Sony LinkBuds Fit Review
Pros
- Comfortable fit
- Solid noise-cancellation
- Engaging, smooth sound profile
- Plenty of convenient features
Cons
- Better options for ANC
- Better-sounding alternatives too
- Below average call quality
Key Features
-
Review Price: £179.99
-
Air Fitting Supporters Wing-tips for a more comfortable and secure fit
-
Wide Area Tap Tap next to your ear to control the LinkBuds Fit
-
Background Listening Mode Switch on to put music in the backseat and your focus elsewhere
Introduction
Sony’s LinkBuds range is a series of headphones designed for comfort and to keep you engaged with what’s around you. The LinkBuds Fit, which launched in late 2024, are for both exercise and day-to-day use.
They join the original open-eared LinkBuds and noise-cancelling LinkBuds S, along with new entrants in the LinkBuds Open and LinkBuds Speaker. The LinkBuds series are headphones and speakers that appeal to a younger and – dare I write it – trendy audience, who put style and comfort on equal footing with sound.
Does that sound like you? Then you might be the person Sony is chasing after, though first, the LinkBuds Fit have to meet expectations to be among the best Sony headphones.
Design
- Air Fitting adapters
- IPX4 rating
- Compact charging case
Usually I don’t start with the charging case, but the LinkBuds Fit have a nice case. It’s tall but petite in size and opens like a clamshell. But the nicest aspect of it is its styling – the glossy, water brushed texture of the case ensures the LinkBuds Fit are off to a good impression before the case has even been opened.
Inside are, of course, the headphones – and they’re tiny. Sony’s been going down the direction of making the headphones more compact, and the LinkBuds Fit are arguably the smallest yet. The way they’re styled, they look a little like pearls in the case, although thankfully they’re not too slippery to extract.
They come with what Sony calls Air Fitting Supporters – they’re essentially wing-tips with a soft tail that you can tuck into the ear for a comfortable and secure fit. Every time I’ve used these headphones they’ve offered a good, stable fit and solid seal. Ear-tip sizes range from super-small to large.
During workouts and runs they never came loose enough that they felt as if they were going to fall out. That doesn’t mean that they don’t require a few adjustments every now and then.
They don’t come with extra fins but you can swap them out and buy more in various colours. I’m always game for some personalisation – black and white is oh so boring – so I like that Sony offers that option. There’s even an Olivia Rodrigo version of the LinkBuds Fit that comes in her signature purple colour.
They are rated to IPX4 which protects them against splashes of water and sweat, a rating that’s standard for any true wireless headphones.
You can control the headphones by tapping on the earbuds themselves, but they also have the novel feature of Sony’s Wide Area Tap feature. Tap near the ear the headphones will recognise and pause, skip tracks etc. It works most of the time and I like it as a means of control but if it’s not responsive enough, the sensitivity can be changed in the app or turned off completely.
Features
- Sound Connect app support
- LDAC Bluetooth
- Background Music Effect
These wouldn’t be Sony headphones if they didn’t come with a stack of features. Head to the Sound Connect app and there are various noise-cancelling modes to swap and adjust: there are EQ settings (including a custom Olivia Rodrigo EQ), the Speak to Chat mode where the headphones pause music when it senses you’re speaking.
The Spatial Sound Optimization measures the angle of the headphones to your smartphone to make sure you get “precise and immersive” music in, say, 360 Reality Audio or Dolby Atmos. 360 RA was dropped by Tidal in 2024 but Amazon Music still carries it.
The most unique feature is the Background Music Effect. With it on, music takes a backseat, like as if you’re listening to background music in a café or gym. When enabled access to EQ, DSEE Extreme, and spatial audio playback is lost.
The LinkBuds Fit support voice control via Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. The Auto Switch feature is only relevant if you have the LinkBuds Speaker as it music can jump from the headphones and speakers.
Since the LinkBuds series is about convenience, you’ve got shortcuts for getting straight to your music in Spotify Tap and Amazon Music Play Now. There’s a sound AR feature in Ingress Prime and the Endel feature offers personalised soundscapes. Both require separate apps though.
What you really want to know is how good the noise-cancellation is… and it’s solid. Using the headphones in the gym and they blocked out most of the ambient noise, and on runs outside it was good enough that I wasn’t distract me. But the overall performance doesn’t sound the strongest.
In loud environments, noise does get through, compared to the Beats PowerBeats Pro 2. The noise-cancelling tends to increase and decrease in strength – it’s not always the most consistent.
The Ambient sound mode, on the other hand, is very good. A person folding up a plastic bottle or someone coughing nearby became all too loud with it on; and it’s clear enough to pick up announcements at a train station, though it does require turning the volume down. I wish headphones would automatically dial down the volume when transparency mode is activated.
Call quality isn’t the best, which is a recurring theme with Sony’s true wireless headphones. Clarity and voice pick-up aren’t the best even in a slightly noisy environment like a gym.
