Exclusive AI Technology Provides Intelligent Adaptive Audio
Jabra today announced the Elite 85h wireless over-ear headphones, which aim to offer the best experience for calls and music by automatically adjusting to your surroundings. The $300 active noise-canceling headset boasts a 32-hour battery life (with ANC activated), crystal-clear sound with advanced six-microphone call technology, 40mm custom-engineered speakers for top-quality acoustic experience and rain-resistant durability. In addition, SmartSound and completely hands-free Voice Assistant Control allowing for faster and easier voice assistant access on-the-go.
Jabra’s SmartSound technology tackles noise pollution in a way like never before. Through an exclusive partnership with the intelligent audio analysis company audEERING, the world leader in audio AI technology, Jabra introduces environmental adaptation into the new Elite 85h headphones, creating a personalized audio experience that claims to go beyond all current Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) solutions available in the market.
SmartSound, driven by AI technology
Jabra SmartSound is based on audEERING’s context intelligence technology, which uses real-time acoustic scene analysis of environmental sounds. The technology can detect more than 6,000 unique sound characteristics and uses this to adapt audio output to each specific context. This means that when moving from a noisy train station into a quiet train carriage, the context intelligence technology will take notice and will automatically adjust the audio to the changed surroundings. It will select one of the three moments: ‘Commute,’ ‘In Public’ or ‘In Private’ to guarantee a consistent quality for your audio experience. Users can personalize their calls and music settings even further through Jabra’s Sound+ app, which will remember your preferred settings for future similar situations.
Dagmar Schuller, CEO at audEERING said, “audEERING’s AI-based audio context intelligence technology empowers Jabra’s new Elite 85h headphones by delivering the best call and music experience on the market. Users can be sure to get the most sophisticated product there is with reliable and innovative AI technology made in Germany.”
100 percent hands-free with Alexa
The microphone solution combined with the Jabra Sound+ app creates a 100 percent hands-free Voice Assistant access experience. Users no longer need to touch a button on the headphones to interact with Alexa, Siri or Google Assistant — all users need to do is speak, to be connected immediately. Jabra is the among the first to feature this capability, allowing users to access Alexa by invoking the wake word.
René Svendsen-Tune, CEO at Jabra said, “One of the biggest challenges for people on-the-go is consistency in voice, call and audio quality in every environment, while ensuring the best voice interaction and connectivity that allows for either total concentration or relaxation. Our Elite range represents the best-in-class products for calls and music. We developed SmartSound, to ensure we can continue to deliver quality calls and music experience wherever our customers are. The Elite 85h is a revolutionary headset that will change the way we experience sound and cope with noise in the future.”
Key features:
- SmartSound: Audio that automatically adapts to your surroundings
- 100 percent hands-free: Voice Assistant access without pushing a button
- Four color variations: Black, Titanium Black, Gold Beige and Navy
- Battery: Up to 32-hours of battery with ANC activated and 35 hours without ANC
- Microphones: Eight microphones in total. Six dedicated for calls, four for ANC and two hybrid mics for both calls and ANC.
- Speakers: 40mm custom-engineered speakers
- Durability: Unique IP52 dust and rain resistance, backed by a two-year warranty against water and dust
- Personalize: Jabra Sound+ app for SmartSound features, including customized settings
Pricing & Availability
The Jabra Elite 85h will be available for $299 USD / $399 CAD in four colors (Black, Titanium Black, Gold Beige and Navy) including one exclusive to Best Buy in the US & Canada (Black). All colors will be available online at Best Buy for pre-order in March 2019 and the black in Best Buy retail stores starting April 2019.
