noise canceling
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Klipsch Mode noise-canceling headphones tweet highs, woof lows
We've been worried about Klipsch's future since Audiovox joined the picture, but it looks like there isn't reason to fret just yet. Remember the company's first on-ear headphones, the Image One? Well, Klippy's back for round two evidently; its Mode active noise-canceling headphones have quietly popped up on its website with a whopping $350 price tag and a fall 2011 release. The collapsible earcups are padded in plushy leather and house a 40mm mid / low woofer with a 15mm tweeter for silky highs, crunchy mids and thumping lows. Also included are two detachable 3.5mm cables, one of which has an Apple-certified three-button inline remote / mic. Best of all, ANC can be enabled for up to 45 hours on a single battery to zone out any bustle around you. We'll have an ears-on with these very soon, but you'll find details now via the source link below.%Gallery-128214%
Polk enters the headphone game with sporty, generic ear-speakers
It seems the Polk folk have had their fill of iPod docks, shower speakers, and soundbars, and are hungry for a new market: headphones. The outfit aims to "change the sonic landscape" (their words) for athletes and "ardent headphone users" with their UltraFit and UltraFocus monikered ear-gear. Between the two brands, Polk is promising four brightly-colored UltraFit sports 'phones, including in-ear, on-ear, and earbud models, as well as two UltraFocus in-ear and over-ear noise canceling headphones. No word on price or release date, but Polk suggests you should be able to get your hands on its sporty headgear sometime this fall. Need more? You can find a buzzword-laden press release after the break.
Sony's NC-13 buds cancel noise, RF865 cans transmit across a football field
Given the one-size-fits-few nature of most audio products, it's good to have choices, and Sony happens to have two new pairs of headphones designed for very particular segments of your life. If, say, you're a traveling music lover who doesn't happen to have the disposable income to obtain Sony's premium $300 MDR-NC300D noise canceling buds (which the company claims filter out 99 percent of noise), you'll find a cheaper alternative in the new $70 MDR-NC13, which only make a estimated 87.4 percent of background distractions go bye-bye. C'est la vie. If, on the other hand, you need to throw sound from one end of your mansion to the other for hours on end, the MDR-RF865RK wireless headphones might be the wide receiver you've been dreaming of -- Sony claims they'll play audio up to 100 meters away from their dock, which provides up to 25 hours of playtime after a 3.5 hour charge. No price or availability for the wireless cans, which were just announced in the UK, but you'll find the NC-13 on sale at Sony's online store right now. PR after the break.
Pioneer's SE-NC31C-K noise-cancelling earbuds are cheap, but are they effective?
Active noise cancellation's the secret sauce that keeps us counting sheep even when surrounded by the cacophony of crying babies and the dull roar of jet engines -- though we often find the bulky form factor of those serenity-inducing cans unwieldy. Luckily for us, Pioneer has released its SE-NC31C-K noise-cancellation earbuds that promise to remove 90 percent of ambient noise at the flip of a switch on its AAA battery-powered in-line module -- all for around a hundred bucks, which is a far more palatable price than its sound-suppressing brethren from Sennheiser ($320) and Sony ($415). Should you run out of juice, fear not, for you can bypass the noise cancellation features to listen to your tunage as you would with a garden variety set of buds. Given its (relatively) bargain-basement price, we aren't sure how well Pioneer's latest nullifies ambient noise, but there's only one way to find out if they can give the best headset ever made a run for its money. Should you not share our skepticism, hit the source link and grab a pair for yourself.
Jawbone Era sticks an accelerometer in your noise-canceling headset, we go hands-on
With a fantastic Bluetooth headset on the market and a pumpin' portable speaker to blast out jams, how could Jawbone improve their product lineup? Well, we still think a stereo headset might be swell... but that's not what the company delivered today. No, this is the Jawbone Era, the world's first Bluetooth earpiece with a built-in accelerometer for motion-sensing apps, and plenty more improvements where that came from. There's a new version of the company's NoiseAssassin noise-canceling algorithms that adjusts inbound volume and equalization to let you hear better, an extra-large 10mm cone speaker with a larger range of frequencies, two processors, more memory, and an hour of extra battery life compared to the Jawbone Icon, to be specific. With only two motions currently recognized -- a double-tap to begin / end / switch calls and a rapid shake to pair -- the accelerometer's a bit of a gimmick for now, but Jawbone suggests more gestures are probably on the way. In the meanwhile, the other advancements might make the Era worth the price of entry -- which is $130, by the by. We've spent about five hours with the headset already, listening to music and taking calls, and while the accelerometer seems almost wasted at present, there's no discounting that new 10mm driver and the audio it can pump out. While no substitute for a set of quality dedicated earbuds, it sounded worlds better than the Jawbone Icon's tiny, tinny drum, and playing Pandora tracks we no longer felt an overpowering desire to take it out of our ear -- making a cyborg existence all the more bearable, we suppose. We'll bring you a full review soon, but if you're already sold, you'll find four different Era designs on sale at Jawbone's online store... oh, right about now. PR after the break. %Gallery-114734%
Ask Engadget: best passive noise cancelling headphones?
