Sony has been a brand that has a history of experimenting with the form factor of its personal audio products. In 2022, we saw the launch of the Sony Linkbuds, which created waves of excitement with their ring-shaped drivers. That concept, while in controlled environments, worked wonders; it struggled in more challenging situations. Now, after two years with the launch of the Sony Float Run headphones, the brand has introduced another pair of headphones with a unique form factor. They are calling it ‘off-ear’ headphones.
I got a chance to play around with these headphones when they showed up at the Digit Test Centre. While at first, they look promising, some of the minor kinks in their armour show up on closer inspection. I could not evaluate them using our regular test process for in-ear or over-ear headphones; however, I put these headphones through their paces the best I could. So, before I reveal too much about these headphones, let’s dive in and see how they fared –
Sony Float Run – A unique mix of innovation and comfort
Sony has never failed us when it comes to the build quality of their products, and the Float Run headphones are the same. While the build is predominantly plastic, you will never be scared of these headphones breaking apart. The band connecting the two driver units is strong and held its own during my time of use. The colour combination of black and white on these headphones gives them a unique look but does not draw too much attention when out in public. You will turn a few heads, though, as these headphones are unique in their design. I was asked by a couple of people if they were hearing aids. So, you know what is coming your way. On a serious note, if I had to summarise their design in a single phrase, it would be – one design fits all.
Sony has applied the same philosophy in their fitting as well – one size fits all. The Sony Float Run headphones have a fixed-fit concept, which, in my experience, has worked well. I passed around these headphones at the Test Centre, and there were very few complaints I got about the fit of these headphones. The loop that goes around your ears has been modelled to fit the electronics for each driver, which is a smart move. It adds weight to the drivers in a good way, making them stick to your head when you are out for workouts. On that topic, the headphones are fairly lightweight, and the distribution of weights on them is also on point. If you are wearing them for long hours, you are not likely to face any discomfort.
The buttons are positioned on the right side and are integrated into the small control pod that sits behind your ear. Now, liking or disliking this placement is something that is going to be very subjective. However, I can say that the responsiveness of the controls and the ease of use are something that I love about these headphones.
In the box, you get a soft carrying pouch, which is a plus.
Features
In terms of features, there not a whole lot to talk about with the Sony Float Run headphones. The brand has spoken a lot about the design of the headphones and how it helps with the overall experience by letting in ambient sound. That does work well; it lets in a lot of ambient noise and creates a wide soundstage, but we will talk about that in the next part of the review. Sony has dropped support for their excellent Headphones Connect app with these headphones.
With a pair of headphones that cost over ten thousand rupees, basic customisation support and app integration are expected. For now, there is not much to talk about. You can receive and end calls and trigger your phone’s voice assistant with the onboard controls, and that is about it.
Sony Float Run – Truly immersive sound
Coming to the main part of my experience with the Sony Float Run headphones – their performance. With these headphones, the keyword that I would focus on is the soundstage. It is massive. In quiet environments, there will be instances where you might forget that you are wearing a pair of headphones and not listening to speakers. These headphones also get fairly loud, adding to the entire experience. It is immersive to say the least. I would also not shy away from watching a few movies on these headphones.
Given the unique form factor of these headphones, I was not able to test their sound signature conventionally, but I did manage to get a reading. And, that should give you a fair idea of how they perform. There is a boost in the highs and the mids, which adds a lot of fidelity to lyrics in songs and the voice of the callers whenever you are on call. After listening to songs across genres, there is one thing I would say: do not buy these if you are a fan of bass-heavy music. Due to the positioning of the drivers, a lot of the bass gets drowned out, and it results in the tracks sounding flat.
That is a limitation that holds these headphones back by quite a bit. If you are a fan of rock or classical music, or basically any genre that uses a lot of vocals and sibilants, then you are in for a treat. I listened to a lot of heavy metal music and tracks produced by bands like Linkin Park, and the experience was excellent. Now, if you take a track like Animals by Martin Garrix, you will not feel the thump that you would expect. However, instruments and other electronic elements from the track are really clear and loud. When you are in fairly noisy environments as well, the reproduction is on point. You will enjoy wearing these headphones when you are out for a run or working out in a gym. For me, when I was out for my exercise sessions, 60-70 per cent volume level sufficed. The leakage is also minimal. When playing music at full volume, there my colleagues sitting 1 foot away could barely make out the music that I was listening to.
As for the microphones, they worked well in extremely quiet spaces, but when I stepped out, there were complaints of echo coming from the receivers. I tried it across platforms, regular calls, WhatsApp calls, and Google Meet calls, and the issue persisted. This is something that I would like the engineering team at Sony to take a look at with the next iteration of these headphones.
A battery king in its own right
This is where the Sony Float Run headphones redeem themselves. Sony claims that these headphones can last up to 10 hours on a single charge, with fast charging giving an hour of playback time in just 10 minutes of charge. In my time of use, these headphones lasted around nine hours, which is fairly close to the claimed numbers by Sony and enough for a few workout sessions. Your mileage may vary depending on the volume you listen to these headphones on.
Should you buy the Sony Float Run Headphones?
The Sony Float Run headphones cater to a very specific niche, and in that, they excel. In terms of their comfort and performance, there is not much to complain about. The sound is well-rounded for sibilant and vocal-heavy genres of music and consuming podcasts. Even basic entertainment and calling needs are covered. Bass heads, stay away. These headphones lack in terms of their features; Sony has just added the basics here. But they make up a lot of lost ground with their 10 hour battery, with fast charging support. At ₹10,990, they make for an excellent purchase for fitness enthusiasts who are not afraid of trying out a new form factor.
If you are curious about what’s in the box of the Sony Float Run Headphones, watch the unboxing here –
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Satvik Pandey
Satvik Pandey, is a self-professed Steve Jobs (not Apple) fanboy, a science & tech writer, and a sports addict. At Digit, he works as a Deputy Features Editor, and manages the daily functioning of the magazine. He also reviews audio-products (speakers, headphones, soundbars, etc.), smartwatches, projectors, and everything else that he can get his hands on. A media and communications graduate, Satvik is also an avid shutterbug, and when he's not working or gaming, he can be found fiddling with any camera he can get his hands on and helping produce videos – which means he spends an awful amount of time in our studio. His game of choice is Counter-Strike, and he's still attempting to turn pro. He can talk your ear off about the game, and we'd strongly advise you to steer clear of the topic unless you too are a CS junkie. View Full Profile
