The open-sound LinkBuds’ interesting ring-shaped design has been updated for a better fit, while also functioning as a home speaker.
It’s always interesting to see what device manufacturers can do outside the box versus other manufacturers sticking to what they do best. Let’s take a look at some of the cool and crazy ideas that headphone manufacturers have come up with over the years.
Headphones that measure your hearing are a good example, but so are earbuds that are designed to help you hear in a design that you can wear all day.
Sony has tackled this more aggressively than other manufacturers, coming up with not one but two different open audio concepts designed to let you listen to music and podcasts while listening to the outside world. The Ear Duo first came out in 2018, and its latest incarnation came a few years ago as LinkBuds. The idea was to use a ring-shaped driver to listen to sound through the earphones.
The original Sony LinkBuds were interesting and a bit ahead of their time, and the range was later adapted to include a cheaper version of Sony’s premium noise-canceling earbuds, but the ring-shaped models took a bit of a backseat. I did.
Fast forward to today, and Sony has introduced a second wave of ring drivers, along with two more LinkBuds models.
The latest interpretation of the open sound concept comes in the form of LinkBuds Open. This is a well-known interpretation of the idea of using a new version of the ring driver with an attachment called a “fitting supporter” that helps the earbuds fit in the ear. Sony also has an adaptive volume control feature that changes the volume of what you’re listening to, in hopes of allowing both types of audio from the real world and your phone to coexist in the same place.
There’s no noise canceling here, but that’s because the LinkBuds Open are just that: open. However, Sony has a new variant of LinkBuds with noise canceling.
By comparison, the LinkBuds Fit looks different and uses the same tip and fitting support accessory used in the WF-1000XM5 noise-canceling earbuds, omitting the ring driver to make it a bit more standard for fitness. Provides a focused pair.
This combination makes the LinkBuds Fit an exercise-focused version of the XM5, with an IPX4 water resistance rating.
The LinkBuds Open (left) uses a ring-shaped driver, while the LinkBuds Fit (right) does not.
Sony has also added one final addition to its LinkBuds series, which is a bit of a surprise.
The LinkBuds speaker is a small Bluetooth speaker made for calls and music with a pair of LinkBuds and a way to automatically switch between speaker sounds.
This is similar to Apple’s switch from AirPods to HomePod, and is usually done by handover when the iPhone bumps into the top of the HomePod. It’s a similar concept, but it has a narrower audience, primarily people who already own LinkBuds.
Sony has not yet confirmed whether the LinkBuds Speaker will work with other Sony headphones or earbuds, but the feature will be added to the renamed Sony Headphones app (now called Sound Connect). Given that it’s connected, this feature could roll out at some point in 2018. time.
It could arrive in October, before the new LinkBuds earbuds arrive. Domestically, the LinkBuds Speaker will be available starting at $299 in October, and the LinkBuds Open and LinkBuds Fit will both be available from $349.95 starting in November.
