The Sony LinkBuds Open (WF-L910) is the successor to the innovative LinkBuds series. These innovative, open-ear design earbuds revolutionize the concept by introducing an actual gap within the earbud, allowing ambient sounds to seamlessly blend with your music experience.
The second-generation model features a sleek, updated design, a cutting-edge driver, a next-gen audio processor, immersive Spatial Audio with advanced head tracking, and significantly extended battery life. Priced at $200, these earbuds command a premium despite their affordability. Let’s see if they’re ok.
Design
The LinkBuds Open truly steals the spotlight with its innovative design. The earbuds boast a distinctive twin pod design, consistent with its lineage of predecessors. Unlike many earbuds that integrate the motive force and electronics into a single shell, the LinkBuds Open feature two separate pods, with one pod having an opening through which sound passes.
Sony has significantly revised the design of its earbuds compared to the LinkBuds. The items are actually 2 millimeters shorter in size due to the reduced dimensions of the driver module. The rear casing of the earbuds, housing the electronics, now features a rubber cowl surrounding it, which also provides additional support to secure the earbuds comfortably within your ears. The removable rubber covers allow for easy customization, enabling users to swap them with different colored options. While some claim there isn’t a wide range of sizes available, others argue that the proliferation of inclusive sizing means there are indeed options to fit most individuals.
By flipping the earbuds, you gain insight into the motive forces at play. Unlike some earbuds that feature drivers situated deeper within the shell and transmit sound through a port directed towards the inner ear, the LinkBuds Open driver takes on a ring-like shape, emitting sound directly from a dotted ring positioned in front of it. The motive force doesn’t fire directly into one’s eardrum but rather into a nearby surface, such as a wall, where the sound waves are then transmitted to the listener. While it may seem counterintuitive, this is actually how our brains typically process auditory information in real-life settings?
The LinkBuds Open boast a sleek design with no exterior buttons to compromise the earbud’s slim profile. As a substitute, tap the world gently in front of your ears. The gestures on the LinkBuds Open are streamlined, allowing for seamless tap-and-go functionality without the need to hold or press down like on other earbuds. While there isn’t a solitary faucet gesture available, the minimum requirement is two taps, thereby constraining the scope of gestures that can be assigned.
Crafted with exceptional attention to detail, the LinkBuds Open exude a sense of premium quality. The majority of the exterior surface is covered by a protective rubber cowl, designed to safeguard the earbuds from the inevitable – their tendency to fall out of your ears. While earbuds may not insert as deeply into the ear canal as in-ear designs, they typically maintain a cleaner environment compared to their counterparts. The earbuds boast IPX4 certification for reliable protection against splashes and water exposure.
The LinkBuds Open boast a distinctive new design departure from its predecessor. The case is compact and cube-shaped, resembling two small stones stacked atop each other. The mannequin, with its pristine surface featuring a subtle sheen and delicate marbling patterns, presents itself in a visually striking yet somewhat challenging manner. The magnetic lid now seamlessly closes without the need for a latch, while the earbuds also securely stay in place when not in use due to their magnetic retention. The case does not facilitate wireless charging, mirroring its predecessor’s design limitations.
The LinkBuds Open come in three colours: crisp white, sleek black, and a limited-edition violet variant, crafted in partnership with the renowned singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo. This variant also enables a distinct colour scheme within the Sony app, accompanied by two exclusive EQ presets.
Consolation
While earbud preferences are often subjective, the disparity in individual ear sizes and shapes can lead to varying degrees of satisfaction with earbuds. Despite this, a notable benefit of in-ear type earbuds is their assured stability: once fitted, they remain securely in place, unaffected by the wearer’s level of snugness. Despite their open design, the concern extends beyond mere comfort to the question of whether these earbuds can reliably stay in place.
Unfortunately, the LinkBuds Open struggle to maintain a consistent fit within my ear canal, rendering them unusable for me. After conducting thorough research and consulting the manufacturer’s guidelines, I’ve discovered that my ears simply don’t conform to the intended dimensions for wearing Sony’s earbuds as intended.
