Home Wireless Earbuds Marshall Minor Iii Vs. Sony Linkbuds S

A Review By Comparison of the Marshall Minor Iii Vs. Sony Linkbuds S

Last updated on Mar 14, 2023   7 min read
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Sony LinkBuds S

Sony LinkBuds S

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Reasons why you might like the Sony LinkBuds S

Overall Score 6.2 Represents average audio ecosystem compatibility score.

  • Ingress Protection (Ip) Rating of IPX4
  • Has Active Noise Cancellation (Noise Control)
  • Battery Life of 6 hours
  • Has Usb Type-C
  • Number Of Microphones of 6 only
  • Has Ambient Sound Mode
VS
Marshall Minor III

Marshall Minor III

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Reasons why you might like the Marshall Minor III

Overall Score 5.1 Represents average audio ecosystem compatibility score.

  • Ingress Protection (Ip) Rating of IPX4
  • Battery Life of 5 hours
  • Has Usb Type-C
  • Number Of Microphones of 2 only

A summary of the review by comparison

Category Features Marshall Minor III Sony LinkBuds S
DESIGN ingress protection (ip) rating IPX4 IPX4
weight 8g 9.6g
has no wires or cables
sweat resistance
has stereo speakers
SOUND QUALITY has active noise cancellation (noise control)
has passive noise reduction
driver unit size 12mm 5mm
lowest frequency 20Hz 20Hz
highest frequency 20000Hz 40000Hz
has a neodymium magnet
POWER battery life 5hours 6hours
battery life of charging case 25hours 14hours
charge time 1.5hours 2hours
has wireless charging
has a battery level indicator
CONNECTIVITY has usb type-c
bluetooth version v5.2 v5.2
maximum bluetooth range 10meters 10meters
has aac
has ldac
has aptx hd
MICROPHONE number of microphones 2only 6only
EXTRAS has ambient sound mode
has in/on-ear detection
has find earbuds feature
supports fast charging
has a mute function
control panel placed on a device
has voice prompts
travel bag is included
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A breakdown of the review per specifications

Design

Ingress Protection (Ip) Rating

Sony LinkBuds S IPX4
Marshall Minor III IPX4

Ingress protection ratings refer to the rank of protection offered by an enclosure, against dust and water. The letters 'IP' are followed by two values The first value means protection against solids say dust, followed by the one that refers to resistance against liquids (water).

Having a value of IPX4, the Marshall Minor III's rating for solids indicates that no data available to specify a protection rating, and the second number of 4 means that they can withstand low pressure spray similar to that of a shower head when tilted at 180° for 10 minutes.

In comparison to the Marshall Minor III, Sony LinkBuds S have a rating of IPX4 meaning that we are not yet certain of their rating with solids (dust) and that of liquids is that, they both have the same rating against liquids

Weight

Sony LinkBuds S 9.6g
Marshall Minor III 8g

The Marshall Minor III have a weight of 8g . We take in account a lower weight better because lighter devices are more comfortable to transport.

Sony LinkBuds S, at 9.6g are heavier than the Marshall Minor III with a difference of 1.6g

Has No Wires Or Cables

Sony LinkBuds S
Marshall Minor III

For a device to be true wireless it must have no cables connecting any part of the device together, Marshall Minor III are true wireless for this case since they have no cables. This is a major distinction since wireless earbuds have cables linking the 2 earbuds together.

Sony LinkBuds S also is true wireless because it doesn't have cables connecting the two earbuds together.

Sweat Resistance

Sony LinkBuds S
Marshall Minor III

Marshall Minor III are resistant to sweat

Sony LinkBuds S's resistance to sweat makes both devices fit for use while doing sports such as long-distance running, marathons, training in workout bodysuits, etc

Has Stereo Speakers

Sony LinkBuds S
Marshall Minor III

Marshall Minor III have stereo speakers, devices with stereo speakers deliver sound from independent channels on both left and right sides, creating a richer sound and a better listening experience.

The Sony LinkBuds S also have stereo speakers

Sony LinkBuds S
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Sound Quality

Has Active Noise Cancellation (Noise Control)

Sony LinkBuds S
Marshall Minor III

Active noise cancellation makes use of advanced kind of tech to reduce ambient sounds. How it works, it detects and analyzes the sound pattern outside and inside the earbud and inverts the soundwaves to counter it. In simple terms, it's like having +1 (noise) then producing -1 (inverted noise) giving zero therefore "diluting" the noise.

