Jabra’s latest headphones automatically adjust to your surroundings

At CES 2018, Jabra debuted its Elite 65t true wireless earbuds, an audio device that would eventually become one of our favorite headphones of the year. For CES this time around, the company has a more traditional new product: a set of over-ear noise...

Apple’s future AirPods may offer noise cancellation and greater range

Apple might have larger plans in store for future AirPods beyond water resistance. Bloomberg sources claim that a higher-end version of the totally wireless earbuds could arrive "as early as" 2019 with noise cancellation and longer wireless range in...

Blue raises the bar for wireless audio with its Satellite headphones

After making its name building microphones for both amateurs and professionals, Blue made the leap to headphones back in 2014. Its first model, the Mo-Fi, featured a built-in amplifier and the company followed up with three others, including a planar...

Sennheiser’s wireless headphones give Bose some competition

When it comes to noise-cancelling headphones, Bose is widely regarded as the best and its QuietComfort 35s are very good at blocking out unwanted distractions. Sennheiser has its own wireless model with active noise cancellation here at CES, the HD 4...

Doppler’s smart earbuds coming to sports events and museums

Dopper Labs is partnering with the Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Philharmonic and San Francisco fine arts museums on new experiences for its Here One earbuds. They use "smart" active listening tech to intelligently block outside sounds or blend them...

Audience eS515 Smart Sound Processor brings three-mic support and selective audio capture to phones

Audience announces eS515 Smart Sound Processor

Even if you haven't heard of Audience, there's a very good chance you (or a close friend or family member) have used a product with one of its audio processing chips installed. The company, which prides itself in its noise-cancelling prowess, is taking to CES to launch its latest high-end processor, dubbed the eS515. This particular chip offers a new high-performance, low-power codec subsystem and integrates a handful of impressive features along with it. First on the laundry list of improvements is support for up to three mics on a singular device; while we've seen the three-mic setup on a limited scale in the past (Qualcomm has done it on its development phones), Audience's implementation may be the first to arrive on commercially available phones. Since it's currently sampling to manufacturers, we may not have to wait terribly long.

In addition to the three-mic support, the eS515 also throws in a few other handy tools, such as de-reverb, which is meant to significantly reduce the voice echo users normally experience on speakerphones and in large rooms; a selective audio capture feature called Audio Zoom, which lets you switch back and forth between a bi-directional recording mode and single-direction narrator mode; new hardware-accelerated speech recognition algorithms that's geared to interpret your voice more accurately; and dual-mic noise suppression when taking video. It all sounds pretty tempting, and we're eager to see how well Audience holds up on its claims -- we're still waiting to hear which upcoming devices will have the chip installed, but our guess is that it'll show up on a handful of premium smartphones in the coming year. We've got the press release below for your dissection.

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Audience noise-cancelling said not to feature in next iPhone

Audience noise cancelling said not to feature in next iPhone

There was a time when Audience's contribution to the iPhone's call clarity was not only praised, but actively hunted down. But now it looks like the party is over -- at least according to the chip maker itself. Citing events "in the normal course of business" the firm believes that its technology won't be making it into Apple's next handset -- unsurprisingly a big blow for its shareholders. While it remains unconfirmed, Audience suggested in a conference call that Apple has built its own audio team. Something that is possible already creating a hubbub with other industry players. Though all things going well, we'll only have to wait a week until the new iPhone hits the surgeon's bench anyway.

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Audience noise-cancelling said not to feature in next iPhone originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Sep 2012 07:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia’s Purity HD stereo headset by Monster goes Pro, gains Bluetooth, NFC and noise cancellation (update)

Nokia's Purity HD Headset by Monster goes Pro, ditches cord with Bluetooth in the process

If Nokia doesn't show off at least one banana-hued Lumia smartphone come September 5th, we're going to be extremely confused. Say howdy to the Pro-monikered followup to its corded Purity HD stereo headset by Monster, which gains Bluetooth (no word on what version), NFC for pairing and active noise cancellation. Similar to its recently revealed PlayUp speaker, the company's teasing the the Purity HD Pro as an audio accessory that'll "perfectly match your Lumia" in a choice of black, white, red and yellow. The Pro is essentially identical to its predecessor, but now the folding earcups also serve as a pseudo-on/off switch for its anc functionality for the unit itself. As you might expect, all that tech and Monster branding will cost ya a spendy €299 (about $376) -- nearly as much as Parrot's Zik by Starck. Further details are currently unavailable, except that the cans will reach store shelves near this year's close.

Update: You'll find a video hands-on by way of The Nokia Blog here. According a Nokia rep in that video, the earpads have a head detection sensor for automatically enabling ANC (similar to the Zik), while plugging in an included cable will let the headphones function sans Bluetooth. Furthermore, the company also noted to TNB that the battery should last about 24 hours for music or calls, with a week's worth of life on standby.

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Nokia's Purity HD stereo headset by Monster goes Pro, gains Bluetooth, NFC and noise cancellation (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 02 Sep 2012 15:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Logitech unveils lineup of UE headphones for in, on and around your ears (hands-on)

Logitech unveils lineup of UE headphones for in, on, and around your ears

Logitech acquired Ultimate Ears awhile back to take advantage of its experience with professional audio, and now it's leveraged some of that institutional knowledge to create a UE line of headphones aimed at consumers. First up, there's the $100 UE 4000 on-ear model that comes in three colors: black, blue and magenta, plus a detachable cord with an in-line mic and audio controls compatible with iOS devices. The UE 6000 model takes things up a notch with an over-ear design that folds up for easy storage on the go, has an in-line remote, plus it adds active noise cancellation technology for $200. Then there's the UE 9000 Bluetooth wireless cans that also have ANC and a full suite of on-ear controls for iPhone or iPad, which can be had for $400. Lastly, there's the $400 UE 900 in-ear headphones sporting a quad-armature design and two sets braided cables -- one with in-line controls, and one without. All of the UE models start shipping in the US today, and will be available in Europe next month. We got to try on and try out all of Logitech's new gear for a brief listening session awhile back, so join us after the break for our impressions.

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Logitech unveils lineup of UE headphones for in, on and around your ears (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 15:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Etymotic Music•Pro 9-15 earplugs bring high-end hush to audiences, lets us enjoy speed metal safely

Etymotic MusicPro 915 earplugs bring highend noise blocking to audiences, lets us enjoy speed metal safelyPremium electronic earplugs usually find their homes with musicians eager to preserve their hearing at all costs; anyone within the crowd has more often been left to either use cruder plugs or cover their ears. Etymotic wants to bridge that difference with the Musico.Pro 9-15. The combination of ER-9 and ER-15 earplugs matches its namesake not just through the choice of components, but through active noise cancellation that removes 9 to 15 decibels from the sound only when the rock gets too raucous: listeners can hear fellow concert-goers and even boost their volume without skewing the sound of the band. Pricing plays its own part in reaching out to the crowd, too. As high as the new Musico.Pro set's $399 price might be compared to a typical pair of ear blockers, it's low enough that a dedicated fan of virtual Tupac can afford to go to the concert protected rather than voluntarily take on some hearing damage.

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Etymotic Music•Pro 9-15 earplugs bring high-end hush to audiences, lets us enjoy speed metal safely originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Jul 2012 01:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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