Sony LinkBuds Fit review

There’s a lot in a name. The sharp-minded among you may have realised that a pair of earbuds with the word ‘fit’ in the title are serving up a rather droll double meaning. Discounting the likelihood that the term can be interpreted as referring to physical attractiveness the word in this instance pertains to the ‘fit’ of the earbuds in your ears and, get this, pursuits that involve physical fitness.

In this name, then, we find many clues as to what the Sony LinkBuds Fit are all about. These are wireless earbuds designed to give you a comfortable and secure experience as you go about your daily life and, when the time comes for you to shed the suit and don your best workout gear, help you achieve your fitness aspirations like a champ. We’re crying out for decent running headphones that can excel in the home as much as they do on the track, so here’s hoping that Sony, the current king of the wireless earbuds sphere, has figured out the formula for success.

Price

The Sony LinkBuds Fit retail at £179 / $179 / AU$348, a price that puts them beyond the more affordable Sony WF-C700N (£100 / $120 / AU$200) and firmly into the mid-range realm occupied by the new Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (tested at £180 / $179 / AU$289) and the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation (£179 / $179 / AU$299).

They’re also facing off against some decent sport-centric competition, as the admirable Beats Fit Pro generally hover around the £190 / $160 / AU$299 mark. Solid alternatives of all types are here to keep the LinkBuds on their toes, then.

Design & comfort

There doesn’t seem to be much consensus at Sony regarding what a ‘LinkBud’ actually is. The original pioneers from 2022 sported a novel open ring driver design, whereas the LinkBuds S saw Sony go back to safer ground with a more conventional design that looked hugely similar to the as-yet-unreleased WF-C700N. The LinkBuds Fit once again bring something unique to the table, and if we had to describe these latest members of the rather mismatched family, it would be as a cross between the budget Sony WF-C510 and the rival Beats Fit Pro.

The biggest similarity with the Beats is the new LinkBuds’ in-ear hooks, similar to the pointy protrusions found on the Fit Pro which nestle under the ear’s inner ridge and provide security and stability during demanding workouts or extended strolls to the office. Sony has dubbed its hooks ‘Air Fitting Supporters’, describing them as “soft and hollow tails” that reduce ear contact and pressure. Filled with air and squidgy to the touch, they are indeed softer and more pliable than the moulded plastic points offered by the Beats.

Call them what you will, their presence is welcome. Across most members of our testing team, the LinkBuds Fit slot into the ear so unobtrusively yet securely that you truly feel as though you’re getting the best of both worlds. Shake your head, jump up and down or vault yourself over Olympic hurdles, the LinkBuds Fit aren’t going anywhere, anchoring themselves effortlessly during a 10K test run. We could’ve jogged to Land’s End and they wouldn’t have budged an inch, and with an IPX4 rating on board, the Sony buds should be able to prevent damage from sweat and splashes of water as you tackle the elements.

They aren’t all about fitness, though. Sony’s marketing for its latest buds has heavily targeted younger wearers, choosing Gen Z pop star Olivia Rodrigo as its glamorous spokesperson du jour. Rodrigo uses her pair to explore the New York subway, but we found that wherever you are, the buds’ small size, well–made eartips, pliable air supporters and meagre 4.9g weight combine to provide a fit that nestles gently into your ear rather than jamming into it like a puzzle piece in the wrong slot. Add in a small, attractively marbled charging case and we can see the appeal that the LinkBuds Fit would have amongst on-the-go users looking for a pair of wireless buds to sling in a bag or jam into an available pocket.

We do have a few minor quibbles, though. Nice as those eartips are, we’re still disappointed that the meagre choice of just three sizes, as very small, small and large doesn’t feel like enough. Also, while it’s nice to have customisable touch controls, this effort isn’t Sony’s finest. We don’t want oversensitive controls that switch you from Einaudi to Enya at the brush of a hair, but the LinkBuds Fit have gone too far the other way, so much so that you often have to bash each unit’s outer sphere with genuine force if you want to get the required response, jamming the buds further into your ear in the process.

Features

Whether you’re one of the brightest pop acts on the planet or just a humble What Hi-Fi? staff writer navigating the London Underground, you’re going to want decent noise cancelling to go along with that comfy fit. The LinkBuds Fit offer two main flavours – standard active noise cancelling (ANC) and Ambient Sound – and while the equally-priced Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (2024) set a high bar with their polished ANC performance, the LinkBuds keep up admirably. The standard mode works well in dampening exterior noises and softening the hum of the world around you, opening up and allowing information to pass through when Ambient Sound is selected.

On to battery life. The Fit offer up to 5.5 hours playback from the buds themselves, clocking in at a total of around 21 hours of total playback with the case included, and if you’re running low, a five-minute quick charge will grant you a further hour of playtime. Those figures are solid, but they fall short of the main market rivals: the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds offer more time (8.5 hours) from the buds and a higher total of around 30 hours, whereas the Apple AirPods 4 will grant around 5 hours from the buds but a total of 30 hours with the case.

