Sony Link Buds open ear earbuds review: earbuds with a HOLE in them!? This can't be good... can it?

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Ear buds are great for a lot of people; they're small and can be worn discreetly, they often pack a powerful sound punch, and they are the ultimate in portability. But for some people they can be extremely uncomfortable because they protrude into the ear canal, creating pain or tension, or just giving an uncomfortable plugged up feeling. To resolve the pain and the odd isolation feeling, manufacturers are now starting to create what are called open earbuds. This style of headphone no longer protrudes directly into the ear canal, rather it leaves the area open, resting instead inside the larger ear concha. I recently bought a pair of Sony Link Buds (WFL-900-W), the company’s newest earbud offering.

Why choose open ear buds?

The Cliffs Notes or Coles Notes here is that Open-ear wireless headphones are headphones that don’t block or cover your ear canals and the idea is to let you hear both your music and your surroundings at the same time.
The major upside to getting this product is that you don’t need to have anything jammed in your ear canal if you find that uncomfortable. You can get Transparency Mode or HearThrough digitally from a lot of headphones and ear buds but the key difference here is nothing is physically blocking your ear canal or covering your ear.
What makes Sony Link Buds special?
You can find some other open earbuds out there, including over-ear hooking Bose Sport Open which uses bone conduction to get the sound into your ear. Sony says it's unique open ring driver easily manages both your content and allows you to be aware of your surroundings at the same time while delivering clear phone calls and music.
These are also IPX 4 water resistant meaning they protect against splashing water, no matter the direction, and these should be able to withstand wet workouts or rain.

Can you hear the music playing when next to the buds??
One of the biggest questions folks have about open earbuds is, can others hear your music while it's playing. The short answer is no. Even with these earbuds playing at a moderate volume level someone standing right beside you will only barely be able to hear it; it wouldn’t even be reminiscent of that annoying guy who has his volume set on nine and it’s bleeding out everywhere.

Sound & call quality
Sound quality
From the first moment I slipped these into my ears, I was in love with the audio quality. The base is beautiful, the levels are perfectly set, and the overall balance is very evenhanded. These headphones sound fantastic no matter what I was listening to.

Automatic audio adjustment
Adaptative Volume control is supposed to automatically optimize volume based on how loud it is around you. This means the Sony LinkBuds will adjust to lower volume in quieter places and raise it in noisier situations. I was actually super impressed with how well this worked; the effect is subtle, as in it climbs gradually. It doesn’t just snap from say volume 2 to 8, it adapts gently but effectively.

Speak to Chat & Pause Removal
With the Speak to Chat feature, the LinkBuds will automatically pause your audio as soon as you start talking to someone so you can have a conversation without taking the headphones out. When you’re done, the Link Buds are smart enough to resume playing your audio, and you can adjust how quickly that will happen, from 5 seconds after to 30 seconds. This feature works really, really well and I quite like the option.
This is not, however, good for people who talk to themselves, or folks who like to sing along, since it will stop the music any time it detects you talking. While it worked great, I’m forever mumbling to myself or singing along so it was constantly pausing the music and I ended up turning the feature off.


Overall review:
I’m surprised at how much I enjoyed my Sony Link Buds. These headphones sound great, they're ultra comfortable to wear, and I love the open feeling. The size is perfect for travel or commuting, and all of the special features work outstandingly well.

Downsides? The Sony Link Buds aren't breaking any barriers when it comes to battery life but you should have more than enough to get you through a day or two. I also really wish there was a way to incorporate noise cancelling entities, but in truth I fell in love with so many of the other aspects of the earbuds that I found myself not truly missing noise cancellation after a whille. (But to the Sony engineers: if it’s possible let’s add noise cancellation and adjustable ambient to gen 2).
I really really love these earbuds and they have earned a place in my ears and perhaps even as my new go to headphones. Sony Link Buds sell for about $179USD/$249CAD and you can get them from Sony or Amazon.