Whether it’s blocking out the sounds of a busy office or the wailing baby on a plane, active noise cancellation (ANC) is a great feature to have in headphones, but it usually means either adding bulk or a higher price tag. With its first earbuds, newly launched acoustic tech startup Linner looks to solve both of those problems.
The earbuds haven’t launched yet, but Linner says that when they arrive, they will be the world’s lightest to feature ANC. The company is working with Austrian company ams AG, which provides the sensors and ICs used in the earbuds. Linner claims its earbuds will reduce up to 26 decibels of sound across a range of 45 Hz on the low end to 3 kHz on the high end. It also plans to offer these earbuds at a price much lower than many headphones featuring ANC, retailing for $110.
“When I listen to music, it’s very frustrating to be disturbed by outside noise. But, with so much noise around us, it’s tough to get rid of it. This was the impetus for the creation of Linner,” company co-founder and chief marketing officer Bond Zhao told Digital Trends. “We want to make it possible for everyone to enjoy a quiet music—and listening—experience.”
While noise cancellation is usually your friend, that isn’t always the case — take runners near busy roadways, for example. That’s why in addition to ANC, Linner’s upcoming earbuds will also feature something it calls Awareness Mode. You’ll still be able to hear your music, but instead of blocking out outside noise, the earbuds will keep you aware of it, making it far less easy to step in front of that moving bus.
The company plans to launch its first earbuds on Kickstarter next month, though it is already offering some samples, so it has clearly has prototypes built already. Assuming its first earbuds are successful, the company has big plans, and seems fairly confident that once listeners try its products, they’ll be hooked.
“Looking to the future, we plan to launch a complete line of active noise canceling audio products, including Bluetooth earbuds, wireless earbuds, headphones and even speakers,” Zhao said. “Two of these products will come next year — one in the first half and the other in the second — and they will revolutionize the audio market. Once regular consumers have a chance to experience active noise cancellation they will never go back.”
For more information about Linner’s earbuds and the upcoming Kickstarter, see the company’s website.
