In a market that has been very uniform since the launch of Apple’s AirPods more than five years ago, wireless headphones have not seen any real innovation. But on Tuesday, February 15, Sony stands out with its LinkBuds, headphones thought differently.
The Japanese manufacturer has just unveiled a pair of headphones to slide into the hollow of the ear with an atypical design. They are indeed presented as a product based on an open circular shape, we then discover headphones equipped with a metal ring with a hole in their center. A detail that changes here the approach of such an object to define an experience that does not cut off its wearer from the outside world.
Sony therefore does not intend to replace headphones and headphones with active noise reduction, but places the LinkBuds on other uses. At the time of telecommuting, running sessions in the city or travel by metro or bus, some music lovers want to keep an attentive ear with those around them, external sound information or even ambient noise. It is precisely this consumer target that Sony engineers wanted to target. A product that we were also able to test before this global announcement.
Interact directly through the skin
And in fact, the LinkBuds have a few points to make. With a product designed to be worn daily, Sony has worked on their lightness and discretion. Each earphone weighs only 4.1 grams. We are not talking here either about in-ear, but about earphones which are placed in the hollow of the conch of the ear. The devices are supplied with removable silicone stabilization arches (six sizes) to be firmly anchored in your pinna according to the shape of your ears. And when tested, the module proves to be easy to slide, even if you have to make sure that it is well wedged, so as not to see them jump.
The pairing is done simply by Bluetooth, but the LinkBuds also have their own Headphones Connect application (on iOS and Android) to be configured. We also discover another innovation offered by Sony, that of the controls by tapping directly on the part of the skin located under your temple and just in front of your ear. A system called “Wide Area Tap” based on sensors. The idea here is not to press on the headset, but only on your skin, which remains more intuitive and quite effective. It is possible to configure this function via the application by assigning a command to each gesture: twice to pause, three times to turn up the volume or change tracks…
On the sound side, Sony delivers an amazing product, since the small headphones offer a nice sound presence, with a detailed sound that we would not have suspected. However, the sound reproduction remains less precise and impactful (especially at the bass level) than with headphones or headphones. Demanding music lovers will therefore go their way.
We can also salute their autonomy of 5:30 p.m. (counting the refills with their storage case), as well as their resistance to perspiration for athletes.
Still, the LinkBuds offer an interesting experience, if only to hold a conversation with your neighbor without having to listen. If some competing headphones offer a “Transparency” mode – where microphones will transfer ambient sounds to the ears – the result on Sony headphones is ultimately more natural for conversing with others. As for their price of 200 euros, it appears in the high average of wireless headphones.
LinkBuds, Sony, 200 euros, available.