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Customer Review
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 April 2024
Let's start with the positive: The sound quality on these is very, very good. The battery length is also good, I don't have to charge the case for several days at a time, and I use these a lot for commuting to London.
Right, now that's out of the way...
These are horrendously uncomfortable. Foam tips as standard is one hell of a choice, and the idea that you can't pick silicon is absurd. You can't actually get these into your ears as far as you could with the XM4's, which is possibly what affects the next biggest issue...
The active noise cancellation is basically non-existant. In fact, if you turn on ambient sound and lower it all the way down, it does a better job than the active cancellation. Additionally, there are multiple reports that the ANC doesn't actually engage at all unless you create and sign into a sony account on the app. When I use these on the train to London, even the Linkbud S did a better job with ANC filtering out people and screaming kids better than these did, which is disappointing.
Customisation for the touch buttons is non-existant. You cannot choose what each type of tap does, only "groups" of options, which... I mean just why, sony? Laziness?
Overall, if you've got weird shaped ears and you're wanting buds with good sound quality, these are for you, but if you're looking for good noise cancellation, look elsewhere.
Right, now that's out of the way...
These are horrendously uncomfortable. Foam tips as standard is one hell of a choice, and the idea that you can't pick silicon is absurd. You can't actually get these into your ears as far as you could with the XM4's, which is possibly what affects the next biggest issue...
The active noise cancellation is basically non-existant. In fact, if you turn on ambient sound and lower it all the way down, it does a better job than the active cancellation. Additionally, there are multiple reports that the ANC doesn't actually engage at all unless you create and sign into a sony account on the app. When I use these on the train to London, even the Linkbud S did a better job with ANC filtering out people and screaming kids better than these did, which is disappointing.
Customisation for the touch buttons is non-existant. You cannot choose what each type of tap does, only "groups" of options, which... I mean just why, sony? Laziness?
Overall, if you've got weird shaped ears and you're wanting buds with good sound quality, these are for you, but if you're looking for good noise cancellation, look elsewhere.
