Top 5 Audio Technologies Unveiled at CES 2020
Every year, CES previews the latest and greatest in tech. This year, companies like Audio Technica, Zmbizi, and Continental are leading the way for innovation in the newest audio technologies this year. Check out our top 5 picks from the entire 2020 CES show.
ZMBIZI THX Spatial Audio
Fresh out of production, the Zmbizi smartphone boasts a powerful function: THX spatial audio. The tech claims to enable users of any headphones to access 360-degree audio -- perfect for music, movies, and games. The in-phone THX app allows you to create a personalized profile based on a photo of your ear, creating a more compelling listening experience over all. Learn more about the Zmbizi smartphone here.
Audio Technica ATH-ANC300TW
This year, Audio Technica debuted their ATH-ANC300TW, wireless noise-cancelling headphones, at CES. One of our favorite producers of headphones, Audio Technica is making waves in the wireless earbud industry with their intuitive design and patented tech. In fact, these noise-cancelling headphones actively listen to the environment using TWO microphones per earpiece: one in the driver; one in the duct tube. By analyzing your surroundings, these earbuds generate inverse soundwaves of the ambient noise, and mix them with the audio signal from your devices in real-time. Learn more about the ATH-ANC300TW here.
JBL L-82
The JBL 100s blew listeners away in the 1970s with great audio and breathtaking visual design. Many customers called for a re-issue of the classic 100s, and JBL introduced a new version, the L100. This year, JBL is continuing the trend of authentic vintage re-issues by releasing their best-sounding unit yet, the JBL L-82. Featuring a classic 2-way design with an 8-inch mid-bass driver. The vintage design of the L82 Classic features a genuine walnut satin wood veneer cabinet and a striking Quadrex foam grille available in a choice of black, orange or blue. Beneath this compelling exterior lies modern acoustic components that deliver stunning sound sure to please any music lover. Read more here.
Continental’s Ac2ated Sound System
Partnering with Sennheiser, Continental’s Ac2ated Sound System offers a “speakerless” car audio system, specifically designed to fill the interior of a vehicle with lifelike immersive sound. According to their latest updates, Sennhesier and Continential claim that, “Instead of conventional cone drivers, the system uses specially developed actuators that excite surfaces in the vehicle interior to produce sound. The result is a system that reduces weight and saves space while producing an “extremely natural sound experience for the occupants, who feel as if they are sitting in a concert hall surrounded by sound,” Continental’s Ac2ated Sound system uses the Sennheiser technologies to calibrate and fine-tune sound quality and is said to occupy 75 to 90% less space than conventional car sound systems now on market. Want to beef up your car stereo? Read more here.
SONY 360 Reality Audio
SONY’s continuing their leadership into the spatial audio world with their latest developments in their 360 Reality Audio offering. Sony 360 Reality Audio is a new audio format that uses Sony’s object-based spatial audio technology to deliver a full 360-degree audio experience. The format has been built using the open MPEG-H 3D Audio standard, which itself has been optimised for music streaming. It supports up to 64 speaker channels and allows audio coding to be done in different ways. Engineers can map out and place everything including vocals, individual instruments and a live audience in any position inside a 360 spherical space. Different parameters can be altered for various elements, including distances and angles. Break out your SONY headphones, and check out a demo, and more here.
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