Tag Archives: Immersive Audio Enhancement

Bose Unleashes New QuietComfort Lineup with new Bose Immersive Audio Technology

September 15, 2023 Nur Jeevan Leave a comment

Bose has unveiled a trio of new audio products set to redefine the listening experience: the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones, QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, and QuietComfort Headphones. These devices maintain Bose’s signature sound quality, noise cancellation, and comfort while introducing a significant innovation—Bose Immersive Audio.

Bose Immersive Audio

Bose’s Immersive Audio is the company’s take on directional audio. Unlike its competitors, the technology doesn’t use AI to approximate audio direction – particularly when it comes to headphones. Instead, it generates a wider, more spacious soundstage that allows for layered, multidimensional sound. The best part? It’s platform agnostic – meaning that it’s done on the headphones itself. The onboard IMU and Bose’s proprietary digital signal processing software allows for a live concert-like experience, even with audio sources that don’t natively support spatial audio.

It comes with two modes: Still and Motion. “Still” mode keeps audio stationery for a consistent experience, while “Motion” mode, adapts sound according to your position and movements.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones

These headphones replace the Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 as Bose’s top-tier over-ear headphones. They address a common concern by folding it down for easy storage. The headphones introduce Bose’s Immersive Audio technology, along with CustomTune audio calibration. They provide clear calls, accurate voice assistant responses, and up to 24 hours of battery life.

The new QuietComfort Ultra headphones feature a completely re-engineered system with proprietary signal processing, advanced microphones and a robust chipset. These technologies enable improved noise cancellation and CustomTune while supporting Bose’s Aware mode with ActiveSense and improved voice pickup.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds

Building on the success of the QC Earbuds II, the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds offer noise cancellation, CustomTune calibration, responsive touch controls, and now Immersive Audio. Improved call quality is achieved through adaptive filters and dynamic microphone mixing. It also comes with an IPX4 water and dust resistance rating. They provide up to six hours of battery life, with an optional case for wireless charging.

Bose QuietComfort Headphones

Replacing the QuietComfort 45 Headphones, these offer high-fidelity audio and noise cancellation. Users can customize noise cancellation levels and modes. They provide up to 24 hours of battery life, support multipoint Bluetooth 5.1, and include a Spotify Tap button for convenience.

Compatibility and Connectivity

All three products support Snapdragon Sound Technology Suite, including Qualcomm’s aptX Adaptive codec for audio streaming. They are Bluetooth 5.3 compatible and feature Google Fast Pair for Android devices. They are also compatible with Bose SimpleSync technology, allowing personalized pairing with select soundbars and speakers.

Pricing & Availability

Pre-orders for these products are now open.

The QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are priced at GBP£449 (MYR2,610.17) while the Earbuds will cost GBP£299 (MYR1,738.21). Both will be available starting in early October in Black and White Smoke.

The QuietComfort Headphones will be available on September 21, 2023, in Black and White Smoke. There will also be a limited-edition Cypress Green colour. It will be priced at GBP£349 (MYR2,028.89).

The wireless charging case which is compatible with both the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds and the QC Earbuds II will be on sale for GBP£49.95 (MYR290.38).

There isn’t any word yet on when these products will be available in Malaysia. However, you can still purchase it on the Bose website.

Lifestyle, News

[IFA 2023] Dolby Atmos FlexConnect Makes Getting Immersive Sound Easier

September 1, 2023 Nur Jeevan Leave a comment

Dolby Laboratories has unveiled Remember those days of needing professional equipment to get the best quality sound from your sound systems? Well, that’s about to come to an end with the new Dolby Atmos FlexConnect, – a huge update to its Dolby Atmos surround sound. The technology brings a feature set we’ve grown accustomed to with Samsung‘s flagship QLED TVs with Q Symphony and Sony‘s Acoustic Center Sync to a broader range of TVs starting with TCL TVs that are being announced at IFA 2023.

Dolby Atmos FlexConnect will be able to seamlessly merge your TV’s built-in sound system with compatible wireless accessory speakers anywhere in a given space. FlexConnect will then intelligently adapt to your room’s layout and your chosen speaker arrangement giving you the most optimised audio experience from every corner of your space. Sonos also introduced a similar feature with their recently announced Sonos Era 100 and Era 300 speakers.

These are the hallmark features that Dolby Laboratories has highlighted:

An Improved Dolby Atmos Experience: FlexConnect incorporates compatible wireless speakers into your Dolby Atmos-enabled TV setup. Thanks to this, it’s able to replicate the position of the object better for a more immersive sound experience. This means you’re not just watching; you’re feeling every moment through your ears.

Unconstrained Speaker Placement: FlexConnect removes the constraints of traditional speaker placement. No matter your room’s size, furniture arrangement, or power outlet locations, you can position your speakers wherever they fit best. This newfound flexibility allows you to optimize your audio setup without compromising on sound quality.

