Noveto is the company from Israel that audioXpress readers have followed from the onset, and which we met for the first time at CES 2018. At the time, Noveto was showing its N1 speaker, strangely promoted by its marketing team as "an immersive 3D audio invisible headphone," promising "a new form of audio listening set to transform work and comfort for the modern professional."
The Noveto N1 speaker, as audioXpress reported, is in reality a proof-of-concept implementation that Noveto promoted on crowdfunding platforms as a consumer-oriented product, and that was the big focus at CES 2022. The demo at that half-empty show was not very impressive and the reproduction was reported to audioXpress as "thin" and limited in frequency - which is not very promising for consumers expecting "invisible headphones." In reality, the Noveto N1 speaker concept proved that the technology works well for voice applications and communications, which is were the company should have focused all along. The reality is that Noveto didn't return to CES in 2023, generating the rumors that they had gone out of business.
Noveto developed an extraordinary concept that deserves to be perfected and explored. Its proprietary smart audio beaming technology transmits ultrasound silently through the air, converging into audible pockets just outside the listener's ears. That part works and it's impressive in itself! Potential applications in automotive, office communications in open spaces, videoconference in general, even individual fitness training in gyms, could and should be the target. Basically, any situation that requires hands-free, private communications, while maintaining environmental awareness.
Following this first generation concept, for CES 2024 will showcase its 2nd generation Noveto audio driver, designed with extended frequency range and more privacy at longer distance, and better audio quality.
The reference design soundbar integrating the Noveto audio driver technology create a personalized sound bubble around each person, delivering an immersive, personal and 3D binaural audio experience without disturbing people in the vicinity of the listener, while the listener is not isolated from his/her environment and can naturally communicate with people around.
Typically, binaural reproduction with separate audio channels for each ear is a challenge. Traditional speakers struggle to replicate this effect, as they emit sound in all directions. The Noveto soundbar delivers each left/right audio channel directly to the corresponding ear and maintains the sounds just there by continuously tracking the movement of the listener.
According to the company announcement, the new-generation N2 is the successor of the original technology presented by Noveto Systems the company that invented the core technology and registered multiple patents to protect the company's IP. Now just called Noveto, the company has redesigned and improved its audio technology to make it easy to integrate in 3rd party products and customize the experience for various types of use cases, including automotive applications. And learning from past mistakes with the distractions caused by the crowdfunding campaigns and attempts to bring to market a product that clearly was not ready, Noveto will now focus on licensing its ultrasonic personal audio driver second-generation technology.
The partner that is supporting this second-generation Noveto implementation is BeStar Holding Co., Ltd the OEM/ODM company from Jiangsu, China, recognized for the development, production and sales of electro-acoustic products such as loudspeakers, piezo buzzers and magnetic buzzers.
The second strategic partner is IAI Smart Inc, a sub-brand of SEI robotics, a Chinese Smart Hardware company and a global ODM/OEM known for developing and manufacturing Google-certified Android TV and IOT devices. SEI has a broad experience in the Set-top box industry and have successfully worked with a large number of Tier 1 and international brands on multiple OTT and hybrid Android TV STB projects.
The second-generation Noveto reference design soundbar (N2) promises to deliver an extended and improved 3D binaural experience. The unveiling will take place in the IAI Smart Inc booth at the Venetian Expo, Level 2, Booth #51455.
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