Seeing my music wrapped at the end of the year always alerts me that I actually spend most of my waking hours listening to something. Whether it’s my favourite artists, rain sounds or even a TV show my ears are often occupied.
As a result I am never anywhere without headphones – not even when I pop to the kitchen. I’ve tried many over the years, from Beats Solo 3 (which I actually found really uncomfortable if using for longer than 30 minutes) to Apple. My favourite have to be the Sony Linkbuds S which are always by my side.
They use a USB-C charger, which is the same as my Kindle and laptop so I’ve always got the wire with me when I travel, and I very rarely face them running out of charge when I’m out of the house.
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Probably my favourite feature of them is the noise cancelling. I find it much easier to concentrate on tasks when I’m not dealing with background sounds so these are a godsend when I’m on the train, in the office or even navigating busy shops. You can switch the noise cancelling on and off with a simple tap to your left bud while the right allows you to pause and skip tracks.
They’re small enough that they don’t disturb any earrings or hairstyles which hasn’t been the case with some of my over ear options in the past.
It’s worth keeping in mind that they are great at picking up sound too, so if I use these during meetings my colleagues have often said that they pick up all the sound in the room I’m in – this is particularly tricky in coffee shops. I don’t mind this though as my priorities with headphones are sound quality for my music, touch control, comfort and if it can cancel out background noise well.
I’ve been using these for almost two years now on a daily basis, they still work great although two years in sometimes one bud won’t immediately connect when I put it in my ear. When this happens I put it back in the case for one second and then it works perfectly.
When I’m interrupted and take out my earbud to listen to what someone is saying my music instantly pauses which is a handy feature. These are undeniably my favourite headphones I’ve ever had and they’re small enough that I can even throw them in my smallest handbag without them taking up too much space.
They’re usually £180 but are currently reduced to £119 on Amazon. This deal is also available at Currys.
For alternatives, you could try the Bose QuietComfort earbuds for £179.95. While coming in with a hefty price tag, they also boast a 4.5 out of 19 reviews on their site. Or there’s the BEATS Solo Buds Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds, which come in at £79.99 from Currys.