**UPDATE**: They're really growing on me. I find myself using them more often than my usual pair. After tuning the EQ, they sound quite good, and if I'm gentle, they don't really fall out. So, I updated from 3 to 4 stars. ORIGINAL: I was really excited for these headphones and they are slightly disappointing. Main points being: - They are difficult to put into your ear, even after repeated practice, reducing the convenience factor of having true wireless headphones - They easily fall out for me, regardless of which size retaining ring I put on. More on that later - They have an oddly bright sound, but I don't think they have a poor sound quality at all like many reviewers are saying. More on that later. - Their direct competitors for most use cases are bone conduction headphones, and I think bone conduction is a better choice here. I do appreciate the innovation, and I think it's a really cool concept and I love the novelty. If that's enough for you to own it, then these are good true wireless headphones that sound pretty good and don't cause pressure in your ears. But if you actually want them to be useful for most situations where being aware of your surroundings is important, I think you'd be better served by bone conduction headphones (such as AfterShokz). The rest of this review is just going into more detail about those points, so you can stop if you got the gist. -- Not good for physical or outdoor activities -- The question to ask yourself is: why do you WANT open back headphones? If your answer is, like I think most people, "to hear my surroundings", then the next question to ask is "WHEN do I need to do that?". If it has anything to do with being outside, then you don't want these, go get bone conduction headphones. Those leave your ear completely open and essentially CAN'T fall off your head without significant effort. I think bone conduction is safer and more convenient for outdoor use or exercise. However, if your answer is instead "because I don't like pressure in my ears", these might be just what you're looking for... see the "Great for relaxation" section. The Linkbuds are very light and just kind of "sit" in your ear. You can certainly move your head and they won't fall out, and they didn't even fall out for me when I yawn or move my jaw like others said. If you touch them the wrong way however, they just slide out of your ear. I actually think this is the real reason for the (very cool) "wide area tap": see how there's nothing holding the headphone into your ear on the backside? They're only anchored into your ear with two points: the retaining ring at the top and the donut speaker. If you lightly push the headphones forward, with essentially no effort, they pop right out. Most people's ears will have the same problem, because the Tragus (see an ear diagram, it's the pointy bit at the front that the donut speaker wedges behind) locks the front of the donut into place, but in general, the Antitragus (the other side of your ear) isn't a hook, so it's just light friction keeping it in place back there. There's nothing stopping the headphones from pivoting forward, and they DO stick out of your ears, so... something as simple as brushing your hair away could make them fall out. You have to be careful. The other problem is "hearing your surroundings". The speaker sits directly over your ear canal and thus partially blocks it, and also makes any incoming sounds fight with the speaker. I find that with these, the sound from the headphones almost always drowns out anything important I'd want to hear around me. I can't even have them super quiet and have a conversation with someone, as the sound from the speakers fights so heavily with incoming sound. But with bone conduction headphones, your ear is completely unobstructed, and I find that incoming sounds mix much better, maybe because the soundwaves don't have to fight in your ear canal. That part could be subjective, but at least for me, bone conduction feels significantly safer, because I can still hear everything around me, even if the surrounding sounds are quiet. -- Great for relaxation though! -- That brings me to the title: who is the audience for the Linkbuds? I think it is for specifically people who want true wireless headphones but don't like pressure in their ears and are NOT looking to use these for exercise or outdoor activities. In fact, you can look at the marketing and features to back this up. These are not "sports" headphones, and maybe that's not why you're buying them. I keep comparing the Linkbuds to bone conduction headphones, but if you don't intend to use these while doing physical activity, the Linkbuds are honestly better. I find myself using them all the time in bed, because I AM a person who doesn't like pressure in their ears, and you can't exactly use bone conduction headphones while lying down (they have a band that extends behind your head). They also sound WAY better than even the best bone conduction headphones I've tried, which is why I'm surprised people say they sound so bad. I wonder if they've never used open-back headphones before: yes, you don't get nearly as much potential bass as closed-back (and especially in-ear), no matter WHAT the design is. I have Sennheiser HD600's, the "audiophile mainstay", and they sound amazing, but they'll never have as much bass as my cheap in-ears (iems). So if you're a bass head, you won't like these at all, you're stuck with closed-back headphones and iems. To me, the Linkbuds do sound oddly bright though, like over-emphasized upper-mids and top. It's not distorted, just a bit of a strange signature to my ears, but using the app, the EQ is saved IN the buds themselves (along with all the other nifty settings), so it's easy to fix. But, I've also found that small adjustments in fit greatly alter the tone of the Linkbuds, so take that into consideration when reading reviews: they might not fit everyone the same and thus they might not always sound that great. All that junk being said, I do actually intend to use them all the time, just for relaxation and essentially nothing else. I don't even trust them for cooking, I'm afraid I'll brush them while moving around and they'll fall into the food. But, I'm still gonna use them until they break. Also, the case is VERY SMALL, and I really like it! The picture attached shows one of those older slow iPhone chargers, and these are even smaller than that and only just about as thick, so it's definitely nicely pocketable. The recycled plastic is a nice, unique touch, and the case feels sturdy enough (definitely nowhere near airpods). The lid locks into place if you pull it open enough, that's kinda cool. The Linkbuds are so cool, and they serve a good niche, and I LIKE them, flaws and all. I gave them 3/5 (edited to 4/5) because I recognize that they have problems and that there are better alternatives for most use cases, and yet I'm still so fond of them. I want them to succeed, even though I don't think they will. I think there's absolutely a group of people for whom these are perfect, and I want these to stick around for those people.