[dweaver]

Wow the Linkbud S is silly expensive. $299Cad. At that price they would have to be perfect and aside from comfort they sound like a compromise.

Curious about sound impressions though, if they are more balanced sonically they might worth looking at when they eventually drop in price.

 

[The1Signature]

Wow the Linkbud S is silly expensive. $299Cad. At that price they would have to be perfect and aside from comfort they sound like a compromise.

Curious about sound impressions though, if they are more balanced sonically they might worth looking at when they eventually drop in price.

the naming linkbuds s is confusing.

i have the xm4 and the linkbuds

xm4 = the one any only anc in ear with a great powerful sound.
linkbuds = no bass at all, perfect for listening to podcasts or videos. clear voice while hearing 95% of your surrounding. also great in like a library for listening to lofi beats.

both are complementary here.

linkbuds s ... is somehow between.

i thought linkbuds will be the "open" ones from sony in the future but the linkbuds s are closed.

i thought the linkbuds series will not have an anc but the linkbuds s have one.

 

[dasadab]

So my replacement MTW3 units arrived from Amazon this morning, and the popping and weird sounds on the R earbud were definitely a defect in my original set. I don’t hear that at all with the new ones.

Unfortunately, my Beoplay EX also came in this morning, and out of the box, they sound MUCH more musical to my ears. ANC and isolation don’t sound anywhere near as good as the MTW3, but I suspect that’s a tip issue.

Really interested in your continuing impressions of the Beoplay EX. I am going to return the MTW3s. The MTW3s sound decent overall--not wow!, but anyway they don't fit me great. I would rather double down and spend more to get something clearly sonically superior--if that's the Beoplay EXs.

 

[bladefd]

the naming linkbuds s is confusing.

i have the xm4 and the linkbuds

xm4 = the one any only anc in ear with a great powerful sound.
linkbuds = no bass at all, perfect for listening to podcasts or videos. clear voice while hearing 95% of your surrounding. also great in like a library for listening to lofi beats.

both are complementary here.

linkbuds s ... is somehow between.

i thought linkbuds will be the "open" ones from sony in the future but the linkbuds s are closed.

i thought the linkbuds series will not have an anc but the linkbuds s have one.

Do the linkbuds leak sound due to the open design?

 

[alsorkin]

Does 5.0 offer any actual audio improvements? I have read mixed reports. AptxHD maybe requires 5.0?

5.2 has the extended range (class 1) plus can be implemented with Snapdragon Sound certification if the vendor decides to implement. I have very great SQ with a Snapdragon Sound certified smartphone (Motorola Edge 2021) and the Snapdragon Sound certified Fiio UTWS5 coupled to my Fiio FH9 iems. Lossless BT is here!

 

[Sp12er3]

I think the link buds line is just a line of IEMs designed to be always in your ear, thus the small size for the S model, also 4g weight and actually the best Ambience mode on Sony TWS as of date.
It also have decent ANC, enough to not make it fall behind the M4s. It's low profile so good to lay on the side of your head with and have same battery life, it's not compromise, just actually seems more like an XM4s in overall smaller package.
I do think the XM4 is gonna be the better IEM but some people just prefer comfort over everything else.

Now if only it has the Same "touch your cheek" to control its nav buttons as the holey Link Buds.

It's designed to be an in between from the XM4 and the Linkbud ls and I think it's achieving that.
For people who already have both tho, probably not much of a recommendation.

 

[The1Signature]

Do the linkbuds leak sound due to the open design?

yes. but i highly enjoy them every day. great quality for calls, when being in the office and want to listen to music at lover volumes. the mids and highs are good - better than expected. but don't expect bass at all.

i see xm4 + linkbuds = 100% complementary.

 

[The1Signature]

Does 5.0 offer any actual audio improvements? I have read mixed reports. AptxHD maybe requires 5.0?

the jump from 4.2 to 5.0 was amazing

- 2x speed
- 4x range
- 8x data
- lower energy level

this was truly a jump in improvement.

