[Hinomotocho]

@dweaver we must have bought ours around the same time as I was trawling HeadFi for feedback and experiences, I just found all your posts on the wireless thread and the link to your thread. I'm happy to see you started this thread, it's great to have a specific one to help get the best out if them.
I've always favoured a solid wired connection and always probably will for my more critical listening but have found occasions I can listen to podcasts/audiobooks/music at work but frequently need to interact with other people so having to pull my phone out of my pocket hit pause and take a wired iem out is a major hassle. Also we are still on occasion having to wear masks in my country so they would often get caught up so I decided to go for a nice wire free option - having a long history with Sony they were an easy choice being of a smaller design.
These are my first wireless buds so I have nothing to compare to but am really enjoying them and all the conveniences they offer, plus a couple more. Sound-wise I've been spoilt by my IER-Z1R, and even the Blon-01 they are replacing but they are definitely a satisfying listen although I notice a step down. They are serving me very well for their original intended purpose but I have also found they make phone calls a cinch with a better than expected canceling of external noise. Dozing off is a nice thing to experience without the worry of strangling myself with a cable or damaging connectors, unfortunately I had a rude awakening being told the battery was low.
A bonus for me is the noise canceling as even when not listening to anything I have found the peace they bring quite soothing when I need to step away from the noise the world makes.

 

[dweaver]

Yup these won't replace a good wired setup or even a good wireless BT setup in my experience. But when I need a true wireless configuration these sound good as compared to other TWS I own and they have better call quality and other features I appreciate. I only wish they had a bit better battery life.

The last really good wired IEM I owned was the XBA-Z5 which had amazing sub-bass and an amazing holographic type sound stage. I read the IER-Z1R are like that on steroids so the Linkbuds S will be rather large step down audio wise I imagine. But they do have their use when out and about!

My current best BT setup is a Fiio UTWS5 paired with the Fiio FH5, the FH5 is almost as good as the XBA-5 for 3D sound and about 75% of the sub-bass. Coupled with the UTWS5 it actually is almost as good as using it in a wired configuration.

I also have the MDR-Z7 which I like when I want full size cans and I also have the Audioquest Nighthawk which sounds amazing.

 

[Hearforthemusic]

I've been using these over last 2 weeks or so but beginning to get frustrated. Fit wise they're great, similar to Jabra active 7,sound and anc is great - for me sound and anc is slightly better with Xm4.

The issue is they regularly cut out / stutter, sometimes both ears, sometimes just 1. iPhone in shorts pocket. Have turned off pause when removed but it still happens and not something I experience on Xm4 or over the ears xm3 or Xm4 I have.

Just me or anyone else facing this?

 

[nc8000]

Not so far. I usually have my iPhone in my shirt pocket but I've manged to maintain connection with priority on sq with a distance of nearly 10 meters through 4 internal brick walls

 

[Hinomotocho]

Yup these won't replace a good wired setup or even a good wireless BT setup in my experience. But when I need a true wireless configuration these sound good as compared to other TWS I own and they have better call quality and other features I appreciate. I only wish they had a bit better battery life.

The last really good wired IEM I owned was the XBA-Z5 which had amazing sub-bass and an amazing holographic type sound stage. I read the IER-Z1R are like that on steroids so the Linkbuds S will be rather large step down audio wise I imagine. But they do have their use when out and about!

My current best BT setup is a Fiio UTWS5 paired with the Fiio FH5, the FH5 is almost as good as the XBA-5 for 3D sound and about 75% of the sub-bass. Coupled with the UTWS5 it actually is almost as good as using it in a wired configuration.

I also have the MDR-Z7 which I like when I want full size cans and I also have the Audioquest Nighthawk which sounds amazing.

I also own the Z7 which I use for movies, and loved the Z5 but had to sadly give up on for the awkward design causing fit issues - the IER-Z1R is a very fine iem but I would happily also have kept the Z5 for that bass and staging. I'll have to try the FH5 one day.
When I got my Linkbuds I imagined getting maximum battery life not using any of the settings but I find them all so darn convenient I have them all on. At the moment I'm not getting long periods of use so the shortened battery life isn't an issue yet.
I forgot to add, these have really highlighted the differences of my ear canals.

 

[dweaver]

Lol, I am usually one size larger in my left ear .

