Bummer, the pair of Bose QuietComfort earbuds I got for Christmas 2022 died. Right earbud came apart, but, sound was dead by the time I could try and glue it together. I guess that is a good time, considering most AirPods last around 2-3 years. And I usually go through headphones every year to 3 years, at least the ones I use for the gym. I still have a few around that sorta kinda work, and I did not burn out my Bose Sports earbuds (great sound, no noise cancellation). Consider that I use them an hour to hour and a half at least 3 times a week, and they are strictly for the gym. So, sweat rolling down head, into ears, and sweaty hands. Taking them in and out. Getting thrown around in the gym bag.
I’m really not enthused about spending over $150, heck, $100, but, I need decent sound and good noise cancellation. So, I thought I would give the Sony Linkbuds Fit a try. They were on sale for $149.99 at Best Buy, which is $50 off. Always been a fan of Sony, have a pair of wired headphones from maybe 30 years ago that still sound great.
The good. Some say the sound is so-so, but, I think they are pretty good. And not just because I mostly listen to metal at the gym. I tried with Steely Dan’s Aja, which is the perfect song to determine the sound quality. Very pleased. They fit well, nice and tiny, not too tight in the ear canal, and stay in the ear while working out. I never felt like one was coming out. Some complain that it is too tough to use the tap buttons, but, I like that it is hard, so I do not inadvertently pause or switch tracks or flip to non-noise cancellation.
The case is small, but, high. No biggie, will be in bag, not my pocket. There are some pretty darned good settings on the app, especially with setting the EQ.
The so so: the case doesn’t wirelessly charge. For something with a retail of $199 normally, it should.
Not really pleased with the noise cancellation. While it is fantastic while music is playing, during dead spots, low volume, commercials, watching a show or movie while I’m on the treadmill or stationary bike, there is noticeable sound in the background. Not as much as without ANC (active noise cancellation), I can certainly hear more on my Bose Sports, but, it is there. And distracting.
So, I am also going to try the new Bose QuietComfort earbuds, which are different from the ones I had. They are smaller than the previous model, and the fins are not quite as big. Though, to be honest, the old ones, particularly the right one, use to fall out often when they got sweaty.
I did write all the above on Sunday the 25th, so, I could record my thoughts on the Sonys. The Bose are charging now, and, I won’t get a chance to really use them in the gym till Tuesday.
And on the the Bose. They were $149 at Best Buy. I’m as happy with the new model as I was with the old one, which I wrote about here. In comparing them to the Sony
Sound quality: Bose are slightly better, but, if you are looking for super high end sound from earbuds, spend a couple hundred more. They are both more than fine for earbuds, and at the gym. Or get over the early, much larger headphones. So, push.
Battery: I lost about the same amount of battery in the same amount of time. I never worry about it, because I’m in the habit of charging every Sunday or every other when I get back from gym. Push.
Case: Samsung is a little smaller, but, no wireless charging. Bose wins
Fit: Bose is a bit more comfortable in right ear. I never seem to have problems with left ear. Slight win for Bose
Staying in: Sony wins here. Smaller, lower profile. If I was using these outside for exercise, biking, jogging, hiking, etc, I’d go with the Sony. I can already tell the Bose will slide out when they get sweaty. But, I’m in the gym.
Phone calls: just like when I did a quick impression on the Bose Sports and Quiet Comfort 1, I won’t be using this for phone calls. I do not like hearing reverb in my head when using in-ear buds for calls. Someone calls me I take them out and switch to phone. But, with Bose the microphone is only in right bud. I have always used the left bud. It’s what I am comfortable with. With Sony you can supposedly use either. With the not as good ANC for Sony would probably work better. Winner: Sony.
Touch controls: I like that it is harder to hit the controls on the Sony, so you do not do something by accident
Noise cancellation: Bose wins by a mile. It seriously blocks a heck of a lot more noise than the Sony’s. Tried doing the same things on Tuesday (and Wed), and, during quiet times in music, dead spots, and watching a show there was very little background noise. Sony is better for an “aware” mode, but, I’m not using that. I have a pair of Samsung Galaxy Live, which do not go in the ear canal, and the ANC on the Sony are not much better (also, I would use these since I own them for doing outdoors stuff, stay in ear extremely well). Bose is all in on ANC.
One thing I did not like about the Bose is the app, which has no way that I can find to turn autoplay off. I put the bud in the first time out of the charging case and I get whatever song was playing on Samsung Music app, could have been days ago.
So, Sony is getting returned. If staying in is your primary concern, go with the Sony (though, open ear Samsung Galaxy Live is my favorite for that, though, they are kind of expensive, around $200. Got mine via winning stuff through work). If you want noise cancellation, Bose all the way.
My hearing is just about gone. So, I am wondering how to set up earbuds with my TV without losing the room audio. Can’t find the solution.
Something like this would work well. Got my dad something similar a couple Christmases ago. This is good because has multiple different connections, including optical cable, which most people do not use on their TV, and would give you the best sound.
Also, many TVs can connect bluetooth directly to earbuds and headphones. I have a pair of headphones I can do that with, though, I keep BT turned off on my TV until the few times I want to use it. What kind of TV? It’s often easier to use the cable connection type I listed above, since you can still use the TV for regular sound easier than switching to BT if other people want to watch it.