The Sony LinkBuds S have Active Noise Cancellation allowing you to listen at lower volume levels, causing less ear fatigue as you don't need to crank up the earbuds volume to outcompete background noise.

Has Passive Noise Reduction

Sony LinkBuds S
Marshall Minor III

The Sony LinkBuds S sit tightly in place, creating an acoustic covering that reduces background noise while preventing the device sound from leaking out at the same.

Driver Unit Size

Sony LinkBuds S 5mm
Marshall Minor III 12mm

The Marshall Minor III driver unit is 12mm in diameter, the bigger the unit the more powerful, therefor producing better bass. A driver unit is the component that makes sound in the device, its size corellates with the loudness of the device.

Sony LinkBuds S driver unit is 5mm in diameter, which implies that they have a smaller driver unit than that of Marshall Minor III by 7mm , as many tend to believe that driver units of a bigger size automatically produce better sound quality.

However, large drivers usually have difficulty producing high frequencies so it's true that, larger drivers can generate louder sound, but this does not indicate that they produce better quality sound.

Lowest Frequency

Sony LinkBuds S 20Hz
Marshall Minor III 20Hz

Marshall Minor III's lowest frequency is at 20Hz, low-frequency response inidcates how well an audio device produces low frequencies that can be heard, and if it makes any changes to the signal while at it.

Sony LinkBuds S's lowest frequency is at 20Hz, this implies that both devices can make sound with equal bass

Highest Frequency

Sony LinkBuds S 40000Hz
Marshall Minor III 20000Hz

The Marshall Minor III's highest frequency is at 20000Hz, high-frequency response indicates how well an audio device produces high recognizable frequencies and if it changes to the signal while at it.

Sony LinkBuds S's highest frequency is at 40000Hz, this implies that Sony LinkBuds S can produce a clearer and crispier treble than the Marshall Minor III

Has A Neodymium Magnet

Sony LinkBuds S
Marshall Minor III

Sony LinkBuds S have neodymium magnets, if used in audio devices produce a higher sensitivity and substantial sound output using less power to do so. They can help generate music at quite a high SPL, with the use of high magnetic flux.

Power

Battery Life

Sony LinkBuds S 6hours
Marshall Minor III 5hours

The Marshall Minor III's battery life is 5 hours, a device's battery life is commonly given by the manufacturer, and with more battery hours, you get to use it for longer and requires fewer chanrgings.

Sony LinkBuds S's battery life is more than that of Marshall Minor III by 1 hours . Each time you recharge your device, they get a little less listening time. The effect is not noticeable at first, but over time, your wireless earbuds will have shorter listening time.

Battery Life Of Charging Case

Sony LinkBuds S 14hours
Marshall Minor III 25hours

This is given by the vendor, and Marshall Minor III's case has a charge of 25 hours. A charging case with more battery hours allows you to recharge your earbuds on the go multiple times before recharging the case itself.

Sony LinkBuds S's charging case has a battery life of 14 hours, less than that of Marshall Minor III by 11 hours

Charge Time

Sony LinkBuds S 2hours
Marshall Minor III 1.5hours

It requires 1.5 hours to fully charge the Marshall Minor III's battery. It is highly adivsable to fully charge the battery before using the earbuds when they have been unused for long periods.

Sony LinkBuds S takes 2 hours to fully charge the battery, more than that of Marshall Minor III by 0.5 hours

Has Wireless Charging

Sony LinkBuds S
Marshall Minor III

The Marshall Minor III, the device supports wireless charging. To charge the device, you just place down on a supported charging pad.

Has A Battery Level Indicator

Sony LinkBuds S
Marshall Minor III

Marshall Minor III have a battery level indicator, an indicator shows you when the earbuds has a low battery. Its lights show the charging status of your earbuds and charging case.

Sony LinkBuds S too have a battery level indicator, these enable you to determine the charging state of your device, whether fully charged, or the battery is running low.

Sony LinkBuds S
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Connectivity

Has Usb Type-C

Sony LinkBuds S
Marshall Minor III

Marshall Minor III support USB TYPE-C, an industry-standard connector for transmitting both data and power in a single cable.

Sony LinkBuds S too have USB TYPE-C. This USB-C plug is part and parcel of most current electronics.