The LinkBuds come with LE Audio, a Bluetooth feature that uses less energy than the ‘Classic’ mode when connecting to other LE Audio devices. They’ve got Bluetooth 5.3, and with that is support for SBC, AAC, and LDAC. The last one allows for streaming in wireless Hi-res audio. The Bluetooth signal has been reliable over the course of testing – no issues in terms of signal dropping. Bluetooth multi-point for connecting to two devices at once is present.
Back to the app, and while it’s fine to use, I do have one issue. I’d like to be able to customise the look of the app more. You can bring some features to the main My Device page but not all. Granted you don’t need them all but there are features some would use that can’t be added.
Battery life is rated at 5.5 hours and 21 in total, which isn’t much in the grand scheme of things. Over the course of a one-hour battery stream the LinkBuds Fit fell to 82 / 90% for the left and right bud respectively. Let’s say that’s an average of 14% which could get around 7 hours per charge. Streaming quality and volume will have a say in the final figure.
Sound Quality
- Warm-ish sound profile
- Smooth midrange performance
- Natural-sounding vocals
Put simply, the Sony LinkBuds Fit sound like this: slightly warm with an emphasis on bass, a midrange that sounds smooth and detailed and clear highs that are slightly dull. It’s more or less the same sound Sony’s mid-range true wireless options have produced in the last few years.
The treble performance is probably the most qualified aspect of the LinkBuds Fit’s sound. I should say it’s in no way bad. It’s clear, detailed and varied in terms of the tone it strikes but it’s not the brightest performance. It sounds a little blunt when it needs to literally shine with GoGo Penguin’s Ascent or in Sufjan Steven’s Chicago. The treble never really stands out at the top of the frequency range.
The bass performance offers some good depth and rumble with a track like Warren G’s Regulate, though the more expensive Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro produce more beef in that department. The LinkBuds Fit provide a solid thump to Katy B’s Katy on a Mission or Sam Smith / Kim Petras’ Unholy, but I also sense they could offer more punch and power too.
It’s the midrange where the Sony LinkBuds Fit are strongest. That’s not to say they’re the most detailed, especially with the Sony WF-1000XM5 around the same price, but they carry the same musicality and prowess as the rest of Sony’s true wireless. A smooth-sounding sense of clarity that’s not the most dynamic (if at all to be honest) but always comes across as natural-sounding in conveying vocals.
The soundstage is drawn in wide terms, and while both rhythmically and dynamically the LinkBuds Fit aren’t the most fluent, it’s a winning sound overall. These headphones won’t have audiophile appeal – that’s what the WF-1000XM5 are for – but they have an engaging manner that will appeal to casual listeners.
With the Background Listening Mode, it spreads the sound out and puts it further behind you. It’s less intense to listen to but actually I think it could be even quieter to really act as a “background” or ambient mode since I still find myself listening to the lyrics rather than focusing on something else.
Should you buy it?
If comfort is important
These are one of the most comfortable Sony true wireless I’ve used. Older ones could be fiddly, and some have had issues with how they fit, but these small buds fit really well and without much fuss
If you’re going for pound-for-pound for value
As good as the LinkBuds Fit are, there are alternatives at around the same price that edge them in some way, whether it’s sound or noise-cancellation. They’re good for casual listeners but if you’re hankering for more, you’ve got options
Final Thoughts
If you’re not going after audiophile levels of performance, and prefer true wireless that place an emphasis on comfort and fit, I think the Sony LinkBuds Fit will appeal.
The noise-cancellation is good, and there’s plenty of ways to customise the sound and features, plus they’re comfortable to wear over long periods of time. As a go-to pair for everyday use, the LinkBuds Fit are a charming true wireless pair.
The price pitches them against plenty of competition though. There are the JBL Live Beam 3 that offer slightly stronger noise-cancellation and sound, as well as the Cambridge Audio M100 which have a more energetic sound. There’s even the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 and Huawei FreeBuds Pro 4 that offer impressive value for money.
Essentially you’ve got choice, but if it’s comfort and convenience you’re after then Sony;s more casual earbuds are the definition of a solid fit.
Trusted Score
How we test
We test every pair of headphones we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry-standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
- Tested over three months
- Tested with real world use
- Battery drain carried out
FAQs
The colours of the AirFitting Supporters that you can get with the LinkBuds Fit are pink, green, black, violet and blue.
Full Specs
| Sony LinkBuds Fit Review | |
|---|---|
| UK RRP | £179.99 |
| USA RRP | $199.99 |
| EU RRP | €169 |
| Manufacturer | Sony |
| IP rating | IPX4 |
| Battery Hours | 21 |
| Fast Charging | No |
| ASIN | B0DBLP95PC |
| Release Date | 2024 |
| Audio Resolution | SBC, AAC, LDAC, LC3 |
| Driver (s) | 8.4mm |
| Noise Cancellation? | No |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.3 |
| Colours | Green, White, Violet, Black |
| Frequency Range | 20 40000 – Hz |
| Headphone Type | True Wireless |
| Voice Assistant | Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant |
The post Sony LinkBuds Fit Review appeared first on Trusted Reviews.
Source Trusted Reviews ,Home Appliances Reviews
About Products Reviews
No comments