Sony "LinkBuds", a completely wireless earphone with a new concept of "always on", will be released on February 25th.With a driver with a hole, you can talk while listening to music

Sony will release a new concept complete wireless earphone "LinkBuds" (WF-L900) that can be "always worn". The estimated market price is around ¥ 23,000 (tax included) and will be released on February 25 (Friday). The body finish is available in white and gray.

The LinkBuds have a unique shape with a hole in the center of the earphone that is attached to the ear. Since there are holes, you can talk while listening to music without blocking your ears, and it is also recommended for people who are not good at wearing earphones for a long time due to the discomfort and oppressive feeling of the ear holes. It's the smallest and lightest of all Sony wireless headphones, and it's so natural that you'll forget you're wearing it in your ears.

This feature leads to the concept of always wearing it, and you can enjoy music and games through headphones whenever you like, participate in online conferences, etc. while listening to the surrounding sounds naturally, and experience seamless sound throughout the day. Sony wants you to enjoy it.

And this time, we have newly developed a driver unit to realize this concept. The installed 12mm driver is a donut type with a hole in the center as mentioned above. Think of it as an image with the tweeter part of a general coaxial unit removed.

The edge part is made of urethane material, and PET is used for the diaphragm. These materials are the ones that Sony earphones have used so far, and this time it seems that the type and size were selected according to the shape of the holes.

Since there is no central part of the diaphragm, I feel that the reproduction of high-pitched sounds may be spoiled, but it seems that there was no particular problem because the diameter is 12 mm. The magnet is an external magnet type that uses neodymium to improve driving force and sensitivity.

By combining this driver with the original integrated processor "V1", high-quality sound was reproduced while being open. It integrates a Bluetooth SoC and a high-quality noise canceling processor into one, and is also characterized by its ability to process with low latency.

In addition, it is equipped with "DSEE" (digital sound enhancement engine), a high-frequency complement and minute sound reproduction technology, for playing compressed sound sources. In addition to turning it on / off, you can also adjust the equalizer in the app, so you can enjoy the sound quality according to the user's taste.

Another feature is the built-in microphone that uses AI technology. An algorithm that separates the wearer's voice from other environmental noise, which consists of more than 500 million samples of AI machine learning, suppresses the environmental noise and clearly extracts the wearer's voice, allowing comfortable conversation even in noisy places. You can enjoy it. If this is the case, it seems that it can be used comfortably even in remote meetings on the go.

On the operation side, it is equipped with a "wide area tap" function that enables operations such as playing, pausing, and skipping music by tapping around the ear when wearing it. Not to mention the LinkBuds itself, if you tap the neighborhood twice or three times, it will detect the vibration and execute the pre-assigned function.

AI is also used for this vibration detection, and it seems that it is learning the difference between various vibrations so as not to mistake whether it is vibration due to walking or intentionally operated vibration.

Another attraction of LinkBuds is that you can experience 3D sound such as Sound AR. A new acoustic experience that works with the 3D audio map application "Microsoft Soundscape" provided by macro software, detects the direction of the head using the compass / gyro sensor built into the main unit, and makes a sound from a specific position according to the map. Is possible. It can also be linked with the "Locatone" app provided by Sony.

It is also an authentication model for 360 Reality Audio, and you can enjoy the experience of being wrapped in sound in all directions using compatible content.

The Bluetooth codec is compatible with SBC and AAC, and the battery can be used for up to 5.5 hours on the main unit and 17.5 hours in combination with the charging case. You can also use one ear, so if the battery runs low, you can charge one by one.

The earphone body is lightweight at 4.1g on one side, and is compatible with IPX4 drip-proof specifications. The design is based on ergonomics, and various measures have been taken so that it will not come off even if it moves. Five sizes of fitting supporters that fix the main body are included so that it can be used by a wide range of people.

In addition, for the first time for Sony headphones, recycled plastic made from factory-collected waste materials is used for the resin material of the main body and case, and no plastic is used for the packaging, giving consideration to the environmental burden. ..

Along with the release of the new product, a simulated experience-based special movie featuring female entertainer Laland Saya and WEB magazine editor-in-chief / fashion director Yoshimasa Hoshiba will be released on Wednesday, February 16th. .. Check out the new ways to enjoy LinkBuds.

Sony Headphones Official Website. It is a product page of headphones LinkBuds.