I too have the bells and whistles enabled. To save battery life I have set my home location to not use ANC or ambient and then turn it on manually of needed. This allows me use them at night and not get woken up by the battery getting low prompt.

I actually only use ANC for transit as the passive isolation is adequate for most of the time.

At the office I actually use ambient set to 10 in case some steps in my office and asks a question. I like that for at home too but it drained the battery to fast there.

My XBA-Z5 developed the dreaded MMCX dead connection issue and my attempt to fix it failed miserably so there dead dead dead. But the FH5 sounds pretty darn sweet so I am OK with the switch.

 

[Hinomotocho]

My Z5 were secondhand and had an occasional cut out on one side, I managed to do the tweezer fix. I've heard some had the same issues with the IER-Z1R and Sony support writing them off which at that pricing keeps me from trying a cable upgrade.
Wireless is such a treat to not have wire and connection issues, although sometimes a whole new set of others.

I haven't really sat down to get to know the full settings or what is best for me but so far most of the stock ones are serving me well. I look torward to shared experiences on this thread to get the best out them.
I haven't had a play with the EQ yet, for my uses with podcasts and occasional music they are fine although I did notice some tracks sounding quite off, particularly in the bass.

 

[dweaver]

The bass is definitely dialed down compared to lots of other Sony products. I find it a refreshing change from what has become the Sony norm but it does have some genres that likely suffer from that. For my music it is mostly good though. It can be tweaked up a bit using the EQ but not to the bigger limits of WF-1000XM3/4 models.

 

[nc8000]

Status of the batteries after 8 hours Audible audiobooks with anc, eq and dsee disabled

 

[dweaver]

I've been using these over last 2 weeks or so but beginning to get frustrated. Fit wise they're great, similar to Jabra active 7,sound and anc is great - for me sound and anc is slightly better with Xm4.

The issue is they regularly cut out / stutter, sometimes both ears, sometimes just 1. iPhone in shorts pocket. Have turned off pause when removed but it still happens and not something I experience on Xm4 or over the ears xm3 or Xm4 I have.

Just me or anyone else facing this?

I have had a couple of stutters caused by the ANC or ambient changing but had much more of a stutter issue with the WF-1000XM3 which cut out a lot on me. I am an Android Samsung user.

 

[fsrkewd]

how well do they work when used in bed with the side with the earbud in being pressed against the pillow?

 

[nc8000]

how well do they work when used in bed with the side with the earbud in being pressed against the pillow?

I can sleep a whole night with them like that. They are marginally too big so excert i light pressure but after a week I'm getting used to it. Just remember to set both touch zones to No action. For this use nothing beats my Earin M2, but their battery only last 3 hours

 

[dweaver]

how well do they work when used in bed with the side with the earbud in being pressed against the pillow?

I find I have to separate my head from the pillow a bit or they might ache as they are just slightly to deep so stick out just past my ear causing pressure. But they are more comfortable than my other TWS (Gbuds Pro and AZ60). The Gbuds Pro are almost as comfy for sleeping though but similarly stick out just enough to cause pressure.

Note I am pretty sensitive to pressure.

 

[Ixon76]

Don't know if it's Samsung or Sony but I'm leaning more towards Samsung but these Linkbuds S have terrible connection issues on my S22 Ultra using LDAC, but seems fine using either AAC or SBC.

Now here the kicker i also have both a cheap Redmi Note 10 Pro which is my work phone/backup & Samsung Tab S8, i have no connection issues at all using LDAC on either phone or tablet, i can basically walk all round the house and the connection won't drop or stutter at all, yet with the S22 Ultra moving just a few feet away from the phone would cause issues.

I also have the Galaxy Buds Live & for reference these have no issues on the S22 Ultra.

I personally think the problem might lie with the S22 Ultra bluetooth chipset both the Redmi & the Tab S8 both use the Snapdragon SOC, while my S22 Ultra uses their in house Exynos SOC, so is more likely using a different bluetooth chipset which isn't playing nice atm with the Linkbuds S using LDAC.

Other than that i really do like the Linkbuds S.

 

[dweaver]

I didn't find enough sound difference to justify using LDAC on my S20 phone so just use AAC for better battery life. If your using LDAC what bit rate are you using? I found with LDAC I have to stick with either adaptive of the lowest bitrate. Anything higher gets choppy at best.