Initially, embracing these earbuds proved challenging, given my unfamiliarity with the characteristics of open-ear designs. Although even the distinctive AirPods presented challenges for some users, they surprisingly fit me like a pair of bespoke in-ear monitors.
Given that I found the LinkBuds Open’s fit woefully inadequate for my ears, the experience was somewhat jarring. The futility of attempting to secure these earbuds is starkly apparent – a Sisyphean task, akin to trying to anchor them firmly to a perfectly flat surface. As soon as my grip relaxes, they tumble to the ground.
Observe Sony’s promotional visuals and you’ll note that people’s ear cavities are substantial enough to accommodate the two pods entirely within their conchal creases, with well-defined antihelical curves that provide a snug grasp on the rubber ear tips. Given that my ear size prevents a proper fit, I’m unable to wear the LinkBuds Open as intended, rendering them unusable for me.
By adjusting the fit of my earbuds by shoving the motive force further into my ear, I discovered that it caused the higher portion to conform to its natural shape, providing a more secure and comfortable listen. The new design’s impact on sound quality was a concern, but at least I could wear my earbuds outside without worrying about them slipping out.
There isn’t a suitable level of comfort available to me. Wearing them, as intended, would likely be acceptable; however, the excessive number of uncomfortable plastic components near my ears, where they’re not meant to be, caused discomfort after only a couple of minutes. Until you’ve acquired considerable ear size, I would advise against bothering with these at all?
Software program and options
The LinkBuds Open seamlessly integrate with the Sony Join app, available on both iOS and Android platforms. The app’s complexity has grown exponentially over time, cluttered by an overwhelming array of features that are largely overlooked, even if users do manage to download it. More perturbingly, the setup process remains one of the longest and most frustrating in the industry, requiring a user to navigate through an arduous sequence of screens before finally reaching the main menu.
The application will autonomously refine its editing capabilities and display exclusively the pre-programmed settings available on your connected earbuds. While the LinkBuds Open may be considered premium earbuds, they surprisingly offer fewer options compared to many of Sony’s other high-end models, resulting in a refreshingly streamlined app experience.
The core functionality of the app revolves around its audio settings, offering users access to EQ presets and a guided equalization feature. The software also features a “Discover Your Equalizer” option, allowing users to determine their preferred tone by sampling various EQ presets and selecting the one that resonates with them best. The Background Music Impact feature offers an immersive experience by simulating the effect of sound playing in various settings, with the default being a cafe atmosphere that mimics the ambiance of a restaurant’s audio system, while also providing options to adjust to other rooms.
The LinkBuds Open seamlessly integrate with Android’s Spatial Audio feature, offering enhanced listening experiences when paired with compatible devices. Sony’s 360 Reality Audio feature offers an immersive listening experience, although its availability is limited to a select few services, precluding compatibility with Dolby Atmos used by Apple Music.
With the introduction of an Auto Play feature, users can now configure settings such as their preferred music app and favorite tracks in advance, allowing the earbuds to automatically start playing when worn without requiring interaction with a phone.
Diverse features include Sony’s DSEE upscaling, effective only with low-bitrate content, along with multi-device pairing, adaptive volume control that dynamically adjusts sound levels based on ambient noise, Head Gesture for effortless call acceptance or rejection through subtle head movements – nodding up or down, or shaking it sideways – and auto power-off.
The LinkBuds Open supports SBC, AAC, and LC3 audio codecs for seamless connectivity. The LC3 device is currently available exclusively in Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) mode. To ensure seamless connectivity, consider allowing pairing from within the app before unpairing and restoring the earbuds in tandem with your phone. If your phone supports Bluetooth Low Energy Audio (a feature offered by only a limited number of devices), you should be able to playback using the LC3 codec. You must reiterate your entire business case and annual action plan to return to SBC/AAC. The ability to combine multiple devices and pair them with various modes is unavailable when using Bluetooth Low Energy (LE).
You can also update firmware via the app. While Sony’s replacement process may be moderate in pace, it’s unlikely something you’ll need to worry about frequently. The team’s evaluation unit ran with the most recent 1.2.0 software iteration.
