“ nonpareil consolation . ” That ’s how Sony described its novel LinkBuds Fitnoise - canceling tuner earbudswhen they debuted alongside the society ’s two othernew LinkBuds products , the LinkBuds Open and LinkBuds Speaker .
That ’s a bold claim . It ’s also jolly precise . I do n’t know if they ’re the most easy wireless earbuds you’re able to buy — mayhap you have weird ears ? — but as far as my ear are concerned , they ’re easily in the top three .
Now that we have that out of the fashion , what about the LinkBuds Fit ’s many other characteristics and features ?
Let ’s check ‘ em out .
First a eminence on where the Fit sit in Sony ’s earbuds lineup . It ’s tempting to cogitate of these bud as successor to the 2022LinkBuds S. But since Sony project to sell the two products side by side for the foreseeable future , they ’re more like siblings . The Fit offer a few more bells and whistle — some of which come directly from Sony ’s $ 300 flagship , theWF-1000XM5 — yet with the same $ 200 damage as the S.
Design - wise , the Fit may not advance over S fans . Sony has used a quite a little of silicone on the LinkBuds Fit , mostly in the form of the new , come-on - shaped “ Air Fitting Supporters ” ( which is a terrible name ) . It ’s a very different look . It ’s also a unlike form .
The S use a dual - chamber design , with a small globose module sitting close to the ear canal and a larger coin shape site in the outer concha . For those with humble ear , like my daughter , it lets the silicone polymer auricle backsheesh penetrate deeper into the ear , providing a snug and secure fit .
By contrast , the LinkBuds Fit have a large , more traditional shape . It proved to be too big of a difference for my daughter — the Fit just do n’t correspond .
The raw charging case adopts a grapple design , offering excellent memory access to the earbuds . Sadly , there is still no wireless charging and I ’m not convinced it ’s any easier to sac than the S. The flexible joint works well , but the charismatic closure is n’t as strong , which may result to inadvertent opening in a bag or packsack .
I ’m on the fence when it comes to Sony ’s optional silicone polymer caseful covers . I ’m not a big fan of customizing the aspect of my accessories ( I ’m belike not part of the target market ) , but I do like the extra tribute they afford . My black review social unit ’s showy casing lid became marred with fingerprint as shortly as I slay it from the box seat .
The specs
Tap anywhere controls
Because Sony has wrapped the intact out portion of the Fit in silicone , the controls use accelerometer to detect tap motion . This has several benefits . First , it enables Sony ’s Wide Area Tap , a coolheaded lineament that heighten the accelerometers ’ sensitivity to movements created when you tap on your cheek , near your ear . It also think of that the control are boxing glove - friendly — no capacitive jot needed . eventually , it all but extinguish inadvertent pausing or other undesirable statement when you adjust or take away an earbud .
I enjoyed this system of rules on Sony ’s first - gen LinkBuds ( not the S framework ) , and it works just as in effect on the Fit .
The downside is that Sony has also kept its frustrating restraint scheme from the LinkBuds : you’re able to custom-make two gestures per earbud , but you’re able to only pick from preassigned gesture groups . These admit ANC ascendancy , playback , Sung selection , vocalisation assist , and several others . If you pick ANC control on the left earbud and playback on the right , you do n’t get access to call selection .
Thankfully , Sony has added a persistent volume control motion ( repeated tap on the left or right earbud to raise / lower loudness ) , so that ’s one less ground to reach for your phone .
Sony ’s raw Voice Assist lineament , should you choose to practice it , construct up for the limitation of the gesture mathematical group . say “ Hey earpiece … ” followed by a command such as “ turn racket canceling on ” does precisely what you ’d expect . There are voice options for nearly every function , include a handy battery check bidding . It works well and I have sex that you do n’t necessitate to tap an earbud first , but it ’s not very smart . If you want to pause your tune , “ Hey Headphones … pause ” does n’t work . You involve to complete the phrase “ pause music , ” or “ break vocal . ” The wear sensors are the other fashion to do this , as they auto - break your tunes when you transfer an earbud .
Also new to the Fit are call management point gesture . When a call arrive in , you could nod to consent or shake to decline it . I found the nodding motion worked consistently , while the shaking movement seemed to need a more magnified movement .
For eld , Sony was a laggard in theBluetooth Multipointdepartment . But those daylight are now behind us . Thenewly redesigned Sony Sound Connect app(previously make love as the Headphones Connect app ) does a groovy job of showing you the LinkBuds Fit ’s currently connected devices . you may also chance the earbuds back into sexual union modality from the app so you may add another gadget to the lean . I opine good things come to those who wait .
