An improvement upon the original LinkBuds in every way

Sony's true wireless LinkBuds S earphones deliver good sound quality and noise cancellation in a much more effective design than previous pair, but they don't quite outshine the rest of the competition.

Sony’s LinkBuds ($179.99) didn’t impress us, with an open design that didn't fit securely and weak bass that flirted with distortion. Thankfully, the LinkBuds S ($199.99) are a completely different story. First and foremost, this new pair of noise-cancelling true wireless earbuds ditches the inconsistent open design for a closed one that enables much better audio quality. They also offer above-average active noise cancellation (ANC), a feature the original model lacked entirely. This leads to a higher price, albeit one that's more in line with the features and performance you get. But while the LinkBuds S are undoubtedly an improvement over the regular LinkBuds, Jabra's Elite 7 Pro earphones offer comparable sound quality and ANC performance, along with longer battery life and a fully waterpoof design, making them our Editors' Choice.

Available in black (more of a graphite) or white, the LinkBuds S are covered in a grainy, but not rough, matte material, lilke a very fine-grit sandpaper. The earpieces look stylish, and their easy-to-grip surface is a welcome change from the slippery design of many other true wireless models. Another benefit is that the earpieces fit quite securely without the aid of any accessories. Sony includes four pairs of silicone eartips in various sizes.

Internally, 5mm dynamic drivers handle the audio. The LinkBuds S are compatible with Bluetooth 5.2 and support the AAC, LDAC, and SBC codecs. The inclusion of the high-end LDAC codec puts them in a relatively rare class with audiophile-friendly models such as the Technics EAH-AZ60 ($229.99).

The outer part of each earpiece functions as a capacitive touch panel, with controls that feel responsive and intuitive. Tap the left ear once to cycle between ANC on, off, and Ambient modes. The same gesture on the right earpiece handles playback and calls. Also on the right earbud, tap twice to move forward a track or three times to go to the previous one. Finally, hold down on the right earpiece to summon your device's voice assistant. You can adjust the controls quite a bit in the app, but as is usually the case, adding a function means that you have to give up an existing one.

An IPX4 water-resistance rating is modest, but typical for noise-cancelling earphones. It means that the LinkBuds S can withstand splashes, so neither sweaty workouts nor light rain should be an issue. You shouldn't rinse them off under a faucet or submerge them, though. This IP rating doesn’t extend to the case, so make sure to dry the earpieces before you dock them for charging. For comparison, the Jabra Elite 7 Pro and the $179.99 Jabra Elite 7 Active both boast superior IP57 waterproof ratings, which makes them better for runners.

The charging case has a matte, textured surface that matches the earpieces and is much easier to open than the glossy plastic charging cases we usually see. The back houses a USB-C charging port (the box includes a USB-C-to-USB-A cable) and a manual pairing button. 

Sony estimates that the LinkBuds S can last roughly six hours on a charge and that the case holds an additional 14 hours of battery life. These numbers are average at best, but your results will depend on your typical listening volume and your use of ANC.

The Sony Headphones app (available for Android and iOS) is always improving, though it still comes with a lot of bloat, such as 360 Reality Audio, Sony’s version of spatial audio.

That said, we're fans of the app's adjustable EQ (five bands with a separate bass fader). We also like the Ambient Sound controls, for which you get an intensity slider and an option to emphasize voices. Additionally, the app unlocks various on-ear control adjustments and third-party service integrations, such as Spotify Tap and Microsoft Soundscape 3D immersive audio.

The LinkBuds S deliver above-average noise cancellation. They significantly dialed back powerful low-frequency rumble (like you hear on an airplane) in our tests. The pair also cut back the lows and mids from a recording of a busy restaurant with clanging dishes and boisterous conversation, though the high-mids and highs made it through. The good news is that the ANC doesn't seem to add too much high-frequency hiss to the signal, something many options below $200 can't claim.

