While Audeze is mainly recognized globally as a premium headphone manufacturer, its continuous investments in audio signal processing seem to be paying off with the Californian company entering new markets and new applications at an impressive pace. Now, Audeze announced its first ever non-headphone product, the Filter portable personal conference speaker that features advanced Neural Network noise cancellation and beam-forming technology to enable users to communicate with perfect clarity in any environment.
The design was inspired by everyone's challenges with working and studying from home or remotely and the need to communicate efficiently using available conferencing software. Many users frustrated with the experience have invested in better quality microphones - but even the best microphones in the world are not able to filter unwanted surrounding sounds. In fact, some microphones even make matters worse for communication. With users struggling with dogs barking, babies crying, and appliances' noise in the background during important calls, the solution is to optimize the microphone pattern, combined with intelligent processing.
The new Audeze Filter is a portable design with the size of a smartphone, that uses beamforming and Neural Network (AI) noise cancellation technology in combination with a planar magnetic speaker - Audeze's area of expertise - to deliver perfect calls in any environment. Filter is aimed to be the ultimate work at home or on-the-go solution for those who don't have one of Apple's latest generation Macs.
The device's Deep Neural Network (DNN) based noise cancellation eliminates most office or household sounds and presents only the voice signal. This advanced Intelligent Zero-Noise processing algorithm has been trained on over 500,000 noise samples, so it can accurately and effectively detect background noise and eliminate it. Solo or group calls are no problem for Filter, which also features 70 to 360 degrees variable microphone beamforming capture, picking up all voices within 10 feet/ 3 meters.
Of course, one of the strong points in Filter is the built-in speaker. Based on technology Audeze first designed for the military, the proprietary planar magnetic speaker features high SPL and low distortion for unrivaled call clarity. Even before Audeze developed their award-winning headphones, the company's first product was a very large planar magnetic speaker array made specifically for military use. It was designed to communicate intelligible audio to civilians and soldiers in war zones. Audeze performed an intelligibility test of this planar array at Edwards Air Force Base, and listeners were able to clearly understand 100% of the words up to one full mile away!
And Audeze's patented planar magnetic technology allowed for a speaker that is also flat and convenient in a portable solution. Almost every conference speaker on the market is cylindrical or amoeba shaped, very bulky and uncomfortably heavy. Audeze wanted a compact, sleek design that would be beautiful to look at and comfortable to hold while offering all the performance, control, and durability that a mobile user needs.
The 70mm X 105mm speaker also features Audeze's Patented Fluxor magnets for high efficiency and Uniforce Diaphragm for distortion free sound, with a frequency response between 300Hz to 20kHz. The result, the company says, is "the best sound reproduction and pick up in the industry." For portability, the speakerphone features a built-in 1100mAH lithium-polymer battery, which provides up to 15 hours of listening at normal level.
"Filter was designed to be portable and features a folding design that allows the speaker to be set upright. The small form factor is about the size of a smartphone and comes with an adjustable touch control panel, yet Filter has greater output than many speakerphones three times its size. With USB and Bluetooth 5.0, Filter can connect to your computer, mobile phone or tablet," the company states.
"This is a product designed for the hybrid workforce. You can use it at home to take your online meetings, but it's small enough to slip into your backpack for your conference call or huddle rooms at work," says Sankar Thiagasamudram, CEO of Audeze.
To help spread the message for the new concept, Audeze decided once again to use the crowdfunding platforms and is offering Filter on Indiegogo with shipments estimated to begin in February 2022. See the Indiegogo Filter page here.
www.audeze.com
