Tag Archives: wireless headphones

These Nothing Wireless Headphones are the perfect open-ecosystem alternative to the Apple AirPods Max

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If Carl Pei had to aim his guns at his next target, a pair of over-ear smart wireless headphones would probably be the best way to go.

What better product for Nothing to reinvent next? The smart wireless headphone space has absolutely been lacking. Sony seems to be the only worthwhile competitor to Apple’s AirPods Max and its relatively lackluster Beats sub-brand. What better time for Nothing to enter and disrupt a market that needs a new iconic product? Heck, with its partnership with Teenage Engineering, the Nothing Head (1) could easily be a runaway success!

Designers: Junwoo Kim, Chaewon Lee, Hyeonseung Yang, Joonho Sung

The Nothing Head (1) are a conceptual pair of over-ear cans designed keeping Nothing’s design language and company DNA in mind. Carl Pei’s latest venture has focused on wanting to make products more open, transparent, and fun, and the Head (1) is quite literally all those things. It comes with its own Glyph Interface, like on the phone (1), taking the audio experience of a headphone and turning it into an audiovisual one. It acts as branding, doing exactly what the Beats logo did, but better… although more importantly, it can act as notification lights to let you know if your Head (1) is connected, or let others know that you’re busy listening to music and shouldn’t be disturbed.

For the designers behind the Head (1), the biggest challenge was to imagine what a pair of large headphones would look like if they came from the nascent brand. There isn’t much to work with, apart from the Ear (1) TWS earbuds and the phone (1) – both of which reflect rather well in the Head (1)’s design. The headphone comes with a transparency-focused design that lets you see underneath the hood. The glyph LEDs surround the headphone’s wireless charging coils, underneath which sit the audio drivers. The headphones probably respond to most touch gestures, although there’s a wheel at the bottom that I presume helps with volume control.

Unlike any headphone before it, the Head (1) also relies on transparent cushion cups, giving the overall product a very futuristic touch.

Designed to be different, the earphones come with a unique charging stand that puts the cans on display when they’re not in use. The stand sports an angled design that lets you dock your earphones into after a long day, and wireless coils built into the sides align with the coils on the headphones, charging them wirelessly while keeping the headphones standing vertical so they occupy less space and look incredibly dynamic while they charge. A horizontal charging surface on the back lets you also charge your phone and earbuds!

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LIVALL Open Ear Headphones are perfect for any sport and can be easily worn with helmets

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The Apple AirPods ushered in a new age of wireless audio gear littered by dozens of truly wireless or TWS earbuds, some of which unsurprisingly looks a lot like Apple’s design. It’s hard to ignore the convenience these small pieces of plastic bring, but they are also not a good fit for all kinds of wearers and uses. When safety, stability, and comfort are the most critical concerns, you’ll want something more than just two buds to stick inside your ear. That’s the promise that the LIVALL makes with its Open Ear Headphones, providing an audio experience that still leaves your ears open to the world around you and stays safely on your head or even on your helmet.

Designers: Bryan Zheng & Mingqiang Xu

Click Here to Buy the Sport: $79 $135 ($56 off). Hurry, only limited to 20. Includes free remote controller, portable bag, and 50% off shipping.

Click Here to Buy the Pro: $89 $149 ($60 off). Hurry, only limited to 20. Includes free remote controller, portable bag, and 50% off shipping.

To be clear, the LIVALL doesn’t use bone conduction to deliver its open ear audio experience. That technology became a bit of a fad, partly because of the wonders of its novelty and its ability to let the world’s sounds in, especially the ones that would warn you of incoming danger. Bone conduction headphones, however, are also notorious for the uncomfortable tingling sensation that the vibrations cause, as well as discomfort after wearing them for long periods of time. The LIVALL has none of those, thanks to more intelligent use of technology and physics.

16.2mm Speakers – Has a sensitivity rating of 106, ‡3dB that has received calibrations in layering, space, bass tone and clarity for a more immersive listening experience.

