As the size and shape of each person's ears and head are unique - as are the acoustics and surroundings users find themselves in each day - these new headphones allow listening to music in a more consistent way through proprietary adaptive technologies, wherever they may go. To deliver on this vision, Yamaha designed its exciting collection of products using Qualcomm's smart audio technologies. Qualcomm Technologies worked closely with Yamaha to help deliver the intended premium audio experiences for each design, delivering on the brand's reputation as a global brand, well known for its long legacy in audio and musical instruments.
"We are delighted to work closely with Yamaha, a world leading audio manufacturer, to help deliver the rich audio experiences that consumers desire," says James Chapman, vice president and general manager, voice, music and wearables, Qualcomm Technologies International. "This impressive portfolio lineup brings exciting new audio features and personalized listening to multiple headphone form factors, with options at many price points."
Eight new models comprise the lineup, ranging from wireless earbuds, including true wireless, to active noise cancelling over-ear headphones. All models feature new technologies that optimize the listening experience for each person. The hero models in the new line feature Listening Optimizer processing. Unlike alternatives that take a single measurement at one moment in time, Yamaha's Listening Optimizer works in real time, making ongoing measurements and subtly adjusting if the fit or wearing conditions happen to change, to ensure the best sound.
The top of the line, the large over-ear YH-E700A wireless noise-cancelling headphones, feature Advanced ANC, which goes beyond standard active noise cancelling. Unlike typical noise-cancelling, which can often "color" or degrade sound, the proprietary Advanced ANC implementation analyzes and removes background noise while keeping the music signal untouched. For situations where a listener wants to stay aware of their surroundings or communicate with another person, these and other of the new noise-cancelling models include an Ambient Sound mode.
All models also offer Yamaha's Listening Care, that allows listeners to hear full-range sound - from high to low frequencies - even at low volume settings. This overcomes a challenge faced by typical headphones, where low volume listening goes hand-in-hand with a pronounced reduction to certain frequency ranges, resulting in listeners cranking up the volume to levels that may affect hearing health. The long-term impacts may be especially compounded by daily wear. Listening Care prevents this, encouraging lower volume listening by intelligently adjusting sound frequencies to maintain the full-range sound. Select Yamaha models also feature enhanced functionality, which analyzes music and background noise in real time to automatically achieve the optimum balance at a listener's selected volume setting.
"By adapting to each person and his or her surroundings, our headphones allow listeners to stay true to themselves and truly enjoy the music that shapes them," says Alex Sadeghian, director, Consumer Audio, Yamaha Corporation of America. "Now, with our new line of headphones, from the moment you wake up and head out for the day, to when you return home and relax with your favorite shows at night, Yamaha is there for you with unparalleled audio every step of the way."
Yamaha is no stranger to the headphones space, taking the past several years to carefully develop and define its next contributions to the category. As the world's largest maker of musical instruments and audio gear, Yamaha is uniquely positioned to craft even further with this new line and implement features to optimize musical enjoyment both inside and outside of the home.
Detailing a bit more on the new models, the flagship YH-E700A Wireless Noise-Cancelling Over-Ear Headphones are a Bluetooth 5 design with Qualcomm aptX Adaptive audio, featuring simple touch controls (phone / voice assistants / music) on the large earcups, and delivering up to 35-hours of wireless battery life. The refined folding and swiveling earcup design is delivered with a carrying case, USB-C charging cable, audio cable, flight adapter. They will be available in black and white from December 2020, retailing for $349.95 MSRP.
The following model is the lighter, travel-friendly on-ear YH-E500A ($179.95) with up to 38 hours of battery life with ANC on, and which has similar features as the YH-E700A, less the Listening Optimizer processing.
Next are the EP-E70A Wireless Noise-Cancelling neck-band earphones ($269.95- up to 18-hours wireless battery life), also a Bluetooth 5 design with Qualcomm aptX Adaptive audio, , Advanced ANC, Ambient Sound, Listening Optimizer, and Listening Care technologies, and support for simple touch controls. Included accessories are asoft carrying case, USB-C charging cable, USB C-to-3.5mm audio cable, flight adapter and eartips (5 sizes). It will be available in black and white, already in October 2020. Also in the around-the-neck designs, Yamaha introduced the EP-E50A ($159.95 / Nov. 2020), and EP-E30A ($59.95 / Sept. 2020) models.
The Yamaha YH-E700A over-ear wireless headphones and the EP-E70A wireless neck-band headphones are among the world's first to include aptX Adaptive technology. "We engineered aptX Adaptive specifically to support low latency, seamless Bluetooth audio capable of dynamically adjusting as the user transitions through a range of content types, including gaming, video, and music. Additionally, both products support voice assistance and active noise cancellation," adds James Chapman, from Qualcomm.
True Wireless Models
Yamaha also decided to bet strongly on the growing true wireless category and introduced three different models with similar design. The TW-E7A True Wireless Noise-Cancelling Earbuds ($229.95 MSRP, shipping Oct. 2020) are the flagship model, featuring Active Noise Cancelling, Ambient Sound, and Listening Care technologies. The Bluetooth 5 design supports standard Qualcomm aptX, and is IPX-5 water- and sweat-resistant, supporting also simple controls (phone / voice assistants / music), and up to 20-hours wireless battery life (5 hours charged, 3 recharges from case). The USB-C charging case supports wireless charging for maximum convenience.
The additional true wireless earbud models, which don't offer ANC, include the TW-E5A ($159.95 / Dec. 2020) and TW-E3A ($129.95 / Aug. 2020), all based on Qualcomm's QCC3020 / Qualcomm QCC3034 SoC and are designed for long-term use with minimal charging. The TW-E3A and TW-E5A, include multiple audio features for more optimized on-the-go listening such as Listening Care algorithms, voice control available with a tap-to-touch activation, and aptX support.
Additional information on the new Yamaha headphones models and technologies can be found at yamaha.com/2/staytrue.
