Department sony audio For several months now, there has been a frantic pace of releases. If just a few days ago we announced the arrival of your new Sony WH-1000XM5, today we come with new member of the LinkBuds line under the arm.
The Japanese firm has just unveiled LinkBuds S, the new fully wireless Bluetooth headphones that continue to expand the catalog of the LinkBuds family that unveiled the LinkBuds we analyzed just a few months ago.
LinkBuds S are built with the same philosophy as the first LinkBuds, positioning themselves as lightweight all-round headphones that can be worn all day, but this, unlike its open-driver brethren, offers noise reduction. We just got these LinkBuds S and we tell you about our first impressions.
Ergonomics and lightness with a very pleasant touch
portability and lightness They are the key pillars of the headphones in the LinkBuds line, and these new LinkBuds S keep that philosophy alive at first glance, featuring a very lightweight design that resembles the Sony WF-1000XM4 in shape but not in size or weight as they 40% smaller and 34% lighter that flagship.
LinkBuds S weigh just 4.8 grams., so they are designed to be used throughout the day, minimizing the appearance of discomfort or fatigue from wearing them. The case also meets the standard of the LinkBuds range and has a compact size and approx. 32 grams of weight.
On an ergonomic level, Sony’s new headphones are well-resolved. thanks to a morphology very close to the WF-1000XM4, which adapts well to the shape of the ear with an interior face dominated by smooth lines that, at least in those first hours I used them, didn’t give me the discomfort I experienced with the first open-driver LinkBuds.
Sony sent us the device with a matte black finish, which is actually closer to dark grey, but they’re also available with a white finish and the new ecru color. The touch is really nice with a somewhat rough texture in both the headphones and the case.
Count on IPX4 certification against sweat and splashes. This, along with good ergonomics, makes these Sony LinkBuds S good companions for exercising.
Quality sound and amazing noise cancellation
When we say thatLinkBuds S is a smaller and lighter version of the WF-1000XM4. We mean not only the aesthetic part. Sony has done a whole lot of miniaturization work to integrate the same elements as its flagship in a much smaller and lighter size.
Does this mean that we will have the same sound quality as the top model Sony TWS headphones? With just a few hours of use, we wouldn’t dare say yes.but the truth is that both models offer very high level features and the truth is that I was surprised by its noise canceling ability.
In preliminary tests The LinkBuds S almost match the noise cancellation of the Sony WH-1000XM4. – these are big words – and, in my opinion, they are superior to the WF-1000XM3 a couple of years ago. Either way, amazing headphone noise-canceling performance in ear so compact.
new sony headphones They include a protective grid that protects the external microphone that controls the noise cancellation and can, with the help of the software, compensate for it, taking it out of the equation to further improve noise cancellation performance while running or on windy days.
In terms of sound quality, the LinkBuds S faced a size reduction due to the installation 5mm drivercompared to 6mm found on the WF-1000XM4.
Sony says the new driver, while smaller than the top-of-the-line model, offers more aperture travel, allowing it to better respond to distortion while playing a wider range of frequencies. Eventually, despite the smaller diameter, the sound quality is maintained.
The truth is that in the absence of more intensive tests and with a greater range of musical styles and content, first impressions of the sound quality are very satisfactory.
Reproduction of high and medium tones is good. Similar to what LinkBuds offer, with very well defined ranges, but in this we have more bass presence that comes out in a warm way and doesn’t overshadow the rest of the frequencies. Again, and saving distances, this sound that reminds me of a 1000XM4 headband.
This similarity is due to the presence audio processor V1the same processor is in both the headband of the XM4 and XM5, and in the model in ear high end from Sony.
The new Sony headphones use the same algorithms. DSEE Extreme (Digital Audio Enhancement Engine) that we found in the new WH-1000XM5, getting recover lost information in lossy compressed files such as MP3 files or streaming audio formats from Spotify and other platforms.
Artificial intelligence is also used during calls as it LinkBuds S uses machine learning algorithms to better identify your voice and effectively isolate it during calls to ensure clearer conversations.
In the absence of further evidence in this regard for LinkBuds S reviewthe only call we were able to take with these earbuds went through without a hitch, and both my voice and the voice of my interlocutor were transmitted with good sound quality even in conditions of heavy traffic against the backdrop of a big city.
Adaptive noise canceling allows you to chat without touching your headphones
The LinkBuds S are a diametrically opposed concept to the LinkBuds that Sony introduced a few months ago as they are open earbuds compared to closed and noise canceling headphones.
However, both models share this view. interaction with the world, which allows the user to communicate with the environment without removing the headphones and with the right settings, you don’t even need to touch the headphones.
Features such as adaptive sound control which we find in the latest high-end headphones from Sony that allow you to adjust the intensity of the noise cancellation when the user is running, walking, stopping or riding public transport.
Also, it ties this behavior to specific user locations, so if you’re sitting at work, you might have a different noise reduction profile than when you’re sitting at home and wanting to relax.
LinkBuds S also have a Speak-to-Chat feature. which will mute and pause when the headphones detect that you are talking, to resume it again when they detect that you have finished speaking.
After all, they features that allow users to stay connected without taking off their headphoneseven if they have noise cancellation.
Sony LinkBuds S integrates support for activating Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice assistants by keyword. That is, it is enough to say the activation word of the assistant (“Ok, Google” or “Alexa”) so that it starts from the headphones, without even touching the headphones.
Sony has reserved for its high-end multipoint connectivity that these Sony LinkBuds S don’t havealthough it supports the ease of Bluetooth pairing with Fast Pair protocols on Android devices and Swift Pair for Windows systems.
Sony promises autonomy 6 hours noise canceling for each charge of the headphones, and Activated 9 hours without cancellation. If we add to that the 14 hours that the charging case provides, the result is 20 hours of operation without plugging into an outlet.
In addition, it includes a fast charging system that, Just 5 minutes of charging the earbuds with the case connected to the charger restores up to 1 hour of use.. Due to the reduction in size, LinkBuds S do not support wireless charging. not in headphones, not in a case.
Tour first contact with LinkBuds S We got a battery life forecast far below the time promised by the brand, but we are based on the load that comes from the factory, so in this aspect we put you first. full analysis of LinkBuds S which we will publish in a few days.
Sony LinkBuds S, price and availability in Spain
Sony’s New Lightweight Noise Canceling Headphones will arrive in stores in Spain and Portugal from May 20. in three finishes: black, white and raw.
The starting price of this model will be 200 euros.which is slightly above the ring-driver LinkBuds and just below the flagship TWS noise-canceling headphones.
Source: Computer Hoy
I am Bret Jackson, a professional journalist and author for Gadget Onus, where I specialize in writing about the gaming industry. With over 6 years of experience in my field, I have built up an extensive portfolio that ranges from reviews to interviews with top figures within the industry. My work has been featured on various news sites, providing readers with insightful analysis regarding the current state of gaming culture.
