Yamaha’s $ 500 Wireless ANC Headphones Contains 3D Sound and Head Tracking Technology

Yamaha is launching premium headphones with adaptive audio technology and eye-catching design to help them stand out in a crowded market. The YH-L700A at $ 499.95 are the latest headphones to join the exclusive Head Tracking Audio Club. Like the Dolby Dimension before them, Yamaha says its new headphones can identify where sound is coming from and redirect what you hear on the fly.

Working in tandem with 3D audio, the technology aims to provide an immersive experience that lets you follow individual sounds. It all sounds like Apple’s Spatial Audio or Samsung’s rival 360 Audio. Yamaha’s feature is called “3D Sound Field” and relies primarily on its Cinema DSP processing to convert stereo sound to multi-channel audio.

Overall, the headphones tick a number of boxes. There is “advanced” Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) that can be turned on and off. Here, the system uses an algorithm and internal microphones to adaptively remove ambient noise from the playing music signal.

Additionally, there is a range of audio modes that you can activate through an accompanying mobile app, which (along with advanced ANC) are also available on the $ 350 YH-E700A headphones. They include a “listening optimizer” which can adjust the sound depending on how you wear the headphones; “Careful listening” which promises a fuller range of audio at lower volumes; and “ambient sound” which uses microphones to capture external sounds and present them in the background of your audio. Yamaha claims you’ll get an ambitious 34-hour listening time per charge, though the jury is out on whether that will withstand rigorous testing.

While they retain some of the features of Yamaha’s other headphones, they are unlike the company’s earlier efforts. Yamaha has gone from round ear cups to rectangular ear cups that can swivel and fold up. Like the headband, they are covered with a foamy fabric. The new headphones are now available at select retailers and in the Yamaha Store.