A perfectly fitted True Wireless Stereo (TWS) earbuds can make all the difference to your mood. Well, in this fast-paced life surrounded with all kinds of gadgets and gizmos, a tiny snug fitted earbud in your ear has taken on equal importance as a snug fit in your clothes or shoes.
No wonder, TWS earbuds have become favourite among the people within a short spell of time. They came a long way ever since they were launched. They are in every price range, shapes, colours and features. And that’s where the question arises, what’s the best fitted TWS available right now.
There is a way to address it.Sony has introduced another premium bud –the linkBud S– the newest instalment in its TWS line (WF-LS900N), which retails for Rs 24,990.
But are these earphones, which claim to be lightweight, worth the price? Or is it merely a brand-new item that will soon become obsolete with the passage of time?
Let’s find out precisely.
Design: speaking of the fitting of these TWS earbuds, the pair gives you the confidence to use it in a crowded place without the fear of losing it somewhere because of being too small or large to fit for your ears.
The round shaped buds perfectly plugs your ears. Sony has done a commendable job in this department. Sony also includes a number of extra earbuds tips in the box, all of different sizes.
Additionally, sometimes they don’t actually protrude from your ears like they’re really flushed.
Another plus is that they are quite light—only 4.8 grams—while maintaining a sturdy construction.
Another thing to be noted is the compact and lightweight case of this LinkBuds S. It is made of recyclable plastic, it is easy to carry in your pocket. Well, I got my hands on these grey colour buds, but there are colour schemes as well.
Case weighs far less and essentially feels like it is empty. And what’s even more amazing is that they managed to do that without making it seem cheap. For example, the hinge has almost no play, and the snapping sound at the time of opening or closing it is quite pleasing.
The only issue I really have with the case is that it doesn’t support wireless charging considering the premium price range, which I believe is unacceptable for a pair of earbuds in this price bracket. But it does come with a physical pairing button at the back of the case, like the old classic days, Thumbs up for that.
The earbuds are more of a lifestyle pair designed to integrate as naturally as possible into your life.
So, if you are searching for earphones that you can wear all the time, here is a one good option.
They’re also incredibly wonderful for working out, since I had no problems with fit and they stayed in my ears no matter what I was doing. It also offers water resistance, with IPX rating, so you can wear it without worrying about damaging it from sweat or water splashes
Sound: overall, I must admit that I was really pleased with the audio quality. Although they are packed with tiny 5mm drivers and don’t have as much bass but they do have clarity in the vocals, overall, they have a very pleasant sound signature.
They are a little bit more mid-forward, so the vocals tend to jump out a little bit more from the rest of the track, which I think leads to a little more clarity, but you don’t get as much of that rich bass sound. However it does offer 360 realty audio experience. That sounds gimmicky, but it is there and gives something new to experience.
ANC: after looking at the price tag the most frequent query arises is, “what about the Active Noise Cancellation”?
Let’s discuss ANC. Since even inexpensive earbuds have ANC, what’s the big deal? Well, this Sony model ANC works quite well , and doesn’t make your head feel heavy when the ANC is active.
On Delhi’s congested streets, I used these earbuds, and the ANC worked superbly. The outside noise was drowned out at maximum volume, causing little to no disruption.
It has transparency mode and active noise cancellation, both of which I consider to be good but unquestionably not the best available.
Like I wouldn’t primarily purchase these for that use. However, I believe they are adequate for the majority of people and circumstances.
They did offer an intriguing concentration on speech features that, when used, is meant to shut out all other noise but human voices. But in practical usage it doesn’t make much of a difference.
The earbuds also have Adaptive Sound Control, a clever function that customises ambient sound settings based on your location to produce the best listening experience. With this, you may walk about your surroundings with ease while enjoying the music and entertainment of your choice, which is a terrific concept.
But there is a problem, it took an excessively long time to activate. The fact that it takes about 15 seconds.
Connectivity: during testing, the LinkBuds S demonstrated good connectivity performance. Only on a few occasions earbuds falter and keep oscillating. Sometimes, It was quickly fixed by reconnecting it and placing it in the case. But other times it took even 5 to 10 minutes in pairing with my Android 13 device.
Battery: with six hours in the bud and 14 more hours in the case, battery life is still fairly good.
The LinkBuds S’s battery life is 6 hours of continuous playback with ANC enabled and gives about 1 hour of battery backup after fueling it with approx 10 minutes of charging.
But it doesn’t support wireless charging for the case. Hence, charging this TWS is only possible through a USB TYPE-C cable.
Touch Control: it also has touch controls, they function by tapping on the face of earphones. Single, double, or triple tap can pause and change the music and the tapping pattern can be customised as per the feature usage.
Additionally, even with accidental touches the touch sensor gets active and performs any assigned function, which sometimes becomes annoying. Apart from it, there is also slight latency, while playing, pausing the music or attending the call.
Conclusion: okay, so altogether, this pair of wireless noise-cancelling earphones is rather impressive.
Overall, there’s really not much wrong with these. I believe the only real issue I have is the lack of wireless charging support and accidental touches, which is fairly annoying for me but I know a lot of people don’t mind it.
Though, LinkBuds S seems a bit overpriced, but It sounds good and clear, ANC and ambient features works perfectly, and last but most important things it perfectly fits and premium design makes your money worth.