Design and features:This Bluetooth wireless noise canceling portable ear-insert model provides very good sound and excellent active noise reduction. Its ear plug-like design and electronic noise canceling feature reduce both outside noise and sound leaking out into your environment. The headphones work with or without the noise canceling feature being turned on. You can use the noise-canceling feature without listening to music. The LinkBuds S has a volume control plus an integrated microphone and player function controls. Additional features include - Additional features include that either earpiece can be used alone for one ear monitoring of Bluetooth streamed audio and telephone communications. Carrying case/charging cradle has built-in rechargeable battery that the manufacture claims can be used to add an additional 14 hours of play time for a total of 20 hrs. Manufacturer claims water resistance (IPX4). ANC and Ambient sound touch control on left ear bud default setting toggles between noise cancellation and ambient sound. Free Sony Headphones Connect app download for Apple and Android mobile devices can be used to switch between noise canceling, ambient sound monitoring, and noise canceling and ambient sound monitoring off and to set the earphone touch controls to also toggle between these three modes. Also has function to adjust the level of ambient sound that is heard when the monitor function is used and that can allow the monitor function to focus only on the voice tonal region. Has Speak-to-Chat feature that automatically pauses the music as soon as you speak, and lets in ambient sound so you can conduct a conversation. This feature can be turned on/off using the Sony headphone connect app. Has touch controls for play/pause/skip forward and call connect/disconnect (default), touch controls can also be set to control volume, digital voice assistant activation. Earphones pause audio when removed from ears and resume audio when placed back in ears. Has power off, Bluetooth connect, and noise canceling/ambient sound monitoring toggle alert tones, Bluetooth pairing and low battery level voice announcements. Supports Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri, and Google Assistant digital voice assistants when used with mobile devices that have those features. Has quick charge feature: 5 min of earphone charging will provide 1hr. of playtime. Earbuds are compatible with Sony's 360 Reality Audio virtual surround sound on several streaming services (Deezer, Tidal, Nugs.net). Supports Hi-Res audio wireless. Bluetooth connected Apple mobile devices using iOS Version 5 and above will show the battery level. Free Sony Headphones Connect app download for Apple and Android mobile devices can act as a audio program player and can provide tonal balance presets and equalization, provide earphone control customization, optimize the Sony 360 Reality Audio feature, disable the voice announcements, enable/disable the auto-pause function, and update the earphone's firmware. App has earbud test feature that measures the air-tightness of the earbud tips and determines whether or not the headphones are correctly worn on your ears. Supports Swift Pair for Windows 10 computers. The LinkBuds S comes with Four pairs of ear pieces in various sizes, USB-C connector charging cable, charging cradle/recharger battery/carrying case, Warranty Booklet, Reference guide. This model comes with Portable Bluetooth wireless noise canceling isolating ear-insert earphones that come with 4 pairs of ear pieces in various sizes, USB-C connector charging cable, charging cradle/recharger battery/carrying case, Warranty Booklet, Reference guide and free Sony Headphones Connect app download for Apple and Android mobile devices.
Sound quality:We found the LinkBuds S delivers sound quality that falls in the very good range - it reproduces music and voice very well although it does have some noticeable sonic quirks and excellent active noise reduction. With the noise cancelling mode engaged the Sony Headphones Connect app set with the Equalizer off and clear bass set to 0 (as received state of the earphone) the bass (as in bass drums, bass guitars, stand-up bass, etc.) has good impact and goes fairly deep, but is a bit prominent and boomy. The midrange (voices, guitars, horns, etc.) is fairly even, but a bit grainy, hazy, and congested (think sonic traffic jam). The treble (cymbals, the upper range of violins, etc.) is extended, but a bit smeared. The sound also has a good sense of liveliness and is somewhat open--sound-wise it almost seems like you don't have anything plugging up your ears and does a decent job of recovering room ambience. Mixed character - neutral midrange and treble with a warmish bass. The overall sound can best be summarized as a bit bassy, hazy, and grainy. The Sony Headphones Connect app eq controls had a noticeable effect on the sound. Noise Canceling: Excellent noise reduction across the entire frequency range with the low frequencies reduced the most. Orientation changes the noise reduction characteristic - when the noise is coming from the front a bit more high frequency noise can be heard. Very faint hiss can be heard when there is no audio program to drown it out.
Comfort and Fit:As typical of in-ear models they produce a sense of pressure in the ear canal opening might be uncomfortable for some.
Small
Users with small earbowls might find that the earphone body feels a bit bulky in their earbowl, but that they stay in place during casual use and are stable even during fairly vigorous head movement.
Medium/Large
Users with medium and larger sized ear bowls will probably find that this model stays in place with no problems for casual use and that they are stable even during fairly vigorous head movement.
Incidental contact with the touch controls can cause unintentional playing, pausing, or switching between noise canceling and ambient sound monitoring.
