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Sonarworks storms CES with revolutionary headphone-enhancing app

Brendan Hesse
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We spoke with Helmuts Bems of Sonarworks as part of our CES 2018 live coverage, and he gave us some information on the company’s digital sound-processing (DSP) True-Fi app for headphones, which the company is showing off for the first time at the event. True-Fi, the first app of its kind, uses a specialized algorithm to identify your headphones and transform their EQ for clean and clear organic sound. While the technology has existed for professional studio use, this marks the first time it’s available at the consumer level.

True-Fi took five years and $5 million to develop, but to our ears, it’s all been worth it. Based on our demo with the app, the technology works as advertised — it can make muffled, “just OK” sound quality crisp and natural. If you want to hear for yourself, a web-based demo is available on Sonarwork’s website that allows you to experience the difference in real time.

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If you’re won over by what the demo, you’ll be able to purchase the True-Fi app for $79. That might seem steep at first glance, but Sonarworks has opted for a perpetual license model, which means just one purchase will give you access to the app on every supported platform, which currently includes PC and Mac. Support for Android and iOS is expected to launch in the spring. A professional version of the software also exists for use in the studio.

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Interestingly, the True-Fi technology began not on headphones, but on speakers. In fact, a speaker-based version currently exists for studio use, and in our interview above, Bems said Sonarworks is working to bring it out to consumers sometime in the future.

To keep up with all the biggest news in audio, headphones, and all manner of tech, be sure to check out our complete CES 2018 coverage.

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Brendan Hesse
Brendan Hesse
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Brendan has written about a wide swath of topics, including music, fitness and nutrition, and pop culture, but tech was…
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