World’s first binaural recording headset AMBEO from Sennheiser. There are many headphones/headsets available on the market from where most of the headphones manufacturer focuses on their headset’s speaker quality more than a microphone. Sennheiser is making premium quality audio products since 1945. If you don’t know then you will be surprised to know that Sennheiser audio equipment is used in live environments as well as in studios.
Released a few years ago in 2018, the AMBEO Smart Headset is the world’s first binaural recording headset that is both intuitive and portable. It has omnidirectional microphones in the earpieces that catch sounds in your environment in the same way that your ears would. The resulting 3D recordings can be listened to with any set of stereo headphones and will make you feel as though you are listening live. The AMBEO Smart Headset interacts effortlessly with Apple iOS devices thanks to Apogee’s unique PureDigital technology – and, of course, it offers high-quality Sennheiser sound.
So what keeps Sennheiser away from the crowd? It is the Binaural audio recording feature. And Sennheiser’s headset is the world’s first product where a binaural audio recording is implemented.
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What is Binaural Recording?
Binaural audio means the sound you will record, will be recorded through two microphones, and at the time of the audio playback, it will be transmitted separately to the two ears of the listener. The way of recording audio will be natural means how we listen to sounds with our ears, it will be recorded the same (3-Dimensional audio). So if you want to buy a binaural device through which you want to record 3D audios and listen to it on different devices, along with nice comfort, good sound quality, and functionality at a reasonable price, then Sennheiser Ambeo Smart Headset would be a great choice. But at present, it is only available for Apple iOS devices. And maybe in near future, we can see it for android devices as well.
Binaural audio recording and a playback device you get both these features on a single device that is Sennheiser’s Smart headset. With the contribution of two technology brands Apogee and Sennheiser, the Ambeo smart headsets are developed. Two more tech contributions are there behind this such as Mic preamps and Soft Limit. And the headset’s conversions [Digital to analog (D/A) and analog to digital (A/D)] are tuned precisely. The smart headsets are mainly designed for three purposes such as transparent hearing, 3D Audio recording, and active noise cancellation.
Sennheiser Ambeo Headset vs. Ambeo VR Microphone
The Sennheiser Ambeo VR Microphone costs $1,650 and above, but unless you work with a production business that can afford it, it is a ridiculous asking price. True, the Ambeo Headset’s four-channel output is not as good as the dedicated microphones. The built-in microphones, on the other hand, are more than adequate for most of us.
The two items are aimed at two very distinct groups of people. There are prosumers and fanatics on the one hand. They may not have the financial wherewithal to invest fully, but they nevertheless want to experiment with 3D sound. If this is the case, the Sennheiser Ambeo Headset is a better option.
In a nutshell, the Sennheiser Ambeo Headset offers what the Ambeo VR Microphone does not: mobility, ease of use, and overall convenience. If those factors are more important to you than audio quality or post-production flexibility, the Sennheiser Ambeo Headset is the way to go.
Lightning-only connectivity provides limited usage. Apart from being a hassle to deal with, there is not much to say about the lightning connector. I am perplexed by the headset’s exclusivity—but who knows? Perhaps a USB-C option will be released, resulting in a small list of decent USB-C in-ears.
Sennheiser Ambeo smart headsets are available in two colors white and black. Talking about its quality features then it comes with a 15Hz to 22 kHz frequency response rate and a maximum SPL (sound pressure level) of 112dB. And talking about its length then it comes with a 1.16m long cable which is more than enough almost in every situation. It comes with a weight of approx 91gms or 3.2oz. And its connection type is a lightning connector. It is strictly available for iOS mobile devices only but still, you can connect it to a Mac via OTG cables that are USB-C to lightning cable.
Features
- Like all other earphones, it is also has a control panel on the cable itself for various functions.
- Control panel consists of
- User Assignable Smart Slider button.
- Recording Status red light.
- Volume Up/Down button.
- Button for Start/Stop/Accept Calls.
- And the last area is for Transparent Hearing, Situational Awareness, and Noise Cancelling.
- Here you will get an inline microphone system for phone calls and controlling the voice on your phone.
- Omnidirectional microphones are just over the earbuds for recording binaural audio and playback inside.
- You can use the headset physically but theirs available a more enhanced option that is downloading the Sennheiser’s Ambeo Smart Headset official app from the App store. This is developed by the collaboration with Apogee; and it gives you extra features like toggling EQ presets, voice prompts Enable/Disable, controlling input levels, and configuring settings of Situational Awareness.
- Situational Awareness is one of the main aspects that make this headset unique from the crowd. Two options available in this one is Transparent hearing and the other is Active noise canceling. You can enable one to disable the other or enable/disable both means you can record audio without any distraction.
- Active noise canceling works based on the phase cancellation principle but it’s not that perfect. So experiment with the settings with the app to get the best out of it.
- Transparent hearing is one of the most beautiful settings you have ever seen. Sometimes you keep your volume level very high and can’t listen to your surroundings. But with the settings available you can monitor your surrounding without removing your headset. You can choose presets at your preference which is Natural level, Reduce level and amplify level.
- The smart slider is another option to customize it at your preference through the app.
- Just keep the smart headset updated and you are good to go.
What’s in the box?
- The Ambeo smart headset obviously.
- Pairs of three earbuds large, medium, and small.
- A manual.
- A soft case.
- Two-year warranty card.
- A valid purchase receipt from the Sennheiser or Apogee dealer.