We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Alex, who just can't take the noise, dude. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com. "Hello Engadget. I've always been a fan of high quality audio but I have a problem. I need noise cancelling headphones, but active noise cancelling gives me a headache and my ear canals aren't round enough to use in-ear earphones. I've also looked into custom earphones but I can't afford paying $400 or more for a set. What are your recommendations for the best pair of passive noise cancelling headphones? My ears thank you." We will say that Klipsch's oval ear tips tend to fit in funky ear canals that typically reject round ones, but if you're still hellbent on a pair of cans, we're hoping our audience below can toss out some advice. If they can hear us from underneath their noise cancelling headphones, of course.
Panasonic's RP-HC700 headphones cancel a whole lotta noise
We can't say they're the most stylish noise cancelling headphones we've ever seen (far from it, actually), but Panasonic's RP-HC700 sure do cancel out an awful lot of unwanted sine waves. In fact, these retro-inspired cans nix 95 percent of surrounding noise, and they'll also ship in both black and white hues for somewhat obvious reasons. Other specs include 40mm drivers, a 10Hz to 30kHz frequency range and 15 hours of noise cancelling with a single AAA battery. If you're into keeping tunes in while keeping -- well, everything else -- out, you'll need to free yourself of ¥20,000 ($237) next month.
Ask Engadget: Best noise cancelling Bluetooth headset?
We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Jonathon, who's currently preparing for a summer of fun with top dropped. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com. "I'm looking for a Bluetooth headset with the best noise reduction. I've got a convertible and would like to be able to have a conversation with the top down (at least around town, highway would be fantastic but probably unrealistic). So, any thoughts and / or suggestions?" BT headsets have come a long way since we first posted a similar question in 2005, so we suspect the answers here will be quite a bit different. Do you have a particular earpiece that you enjoy while cruising under the open skies? Don't hold back on us, now.
Sony's noise-canceling earphones US-bound in February
You didn't have to wait until now to pick up Sony's MDR-NC300D noise-canceling earphones -- after all, they've been imported from Japan since their June debut. Still, now that the 'buds are hitting official status US routes in February, it'll be a heck of a lot easier to make that impulse buy. No price mentioned, but expect at least a few Benjamins to automatically eject from your wallet.
Video: Sony's MDR-NC300D noise-canceling canal earbuds
We know you haven't slept in the week since we first got wind of Sony's MDR-NC300D heaphones and while, sadly, there is (as of yet) still no domestic street date, we do have some more details and a fun little video to tide you over. Billed as the "world's first" digital noise canceling canal earphones (and we're inclined to agree) these guys boast 98.4% noise reduction, an integrated S-Master amplifier, 16mm diameter drivers for each bud, and three separate noise canceling modes. For those of you with a more technical bent, you'll be pleased to know that the 'phones sport a playback frequency of 6Hz ~ 24kHz, a sensitivity of 103dB/mW, and a 16Ω impedence. And it runs on AAA batteries -- meaning these aren't the iPod killers that we've seen in similar devices. This bad boy will hit the streets and shelves of Japan on June 21st for ¥30,975 (around $315).Video after the break.[Via Sony Insider]
Sony introduces MDR-NC300D noise-canceling headphones
Tired of listening to more than just your music? Not down with handing over any of your hard-earned cash to the specification-hiding folks at Bose? Have a look at Sony's latest, the MDR-NC300D. These flashy earbuds boast an in-line noise-canceling module with three separate modes: a general mode, airplane mode and one for trains / buses / cars. Granted, we get the idea that those selections are a bit of marketing hype, but whatever the case, Sony asserts that these buds will eliminate up to 99 percent of undesired jibber jabber. All that's required is a single AA cell, which should provide right around 20 hours of noise suppression. Interested? Pony up ¥40,900 ($415) and prove it.[Thanks, Waroxy]
Toshiba's auxiliary speaker cancels noise from main speaker
Er, something like that. Reportedly, Toshiba has conjured up some sort of newfangled technology that's able to more accurately reproduce sound by using a noise canceling auxiliary speaker. Specifically, the tech utilizes "sound from an auxiliary speaker to eliminate noise generated from the main speaker," and in case your wild guess wasn't good enough, it relies on "opposite-phase sound waves generated from the auxiliary speaker attached to the main speaker" to make it all happen. We know, our head is spinning just as fast as yours here, and it's all the more difficult to comprehend without an actual product to demonstrate. That said, Tosh is planning to conduct research and development in order to implement this into its own products, so hopefully we'll be seeing something a touch more tangible real soon.
Ask Engadget: Best noise-canceling headphones?
