ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Out there for preorder for $200, Sony’s new LinkBuds Match are shaping as much as be a gym-goer’s new exercise buddy.
- These earbuds boast a stable ANC function and a snug design that’s second to none.
- Their audio output, nonetheless, is not very {powerful}.
extra shopping for decisions
What’s a very powerful facet of a pair of earbuds? My reply modifications relying on the circumstances. I choose energy and quantity after I’m at residence listening to music. If I am on the fitness center, I would like one thing rugged and able to blocking out sound. Sony’s new LinkBuds Match meets my wants.
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I had the chance to check out a pair for the previous week or so, and so they rapidly grew to become my go-to exercise buddies. I by no means left residence with out them. Earlier than I get into the various the reason why I really like these buds, I need to rapidly give a shoutout to the charging case.
I acquired the pale inexperienced mannequin with a marble lid and a smooth rubber backside. Collectively, they give the impression of being pretty. I do not know if these supplies assist reinforce it or something, however I’m an enormous fan of the aesthetics. Sony’s LinkBuds Match have the nicest charging case I’ve ever had the pleasure of holding.
The LinkBuds Match may be seen as an evolution of Sony’s LinkBuds S. Just like the older fashions, these are wi-fi, noise-canceling earbuds with a couple of changes. Most significantly, Sony designed its new earbuds to be extra comfy. The corporate informed us it made the casing shorter and coated it with a “silicone supporter.” Inside this silicone is an air cushion.
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In my expertise, this design change does two issues. It permits the earbud to suit higher inside an ear, and the silicone overlaying protects your ears from rubbing in opposition to the LinkBuds Match’s arduous plastic casing. Briefly, you get all-day consolation.
I even fell asleep with them on a couple of occasions throughout testing, and after I wakened, my ears did not really feel sore. That is one thing I am unable to say about different earbuds, which turn into uncomfortable over time.
Noise-canceling on the LinkBuds Match is stable. It is energetic by default, so the second you placed on each, ANC (energetic noise canceling) activates. The function routinely disables itself if you take one of many earbuds out.
Double tapping on the surface of the left earbud deactivates the ANC. The auto-disable operate got here in very useful for me, as I do not actually use gesture controls.
The ANC function blocks various quantities of sound, relying on the atmosphere. I heard extra ambient sound in my quiet room, just like the site visitors outdoors my window. On the fitness center, issues have been a lot quieter. I might hardly hear the weights being slammed down or the music from the speaker system. This auto-optimizer function actually impressed me.
That stated, the ANC isn’t omnipotent. Loud sufficient noises will leak via.
Sony says the earbuds final 5.5 hours on a single cost by themselves, and 25 hours with the case. Throughout my testing, I managed to get the earbuds to run for nearly seven hours earlier than I wanted to seize the charger. I had ANC turned on, and was enjoying music at a low quantity, so extending the runtime with a couple of tweaks is feasible.
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The earbuds’ audio output was typically good. Instrument separation was pretty. Acoustic songs and singers sounded fantastic. The one space during which I felt the pair faltered was the bass output. Pop and rap songs lacked that additional punch.
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
On the time of this writing, Sony’s LinkBuds Match can be found for preorder for $200. They arrive in 4 totally different colours: black, white, inexperienced, and violet. You should purchase additional equipment, like a case cowl that goes on a key ring or totally different coloured silicone supporters.
For those who like stable ANC and unbelievable consolation, I like to recommend the LinkBuds Match. The $200 price ticket is a troublesome promote, particularly when different nice, cheaper choices exist, just like the Nothing Ear (a). For those who choose robust audio output, I like to recommend the Sony WH-1000XM5 wi-fi headphones.