Bluetooth Version

Sony LinkBuds S v5.2
Marshall Minor III v5.2

The Marshall Minor III have Bluetooth version of 5.2, Bluetooth is a wireless technology standard that allows data transfers between devices placed in range, using short-wavelength, ultra-high frequency radio waves.

Sony LinkBuds S has a Bluetooth version of 5.2, equal to that of the Marshall Minor III . Newer versions provide faster data transfers.

Maximum Bluetooth Range

Sony LinkBuds S 10meters
Marshall Minor III 10meters

Marshall Minor III have a 10meters distance to connect via Bluetooth.

Sony LinkBuds S have a maximum range of 10meters, equal to that of the Marshall Minor III

Has Aac

Sony LinkBuds S
Marshall Minor III

Sony LinkBuds S support AAC, a codec that is used for Bluetooth audio. It supports 24-bit audio at 250kbps. Because it uses psychoacoustic modeling, it can provide better results than other codecs at a similar bit rate.

Since its the highest quality codec that any Bluetooth-supporting Apple product supports, the Sony LinkBuds S will work well with your iPhone. If you are planning on using these with Android you need to pay even closer attention to codec support for if they only have AAC they won't provide the best audio quality possible, ensure that they also support aptX HD, LDAC, or LHDC as well.

Has Ldac

Sony LinkBuds S
Marshall Minor III

Sony LinkBuds S support LDAC, a codec developed by Sony which allows streaming high-resolution audio over Bluetooth connections at up to 990 kbps at 32 bit/96 kHz. It is capable of a very high bitrate of 990kbps, providing high-resolution audio.

Has Aptx Hd

Sony LinkBuds S
Marshall Minor III

The Marshall Minor III support APTX HD, an audio codec for Bluetooth devices that are developed by Qualcomm. It supports high-quality 24-bit audio (at a bit rate of 576kbps).

Microphone

Number Of Microphones

Sony LinkBuds S 6only
Marshall Minor III 2only

Marshall Minor III have 2 microphones.

While the Sony LinkBuds S microphones are 6, more than that of Marshall Minor III by 4 . More microphones record better sound quality and help the earbuds to filter out background sounds.

Sony LinkBuds S
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Extras

Has Ambient Sound Mode

Sony LinkBuds S
Marshall Minor III

The Sony LinkBuds S support ambient sound mode, which uses microphones to channel ambient noises so that they can still be heard even when wearing the earbuds

Has In/On-Ear Detection

Sony LinkBuds S
Marshall Minor III

Marshall Minor III have in/on-ear detection, the sensors in the earbuds can detect when they are removed from your ears .

Sony LinkBuds S support in/on-ear detection, automatically pauses your music, or audiobook when you remove earbuds from your ears saving battery life.

Has Find Earbuds Feature

Sony LinkBuds S
Marshall Minor III

When lost in a room, or can't be found in your bag, Sony LinkBuds S support the find earbuds feature.

Supports Fast Charging

Sony LinkBuds S
Marshall Minor III

Marshall Minor III support fast charging. Usually, technologies like Qualcomm’s Quick Charge, are used to reduce the amount of time it takes to charge the earbuds.

Also the Sony LinkBuds S too support fast charging. This kind is similar to regular charging, just that the battery is filling up much faster. For example, with Quick Charge 3.0, the battery can be charged to 50% in thirty minutes.

Has A Mute Function

Sony LinkBuds S
Marshall Minor III

Marshall Minor III have a mute function, they have the feature to mute/unmute a conversation directly from the device.

The Sony LinkBuds S too have this function. The mute function means that you are in position turn off the device's microphone, but still hear the other party talk.

Control Panel Placed On A Device

Sony LinkBuds S
Marshall Minor III

The Marshall Minor III, so you can access the volume control, pause, play, mute, etc whichever features are supported on the earbuds.

Sony LinkBuds S also have a control panel on them.

Has Voice Prompts

Sony LinkBuds S
Marshall Minor III

The Marshall Minor III have voice prompts. Automatically receive information through audio messages, like if there is a problem with the connection.

The Sony LinkBuds S also support voice prompts .i.e the earbuds will notify you if the battery is running low, and it's time to recharge them.

Travel Bag Is Included

Sony LinkBuds S
Marshall Minor III

Marshall Minor III come with their own special pouch. Carrying earphones without a case, or putting them inside your bag without a casing can easily damage them.

Sony LinkBuds S too have a case included, which is useful for safe transportation.

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