When it comes to true wireless Bluetooth headsets, I think everyone will think of AirPods. Of course, the market share also proves its strength, according to the data, its market share in Q2 last year was 26.5%, far more than Xiaomi, Samsung, QCY and other brands.
However, as more and more manufacturers begin to pay attention to true wireless Bluetooth headphones, the technology of wireless headphones has also been rolled out, and the gap between true wireless headphones is getting smaller and smaller. In addition, the form of many true wireless Bluetooth headsets is increasing, which can make the experience better at the same time, but also allow users to feel the improvement of black technology to life.
Sony is one of them. Just a few days ago, Sony launched a flagship true wireless headset priced at 1199 yuan - LinkBuds. In terms of name, it is different from its head and in-ear headphones, and it is a new product line. It is worth mentioning that as a headset that costs thousands of dollars, it does not support noise reduction, and it is also fundamentally different from other TWS in terms of form.
So Sony's new headphones, is it a gimmick, or is it really a big deal?
What is the use of thousands of dollar headphones that do not reduce noise?
After the release of LinkBuds, Xiao Black is also in a state of ignorance, because in terms of its form and function, it does not meet the traditional meaning of true wireless headphones.
At present, the mainstream true wireless headphones are divided into two types: semi-in-ear and in-ear, which are represented by AirPods and AirPods Pro. Sony's own TWS is mostly in-ear headphones, such as the recently released WF-1000XM4.
This time, Sony took a different approach, neither using the in-ear type, nor using the semi-in-ear type, but directly releasing open headphones.
When it comes to open headphones, it is easy to make the little black think of bone conduction headphones that have become popular in recent years. But in fact, compared to bone conduction headphones, LinkBuds is smaller and even lighter than traditional TWS headphones.
So how exactly is it achieved?
The answer has to do with patterns. In appearance, it consists of a large, raised circle and a slightly smaller skeletonized circle. Inside the big circle, the battery, chip and other components are integrated, and the same integrated processor V1 of the Sony WF-1000XM4 is also built-in, which has an auxiliary role in improving sound quality.
The pronunciation part is responsible for the small circle part. An internally integrated ring driver, complemented by a "hollow diaphragm design" to meet basic listening needs. Although the form is different from the traditional TWS headphones, it is inseparable from its origin, and the composition inside is mostly the same.
It is worth mentioning that in-ear headphones fit the pinna by replacing different models of silicone ear tips, and LinkBuds uses "curved braces" to adapt to the shape of the pinna.
After understanding the principle, you will have a general idea of how to wear it. Among them, the small circle corresponds to the ear hole, the large circle is close to the pinna, the curved brace at the top plays a fixed role, and the upper pull ring-shaped thing has flexibility and can be close to the edge of the pinna.
Building a bridge between virtual and real, who is it for?
After understanding its peculiar shape, internal composition, and wearing method, I think everyone has a preliminary understanding of it. So back to the question posed at the beginning: Is LinkBuds useful? Or to put it another way, who is it for?
LinkBuds are open headphones, which naturally lose some of the audiences that have a strong need for noise reduction. However, after giving up the core function of noise reduction, what new things can it bring to everyone?
The answer has to do with permeable mode. Friends who have worn noise-canceling headphones may know that after turning on the noise reduction function, it can isolate most of the surrounding sounds, suitable for commuting, sleeping, working, studying and other scenes. However, if you wear it for a long time, you will suffer from the imbalance of "ear pressure", which can easily cause dizziness or fatigue over time, and it is not friendly to the ear. Secondly, the noise reduction function will also reduce the battery life of the headphones.
Of course, if you have a strong need for noise reduction, then LinkBuds is definitely not your first choice. Here Xiao Black discusses whether it can bring refreshing features after losing noise reduction.
The answer lies in its special form, we know that LinkBuds is a fully open headphone, in "transparency mode", it is more transparent than traditional noise-canceling headphones. This is because of its open form, which makes it easier to transmit external sounds to the ear. At the same time, the shape has been improved, so that the sound in the headphones can also be transmitted into the ear at the same time.
So what if external sounds clash with digital sounds? If you can solve this problem, you can see the significance of LinkBuds.
Thanks to the ring drive unit, the sound is transmitted stably while reducing distortion and making the sound entering the headphones purer. Rely on hollow ring diaphragms to allow the ear to hear real ambient and human voices, rather than simulated sounds.
When you listen to a song with headphones on, you won't be embarrassed to hear other people's voices, because LinkBuds can combine listening to songs and talking at the same time; when crossing the street, wearing it will be more secure. For some special scenarios, the "adaptive volume control" provided by LinkBuds can also automatically adjust the volume, so that the sound automatically matches the environment you are in, and the "transparency" is always throughout.
However, in terms of sound quality performance, although LinkBuds has been optimized in an all-round way at the software and hardware levels, the actual performance is still almost interesting, which is the conclusion reached by many bloggers after comparing other TWS headphones at the same price.
In addition to sounding more transparent, LinkBuds has some interesting features. For example, it brings a "wide-area tap" function, which allows users to not only adjust settings by touching the headset panel, but also cover the area around wearing. In other words, clicking near the ear or cheek can also be manipulated. In this way, the probability of false touch is effectively reduced.
In general, the emergence of LinkBuds has opened up new possibilities for the TWS headset market, and if you are interested in this new form and want to get a connection between reality and virtual sound, its emergence may meet the needs of this part of the user.
However, the lack of noise reduction function is also destined to make it lose some users. But at the very least, we can see a spirit of innovation in it, and the actual experience and future prospects need to be explored further.
Image source: Google, Sony official website