Sony led the charge for “open” earbuds with the weird donut-hole LinkBuds a few years ago, and we’ve seen more creative interpretations from other companies since. Now, Sony is borrowing a design from its competitors with the new LinkBuds Clip.
I’m on record as being a big fan of Sony’s original LinkBuds. They weren’t the only “open” earbuds, but they were the most literal with an actual hole that lined up with your ear canal. The second generation carried on that design, but Sony also added the un-holey LinkBuds Fit and LinkBuds 3 to the family. Now, the newest member features a wildly different design altogether.
The LinkBuds Clip are reminiscent of the Bose Ultra Open and Shokz OpenDots One earbuds. They’re even more “open” than earbuds with a literal hole in them. The LinkBuds Clip don’t really sit in the opening of your ear canal like most earbuds. Instead, they essentially clamp onto your ears with soft pressure. Speaker inside your ear, components at the back, connected by a flexible band.
In text, it may sound uncomfortable, but this design has been found to be incredibly comfortable in earbuds made by other companies. Since they’re not as close to your ear canal as most earbuds, they can easily be worn for long periods of time without needing to pull them out when you need to hear your surroundings. Sony is also including cushions for the band that can further improve comfort.
That being said, Sony is including three listening modes that can be cycled through by tapping. “Standard” mode is supposed to be best for music. “Voice Boost” amplifies voices in noisy conditions for audiobooks and podcasts. Lastly, “Sound Leakage Reduction”—that’s a mouthful—is for quiet situations when you don’t care about others hearing your audio.
Sony didn’t share many of the technical audio specifications for the LinkBuds Clip. It says they feature DSEE music upscaling, 360 Reality Audio, Background Music Effect, and a customizable 10-band EQ. The battery lasts up to 9 hours on a charge with an additional 28 hours from the charging case. They’re available now in Greige, Green, Black, and Lavender for $299 from Sony, Best Buy, and Amazon.
Who Are Open Earbuds Even For?
Open earbuds may sound a little counter-intuitive. Don’t you want to hear your music as well as you can? Believe it or not, life and music are both all about balance, and open earbuds do just that.