Efficiency
Audio high quality
Testing the audio high-quality on the LinkBuds Open proved to be a trial in frustration. While I’m meant to be worn around my neck on a chain, I may have been forced into being pushed away from my intended position, which is often referred to as “stacking” them together, yet that isn’t the proper way to wear me nor does it sound aesthetically correct in this fashion. I repeatedly had to adjust and fine-tune them until they remained securely in place within my ears, finally settling into a comfortable position where they no longer slid around and risked falling out. To ensure a precise, high-quality assessment of how earbuds actually sound when worn by an individual whose ears they are suited for.
The audio quality of the LinkBuds Open was somewhat underwhelming but not entirely surprising. While the earbuds’ design poses significant challenges, it’s evident that not all obstacles can be fully addressed in a second-generation product, leaving room for future innovation.
Lacking any semblance of a robust bassline, this foundation is woefully incomplete. Unlike in-ear earbuds, which enjoy the luxury of a tightly controlled environment with a finite amount of air, open-ear earbuds consistently struggle to deliver satisfying bass responses due to the inherently uncontrolled nature of their design. On top of that, the LinkBuds Open complicate matters with their unconventional ring-shaped driver, refusing to simplify the listening experience. While it’s astonishing that such a component even exists, at its core, the driving force behind this innovation is actually a slender, almost imperceptible ring just a few millimeters thick – its outer diameter measures only 11mm. Despite the physical limitations of the ear canal, the LinkBuds Open’s bass performance is inherently compromised from the outset, rendering it insufficient for meeting even basic open-back standards.
And it’s. You essentially fail to perceive sounds in the upper bass frequency range, and the bass notes that are audible to you are distorted, producing an unnatural, hollow timbre with a prickly quality. There isn’t actually a distinct sensation of rumble, thump, or punch when it comes to low-end frequencies – it’s more about the way our ears perceive vibrations and resonance in specific sound waves. Truly, there isn’t a low-end.
The lower mids have been artificially enhanced, yielding a marginally exaggerated sense of depth that gives male vocals an uncannily profound timbre. The majority of the midsections, however, remain fairly satisfactory. Actually, the midfielders shine brightest in this current scenario, impressively standing out among their teammates. The midrange frequencies, in particular the higher midrange, produce a pleasing tone with a remarkably natural timbre, allowing voices and electronic devices to resonate with authenticity.
Mainly entering treble, the LinkBuds Open immediately start losing energy once again. The distinction between using it as a primary or secondary tuning parameter remains unclear, with the higher treble frequencies lacking discernible sparkle or air, resulting in a dulled effect. Despite this, the decreased treble variation still renders a noticeably bright timbre when paired with bold midrange frequencies.
The overall tone is characterized by an inverted V-shape, featuring a prominent, full-bodied midrange that gradually tapers off at either end. While effective for certain genres, the lack of low-end presence wasn’t as critically felt. While many older pop songs may not feature robust, resonant basslines, they can still sound surprisingly effective on the LinkBuds Open, thanks to their naturally bright tone, which helps compensate for any perceived lack of treble extension.
While some genres that focus primarily on bass can still be enjoyable, others often sound unpleasantly distorted, akin to worn-out or malfunctioning speakers. Lacking a robust low-end response, the LinkBuds Open’s audio presentation is marred by an overwhelming emphasis on higher frequencies, resulting in a noticeable deficiency that leaves most music sounding incomplete and lacking depth.
Despite being on top, the drivers are unfortunately not particularly renowned for their resolving power, resulting in a somewhat soft and lacking timbre. While the earbuds’ sound isn’t excessively loud, this peculiarity may stem from their open-air design, potentially influenced by the chosen driver architecture. As a result, people often strive to reach, if not exceed, the maximum capacity typically allowed.
I found the spatial characteristics of these earbuds to be unremarkable in my opinion. Surrounded by the intimate confines of their ear canal, closed-back headphones create a snug seal that blocks out more sound than open-backed models, effectively isolating the listener from external distractions. With the drivers positioned mere centimeters from the eardrum, there’s little room for deception – it’s almost impossible to trick your ears into thinking you’re listening to speakers instead of headphones. While the sound quality is marginally better than that of other earbuds, I’ve found similar or superior performance from other in-ear designs.
