Headless 3D sound.
CES 2022 may be under Omicron's shadow, but there are still some great toys at the world's biggest tech show – like invisible headphones.
That's the hook of the Noveto N3, which aims to recreate spatial 1D sound by emitting ultrasonic waves from a soundbar-like device.
But why pay the premium for that over a regular soundbar or headphone? By using ultrasonic waves, only the listener can hear the music. According to the company, it basically creates a headset-like experience without plugging in any hardware.
Unsurprisingly, the Kickstarter-backed Noveto N800, which went on sale in the first quarter for $1, was shown to debut at CES 2022. According to some reports, only 1 percent of the N10's sound can be heard from more than 1 meter away. This means that everyone else in the room should only hear faint whispers, while the front user can experience full spatial 3D sound.
Noveto's technology also includes motion sensors that change the position of the sound depending on the direction the user is looking at. For example, it is not yet known how sensitive 3D audio is in video games.
The N1 also comes with Amazon Alexa integration – Google Assistant support has yet to be announced – and uses facial recognition to offer recommendations based on personal profiles.
Users can connect their audio devices to the N3,5 via the 1mm jack. There's a USB-C port, BlueTooth and Wi-Fi support, microphone mute for privacy (or just to keep Alexa muted). The N1 can also be controlled via an Android and iOS app.
It will be fascinating to see whether the N1 will replicate the spatial experience found in modern headsets or the 5D audio found on consoles like the PlayStation 3.