroundings. I think these would be perfect for people who like to listen to music or audio books while enjoying outdoor activities like jogging, walking, or simply working in the yard. It’s important to be able to hear what’s happening around you in those situations for obvious safety reasons. If you are looking for the overall best sound quality, especially focusing on the lower bass range of frequencies, then the open-air design is clearly not the best choice for you.The Linkbuds Open earbuds come in a stylish and pocketable rectangular case, which may at first appear confusing as to which is the bottom, and which is the top lid. Just remember the base has a matte-like finish and the lid is high gloss black, and you’ll be fine. The charging port at the rear of the case and below the hinge uses the common and universal USB-C connector, making it easy to share a cord with other similar devices. Almost everything I use now has a USB-C connector. On my case, the Sony logo is very faint, almost not legible for some reason.The earbuds feature a rather unique donut design that sits inside the outer ear canal, and I quickly discovered that at least in my case, it does require reading the instruction manual to insert them in your ears properly and in the right orientation. A small, pointed piece of soft pliable rubber fits into a crease above the ear canal to hold them securely without adding any uncomfortable pressure. It’s there to aid in keeping the earbuds from falling out during more vigorous activity like exercising. Note also that these are a one-design-fits-all, so there is really no way to adjust the fit and that could be an issue for some.The most important question when it comes to reviewing earbuds is…how do they sound? So far, I have been impressed with sound quality and just as important, they are quite comfortable. Deep bass is lacking, but that’s to be expected with the simple physics of open-air design as mentioned earlier.Like a lot of earbuds and wireless headphones these days, an app from Sony called Sound Connect is a necessity to install on your smartphone to get the most from your Linkbuds. The app offers several configuration options that include battery information, sound enhancements based on fit, a sound equalizer, and several more customization and optimization options. Additional features like 360 Reality Audio require a paid subscription, but it does offer with a trial version and the sample version in the app is remarkable.Some of the features that I liked most certainly include the equalizer, which I set to a bass boost preset. Another is head gestures, which allows head movements to answer or deny incoming phone calls. I always turn on any options that maximize sound quality, which includes a setting for Bluetooth connection quality and LE Audio Priority. If you listen to CD’s or MP3, the Linkbuds have a setting to enable DSEE, which is Sony’s own technology to enhance sound quality from compressed low-quality audio. There’s even an option to take an image of your ears to ensure proper fit for the best sound quality and comfort.Sony advertises a battery life of 22 hours with the charging case. A simple 3-minute charge provides 60 minutes of listening. I’ve been testing the earbuds for several days now and the earbuds remain fully charged while the case is still at 50%.For those times when I want a fully immersed music listening experience, I still prefer a “closed ear” set of earbuds complete with noise cancellation to block out all ambient sound. But for daily use when I need to be aware of what’s going on around me, I find the Sony Linkbuds Open to be the perfect and preferred choice. Rating these becomes difficult honestly as the sound might not be the best there is, but when judged in the open-air earbud category and for their intended use, I believe they deserve at least a 4-star above-average rating for their thoughtful design, decent sound and abundant features.

Smartly packaged with little drawers including an extra 3 different sized ear bud tips for correct fittings, and a short charging lead (I would find a longer charging lead more helpful, but this is not a showstopper). The compact marble effect case is very neat and stylish. The buds themselves are light and very comfortable to wear for long periods and I have not experienced any instances of them falling out. Following the provided Start Up QR code and adding the Sony ‘Sound Connect’ App, the link to my iPhone was immediate and has been completely stable. The Sound Connect App has some very useful help including an equaliser to adjust the sound to your own preferences, and for different uses (eg music or speech prioritisation). The pause in playback when the wearer ... MoreSmartly packaged with little drawers including an extra 3 different sized ear bud tips for correct fittings, and a short charging lead (I would find a longer charging lead more helpful, but this is not a showstopper). The compact marble effect case is very neat and stylish. The buds themselves are light and very comfortable to wear for long periods and I have not experienced any instances of them falling out. Following the provided Start Up QR code and adding the Sony ‘Sound Connect’ App, the link to my iPhone was immediate and has been completely stable. The Sound Connect App has some very useful help including an equaliser to adjust the sound to your own preferences, and for different uses (eg music or speech prioritisation). The pause in playback when the wearer speaks is excellent and the automatic return to playback is faultless. When activated this does mean the wearer is prevented from singing along out loud, but no one wants to be disturbed by my poor singing ability! There is an ability to change the playback control (eg volume, forward track etc) between the ear buds (left/right) to suit individual preferences and I found these commands worked best when tapping beside the bud rather than tapping the buds themselves, but I noticed an option to adjust the sensitivity. The option to accept/decline calls using head gestures (nod/shake) works well.Most importantly the sound quality is first class and the noise cancelling cuts background sound while still allowing speech to pass through - with options to adjust the sensitivity. Diary and message announcements are very clear. The battery life is super, I have regular days where I spend 4-6 hours travelling by train and I have had no problems with battery life. All in all, stylish, small and easily carried in a pocket, comfortable to wear for long periods with excellent sound quality and a good battery life, with lots of functionality for the user to adapt for their own preferences. I recommend them.