That said, the LinkBuds S simply don't compete with Sony’s flagship WF-1000XM4 in this area. The WF-1000XM4 earphones are more expensive at $279.99, but they're far more effective against both deep low-frequency rumble and higher frequencies. They're absolutely worth the extra money if noise cancellation is paramount to you.

For audio, on tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” the LinkBuds S deliver powerful low-frequency response. The bass doesn’t distort at top volume levels, and at more moderate volumes, the lows still sound robust, full, and balanced with the higher frequencies. 

Bill Callahan’s “Drover,” a track with far less deep bass in the mix, better reveals the sound signature. The drums on this track can sound overly thunderous on bass-forward earphones, but here, the bass balances well with the rest of the mix. The drums get some extra heft, but never sound unnatural. Callahan’s baritone vocals benefit from an ideal blend of low-mid richness and high-mid clarity, while the acoustic strums and higher-register percussive hits sound clean and bright.

On Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “No Church in the Wild,” the kick drum loop receives enough high-mid presence for its drum loop to retain its punchy attack. The vinyl crackle and hiss take a slight step forward in the mix, while the sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the beat come across with some restraint. The lows don’t sound weak here, but the drivers are capable of more bass rumble if that’s what you’re after (the app’s Clear Bass fader in the EQ section brings some thunder). Without the EQ in play, the LinkBuds S default to a more balanced, accurate-leaning sound signature. The vocals on this track sound clear and mostly free of sibilance. 

Orchestral tracks, like the opening scene from John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary, sound bright and benefit from the strong anchoring of any low-frequency elements in the mix. The higher-register brass, strings, and vocals own the spotlight, but the recording never sounds thin because of the natural depth of the lower-register instrumentation.

The mic offers strong intelligibility—we had no trouble understanding every word in a test recording on our iPhone and didn't notice any Bluetooth artifacts. Audio recordings sound crisp and the signal level is strong, so you shouldn't have any issues with calls.

The Sony LinkBuds S are what the original LinkBuds should have been, with strong audio performance, above-average active noise cancellation, and a more consistent fit. Their battery life isn't bad, but for the price you can do better. The aforementioned Jabra Elite 7 Pro and Jabra Elite 7 Active, for instance, both offer comparable audio performance and above-average ANC in a fully waterproof build with longer battery life for a similar price. And if noise cancellation is your top priority, you'll need to spend more, but you can’t beat the Sony WF-1000XM4.

Sony's true wireless LinkBuds S earphones deliver good sound quality and noise cancellation in a much more effective design than previous pair, but they don't quite outshine the rest of the competition.

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I've been a contributing editor for PCMag since 2011. Before that, I was PCMag's lead audio analyst from 2006 to 2011. Even though I'm a freelancer now, PCMag has been my home for well over a decade, and audio gear reviews are still my primary focus. Prior to my career in reviewing tech, I worked as an audio engineer—my love of recording audio eventually led me to writing about audio gear.

Probably because of their prevalence in the recording studios I worked in a long time ago, I am most comfortable on Macs—I'm writing this on the 2019 iMac I use for testing. I also have a MacBook Pro that gets plenty of similar use.

My workspace has a mini recording studio setup, and the the gear I work with there is a mix of items I've used forever (Paradigm Mini Monitors and a McIntosh stereo receiver) and newer gear I use for recording and review testing (such as the Universal Audio Apollo x16).

I'm obsessed with modern boutique analog synths—some of my favorites instruments in this realm are the Landscape Audio Stereo Field and HC-TT,  the Soma Enner, the Koma Field Kit, and the Lorre Mill Keyed Mosstone.

From my studio days, I'm comfortable using Pro Tools, and in recent years have branched out to other realms of creative software, like Adobe Premiere and After Effects.

I stream music, but I also still buy albums, digitally or on vinyl, and encourage anyone who wants fair compensation for musicians and engineers to do the same.

I also play lots of Wordle.

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