Working together with 16.2mm premium diaphragm speakers, the LIVALL LTS21 utilizes directional acoustics to bring that same open ear experience without having to send vibrations through your skull. At the same time, it makes sure that sound waves really go to your ear alone, preventing them from leaking out, which is one of the problems with other open-ear headphones. At the same time, four mics power an Environmental Noise Cancellation or ENC that does block external noise so you can have crystal clear calls in any environment.

Bluetooth 5.2 – The technology supports connection and reconnection in less than a second.

Environmental Noise Cancellation – Features four high-quality silicon microphones to form a powerful noise re-duction array.

Long Battery Life – Supports up to 12 hours of continuous play and has an 800mAh charging case/power bank with the capacity to fully recharge for up to 60 hours of playtime.

What all these technologies mean is that the LIVALL makes for the perfect companion in outdoor activities. The open ear design not only lets you stay aware of your surroundings, but you also don’t have to worry about bacterial infections and hearing damage that are commonly associated with buds that go into your ear canal. You will still be able to hear your favorite tunes or podcasts with clarity, and you can enjoy hours of use on end, thanks to the headphones’ 12-hour battery life and the charging case’s additional 48 hours.

For multi-scenario.

IP64 protected against dust and water.

If those features still aren’t enough to make the LIVALL LTS21 special, then its detachable design definitely takes the cake. The head bracket is already comfortable and stable enough to sit on your head, but if you need to wear a bike helmet as well, the buds can easily be detached from the head bracket and then attached to helmet brackets. The buds can be easily controlled with just a few taps, but there’s also a LIVALL remote for those times when you need to keep both hands on the bike’s handlebar. It’s the perfect partner for the highly successful LIVALL EVO21 smart helmet that revolutionized bike safety. And being IP64 dust and water-resistant, the headphones can join you on any run or trek, no matter the weather.

Enjoy a hands-free walkie-talkie with your teammates while riding.

With the LIVALL LTS21 open ear headphones, you don’t have to decide between comfort, quality, performance, and versatility, especially when you can have it all at a great value. ts intelligent use of directional acoustics gives rise to a new breed of “Nearbuds” that will make earbuds a thing of the past. You can choose between the regular $85 Sport model, which covers most needs, or the $95 Pro set, which includes brackets for helmets. Yanko Design readers get a special discount treat, so make sure you use the links provided.

Click Here to Buy the Sport: $79 $135 ($56 off). Hurry, only limited to 20. Includes free remote controller, portable bag, and 50% off shipping.

Click Here to Buy the Pro: $89 $149 ($60 off). Hurry, only limited to 20. Includes free remote controller, portable bag, and 50% off shipping.

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Sony WH-1000XM5 Headphones off exceptional noise cancelling, effortless control

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Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones

Sony is still one of the most trusted brands for consumer electronics. It may be overshadowed by several other companies in different industries, but many audiophiles can agree that Sony audio products are the best.

After the launch of the Sony Xperia 1 IV, the latest from the company is this pair of wireless headphones: the Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones. The pair can be the next industry-leading noise-canceling headphones. The latest pair is available in either Black or Silver. It offers a true distraction-free and immersive audio listening experience to every user. Like the previous model, this one brings the already industry-leading audio quality and noise canceling. In addition, Sony updated the system with a new design for added comfort and newer technology.

Designer: Sony

Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones

Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones

The new pair from Sony uses two processors: an Integrated Processor V1 and a 30mm driver unit. The first one uses the HD Noise Canceling Processor QN1 to enhance bass production and sound clarity. The 30mm driver unit is for the noise canceling. With these improvements, the headphones offer incomparable noise cancelation. You can switch off the world around you with this thing.

The Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones’ two processors control eight microphones. The latter reduces the frequency and optimizes noise cancelation. High-quality audio can be expected from the headphones as Sony thought of everything to improve on this model. For example, the pair uses carbon fiber composite material that allows high-frequency sensitivity. This also results in a more natural sound.

Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones

Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones

Other features of the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones are High-Resolution Audio, whether wired or wireless and DSEE Extreme 4 for real-time enhancement of digital music files. There’s also a 360 Reality Audio support for a more immersive audio listening experience. The brand’s Voice Pickup technology makes use of our beamforming microphones. In addition, an AI-based noise reduction structure helps them. To minimize noise, there’s also a new wind-noise reduction structure.

Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones

Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones

Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones

The pair boasts a sleek design and a lightweight structure. It uses synthetic leather for the primary headphones, fitting around the head snuggly but with comfort. The design allows external noise to be entirely blocked out but still offers the user comfort even after hours of use.

Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones

The new Sony headphones offer Adaptive Sound Control. This means the pair can adjust to a specific environment or location. The pair knows where you are, so it can set the sound. Management is easy with the Sony Headphones Connect app. It can tell you if the audio volume or listening levels are high or are going beyond the average level. The pair allows you to talk to Alexa or Google with its numerous intelligent features.

Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones

The post Sony WH-1000XM5 Headphones off exceptional noise cancelling, effortless control first appeared on Yanko Design.

Yamaha’s wireless noise canceling headphones let you listen to 3D spatial audio, like the AirPods Max

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Audio giant Yamaha is throwing its hat into the wireless headphone ring with the YH L700A, the company’s flagship headset, slated for an August launch. While that name isn’t particularly catchy, what Yamaha is promising with these cans seems to be quite enticing – the L700A boasts of a wireless design, active noise canceling, and a revolutionary 3D audio feature that works universally with any audio. This nifty little upgrade can allegedly turn stereo tracks on Spotify or audio from Netflix and YouTube into immersive 3D soundscapes that change positions as your head moves… and if all that wasn’t enough, the Yamaha YH L700A manages to also pack a 34-hour battery.

Coming from a company that has a reputation for making ‘serious’ audio equipment for serious musicians and audio professionals, the Yamaha L700A looks to treat a balance between being pro-gear and consumer-worthy. It sports a gray design, finished with fabric trims on the headband as well as on the earpieces themselves, making them look like condenser microphones from afar. The wireless headphones fold flat like the AirPods Max, for easy traveling, and instead of touch-sensitive panels or rotary knobs, the earphones actually come with buttons on the right earpiece for that reliable tactile experience.

The wireless headphone’s robust, reliable, professional-looking design is simply a benchwarmer for what’s underneath the surface. Yamaha claims that, with just a push of a button, the L700A can effectively turn regular stereo audio into 3D sound. The headphones create a 3D sound field and perform complex head tracking to detect how you move and turn your head, mapping the audio accordingly, relative to your head’s position. In short, it’s a lot like what Apple claims its Spatial Audio feature on the AirPods Max does, and even something Dolby debuted with its Dimension headphones… but while Apple and Dolby’s efforts are restricted and limited to their platform (Spatial Audio only works within Apple’s Music and TV ecosystem, while Dolby’s features are limited to its own Atmos platform too), the Yamaha YH L700A can turn ANY audio into a 3D soundscape. This secret sauce lies within Yamaha’s software chops when it comes to interpreting regular audio signals and being able to separate the channels and map them out accordingly to create an immersive 360° audio field, with sounds coming from the front, the sides, and the back. Yamaha offers 7 different 3D listening modes to choose from based on what you’re listening to. There’s a ‘Cinema’ mode for movies, an ‘Audio Room’ mode for music and podcasts, a ‘Concert Live’ for more elaborate performances like plays and musicals, and even an ‘Outdoor Live’ that I assume would absolutely shine while watching a concert or something like Billy On The Street.

If the headphones can deliver what they promise to, this is a game-changing moment for audio headsets. The competition, be it Apple, Sony, Dolby, etc. are all limited by their own specific platforms, but the L700A is platform-agnostic and claims to be able to basically upscale ‘flat’ stereo audio into immersive 3D audio. This would essentially make music sound like you’re inside the recording studio, or make a movie feel like you’re in a cinema hall. How Yamaha plans to seamlessly pull this off is a pretty big question, because as T3 points out, stereo or even 5.1 audio starts out in a “3D format, then will compress when it goes over Bluetooth, and then will be processed for 3D by the L700A.”

