Sony LinkBuds Open WFL910/B

The most comfortable open earbuds you can buy, with clear sound and zero bass. If you want to stay aware of your surroundings all day, these are the ones. If you want to block out the world, keep scrolling.

The 11mm ring driver is a clever piece of engineering. Mids and highs come through crisp and clear, and the sound lands in the 86th percentile in our database, which is genuinely impressive for an open design. But the bass is weak, and that's not a tuning choice, it's physics. You can't have an open ring and expect sub-bass rumble. The adaptive volume control is a nice touch that actually works, and the 3-minute quick charge giving you an hour of playback is clutch when you're running late.

The obvious comparison is the Apple AirPods Pro 3rd Generation, which gives you real ANC and much better bass for similar money, but you lose the open design and all-day comfort. The Nothing Buds 2 are a budget alternative with a more traditional fit and better bass, but they don't match the LinkBuds Open's comfort or connectivity. The Technics EAH-AZ100 is the dark horse here, with better sound overall but a bulkier fit. If you want the open ring design specifically, the LinkBuds Open are basically in a class of their own.

At $228 to $240, these are priced like premium earbuds but deliver a very specific experience. If you want the open design, there's nothing else quite like them, and the comfort alone might justify the price. But if you're expecting AirPods Pro level sound isolation or bass, you're paying a lot for something these fundamentally can't do.

The Sony LinkBuds Open are for people who hate the feeling of being sealed off from the world. The open ring design means you hear your music and everything around you, which is either exactly what you want or completely pointless depending on your life. For all-day wear at a desk or walking around the city, these are some of the most comfortable earbuds we've tested. Just don't expect thumping bass or any real noise isolation.

If you want thumping bass, real noise cancellation, or earbuds that stay put during a HIIT workout, these aren't it. Go get the AirPods Pro 3rd Generation for ANC and bass, or the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro for a secure fit with better sound isolation. The LinkBuds Open are for people who prioritize comfort and awareness over everything else.

The Sony LinkBuds Open are a niche product that nails their niche. If you want to hear your music and the world around you at the same time, and you value comfort above all else, these are the best open earbuds we've tested. If you want bass, noise cancellation, or a secure fit for workouts, look elsewhere. For the right person, these are a 9 out of 10. For everyone else, they're a 6.