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The new headphones "LinkBuds" announced by Sony on February 16th have been in development for three years, aiming to be a unique product. [See another image related to this article] The decision is based on changes in the current portable audio market and survival in the market. is a strategic product of So how does Sony analyze the current market and how is it going to get around? An interview article with the LinkBuds development team will also be posted at a later date. Please look forward to it. ■ I tried using the LinkBuds product version What kind of product is LinkBuds? It's a true wireless headphone. The test equipment has arrived and I am currently testing various things, but I would like to give you a brief impression. I would appreciate it if you could also read the mini review on the editorial department side. First of all, the sound is "proper". Of course, compared to so-called in-ear products, it is difficult to produce low frequencies, but the sound field has a good reverberation and a reasonable amount of sound pressure. Bone conduction type products are popular as headphones that allow you to hear the surrounding sounds properly. I also use Shokz products on a daily basis, so I can understand the advantages, but the drawback is that the sound quality is not good for listening to music. The LinkBuds sound distinctly better than those bone-conducting counterparts. Sound leakage is not zero, but it is considerably suppressed. In a quiet room (about 30 dB), the volume is over 50%, and it feels like you can hear it if you are close. Compared to the bone conduction type, the sound pressure and volume are felt to be larger, so if you want to get the same sense of hearing, the LinkBuds need a lower volume, resulting in less sound leakage. And another point is that the burden on the ears is small. It's not like you put it in the ear canal, it's like setting it according to the shape of your ear, so it feels a little strange at first, but you get used to it quickly. I hardly feel the burden on my ears. However, for that purpose, it is necessary to properly select the size of the "fitting supporter" that hooks on the auricle and stops. If you scrutinize it, you will almost never miss it. You can put it on and take it off with one hand. The lightness of the burden comes from the lightness of the main body. The body size is only about half that of the WF-1000XM4. It's really cool that you have this functionality. ■ Development period is 3 years, ring driver is developed independently Mr. Nakamura says that the point of development was "sound and wearability". Mr. Nakamura (honorifics omitted below): We started considering development about three years ago. As a result of thinking, "What will happen to headphones in the future?", I thought that they would be used in both online and offline scenes. However, at the beginning, I didn't have an idea of what kind of structure it should be. Our R&
AV Watch, Munechika Nishida
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