Sony has taken another stab at the open-ear design, but instead of a speaker hanging off an ear hook, we have a doughnut-shaped driver that sits in your ear. One has to remember that open earbuds have some technical limitations compared to in-ear wireless buds. How has Sony managed to overcome the limitations?

Doughnut anybody?

Open earbuds have recently grown in popularity but is the open design right for you? Sony’s LinkBuds Open (WF-L910) has a creative design and is a good alternative in a category of users who hate ear hooks and earcuff options. Though the earbuds sit in your ears, they don’t enter the ear canal; they sit just outside. It is especially popular among people who exercise outdoors and hearing the world around them is important. If you are a runner or biker or someone who takes a walk among nature all the time, some sort of situational awareness can be important.

The Linkbuds Open offer plenty of other extras like multipoint connection to pair with two devices at once, auto-pause sensors, and a speak-to-chat option that pauses sound when you talk

The new LinkBuds Open borrows a number of design features from the original LinkBuds. For example, it uses a similar doughnut-shaped speaker assembly with a hole in the middle, allowing sound ingress through the ear canal. Behind each bud is a bulb and a fin, however, this is not a bad thing — it makes it form-fitting because it can be shaped to your ear with very little force and it uses a larger surface area to stay put.

Tech chops

To control Sony LinkBuds Open you can use a feature called wide area tap to avoid dislodging the earbuds. Anytime you want to change a track or toggle a programmable input, tap the skin in front of the ear instead of poking plastic bits into your sensitive ear canals. I like this method even though it can at times be finicky. You generally don’t miss a tap even if it’s not directly on the device.

It is powered by Sony’s integrated processor V2 and a specially designed 11mm ring-shaped driver unit. There is support for DSEE (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine) and features precise voice pick up technology for ultra-clear, noise-free calls.

The slimmer charging case adds more time off the grid for 22 hours total, but as before, there’s no Qi wireless charging

There are all the components to become a part of an augmented reality setup since there is support for Sony’s 360 Reality Audio with head tracking.

It features an Adaptive Volume Control, a smart feature that automatically optimises the volume based on where you are. You can enjoy lower volumes in quiet places and higher volumes in nosier places. Adaptive Volume Control is an intelligent feature that automatically adjusts the volume of your earbuds based on your surroundings.

There is not much distortion and there is a focus on timbre but as far as immersiveness goes, it could have been higher.

Brownie points go to Sony for offering good bass response even with the open-ear design. There is some degree of punch from kick drums but don’t expect the same level as that on true wireless earbuds. It’s far better than its predecessor and rivals in the category.

Sony’s Sound Connect app provides a capable EQ

It goes toe to toe with Bose Ultra Open Earbuds and even perhaps edges past it. There is also Nothing Ear (Open) but we are yet to try it out.

Make the call

So who is this for? If you are worried that putting anything deep in the ears will affect your hearing, this is a good option. The open-ear design has a market and many joggers swear by these products. I am more of an ANC person. Nonetheless, LinkBuds Open is for anyone who wants an alternative to ear hooks and the wide-area tap feature works well. It’s great for staying safe while going about your morning exercise routine. Sound quality? There is good enough clarity in the midrange and treble, also some amount of bass.

Mathures Paul

At a glance

Device: Sony LinkBuds Open (WF-L910)

Price: Rs 19,990 (best buy)

High notes

Stabiliser fin is secure

Marble-patterned top looks good

Multipoint connection

Excellent battery life

Good degree of app support

Fits in well with morning exercise routines

Muffled note

No wireless charging