Effortless Setup: Setting up Dolby Atmos FlexConnect requires no additional equipment or a tangle of cables. Using acoustic mapping, your TV’s built-in microphones locate each wireless speaker in the room. Once they’re all accounted for, the system automatically calibrates itself to deliver the most optimized audio performance for your unique environment.

Dynamic Audio Balancing: FlexConnect intelligently distributes audio signals from your TV to each wireless speaker. It takes into account the capabilities and locations of all your available speakers, ensuring that the sound immerses you.

The technology will be making its debut in TCL’s latest TV lineup coming at IFA 2023. It will not be surprising to see other brands begin to include this feature in their upcoming offerings.

Accessories, Consumer Electronics, Lifestyle, News

Fulfilling Your Spatial Desire with Sony’s new SRS-RA5000 and SRS-RA3000 Premium Wireless Speakers

January 19, 2021 Shireen Lee Leave a comment

When we say ‘Premium’ today it is a little different from before. ‘Premium’ products have been flooding the market at prices that are not ridiculous. Some might even say that ‘Premium’ is affordable these days. This is also largely thanks to the higher disposable incomes from this generation, and the increasing number of middle-class income households. The combination of both fuels the increasing demands of these affordable premium products.

Sony has announced that SRS-RA5000 and SRS-RA3000 premium wireless speakers to fill that ‘Premium’ space. Both new wireless speakers come packing with Sony’s unique spatial sound technology alongside other smart features and technologies Sony employs to make their speakers sound like no other.

New Premium Speakers, New Premium Features

The SRS-RA5000 and SRS-RA3000 wireless speakers features a unique ambient room-filling sound experience. They call it spatial sound, and it is a unique feature to Sony speakers. It works pretty much like Sony’s 360 Reality Audio technology. In fact, the SRS-RA5000 and SRS-RA3000 works best with 360 Reality Audio contents. Time to prepare your credit cards for a Tidal subscription people.

While most conventional speakers spread audio waves horizontally, the new wireless speakers fill the room with vertical and horizontal signals to really create a roomy aural experience. Of course, Sony has their own Immersive Audio Enhancement technology within the speakers to transform regular 2-channel stereo tracks into something truly breath-taking. Maybe you do not need to cancel your Spotify subscription after all in that case.

Every room is different though. Sony knows this. That is why the SRS-RA5000 and SRS-RA3000 features automatic sound calibration tools to optimise itself in whatever room you may leave it in the house. Simply hold the Immersive Audio Enhancement button on the SRS-RA5000 for a quick calibration of your room. Kind of like how your Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones adjusts to your ears to give you even better experiences.

The SRS-RA3000 is made to be even more portable though. It auto calibrates itself in any room when you turn it on and play your favourite tracks. Every single time you move it to a new room or a different room in your house, or even hotel rooms, the SRS-RA3000 auto-calibrates itself to suit its containing room. Both speakers are also clever speakers that adjusts its own volume so that you have a consistent listening experience without having to adjust your volume at every track.

SRS-RA5000 vs SRS-RA3000 – Which Should You Get?

The Hi-Res Audio certified SRS-RA5000 is set up with a trio of vertical-firing speakers and 3 middle sited speakers for an even and well spread out vertical and horizontal audio distribution. High-magnetism neodymium magnets and mica reinforced cellular diaphragm keeps it compact to ensure that it tucks in any room seamlessly and unobtrusively. The neodymium and mica constructions also allow the SRS-RA5000 to produce clean, crisp, clear, and powerful audio to the room while remaining subtle in the room.

On the other hand, RA3000 offers a unique omnidirectional sound that you can take with you anywhere in your house. Technically because it is more compact as well, it can travel with you. Thanks to its humidity resistant construction, you can put it anywhere within the confines of your house without worrying that it will break due to water damage. Of course, refrain from dumping it into the water, it is not water resistant. It is built-in with an omni-diffuser that allows the deep audio to travel upward too, allowing the compact premium speakers to fill an entire room, in any room at your house.

Function and Set up

Both speakers can connect to devices with Bluetooth and stream over Wi-Fi, but RA5000 has an additional connectivity option which is one-touch NFC ™. The SRS-RA5000 and SES-RA3000 can also be connected to your Spotify and Chromecast for convenience and flexibility in real life. Moreover, users can control music played on the speaker via voice command. Also, it comes with multi-room features with Google Home/Assistant or Amazon Alexa compatibility. Besides, users may connect the Bluetooth speaker with their television to enhance audio experience. Of course, you can control the Sony SRS-RA5000 and SRS-3000 speakers via the Sony Music app available for free on Google’s Play Store and Apple’s App Store.

Price and Availability

The Sony SRS-RA5000 and SRS-RA3000 will be available in Malaysia February 2021 onward. There are no price announcements just yet, Sony promises for the prices to be revealed closer to launch date. For more information you can visit Sony’s website.

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