Sony recently introduced its mid-range truly wireless earbuds, WF-LS900N, also known as LinkBuds S, which offers a discrete pair of earbuds that also promises to be great with active noise cancellation.
But at a price point of Rs 16,990, do they offer a value-for-money listening experience? Let¡¯s find out.
The unit I got my hands on was matte black and it's got this pretty cool non-slippery texture all around -- from the charging case to the earbuds. The case size is almost similar to Apple¡¯s AirPods Pros, maybe slightly thicker. However, the charging case has a flat bottom, so you can prop it up while charging easily.?
Opening the lid you¡¯re greeted with the two earbuds. Also in the case is an LED indicator which shows green light for full charge and red in case there¡¯s low battery. It also shows blue light when it¡¯s trying to pair using Bluetooth. The lid has a satisfying open-and-shut mechanism thanks to magnets and the overall build quality surely feels long-lasting.?
The earbuds might seem pretty large at first, but they fit surprisingly flush in my medium-sized ear. They have a tiny perforated circle which houses the microphones for ANC and communication. The silicone ear tips included with the earbuds are extremely comfortable. However in case you have tinier than usual ears, the Linkbuds S come with an extra small-sized ear tip too.?
In terms of sound, LinkBuds S plays it safe. The overall sound signature is somewhat balanced -- the treble isn¡¯t prominent, neither is the bass and mids are pronounced just as you¡¯d want them to be.?
Listening to Anoushka Shankar¡¯s Lasya, the percussion and the sitar is reproduced quite beautifully. What it missed out on was reproducing the music of the tabla in the background. It felt as if it lacked that oomph.?
Listening to Kesariya the beats and the punch are very present while making Arijit¡¯s vocals shine, as well as the soundstage, which albeit not as wide as I¡¯d hoped, truly envelops you in a stunning listening experience.
What made the listening experience better was support for DSEE that upscaled streaming music to make them sound more high quality. You also get support for LDAC, but sadly no aptX.?
Overall, a little tweaking with the EQ settings did help in unlocking the kind of audio I wanted from the LinkBuds S, but would have loved if it had been this dynamic right after getting it out of the box.
One place where these earbuds truly excel and even exceeded my expectations were the ANC. They do a great job of getting rid of noise in traffic and even the loud engine hums in an aircraft.?
However in situations when I wanted some outside noise to seep in, like during walks on busy streets, it offered me the ability to tweak the ANC to my liking from the Sony Headphones app.
The microphones are decent for making phone calls, but they're not as great if you¡¯re having a conversation with a ton of noise in the background. It either forces you to speak louder (which means everyone can listen to what you¡¯re saying) or be barely audible to the other individual.
As per Sony¡¯s claims, with ANC on, you can expect a battery life of around 6 hours, and without ANC on it can last as long as 9 hours. In my testing, it stayed almost true to this. I got a little over five hours with ANC always on.?
The LinkBuds S are a fine pair of earbuds that offer great comfort, portability and a pretty good listening experience that doesn't particularly 'wow' you. Sure it has some places where it misses out, but it still manages to offer a well-rounded package, with a sturdy build quality, a comfortable fit and ANC that is clearly one of the best in its class.?
For a price tag of Rs 16,990, they're a little pricey. But for the comfort and listening experience they offer, I feel they're worth it. However, it would be best to be on the lookout for good deals or sales to get more value.
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