I'm generally impressed with what Sony's done with the LinkBuds. And that's not just because the marketing team gave them a real name. Open earbuds are difficult to do well and these have an innovative design. Not only are they comfortable to wear, they also stay in my ears well. And even if they don't play quite as loud as I'd like in noisier environments, they sound good for open buds. I'm also a fan of the Speak To Talk and Wide Area tap features.

Sony largely succeeded at what it set out to do: It built a set of true wireless earbuds that offers transparent audio by design rather than relying on microphones to pipe in ambient sound. Indeed, the LinkBuds blend your music, podcasts or videos with whatever is going on around you. There are certainly benefits for this, whether it be the ability to be less of a jerk in the office or to stay safe outdoors.

The LinkBuds are an interesting new idea in the world of Bluetooth earbuds, one with a novel physical design that ensures full awareness of the outside world while playing music.

The Sony LinkBuds are the weirdest true wireless earbuds we’ve ever seen, but the company has taken a well-calculated risk in creating a pair of in-ear headphones that can be worn all day long. A spacious soundstage should keep audiophiles happy, while ingenious controls and an excellent companion app will appeal to techies - bass heads should look elsewhere, though.

Unique design makes it easy to hear outside sounds. Easily fit in smaller ears. Compact charging case. Simple to balance digital and real-world sounds while out and about. Good app-based controls.

The Sony LinkBuds have a very specific use case in mind—they're for that person who always has one AirPod in, that person who always has to say "one sec" while they pause their music. It's not a bad idea, but the LinkBuds won't check the boxes for most people. The sound is good but lacking lows, and there's no noise isolation. Sony's volume adjustment is clever but too aggressive, and I would much rather use Quick Attention than Speak to Chat.

The Sony LinkBuds’ open-back design offers a truly unique experience with lots of benefits, but a longer list of caveats makes them hard to recommend to most people in the market for earbuds.

Like most open headphones, their sound hardly has any bass, so your audio lacks thump, punch, and boom. The treble response is underemphasized, hurting the detail of instruments and vocals and making sibilants like cymbals seem dull. Their very accurate mid-range response makes them best-suited for vocal-centric content like audiobooks and podcasts. Their app includes a graphic EQ and presets that you can use to customize their sound profile, but they aren't a good choice if you're looking for neutral sound.

Sony's LinkBuds earphones have unique ring-shaped drivers that allow you to hear your surroundings while you listen to music, but just how well they'll fit in your ears is a wild card.