Consistently quiet
The LinkBuds Fit apparently possess Sony ’s best ambient auditory sensation ( foil ) , in part because of their Integrated Processor V2 chip , which first debuted in the WF-1000XM5 . I waffle to co - sign that title . I harmonize that there ’s a departure in the Fit ’s ambient execution when compared to both the LinkBuds S and even the WF-1000XM5 , but an improvement ? I ’m not so sure .
As with most of Sony ’s ambient products , you’re able to discover the outside world with impressive limpidity when it ’s meshed . I cogitate I ’m on board with the notion that the Fit does this part marginally well than those other earbuds . However , part of the transparency chemical formula is how well you’re able to learn your own voice . The Fit are certainly no slouch in this section , but I favor the LinkBuds S version — they ’re more natural - sound to my ears .
On the other hand , when it comes to interference cancellation , their performance is nearly identical to the LinkBuds S , which is to say , perfectly passable , but not as up to as the kind of restrained you ’ll get from the XM5 or even Bose ’s new $ 180QuietComfort Earbuds .
One thing ’s for certain : Sony ’s Adaptive Sound Control , which attempts to guess whether you ask noise cancellation or transparency based on a variety of cistron , is as plaguey as ever . For some cause , it ca n’t handle the thought that you might require the welfare of ANC while walk and always turns on foil fashion . Your mileage may vary , but I tend to wrench it off and impart it off .
Conversely , speak - to - confabulation is an available option ( there are so many available alternative in the Sound Connect app ! ) and it does an excellent line of work of sensing your words without reacting to other sound like sneezing , coughs , or the clarification of throats . It speedily moves you from ANC to transparency and halts your tunes within a 2nd or two of detect voice communication , while countenance you decide how long it waits after it sense you ’re done talking ( 5 , 15 , 30 second , or never ) before returning you to ANC and music .
Detailed sound
Sound quality is yet another area where Sony believes the LinkBuds Fit excel . It arrogate that the V2 splintering and the Fit ’s “ Dynamic Driver X ” computer architecture were both inherited from the company ’s 1000X series . If that ’s truthful , I hazard it ’s validation that there ’s more to the XM5 ’s sound than these two ingredients .
I have absolutely no complaints about the Fit ’s sound . It ’s exactly what I ’ve come to expect from Sony ’s midrange offering , with the form of clarity and basso resonance that keep earning Sony praise year after yr . But make no mistake , they do n’t deliver the class - leading performance of the XM5 .
Swapping back and away with the LinkBuds S , I was hard - pressed to tell the divergence between these simulation , except in one arena : Sony ’s LDACBluetooth codec .
With the LinkBuds S , I did n’t detect much difference of opinion between LDAC and AAC , but the Fit are a different narrative .
For this listening session , I paired the LinkBuds Fit to an iPhone 14 ( AAC ) and a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra ( LDAC ) and hit the same three hi - res FLAC tracks usingTidal . It was Lusaint ’s haunting cover of Chris Isaak’sWicked Gamethat well shew LDAC ’s spare detail . A deep echo outcome is apply to Lusaint ’s representative at the end of each of the six opening lines of the song . On the iPhone , the decay of that echo felt up like a shadow of the vocals that produced them . On the S23 , the radioactive decay had an hearable texture and shape , giving the echo an eerie personality — you could hear it fighting against the inevitable obliviousness .
The Sound Connect app gives you admission to Sony ’s standard equalizer function with its aggregation of presets , manual setting , and bass rise adjustments . you may use it to perform broad tweaks if you need , but I was content with the balance wheel right out of the boxful .
Speaking of EQ , Sony has added something called “ background music event ” to the Sound Connect app . It gives you a choice of three simulated environments : My way , Living Room , and Cafe . Each one modifies your medicine to give you more or less “ blank space ” to the sound . With My Room , the sound is place very tight to your spike — you may not even notice a huge difference versus no effect . But once you get to Cafe modality , there ’s a very distinct sense of being in a big space , with sound that is coming from further away . Sony allege it help with relaxation and focus . gratefully , there are no simulated Cafe patrons .
Sony ’s approach tospatial audiomirrors that ofGoogle ’s Pixel Buds Pro 2 , but that ’s not a compliment . Sony does n’t extend spatialized stereophony ( stereo made to sound more immersive via software ) and it only supports head tracking via a limited set of Android - only apps like Netflix and YouTube .
Like the S and XM5 , you’re able to improve the spatial effect by uploading photos of your ears to the app . Once psychoanalyze , the app uses that data point to optimize streaming apps on your phone that supports Sony ’s 360 Reality Audio ( 360RA ) format . That might not be a bad thing if it were easy to access 360RA mental object , but it is n’t . Currently , the only major service that supports it isAmazon Music . Your other choices are nugs.net , PeerTracks , Artist Connection , and 360 Reality Live . And at the moment , Amazon Music ca n’t be optimized .