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These wireless earbuds attach to one another, removing the dreaded concern of losing a single earbud!

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Klipur is an earbuds concept that replaces a charging carry case with an overnight charging pod and binding carry method.

With AirPods, we not only have to keep track of the two wireless earbuds but their charging case as well. When we’re listening to music while in a rush going or leaving somewhere, the earbuds’ charging case can get lost in the mix.

Designing an earbuds concept that eliminates the need for a charging carry case, Chris Thursfield conceptualized Klipur, a pair of earbuds that attach to one another when not in use.

Researching the ways we listen to music most often revealed to Thursfield that most listeners use earbuds while commuting to work or traveling elsewhere.

Following this research period, the young designer followed multiple iterations of earbud designs before settling on Klipur’s final form. Conceptualized with an overnight charging method, Klipur can recharge during the night alongside our smartphones.

When ready to leave, users can detach the earbuds from their charging case and attach them to one another for a compact carrying method, or throw them in their ears without worrying about where they left the charging case.

Klipur features an all-white color makeup, similar to other earbuds currently on the market, enhancing the concept’s familiarity to most users.

By utilizing the strides we’ve made in wireless technology and battery capacity, Thursfield conceptualized Klipur so that the pair of earbuds can last a full day’s use on a single charge.

Striking a balance between comfort and style, each earbud features a secure and snug grip with silicone plugs. Then, the main body of each Klipur earbud comes with an angled structure that leans closely against the skin for an even stronger hold.

Designer: Chris Thursfield

Before settling on Klipur’s final form, Thursfield used digital sketches and 3D renderings to ideate conceptual variations.  

At night, users can charge Klipur in its charging pod, and come morning, the earbuds plug right into the user’s ear and attach to one another when not in use. 

Conceptualized in a trio of different colors, Klipur comes in white, beige, black. 

The post These wireless earbuds attach to one another, removing the dreaded concern of losing a single earbud! first appeared on Yanko Design.

Bang & Olufsen’s new $499 wireless headphones deliver a knockout blow to the Airpods Max

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Some could say that these headphones really deliver a ‘Bang’ for their buck!

At $499, the B&O Beoplay HX aren’t cheap headphones. They carry the Bang & Olufsen tag (which does account for a slightly inflated price), but then again, the Beoplay HX are a solid piece of gear. They’re over-ear, active noise-canceling, have 40mm audio drivers, and come with an impressive 35-hour battery life. If you delve down into the details, they sport metallic accents too (although the body is primarily plastic), and even have a much better-looking protective case than the AirPods Max. Feature-for-feature, the Beoplay HX seem like they were designed to compete with the AirPods Max… and probably even win.

The wireless over-ear headphones have the highest battery-life in their category (with the AirPods Max falling short by 10 hours, and the Sony WH-1000XM4 by 5). They’re outfitted with ANC (active noise-canceling) on the inside, and when the feature’s switched off, the headphones last well beyond 40 hours on a single charge. The headphones come in black (with an all-white variant launching in a month), featuring a body made from recycled plastic, capped off with a radial-brushed aluminum disc. The ear-cups are made from lambskin with a memory foam interior, while the headband uses a combination of cowhide and knitted fabric… and the adjustable sliding mechanism is all-aluminum, offering low-tolerance, sleek adjustability like the AirPods Max. However, unlike the AirPods Max, the Beoplay HX are pretty traditional with their UI, with buttons on the left and right ear cup and even a touch-sensitive panel on the right side. The headphones support Bluetooth 5.1, although there’s even a 3.5mm jack if you’re a bit of a purist!

Designer: Bang & Olufsen

Jabra’s entry-level Elite 45h headphones drop to an all-time low at Amazon

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Audio specialist Jabra is renowned for high-end products that live up to their price tags, but in recent years they’ve also mastered solid entry-level hardware that’s also worth a look (or listen). Case in point, the affordable Elite 45h on-ear headp...