ReviewFinder Wireless Headphones

Sony LinkBuds S

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Sound quality
Noise cancellation
Comfort
Battery life
Connectivity
Durability
Additional features
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22 Verified Hands-On Reviews

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Expert reviews [22]

80
Total expert reviews: 22
  • with a score: 18
  • without a score: 4
Highest score by Stereo Guide
91
Average score based on 22 reviews
80
Lowest score by Rtings.com
57

Score distribution:

80-100
60-80
40-60
20-40
0-20
81
The Sony LinkBuds S is a reliable and comfortable pair of wireless earbuds with excellent active noise cancelling performance and customizable controls. With a secure fit, IPX4 rating, and long battery life, it is a great option for those looking for high-quality sound and ease of use.
+ pros
  • Secure fit and IPX4 rating for water resistance.
  • Excellent active noise cancelling performance.
  • Customizable controls through the Sony Headphones Connect app.
  • Good sound quality with the Treble Boost EQ preset.
  • Fast charging case.
- cons
  • Microphone struggles with external noise.
  • No unoccluded design like previous model.
  • Battery life of 6 hours may not be enough for some users.
  • Lacks equalizer capabilities like the Google Pixel Buds Pro.
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Expert consensus

The Sony LinkBuds S are wireless earbuds with excellent active noise cancelling, a well-balanced sound signature, and a range of advanced features, making them a great choice for music lovers, professionals, and anyone who wants to stay connected on the go.

The Sony LinkBuds S are wireless earbuds that offer a well-balanced sound signature with solid bass and clear vocals, making them suitable for listening to music and taking phone calls. They also have excellent active noise cancelling (ANC) technology that can significantly reduce low droning sounds, making them ideal for use in noisy environments.

The earbuds are designed for all-day comfort, with a lightweight and ergonomic design that ensures a secure fit. They also have a battery life of up to 6 hours with active noise cancellation enabled, which can be extended up to 20 hours with the charging case. The earbuds have impressive Bluetooth range, extending up to 40 feet in open spaces, and are compatible with both iOS and Android devices.

They also come with a range of additional features, including touch controls, compatibility with voice assistants, and an app called Sony Headphones Connect that allows users to customize the sound profile of the earbuds. Overall, the Sony LinkBuds S are an excellent choice for anyone looking for wireless earbuds with advanced features and excellent sound quality, whether they are a music lover, a busy professional, or someone who just wants to stay connected on the go.

Sound quality

The Sony LinkBuds S earbuds have a well-balanced sound signature with solid bass and clear vocals, smart features, and decent noise-cancelling capabilities, but may lack the fun factor and rhythmic drive of Sony's wireless headphones.

The Sony LinkBuds S earbuds have a well-balanced sound signature with solid bass and clear vocals, making them suitable for listening to music and taking phone calls. The mid-range is well-represented, which makes vocals sound accurate, but the treble is underemphasized, which can affect the detail of instruments and vocals.

The earbuds have impressive detail levels, soundstaging, and tonality, but the lack of dynamic headroom means they may not bring a recording fully to life. The noise-cancelling feature is decent and can cancel out most background sounds. The earbuds also have smart features that learn from your behavior and automatically adjust sound settings to provide the right sound for the moment.

However, some experts note that the LinkBuds S are slightly disappointing on the audio front, lacking the fun factor and rhythmic drive that Sony’s wireless headphones usually have in spades. Overall, the Sony LinkBuds S are suitable for users who prioritize a well-balanced sound signature with solid bass and clear vocals, and who value smart features and noise-cancelling capabilities.

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Noise cancellation

The Sony LinkBuds S earbuds offer excellent active noise cancelling (ANC) technology that can significantly reduce low droning sounds, with adjustable levels of noise cancellation and an ambient sound mode, developed using AI machine learning.

The Sony LinkBuds S has excellent active noise cancelling (ANC) technology that can significantly reduce low droning sounds, such as the rumble of a car engine or the blaring of a lawn mower. With low-end attenuation of up to 35dB around 200Hz, environmental noise in that range should be rendered roughly one-eighth as loud.

The ANC is good enough to cancel out most background sounds, including external sounds like traffic noise and train rumbles. The buds also have wind noise reduction and precise voice pickup technology, which can help in making phone calls. The call quality is very acceptable and the intelligibility is good.

