Sony Takes the ANC Pole Position with WF-1000XM5 Truly Wireless Earbuds

Off-season, Sony Electronics jumped to the lead, and announced the WF-1000XM5 earbuds – the latest truly wireless model in its best-selling 1000X series. According to Sony's own internal research, using JEITA-compliant measurement guidelines, the new design offers the "Best Noise Canceling" by reducing external noise over a wide bandwidth, so users can focus on the music. While at it, Sony updated all other specs in this new flagship product, now ready for Bluetooth LE Audio.

Logitech wants to help professionals who need to work with the old Windows laptop the company assigned to them, and still need to stay confident and connected in the next phase of hybrid work. The new Zone True Wireless and Zone Wired Earbuds from Logitech are targeted to be certified by Google, Microsoft Teams and Zoom cloud video conferencing platforms, offering a business solution that is designed to sound good.

DSP Group and Alango Technologies announced the availability of Alango’s Extended Voice Communication Package (eVCP), a universal software package of digital signal processing technologies for voice applications, running on DSP Group’s DBMD7 SmartVoice processor. The combination allows companies developing high-performance voice conferencing systems to quickly bring to market solutions with the best in voice clarity and system flexibility.

Good news for designers of Bluetooth earbuds and hearables relying on Qualcomm’s audio SoCs and looking for differentiating features. Their products can now offer improved voice clarity in noisy or windy environments using Alango’s OnlyVoice advanced technology for true wireless earbuds and high-performance headsets. Also available on QCC5141 is VoiceFirst, which improves speech intelligibility in movies through de-emphasis of background sounds and music.

Amazon introduced the next-generation of Echo Buds, featuring an all-new design, premium audio architecture for crisp, balanced sound, custom-designed Active Noise Cancellation technology, wireless charging capabilities, improved microphones for better call quality, and hands-free access to Alexa. Not many bought the first model anyway, so the announcement of the all-new second-generation Echo Buds is not that surprising, considering Amazon considers hardware as a pure extension of its services ecosystem.

Poly introduced the Savi 7300 Office Series, the latest addition in the company's lineup of Savi wireless headsets designed for high-quality voice call conversations. The Savi 7300 Office Series, designed with enhanced DECT security and Poly's best-in-class audio, is a Certified for Microsoft Teams solution that ensures security for the most critical calls. The headsets offer the highest degree of privacy, even in shared spaces like call centers and customer service hubs.

At CES 2021, JBL introduced its latest addition to its headphone portfolio, the JBL Tour Series, designed for business professionals who are looking for affordable headphones with advanced technology, smart features and a sleek design. The JBL Tour ONE over-ear and JBL Tour Pro+ true wireless in-ear models, both offer advanced technologies for productivity and work-from-anywhere, having received CES 2021 Innovation Awards honors.