Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Audio / Video
  3. News

These headphones promise virtual reality-style surround sound on the go

By

neoh wireless 3d sound labs virtual surround headphones theater quality
Image used with permission by copyright holder
For just $160, you could have realistic 3D surround sound you can take anywhere. At least that’s the pitch for Neoh, a new headphone project launched by 3D Sound Labs today on Kickstarter.  Using software, sensors, and even a gyroscope, the Neoh headphones aim to deliver the sort of spatial surround sound you get from a home theater, wrapped up in a package you can pocket.

Striking a futuristic design that would look right at home in a scene from Minority Report, these octagonal headphones are outfitted with a serious stable of technology. The headphones use Bluetooth low energy to wirelessly connect to your mobile device, and incorporate a specialized app designed to “deliver a high quality stream of spatially reconstructed audio.” In theory, the delivery method for the virtual surround feed looks similar to the Headphone:X software from DTS, which uses proprietary processing to create a surround sound effect over standard stereo headphones.

But the Neoh headphones don’t stop there. In addition to software, the cans incorporate a 9-axis motion sensor system, including an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and a magnetometer. The system is designed to completely encapsulate your head inside a virtual sonic landscape, pinpointing your location as if you were surrounded by speakers. Move your head to the right, and the headphones adapt the algorithm to reconstruct the sound, virtually accounting for the movement and adjusting the sound accordingly.

Recommended Videos

In this way, 3D Sound Labs hopes to create a 3D experience which could be described as the audio version of the Occulus Rift VR headset, completely immersing you in a sound that mimics what you hear in the real world. With the Neoh app and Neoh headphones working in tandem, the company promises a “totally new kind of audio experience.”

Related

Of course, that’s a lot to promise on a $160 pledge. Still, the Neoh technology is intriguing enough that we’re interested in giving these headphones a go for ourselves. We were impressed with our ears-on experience with DTS Headphone:X, but the technology has been extremely slow to get to market. With the addition of motion sensor technology, could Neoh offer something even more immersive that will actually be available en masse, or is this just more Kickstarter hype?

You can find out for yourself, and dig up more details while you’re at it, by checking out the Neoh’s Kickstarter page. If you’re convinced, you can pledge your $160 early bird order, and help take Neoh’s vision of a portable 3D sonic world from dream to reality.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Ryan Waniata
Ryan Waniata
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Ryan Waniata is a multi-year veteran of the digital media industry, a lover of all things tech, audio, and TV, and a…
The best kids headphones of 2024: for fun, safety, and sound
Two kids using the Puro Sound PuroQuiet Plus to watch something on a tablet.

Kid-friendly consumer tech is all the rage these days, so it’s no surprise that there’s an entire market of headphones designed exclusively for young ones. But when we think “kid-friendly,” sometimes we imagine products that are built to be a bit more throwaway than their adult counterparts. That’s not the case with the products on our list of the best headphones for kids, though.

We want our child-tailored headphones to include parental-controlled volume limiters, to ensure our children aren’t harming their eardrums. Pretty much every entry on our list checks this vital box, but we also wanted to point you and yours toward products that offer exceptional noise-canceling, built-in mics for phone and video calls, and long-lasting batteries for schooldays or a long flight.

Read more
The best wireless headphones for 2024 from Bose, Sony, 1More and more
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones: Earcup/logo close-up.

Wireless headphones are the way to go if you’re looking for convenience and functionality. Unless you’re an audiophile who demands the highest possible hi-res sound quality, which can only be achieved with wired headphones, wireless headphones are a must-have. These headphones sound great and come packed with features, including active noise cancellation (ANC), transparency modes that let you hear the outside world as you want, excellent call quality, Bluetooth multipoint connectivity, and more.

We are constantly searching for the finest wireless headphones, and we prioritize comfort, audio quality, and battery life. In this roundup, we will be concentrating on over-ear wireless headphones. We also have a list of the best wireless earbuds if you’re interested.

Read more
Best Sony WH-1000XM5 deals: Save $70 on the wireless headphones
The Sony WH-1000-XM5 on top of a book for study, next to a notebook and pen.

Sony and Apple have been battling it out at the top of the headphone market for quite a while now, with both the AirPods Max and Sony WH-1000Xm4 being excellent contenders for some of the best headphones out there. That was until Sony came out with the WH-1000XM5, which probably has the best noise canceling in the industry and audio fidelity equal to the AirPods Max. Of course, being at the top does mean it costs a pretty penny, so if you're thinking of grabbing the XM5, then you'll want to grab some good headphone deals, and while there aren't a ton out there, the one below is pretty good.
Today's best Sony WH-1000XM5 deal

Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Headphones --

Read more