Sennheiser is well established in the world of audio. The company's headphones have been used for years in some of the world's top recording studios, and in the consumer world, audiophiles have utilized its products to meet their audio goals long before headphones were trendy.
Reinforcing its reputation as a cutting edge, benchmark audio manufacturer, Sennheiser has announced its AMBEO Smart Surround headphones at CES 2017.
Described as a compact earphone for immersive 3D audio, the headphones, “let consumers capture and listen to binaural audio recordings on their smartphones with unprecedented simplicity.”
The AMBEO headphones build upon its AMBEO line of products, which was launched at CES 2016 with the announcement of its AMBEO VR Mic. Sennheiser says the headphones will be its first consumer AMBEO product.
“Today's consumers are accustomed to capturing incredibly realistic video, producing 4K and 360-degree videos. Yet as mainstream technology makes immersive visual experiences ever more accessible, the power and emotion of this footage is too often let down by the quality of sound that these devices can capture. AMBEO Smart Surround is an innovative solution that closes this gap,” explains Dr. Andreas Sennheiser, co-CEO, Sennheiser. “With AMBEO Smart Surround we are taking the next step into the future of audio. We are inviting consumers to experience immersive sound by adding a recording earphone into our AMBEO technology program.”
Binaural Audio for Consumers
Sennheiser says the format places listeners inside the soundstage and recreates the direction of sounds and spatial characteristics of 3D sound.
Sennheiser goes on to explain that it is bringing binaural technology to headphones to allow consumers to create a binaural audio experience from a range of products that include smart devices.
The AMBEO Smart Surround headphones employ a compact in-ear design to facilitate its use with smart devices, and it engineered the capture of binaural sound “as easy as shooting HD video,” and Sennheiser points out the captured sound can be played back through any pair of headphones.
Internally the headphones' earhooks incorporate two microphones that capture the timing, volume and timbre that occurs as sound arrives at each ear. Sennheiser says before the release of the AMBEO Smart Surround headphones, the only way to create this type of listening experience involved dedicated professional solutions.
“This same passion for innovation in audio will inspire a new wave of binaural sound for the digital age,” adds Andreas Sennheiser. “We are very excited to see how consumers will embrace the creative possibilities that are opened up by this exciting technology.”
The AMBEO Smart Surround headphones also include Apple Lightning and USB-C options to complement devices like Apple iPhones and iPads.
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