Sony hasn’t skimped on further features for its youth-oriented buds, offering a raft of handy tricks that are now accessible via the company’s newly-named Sound Connect app. The software is a nicer place to be than the comprehensive but slightly outdated iteration that preceded it, giving you access to a fully customisable five-band equaliser, noise cancelling modes, multipoint connections and even fancy features such as head tracking and Sony 360 Reality Audio.

The LinkBuds Fit do seem to do a lot of life’s heavy lifting for you. Not only does ‘Ambient Sound Mode’ automatically adjust your playback to your surroundings so you can stay aware at all times, but the buds’ novel ‘Auto Switch’ feature aims for more seamless playback between your LinkBuds earbuds and, if you have one, your compatible LinkBuds Speaker. Designed for “an uninterrupted listening experience”, the music from the buds will, when in range, immediately start playing through the speaker once the LinkBuds Fit earbuds are back in their charging case. If you want the sound to return to your ears, taking the buds from their cause automatically switches your audio to the buds themselves, a novel trick that worked well when testing it out in our office.

Sound

The LinkBuds, in their various guises, have always offered something slightly different sonically. The original ring-shaped pioneers provided a balanced, natural sound with plenty of spaciousness to their presentation, whereas the LinkBuds S featured a similarly poised, bass-heavy style with more or less the same limitations regarding dynamics and a sense of drive. Both of those sets were “nearly but not quite” efforts, and it’s something of a similar story with this 2024’s sporty twist, albeit for different reasons.

Let’s start with the positives. The LinkBuds Fit offer an assertive presentational character, right off the bat walloping you with a robust, hearty sound that doesn’t lack enthusiasm. Someone might need to investigate the Fit for steroid offences, because the bold sound they produce is about as vein-poppingly muscular as anything we’ve heard at this level. Tracks such as Eminem’s The Way I Am and Slipknot’s Before I Forget sound bracing and energising, such is the force the LinkBuds Fit impart on such heavy, have-at-’em tunes.

This is where we can see the appeal of Sony’s latest. If you’re looking to get adrenalised as you prepare for a stitch-inducing sprint session, the Fit are more than happy to deliver the hormone in spades. The sound may occasionally come across as a little blocky and unsubtle, but in terms of evoking the spirit of a track, particularly one drawn from heavier rock, hip-hop and movie soundtrack stables, the LinkBuds Fit get the job done with aplomb.

There’s detail to be found, too, aided by Sony’s DSEE sound upscaling tech for cleaning up lower-quality files. The more expensive Sony WF-1000XM5 will naturally offer far more in this department, sprinkling tunes with those tasty little extras and filling out compositions with more definable layers of sonic goodness, though these cheaper alternatives are no slouches. The piano on Debussy’s Claire de Lune has sufficient glossiness, whereas Matt Bellamy’s vocals on Muse’s Madness are communicated with enough breathy intimacy to keep us invested.

Yet as a pair of fool-proof all-rounders, we’re not quite convinced that these new Sonys have all of the bases covered with quite the same comprehensiveness as, say, the rival Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (2024). The Bose are a little better at understanding the natural flow of a given track, organising elements more effectively and providing more space and clarity in which given instruments and vocal strands can shine. It isn’t night and day, but the Fit can be somewhat route-one in their approach, something that can make all tracks, whatever you’re listening to, sound coloured by how the Sonys want the music to sound rather than how it actually is.

They’re also a touch heavy-handed in the bass, and while that can be somewhat rectified by adjusting your EQ settings, we still get the sense that the lower register’s slight lack of tautness can tend to pull recordings back a little. The LinkBuds Fit are a powerful listen, but that lower end can sometimes detract from their sense of rhythmic propulsiveness. To use a sporting analogy, the Sony buds are akin to a heavyweight boxer or an Olympic weightlifter. They are not, we feel, quite a nimble-footed sprinter or gravity-defying gymnast.

Verdict

Even if the Sony LinkBuds Fit fall short of true greatness, we can find a great deal to recommend about them. If you’re searching for all-purpose wireless earbuds and you don’t experience issues with fit or in-ear comfort, we’d direct you towards more musically adept rivals in the shape of, say, the recent five-star Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2024).

Alternatively, if you’re a dedicated sporty type seeking a pleasing blend of comfort and durability without making too many sonic sacrifices, the LinkBuds Fit are definitely worth considering. While their sound lacks the subtlety and refinement of the best Sony efforts, there’s enough muscularity and punch here to keep you firmly on track. For aspiring athletes and seasoned Strava hounds, they make a great deal of sense.

First reviewed: November 2024

SCORES

• Sound 4
• Features 5
• Comfort 5

MORE:

Read our review of the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (2024)

Also consider the Apple AirPods 4 with ANC

Read our Beats Fit Pro review

Best running headphones and wireless earbuds: tested on the road and in the gym