Microphone
The Sony LinkBuds Open boast impressive microphone sensitivity. The sound is relatively soft, requiring those around you to speak slightly louder to be heard effectively. The audio maintains a pleasantly natural quality, devoid of discernible digital processing imperfections.
In loud settings, the LinkBuds Open excel at effectively filtering out ambient distractions while maintaining crystal-clear audio of your own voice. Despite the sound becoming softer, people should still be able to make out what you’re saying if you speak up slightly?
Noise cancellation
The LinkBuds Open lack energetic and passive noise cancellation features, thereby compromising their core functionality. Given that they don’t currently have a transparency mode, this functionality is intended solely for their opening mechanism and should not be altered without consideration of its impact on the overall user experience.
The earbuds permit a significant amount of ambient noise to seep in. While I initially expected a significant difference, the overall impact of these earbuds was surprisingly comparable to standard AirPods-style open-ear designs. While the LinkBuds Open feature an unconventional design, their open structure doesn’t necessarily guarantee a precise alignment with the natural contours of your ear canal. Despite inserting the earbud into one ear, the difference was minor to begin with, rendering it barely perceptible.
As you venture outdoors, it’s easy to become sidetracked by every subtle sound surrounding you? Despite being intentional, there’s no scope for criticism about this arrangement. Here’s an explanation of the benefits:
Latency
The Sony LinkBuds Open boast impressive latency efficiency. With a PC, the earbuds’ latency was sufficiently low as to be imperceptible, making them suitable for casual movie viewing and informal gaming.
Connectivity
The Sony LinkBuds Open delivered strong overall connectivity performance. Despite these efforts, a recurring issue persisted: when adjusting volume levels on either this unit or its firmware counterpart, a distinct popping sound would occur, only to repeat itself with multiple paired devices. Each pause in playback causes the left earbud to lag behind by a brief, albeit perceptible, margin.
Battery Life
The LinkBuds Open boast an impressive 8 hours of continuous usage on a single charge, according to the manufacturer’s claims. Battery life checks are currently underway but need to be completed promptly; this information may be updated as necessary. Sony’s earbuds consistently deliver on their promises, frequently surpassing expectations, rendering concerns unnecessary.
Conclusion
The Sony LinkBuds Open are typically priced at $200, but current deals bring the cost down to a competitive $180 as of this review’s publication date.
The LinkBuds Open are undoubtedly cool, boasting a sleek design that sets them apart from other wireless earbuds on the market. An open-earbud design allows for ambient noise to seep through, enabling you to stay aware of your surroundings while still listening to audio. That’s definitely an intriguing notion. While the LinkBuds Open shows promise as a innovative earbud design, its execution falls short of delivering a truly exceptional listening experience.
One-size-fits-all designs may work well in some cases, but they often don’t cater to everyone’s needs? At the expense of compromised audio quality, the speaker holes were added, leaving listeners with a subpar listening experience from this $200 pair of earbuds. The earphones either fail to meet your requirements entirely or happen to align with your expectations while still lacking a superior sound quality?
In a era dominated by digital alternatives, Sony’s decision to allow ambient sound listening is refreshingly analog. Prior to the advent of transparency modes, drilling a gap through one’s audio system seemed like an exercise people would undertake with regularity. While we now have transparency modes that can nearly match the effectiveness of not wearing earbuds at all? While you might still find affordable alternatives to AirPods Pro, such as open-ear earbuds that excel at allowing ambient noise in, it’s worth noting that these options may not quite match the same level of quality.
I apologize for the confusion. It’s unclear what specific audience this product is designed for, leaving users wondering about its purpose and relevance. Can’t we do better than simply accepting a product with numerous shortcomings that offer limited benefits? Even with subsequent iterations addressing issues, Sony must still confront the fundamental question, leaving me uncertain if a satisfying answer exists.
