Sony WF-LS900N is the newest true wireless earbuds from the Japanese company. After bringing industry leading noise cancellation with WF-1000XM4 and fully aware design with the LinkBuds (WF-L900), Sony is trying to find a middle ground with the WF-LS900N. In simple terms, Sony took the best from those earbuds and tried to pack it into a mid-range price offering.
The WF-LS900N aims to be a true wireless earbuds that does not have a radical design like the LinkBuds. In other words, it has a conventional design with silicone tips and a comfortable fit for extended listening. It doesn’t reach the level of 1000XM4s with sound quality or noise cancellation but delivers a balance that most people would prefer. Is that enough for WF-LS900N to become Sony’s most versatile TWS earbuds yet?
Sony offers the WF-LS900 in three colours at the launch: beige, white, and black. These earbuds feature a textured finish that offers a great in-hand feel, and to the delight of the consumers, it eliminates fingerprints that are common in these form factors. All three models look sharp, clean with the white model looking minimalist, the black being robust, and beige being fun. This is Sony’s most refined design yet and shows how much the design language of Sony has evolved since WF-1000XM3 days.
This design has a purpose and that purpose is to offer the best fit on any Sony earbuds yet. Each of these earbuds weighs just 4.8 grams, which is remarkably light compared to 7.3 grams of each WF-1000XM4 buds. These earbuds also feel airy and don’t exert any pressure once worn.
Sony is also elevating its use of sustainable materials and the WF-LS900N comes with four pairs (XS, S, M, L) of silicone ear tips in the box. Like every other earbud, it is always recommended that you try different ear tips and mix and match for the best fit.
Once you find that fit, the WF-LS900N comes into its own. The character these earbuds bring to the table, you will be hard pressed to see whether they lean towards 1000XM4s or the LinkBuds. Compared to the WF-1000XM4, these can be worn for longer hours and stay in your ears whether you are talking, eating, running, or walking.
All these are major design wins for Sony and by making the case pocketable, makes for a perfect combo. A few things clearly stand out when you listen to music on the WF-LS900.
These earbuds offer exceptional clarity and a lot of prominence to mids and vocals. You won’t find the vocals to be messy or lack details and even the instrument separation comes out reasonably well. The roominess it tries to achieve is a good example of Sony using its advanced Integrated Processor V1 to beat the laws of physics and squeeze out more from a 5mm driver.
However, it falls short of matching its premium sibling WF-1000XM4 regarding low-end sound. In regular use, you will be delighted with the WF-LS900N and might prefer this over 1000XM4s for its comfort and lightweight design.
It doesn’t suppress sound to the same level as WF-1000XM4 but it does a reasonably good job of drowning out low frequency sound and stopping distractions. The WF-LS900N does manage to edge out its premium cousin when it comes to transparency mode. The ambient sound mode on these earbuds sounds more natural and does not have that robotic feeling.
In a nutshell, Sony has delivered true wireless earbuds with clear vocals, a detailed sound signature, and an ambient mode that is natural. With LDAC support, you can succeed at bringing out more detail when paired to an Android smartphone. The WF-LS900N are the smallest and lightest true wireless earbuds to support hi-res audio. With competitive active noise cancellation, it is hard to argue against them.
The WF-LS900N brings all the goodness one expects from a Sony audio device accessible through the Headphones Connect app. There is Speak to Chat, adaptive sound control, EQ customisation, and other features like “wear to play” and “after call”. At this point, the number of features crammed into the app can overwhelm you.
One thing that won’t overwhelm you for sure is the calling experience. These have a clear calling capability with callers experiencing natural sound and able to separate your voice in noisy environments. Thanks to that mesh covering the external microphone, it also separates the wind distortion very well.
With a battery life of around 20 hours with the case and 6 hours on a single charge, the WF-LS900N offers a good balance between endurance and performance. The fact that you can wear these earbuds and not worry about it is a win for your ears and that alone makes it a worthy consideration even at the price of Rs 16,990.