The noise-cancellation is also good enough to suppress distractions when working from a coffee shop. The Sony LinkBuds S offers adjustable levels of noise cancellation with 20 levels of adjustment through Sony’s Headphones app. Additionally, the LinkBuds S offer an ambient sound or transparency mode that lets you hear more of what’s happening around you.

The Sony LinkBuds S use adaptive active noise cancelling (ANC) technology that can even remember preferred locations and also detect whether the wearer is moving or lingering. The noise reduction algorithm uses over 500 million voice samples to suppress ambient noise. Overall, the Sony LinkBuds S earbuds offer excellent active noise cancelling (ANC) that is developed using AI machine learning.

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Comfort

The Sony LinkBuds S are comfortable and secure earbuds designed for all-day use, with a twist-to-fit design and multiple ear tip sizes to cater to different ear shapes and sizes.

The Sony LinkBuds S are designed for all-day comfort, with a lightweight and ergonomic design that ensures a secure fit. They come with four different sizes of ear tips to cater to different ear sizes and shapes. Most reviewers found them to be comfortable even after several hours of use, with no discomfort or irritation.

The earbuds are suitable for physical activity or movement, thanks to their twist-to-fit design that keeps them securely in the ear. However, individual experiences may vary, with some reviewers reporting itchiness or ear pressure after prolonged use. Overall, the Sony LinkBuds S are a great option for those looking for comfortable and secure earbuds for everyday use.

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Battery life

The Sony LinkBuds S have an average battery life of 6 hours with active noise cancellation, but come with a charging case that can hold two extra charges and have quick charging capabilities, making them suitable for extended listening sessions and quick charging needs.

The Sony LinkBuds S have a battery life of up to 6 hours with active noise cancellation enabled, which is average compared to other wireless earbuds on the market. However, the earbuds come with a charging case that can hold two extra charges, providing a total of up to 20 hours of battery life.

The earbuds also have quick charging capabilities, with just 5 minutes of charging providing 60 minutes of playtime. Reviewers have noted that the battery life is impressive for the earbuds' compact and lightweight design. Overall, the Sony LinkBuds S are suitable for extended listening sessions and quick charging needs.

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Connectivity

The Sony LinkBuds S offers impressive Bluetooth range, compatibility with both iOS and Android devices, and the ability to connect to two devices simultaneously, making it a reliable and versatile choice for wireless earbuds.

The Sony LinkBuds S has impressive Bluetooth range, extending up to 40 feet in open spaces, which is more than what Sony advertises. It is compatible with both iOS and Android devices and requires the Sony Headphones Connect application for optimal use. The earbuds can connect to two different devices at the same time after receiving a firmware update in November 2022, making it easy to switch between devices without disconnecting and reconnecting.

While the earbuds do not support NFC pairing, they do support Google Fast Pair and Swift Pair for Windows 11 or Windows 10 devices. The Sony LinkBuds S connects to devices with Bluetooth 5. 2 and supports SBC, AAC, and LDAC codecs, making it a great option for Android users who want a high-quality audio experience.

Overall, the Sony LinkBuds S offers reliable and versatile connectivity features that make it a great choice for anyone looking for wireless earbuds.

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Additional features

The Sony LinkBuds S are wireless earbuds with touch controls, compatibility with voice assistants, active noise cancellation, and an app for customizing sound profiles, making them ideal for those seeking advanced features and excellent sound quality.

The Sony LinkBuds S are wireless earbuds that come with a range of additional features that enhance the overall user experience. These features include touch controls, compatibility with voice assistants such as Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple Siri, and Bixby, and an app called Sony Headphones Connect that allows users to customize the sound profile of the earbuds.

The earbuds also come with active noise cancellation, Sony's best-ever transparent ambient sound, smart sound, ultra-small and light design, advanced voice signal processing, and Alexa built-in. The additional features of the Sony LinkBuds S are designed to make the user experience more seamless and enjoyable, allowing users to control their music and calls, interact with their virtual assistant, and customize their sound profile without having to take out their phone.

These earbuds are ideal for anyone looking for wireless earbuds with advanced features and excellent sound quality.

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Position in ranking

We maintain a monthly ranking that sums up expert recommendations for all wireless headphones.

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Apple AirPods Max
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Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds
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3
11
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2
3
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Sony LinkBuds S did not receive any endorsements this month.