 

[The1Signature]

I think the link buds line is just a line of IEMs designed to be always in your ear, thus the small size for the S model, also 4g weight and actually the best Ambience mode on Sony TWS as of date.

i remember that i was wearing the linkbuds for 12 hours with 60 minutes break in between (lunchtime). i totally forgot that i was wearing them. at around 7pm i had to think about and try to feel if i do still wear them or i lost them hours ago - they are just so comfortable. i coundn't imagine that one can wear in ear for 12 hours and totally forget them + being able to be in touch with family, friends, calls, and office with ease simultaneously.

It's designed to be an in between from the XM4 and the Linkbud ls and I think it's achieving that.
For people who already have both tho, probably not much of a recommendation.

i have the xm4 and linkbuds and i absolutely do not think about buying the linkbuds s, true.

 

[erockg]

So my replacement MTW3 units arrived from Amazon this morning, and the popping and weird sounds on the R earbud were definitely a defect in my original set. I don’t hear that at all with the new ones.

Unfortunately, my Beoplay EX also came in this morning, and out of the box, they sound MUCH more musical to my ears. ANC and isolation don’t sound anywhere near as good as the MTW3, but I suspect that’s a tip issue.

I've been going through the same issue here. Love the MTW3 but hands down, my EX and the Astell & Kern (my previous new additions) just blow them away musically. Wider soundstage and a lot more fun. Decisions, decisions. Anyone else here considering returning their MTW3?

 

[jant71]

We have a new curve for both wired and wireless listening. Knowles has deemed the Harman old and stodgy and not for today's listening habits including streaming and wireless.

“Consumers want hi-res, premium sound through their TWS earphones. This has been a challenge for OEMs who have had no clear guideline for what consumers prefer across the full spectrum. Now we know exactly how to design and tune a TWS earphone to create the best sounding audio available,” says Shehab Albahri, Sr. Director of Knowles Hearing Health Technologies R&D. “Brands that design with hi-res capable hardware and tune their earphones to the Knowles Curve will unlock the true potential of lossless streaming audio.”

 

[VICosPhi]

I've been going through the same issue here. Love the MTW3 but hands down, my EX and the Astell & Kern (my previous new additions) just blow them away musically. Wider soundstage and a lot more fun. Decisions, decisions. Anyone else here considering returning their MTW3?

I returned my MTW3 and EX as well. Back to AZ60 which imo are tough to beat. I can't wait for the next Technics iteration of the AZ series TWS.

 

[helmutcheese]

5.2 has the extended range (class 1) plus can be implemented with Snapdragon Sound certification if the vendor decides to implement. I have very great SQ with a Snapdragon Sound certified smartphone (Motorola Edge 2021) and the Snapdragon Sound certified Fiio UTWS5 coupled to my Fiio FH9 iems. Lossless BT is here!

Bluetooth for many revisions now can be Class 1 or Class 2, there have been 30-100m transmitters since at least 4.0 AFAIR, it all comes down to the power so battery life for small buds and no doubt less space for decent sized antenna means you do not see it often.

 

[helmutcheese]

the jump from 4.2 to 5.0 was amazing

- 2x speed
- 4x range
- 8x data
- lower energy level

this was truly a jump in improvement.

In reality is did little for our buds apart from possibly battery life, not sure if the aptX-HD codec was on non 5.0 buds as even then when 5.0 appeared it was not on many buds, I had it on Soundpeats non TWS/Neckbands.

You still get the 10m limit on class 2 buds, the range and speed are one or the other not both at the same time.

5.1 meh, 5.2 pretty good esp. battery life.

In the past 4.1 to 4.2 was a good jump but not many buds used it, I had it on one pair of Creatives non TWS.

 

[Trager]

I've been going through the same issue here. Love the MTW3 but hands down, my EX and the Astell & Kern (my previous new additions) just blow them away musically. Wider soundstage and a lot more fun. Decisions, decisions. Anyone else here considering returning their MTW3?

So I tried both while driving tonight… the EX were okay, they’re definitely better for music but the ANC is strictly so-so. The MTW3 has really damn good ANC. I even tried putting the top down and the MTW3 handled wind noise incredibly well — this is exactly the test that made me give up on the AZ60s. I feel like if the MTW3 had a better EQ setup, I could get them to really work for me for music… but as it stands, they’re at least fantastic for podcasts during my commute. Freeway driving, top down, I had the volume at maybe 30% and it was clear as a bell. Very impressive.