Apple's AirPods Pro vs. Sony's LinkBuds S Earbuds

[GhostOS]

Honestly I went back to the wired EarPods that used to come with the iPhone. Wireless doesn’t support lossless. And yeah, it does sound better.

I doubt the wired EarPods that come with the phone sound better than AirPods or AirPod Pros.

 

[recoil80]

I wonder how these compare to the Sony WF-1000XM4s. (I've always considered them Sony's version of AirPods Pro.)

I had the previous model the 1000XM3 and eventually switched to the AirPods Pro. I bought the Sony as I found a good deal so they were much cheaper than the AirPods Pro, but I quickly realised they weren't a great product. Music quality is maybe better than the AirPods, but I couldn't keep the Sony in my ears more than an hour and I tried all the different foam tips. The case is bulkier compared to the AirPods and sometimes it didn't charge one of the earbuds. Bluetooth pairing is obviously better with the AirPods if you have an Apple device, but in the end it was the discomfort while wearing them that made me decide to switch.

 

[jdavid_rp]

Honestly I went back to the wired EarPods that used to come with the iPhone. Wireless doesn’t support lossless. And yeah, it does sound better. The controls on the wire are nice. And no need to ever change anything. To be sure, AirPods are also nice sometimes too.

Placebo effect? Even it they're wired I dont think their DAC nor the drivers are good enough to take advantage of lossless audio

 

[svish]

Looks like it is a good alternative to AirPods Pro.

 

[spartan1967]

These 2 look objectively comparable in value with all aspects considered. However, I already tried the APP & the smallest size was too big for my ear openings. I wonder if Sony’s would do better for me with this problem.

 

[delnerdo]

I hope competition by a similarly featured product will pressure AAPL to fix the bloody crackle design failure with APP ANC #cracklegate

 

[lindros2]

funny that I've had the same exact challenge with the Sony app - selecting custom EQ - that he had.

 

[chaoslimits]

The Sony LinkBuds S offer up to six hours of playback plus an additional 14 hours through the charging case, but the AirPods Pro exceed that a bit with up to 24 hours of total listening time.

No mention that the Linkbud's 6 hours is with ANC and transparency mode on and that the APP is 4.5 hours with those features active.

No mention that APP are limited to AAC with no lossless codec.

Writing that the APP have better sound OOTB based on what? Not clear.

I can't tell if this is poor or dishonest writing...

 

[I7guy]

Another well done video MR. I prefer the shape of the airpods pro. As far as the microphone test, the quality was good from both, with the Sony sounding louder..

 

[I7guy]

No mention that the Linkbud's 6 hours is with ANC and transparency mode on and that the APP is 4.5 hours with those features active.

No mention that APP are limited to AAC with no lossless codec.

Writing that the APP have better sound OOTB based on what? Not clear.

Based on the writers subjective opinion and the writers state of their hearing. YMMV.

I can't tell if this is poor or dishonest writing...

It's neither. It's a totally subjective viewpoint, an everyday man, type of video.

 

[devilbond]

While I generally appreciate the reviews and comparisons between Apple products and competing technology, I'm not sure MacRumors is the place to go for them.

 

[Makanmata]

I am surprised they didn’t name it “LinkBuds SHX4578 ZUS” in traditional Sony fashion.

I'm surprised they didn't call it the "SHX4578 ZUS."