Recognized for the excellence of some of its True Wireless headphones, such as the WF-1000XM4, Sony is trying to reinvent itself.
With its LinkBuds, the Japanese manufacturer has imagined headphones that we could wear all day, while hearing the world around us.
Dedicated to “Generation Z” and sold for 199 euros, the LinkBuds are intriguing, interesting, but their sound quality remains average.
What stung Sony?
Recognized for the excellence of its headphones (like WH-1000XM4) and its headphones (like the WF-1000XM4), the Japanese manufacturer is trying a new adventure.
With its LinkBuds, the manufacturer invents True Wireless headphones specifically dedicated to “Generation Z”, those who “wear headphones and talk at the same time”, according to Sony.
What are they worth?
“20 Minutes” tested them.
Verdict!
Stay connected
The family of True Wireless headphones is growing.
After the so-called “open fit” models (which are placed at the entrance to the ears, like the AirPods), after the in-ear models (which sink into the ear), here are the circular models.
Quesaco?
Sony has imagined headphones that would be inserted at the entrance to the ear and that you could wear all the time, to listen to your music while hearing 100% of outside sounds.
Their name: the LinkBuds.
"Their principle is to allow us to listen to the world around us while remaining connected to our music", specifies the manufacturer to
20 Minutes
.
The amazing design of the LinkBuds challenges.
Each earpiece is made up of an electronic part concealed under a half-sphere and a donut-like ring incorporating a circular transducer.
We quickly understand the principle of these headphones which weigh only 4.1 grams each: broadcast music while making it possible to listen to external sounds through their central hole.
“The LinkBuds target a young, very connected audience, Generation Z, with people who often have headphones and who talk at the same time”, underlines Sony.
In short, those who wear their headphones H24.
Or almost.
Tap to pick up
Supplied with five sizes of arches of support to adapt to all morphologies of ears, the LinkBuds hold there rather well.
But can also get in the way.
From the first listening, we are surprised to be able to hear music while perceiving 100% of external sounds.
It's handy on the street where you can avoid the dangers associated with traffic, muffled by in-ear headphones with passive isolation (and with possible noise reduction).
But it's less practical in the office.
Indeed, the LinkBuds do not allow any isolation.
With the IPX4 standard, they can be used for sports.
Originality: here there is no physical button or touch surface to take control of the LinkBuds.
Sony has imagined a system of gesture controls by vibrations.
Small successive
taps
applied to the skin, between the cheek and the ear, allow you to pick up/hang up a call, play/pause, or go to the next song.
It's fun, and although we did observe a few hiccups early in our testing, it ultimately doesn't work so badly.
The Sony Headphones application also allows you to find the "Speak to chat" function.
By detecting your voice the headphones interrupt the music for 5, 15 or 30 seconds.
In use, it is quite practical.
Unless you sing and the music stops... But the function can still be deactivated.
For its part, the hands-free kit function is suitable.
A dry and very medium sound
The sound reproduction of these headphones is very medium.
If you don't find the natural bass of in-ear headphones, going through the Sony Headphones application allows you to take advantage of an equalizer that is effective enough to personalize listening by choosing
moods
: "Lively, Enthusiastic, Calm, Relaxed , Vocals, Treble Boost, Bass Boost, Speech”.
The best is still the Manual mode, with the possibility of dosing the different frequency ranges yourself.
However, it is impossible to find the precision that other headphones can provide, the sound here remaining very dull and dry.
And listening to high volume quickly becomes problematic, with distortion that is quickly felt.
It's boring in a very busy street where you're tempted to turn up the sound to drown out the traffic...
Sold for 199 euros, the price of an excellent pair of True Wireless headphones, the LinkBuds keep their initial promise: to allow us to listen to music without cutting ourselves off from our environment.
But this function is just as accessible with the “Transparent” mode of many more conventional 100% wireless headphones… And we are a little unsatisfied with a sound quality that remains ordinary.
The Wireless “hole” has yet to prove itself!
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