Precise audio quality combined with a design tailored for physical activity. This is how to sum up the philosophy of these new LinkBuds Fit. They succeed the first generation of LinkBuds S, launched a little over two years ago and which had struggled to convince at the time. To avoid repeating this, Sony has revised its copy from top to bottom, thanks to new components and design. Here is our opinion on the Sony LinkBuds Fit after a few days of testing.
All round, these mid-range headphones offer quality in line with their price (launched at 200 euros, they are listed at 180 euros on the Sony website and even on sale at 150 euros at the time of writing). The shiny plastic is not of high density, but does not give off a "cheap" look. This also allows you to save weight with only 4.9 g on the scale.
The case combines glossy plastic for its upper part and matte for the lower part, thus presenting a strange hamburger profile. This form factor also penalizes it in thickness (47.2 x 47.2 x 32.6 mm), making it quite difficult to forget in a trouser pocket. The hinge has a slight play, while on the back there is a pairing button and a USB-C port (very short USB-C to USB-A cable provided); no wireless induction charging is integrated here.
Sony LinkBuds Fit designed to move
The design of these sports earphones is classic, with a system of lugs that fit into the ear. However, it must be recognized that these flexible and hollow tips are simply perfect for holding the earbuds in place, as we were able to see during our running sessions. While these tips only come in one size, four sizes of pairs of tips are provided to apparently fit all types of ear canals. They are semi-in-ear, minimally invasive for truly foolproof comfort. Combined with flawless support, this is one of the great successes of these LinkBuds Fit.
Their design specifically for sports activities also allows them to display an IPX4 certification, which gives them a priori resistance to splashes. However, the Japanese manufacturer discreetly indicates on its site that protection is "guaranteed against water splashes on the entire surface of the earphones, with the exception of the sound output duct, ventilation holes and microphone holes in the unit". Not enough to inspire confidence, especially if you decide to go running in the rain. In any case, even in this use, we did not notice any malfunction, but we preferred to wipe the LinkBuds Fit well before putting them back in their case.
Our opinion on the application: complete and complex
These true wireless headphones are also well equipped at this price point: port detector to pause music when you remove them, multipoint Bluetooth (5.3 with LE Audio) authorizing SBC, AAC, LDAC codecs, but also the very recent LC3 and Google Fast Pair and Microsoft Swift Pair quick pairing. Other features can be configured via the ultra-complete Sony Sound Connect application (formerly Sony Headphones). 
Despite the change of name and logo, nothing really changes on the interface side: it's difficult to be the most complete application on the market without being a little too complex. It takes time to get to grips with all the sections and options, it's worth it.
Certainly, some functions are more of a gadget, but at least you have the choice to use them or not. The adaptive sound control - which modulates noise reduction and transparency according to your activity and environment - is for example not always relevant. Based on both noise, movements and the location of the phone, it often hesitates between the most suitable modes. For example, we prefer Apple's system on its AirPods Pro, which is more fluid. The background music effect simulates listening as if it were taking place in a café, living room or bedroom. A way of simulating the distance of the source from the subject to entertain them less. Not very successful, apart from perhaps the "bedroom" mode which suffers the least from this strange reverberation effect. 
Audio quality test: close to high-end
The two major technological innovations of these LinkBuds Fit are simply inherited from the WF-1000XM5, in other words the models among the very best on the true wireless market. These new models under 200 euros thus inherit the V2 processor for active noise reduction and the 8.4 mm Dynamic Driver X for audio quality. Despite using the same chip, the LinkBuds Fit remain a good notch below their elders, past masters in the field. Continuous sounds (traffic, noise in transport, etc.) are well filtered, but sudden or abrupt noises are much less so. The same goes for the transparency mode which does not sound as natural as on the WF-1000XM5. The processor is one thing, but the integrated microphones are another and these are probably not models of the same quality here. The hands-free mode also suffers from this, with a captured voice that seems distant and is quickly degraded in noisy environments by artifacts trying to hide unwanted sounds.
On the other hand, the transducers do full justice to the audio quality of the LinkBuds Fit. If they are less impressive than the high-end model, it is certainly because of their acoustic design, but the restitution is very detailed and dynamic. Less neutral than the WF-1000XM5, they can be corrected in part via the equalizer to slightly reduce their bass, just to find a little balance. But Sony is close to flawless here for headphones at this price, the competition will have a hard time doing better.
Finally, the battery life is not impressive, but in any case in line with what Sony announces (5 h 30). With the noise reduction mode activated, we thus approached 5 hours 20. The case charges in about 2 hours, knowing that a quick charge option is offered to the headphones: 5 minutes of charging for 1 hour of listening.
0 Comments