Every tech company under the sun seems to have made a pair of true wireless earbuds, yet for the most part, they all look extremely similar. You either get wannabe AirPods or a compact bean that sits snuggly inside your ear. My favorite earbuds, however, break the mold, and I’ve yet to find another pair like them.
Open vs Closed Earbuds
All earbuds—whether “true wireless” or not—fall into two categories: open or closed. For example, the standard AirPods are open, while the AirPods Pro are closed. The difference is the AirPods float in your ear, letting some ambient noise in, while the AirPods Pro have silicone tips that seal your ear canal and block almost all outside noise.
Each type has advantages and disadvantages. Closed earbuds work the best for noise cancellation and getting the best sound quality since they can block out most ambient noise. However, some people don’t like the “full” feeling of silicone tips jammed in their ears, and blocking out all outside sound isn’t always a good thing. It’s great for a busy airport but probably not the best for staying alert on a run.
Enter the Sony LinkBuds
I happen to be one of the aforementioned people who don’t like the feeling of silicone tips in my ears. That’s why my wireless earbuds of choice were the Mobvoi TicPods 2 for a while. I liked how they comfortably rested in my ear, but the sound quality was just okay, and I didn’t love the knock-off AirPods design.
When Sony launched the original LinkBuds in early 2022, I was immediately intrigued and bought a pair (my review). Instead of the typical AirPods-esque design that most open earbuds utilize, Sony went very literal with the “open” term. The LinkBuds’ speaker is shaped like a donut that lines up with your ear canal—directing sound into your ear while still allowing sound from the outside to enter.
That may sound like a counter-intuitive feature for earbuds, but I think of it in the same way as the “passthrough” mode on VR headsets like the Apple Vision Pro. It somewhat mimics the effect of being in the same room with a nice sound system rather than having a speaker inside your head.
I like to be able to hear what’s going on around me when I’m listening to music or a podcast. It’s especially nice when I’m riding my bike, and I want to hear traffic, pedestrians, and other cyclists. For those times when I don’t want to hear everything, I have a pair of over-ear ANC headphones, which I find to be much more comfortable than silicone tips.
The Best of Both Worlds
The other cool thing that I like about the Sony LinkBuds is how they combine elements of open and closed earbuds. As mentioned earlier, most open-design earbuds are more or less AirPods clones. They have a round speaker housing that sits in your ear with a vertical stem that hangs out. We don’t have to look any further than the newly announced Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 for an example.
On the flip side, closed earbuds tend to look like Secret Service earpieces—compact and discreet. While I don’t think the AirPods design is ugly, I don’t like wearing a product that gives the impression it’s trying to be something else. The LinkBuds are one of the few open earbuds I’ve found that don’t look like AirPods or any other earbuds. Sony is doing its own thing, and I appreciate that.
It’s been over two years since I bought the Sony LinkBuds, and they’re still my favorite wireless earbuds I’ve owned. I was a bit bummed when Sony launched the LinkBuds S—a follow-up in name only. They’re pretty basic noise-canceling earbuds with silicone tips. They look nothing like the original LinkBuds.
So, I’ll stick with my LinkBuds until Sony launches a true successor. Until then, I may pick up a second pair just in case because nothing else compares.
Sony LinkBuds
$128 $180 Save $52
The Sony LinkBuds are true wireless earbuds that feature an open design to let ambient sounds through without compromising on audio quality.
