Sony LinkBuds Fit Earbuds Review: Better Than the Beats Fit video

Hey there. I've been testing out Sony's new Link Butts Fit Earbuds for a few weeks and I'm ready to give you my full report on them. Let's jump right into the review. Ok. So Sony didn't upgrade any of its noise canceling flagship headphones and earbuds this year, but it's more midrange link buds line got a couple of big updates. I've got here, the link buds open and the Link bds fit both cost $200 and offer improved designs and sound quality. While the open features a slightly smaller version of the innovative ring driver found in the original link buds, they do play a little bit louder and serve up a, a little bit more base. But of the two new link buds that the link bds fit really are the stand up model. So I'm going to focus on them. It does seem pretty clear that the link buds fit are Sony's response to beats popular Fit Pro Earbuds. The tip off is probably in the name and like the beats buds. These are IP X four splash proof and sweat resistant. We only 4.9 g per bud. They're lightweight and compact while they're the noise isolating sibling to the link buds open, they seem more like a second cousin to the different shaped link buzz s noise isolating buds, which will remain in the link bds line. When in your ears, it's actually a little hard to tell the two new link bds models. Apart, both feature Sony's new air fitting supporters, which are essentially sports fans. Sony is highlighting how you can swap those spins out for a set with a different color to customize the look of your buds. And you can also buy optional case covers in those same color options. I don't know how great the two tone look is, but you can't fault Sony for trying to create a new revenue stream from link buds accessories which start at 10 bucks for a new set of fins. I suppose it's also good that you can replace a fin. Should you lose it? Truth be told in some ways I like the noodling buds better than Sony's flagship WF 1000 X mark five noise canceling buds. They don't sound quite as good nor do they have quite as good noise canceling, but they fit my ears comfortably and securely and their sound noise canceling and call quality performance are all very good. They're powered by Sony's integrated V two chip which Sony says optimizes noise canceling in real time according to the user's environment for optimal audio performance plus its dual noise sensor technology filters exterior sound using multiple microphones. For greater immersion. The WF 1000 X mark five has the same V two chip but pairs it with its HD noise cancelling processor QN two E chip which is supposed to further enhance noise handling and sound quality. Of course, if you can't get a good fit and tight seal with your ear buds, sound quality and noise canceling performance will suffer no matter what chips they have in them. I do think more people will be able to get a better fit with the link butts fit than the XM fives. Part of that is due to those new air fitting supporters, but Sony's also redesigned its ear tips and included a wide range of sizes including XL tips that fit my ears. Well, I can't get a tight seal with any of the tips that Sony includes with XM five buds, but I am able to use Sennheiser large ear tips to get a tight seal with those buds out of the box. The link buds fit feature, Sony's signature sound profile. It's a tad warm and by that, I mean, it's a little bit base forward, but the sound is open and dynamic if anything, it lacks a touch of clarity, but the profile works well with a variety of music genres and most people should be pleased with it. I found the sound quality to be a tad better than the beat Fit pro sound and the buds pack more bass punch than the airpods Pro two. You can tweak the sound a bit with the equalizer settings in Sony's new Renewed Sound Connect app which replaces the Sony Headphones app. Sony has streamlined the app a bit in an effort to make it seem less confusing to users. It does seem a little bit more user friendly, but there still are plenty of settings to choose from. Sony says it's also improved the ambient mode from the link butts s making it sound more natural. And I do think that's the case from my testing. As I said, the noise cancelling doesn't seem quite as good as what you get with the WF 1000 X mark five, which features some of the best noise canceling out there, but it's still very good. Overall. I thought the voice calling performance was impressive. Caller said they could hear almost no background noise when I spoke to them from the noisy streets of New York and they said my voice sounded pretty clear with minimal glitches. Here's a sample call to check out. All right, I'm in the streets of New York doing a test call with our video producer, Lomi, Lomi. I've got some traffic going on around me. Uh I've got some birds chirping in the breeze and I got a little breeze. Uh How do I sound overall? Overall? You sound great. Um I do hear the birds chirping when you talk, but that's only when you are talking. So otherwise it's, it's crystal clear and great. I'll finish up by quickly highlighting a few of the buds key features. They're equipped with Bluetooth 5.3 have ear detection sensors and support multipoint Bluetooth pairing like the link. But open you get Sony speak to chat feature that pauses your music when you start a conversation. And both models have voice controls built into the buzz themselves, which is new for Sony. The voice control feature has to be activated in the settings menu as does speak to chat. But once it's activated, you simply say, hey, headphones, play music. I thought the voice controls worked well though I did sometimes forget the exact commands. The link bds fit also have the gesture controls of link Buttz S. You can nod or shake your head to accept or reject calls and you get support for a variety of audio Codec including SB CAA CLC three and Sony's high quality L deck audio Codec. It's compatible with a lot of android devices. The fits battery life is decent but not great. It's rated at 5.5 hours and moderate volume levels with noise canceling on and the charging case gives you an additional three charges. The charging case doesn't have wireless charging, which is a bit disappointing considering the buds $200 price point, but it's not a deal breaker. I also thought the case was slightly bulbous again, not a deal breaker. That's a little taller and bulkier compared to the cases you get with a lot of buds that said it's a little smaller than the Beats Fit Pros charging case. So I can't complain too much in the final analysis. I think Sony's done a nice job moving the link buzz line forward with both design and performance improvements. Customizable accessories are a bit of a gimmick and it's too bad that Sony's raised the price for the buzz by $20 from their predecessors. But we've seen similar price hikes with a lot of new premium earbuds these days including new models from Samsung and Google. Unless you're someone who just can't stand having ear tips in your ears, the link buds fit are going to be better for you than link buds open. They're among my favorite new ear buds of 2024 and superior to the Beats Fit Pro in some ways, particularly for Android users. As always, let me know what you think about the new link buds in the comments section. I'm particularly interested in what people think about the link buds fits design and the whole accessory situation. I'm David Conner for cnet.com. Thanks for watching.