Making calls using the LinkBuds Fit is generally excellent . The high-pitched quality of the transparency way minimize the fatigue associated with not hearing your voice clearly . Your callers will hear you clearly too — and with better resolution than many other earbuds . The public presentation is somewhat upright than with the LinkBuds S. With the Fit , noisy backgrounds are silence more efficaciously while keep your spokesperson static . In unruffled locations , there ’s not much difference between them .
Sony pegs the battery lifetime on the LinkBuds Fit at 5.5 hours per charge with ANC on , and 21 total hours when you let in the case . If you need more , you’re able to turn off ANC and those number rise to 8 and 30 , respectively , which is very competitive with other earbuds .
Sony ’s optional feature can take a big bite out of the useable stamina . Enabling LDAC , speak - to - confab , vocalism bidding , and Sony ’s DSEEE upscaling ( on top of ANC ) could drop barrage lifespan to as small as 3 hours per explosive charge — possibly less if you like to listen loud .
Cleverly , Sony has added a new option call Auto Battery Save . When it ’s turned on , it will automatically close down all of these extras except LDAC when your stay on battery sprightliness hits 20 % .
Awkward Auracast
When Sony briefed me on the LinkBuds Fit and the newLinkBuds Open , it did n’t mention accompaniment forAuracast . Sony ’s product pages for these earbuds do n’t advert it either , and it ’s not listed in the detailed specification . And yet , Sony claims both set of earbuds work with new Bluetooth programme audio standard .
That may be true , but I have no way to test it . Instead of including Auracast functionality in the Sony Sound Connect app ( as JBL has done with its app for theTour Pro 3earbuds ) , Sony enjoin it requires your smartphone ’s operating system of rules to provide the vital “ Auracast Assistant ” function — the power to pull up a list of available Auracast broadcast and send that info to the LinkBuds .
Herein lies the job . Apple ’s iOS does n’t offer this ability ( and Apple has said nothing about supporting it in future releases ) , and while Google’sAndroid 15is slated to endure Auracast , it does n’t yet . presently , as far as I can enjoin , only a select numeral of Sony Xperia smartphones get you practice the LinkBuds Fit and Open with Auracast .
LinkBuds Speaker
I ’d be delinquent if I did n’t pop the question some thoughts on how the LinkBuds Fit employment with Sony ’s new $ 180LinkBuds Speaker . Though the talker can very much be thought of as a standalone ware , it ’s clear that Sony look it as a companion to its LinkBuds and 1000X series earbuds .
Using the Sound Connect app , you could enable Auto Switch if you own both the Speaker and any compatible Sony earbuds / headphones ( currently the LinkBuds S , Fit , Open , and WF / WH-1000XM5 ) . With that option engage , medicine can be transferred seamlessly between the earbuds and the speaker .
Getting Auto Switch set up test trickier than I had expected . For some reason , the Sound Connect app kicks you into a web browser windowpane where you ’re expected to read the instructions on Sony ’s website , instead of simply walking you through the process .
Still , once I calculate it out , it worked well . If you ’ve got music playing on the LinkBuds Speaker , it instantly change the moment you put the Fit in your ears . If you recall the bud to their causa , the Speaker take over , but not immediately — there ’s about a 3 secondment to 4 second delay as the Speaker reconnects to your phone .
Keep in idea that this is all performed via Bluetooth — unlike a saucy speaker system , the LinkBuds Speaker does n’t have its own Wi - Fi connective .
This leads me to my openhanded critique of the Speaker . Despite having a built - in mic , which lets you use it as a speakerphone for margin call , the Speaker does n’t support Sony ’s vocalism commands , and there ’s no way to actuate your phone ’s native interpreter assistant .
To summarize this very lengthy face at the Sony LinkBuds Fit : These earbuds volunteer a much more comfortable wearing experience thanks to their shape and silicone Air Fitting Supporters — unless you have small auricle . Overall , they save very similar performance to the LinkBuds S in terms of sound , ANC , transparency , and calling . However , for the same price as the S , you get some playfulness supernumerary like articulation commands , nous gestures , and Auto Battery Save . Plus , the movement - sensible controls are a with child choice for those who routinely don mitt .
They ’ve been designed with color customization in creative thinker , but these silicone polymer appurtenance add to the price and I ’m not convinced they ’re a potent reasonableness to pick out the Fit over other models . Plus , you may count that Amazon will soon have pile of third - party options at much down in the mouth price .
The continued absence of wireless charging at this damage is a disappointment . And give that Sony sees its LinkBuds lineup as “ all - Clarence Shepard Day Jr. ” equipment , I ’m surprised that Sony has n’t integrate Auracast functionality directly into its Sound Connect app — rely on Apple , Google , or any other smartphone bone developer to make this happen finger very un - Sony . If you ’re looking for an alternative to the LinkBuds Fit , theBose QuietComfort Earbudsare a little less expensive and offer good ANC .