Over at the Engadget household today, we staffers have gathered around a cornucopia of good eats, good gadgets, and most importantly, good times. When it came time to list all the things we were thankful for, our readers were undoubtedly the top choice. And with Ask Engadget questions like this one, can you really blame us? "I've been listening to your podcast since the day you reintroduced it and I really like it, but I have a hard time understanding what you're saying when I'm in the subway. So I'd like to know what are the best noise-suppressing headphones I could get for around $150. Either that, or you could just ask Nilay to speak louder... thanks a lot!"We'll be sure to pass the word to Nilay (he's a bit busy with the pumpkin pie at the moment), but for all of you overstuffed individuals out there, how's about giving Gabriel an answer he'll appreciate? Afterwards, send in a question of your own to ask at engadget dawt com.
Sony unveils five new audio accessories: headphones, speakers and remote
Rather than just introducing these five items individually, Sony reckoned the world at large may pay more attention if they were unveiled in one fell swoop. To that end, we're left staring at a new pair of noise canceling headphones (MDR-NC7; $50), travel speakers (SRS-M50; $50), a universal remote (RM-VL610; $30), EX Series earbuds (MDR-EX36V; $30) and stereo Bluetooth headphones (DR-BT160AS; $160). While the first two are pretty self-explanatory, color lovers will appreciate the three swappable back plates for the remote, and the water-resistant BT 'phones pack a built-in microphone, rechargeable Li-ion cells and A2DP support. Everything should be available now if you look hard enough, and the full release with all the gory details is waiting just after the break.%Gallery-37129%
Acoustic Research doles out ARNC01 noise-canceling earbuds
Audiovox's extravaganza is closing up with the introduction of the Acoustic Research ARNC01 ($59.99) earbuds, which promise to use whiz-bang active processing to reduce noise for airline addicts and those with a crib full of rambunctious youngsters. The circuitry is housed in an in-line module with an On / Off button and a compartment for a single AAAA (yes, AAAA) battery, which should last you around 50 hours. You know, plenty of time to head off to Akihabara and back for a few new Japanese exclusives.
HP's noise-cancelling Bluetooth headphones hit the FCC
We didn't see these noise-canceling Bluetooth headphones hiding anywhere in HP's CES booth, so we can only assume the company is trying to sneak 'em by Uncle Sam while we're in Vegas. Of course, you know we're still on top of everything else that's going down even in the middle of CES, which is why we'll be rewarding HP for this deception with a full gallery of pictures. There's nothing going on here internally that's super-crazy, but the form factor is nicely classic, and noise-cancellation is always fun. Check it all out in the gallery -- and HP? We're watching, guys. %Gallery-13277%
Audio-Technica's newest noise-cancellers, the ATH-ANC3 QuietPoint
We gotta say we're loving the absolutely over-the-top headphone press releases that have been coming out of CES this year, but Audio-Technica appears to be immune -- and the new ATH-ANC3 QuietPoint noise-cancelling in-ears are similarly all business, employing a pair of external mics to block 85 percent of all external noise. Unlike other active noise-canceling sets, the ANC3s work without batteries, or you can switch it around and use the noise-canceling features without audio playback. A-T says these'll hit in spring for $169 -- guess you'll have to keep your earplugs in until then.
Sony's $400 digital noise canceling headphones
The age-old battle between the forces of digital and analog wages on, with Sony's new MDR-NC500D noise canceling headphones claiming to out noise cancel your totally old-fashioned analog pair. We don't really understand the audio alchemy explained in the press release ("the analog audio input signal is converted to a digital signal and sent through a digital equalizer to enhance the mid-range vocals and alleviate the excess bass"?) but if it means we can tune into whatever crappy movie they're playing on the plane while blocking out the roar of the jet engine and maybe even a crying infant or two, then consider our attention gotten when these things start canceling noise in February. For $400, we're expecting nothing less than a miracle.
Creative introduces the Aurvana noise-cancelling DJ headphones with X-Fi
Creative continues to roll out its X-Fi audio enhancement technology across its product line, this time in the latest addition to the Aurvana headphone line. The noise-canceling headphones rock the classic DJ style and feature a frequency response of 20Hz - 20kHz, as well side-mounted controls for the X-Fi modes, which Creative claims restores audio information lost during digital compression. No word on pricing or availability, but Creative isn't shy about getting its products out there, so chances are you'll know when these things hit.
JVC's HA-NC250 noise-canceling headphones
JVC has announced a new pair of Bose-humiliating, noise-canceling headphones to its lineup: the HA-NC250. Clocking in at $199.95, these 5.3-ounce, flat-folding earpieces utilize adaptive feedback technology which constantly monitors the noise cancellation process, resulting in a nearly 85 percent reduction of background noise -- or at least that's what JVC claims. The headphones feature 40mm neodymium drivers, and come bundled with a carrying case, detachable cord, and an assortment of adapters for all your plugging needs. Of course, you'll have to provide your own AAA battery.
