By Vivek Singh Chauhan

New Delhi, Aug 29 (IANS): As the market for high-quality earbuds becomes more competitive, Sony India has come up with true wireless earbuds -- LinkBuds -- with a distinctive look and a unique listening experience.

Priced at Rs 19,990, Linkbuds has an open-ring design and audio transparency, which enable users to listen to music while simultaneously keeping them aware of what is going on around them.

Unlike conventional earbuds, the protective surface covering the speaker diaphragm is integrated within the housing, saving space.

We used the earbuds for a while and here's how they fared.

In terms of design, Linkbuds have broken the stereotype of traditional earbuds as they lack any tip or silicone, but fit in your concha while the ring-shaped speaker sits outside the ear canal for a relaxed fit.

They are lightweight and the fit is unique as it helped us to wear them for long periods.

Once on, users can hear everything around them clearly through the speaker's hole in the center, giving them complete awareness when they listen to music in spaces, including offices, parks, or on the street.

Users can easily carry on a conversation in their entirety without pulling them out, and they can also hear their voices to avoid unintentionally yelling during calls.

The music is audible with good detail in a quieter setting, but it lacks the punch that comes with earbuds that seal in sounds.

Their disadvantage is that there are some times when users may prefer to block out the outside world, like when travelling, at work, or strolling through a busy place, but because each bud has a hole in it, outside noise will still get in.

With a comprehensive equaliser to customise the sound to your liking, music from the earbuds offers good instrument separation, balance, and detail in the highs, treble, and mid-bass.

When used at low-listening volumes, the LinkBuds are discrete, but, if you turn them up loud enough to block out nearby conversations, they will be able to hear your music.

Regarding the battery, the earbuds lasted for around 6 hours on nonstop usage.

Conclusion: We believe that this product will be more suitable for someone who has a specific practical use case in mind, rather than for someone looking for the next-best general-use headphone experience.