Sound

The days of European startups relocating to the U.S. if they want to grow (and raise money to do so) have been receding in the rearview mirror for a while now, so much so that even in these leaner times — where all fundraising and tech bets are tightening up — we’re still seeing some significant money and optimism getting channeled into later-stage businesses. In the latest development, EQT — the private equity and venture firm based out of Stockholm — is announcing that it has closed a €2.2 billion ($2.2 billion)…

Bose says its new earbuds cancel out the noise of the outside world better than any other consumer headphone, including over-the-ear models.The earphones, called the QuietComfort Earbuds II, are a third smaller than their predecessor, each one weighing in at just a third of an ounce.The Earbuds II come with three sizes of silicone ear tips, to better fit all ear sizes. They also include three sizes of “stabilizer band,” a ring of soft silicon around the middle of the earbud that molds to the shape of your outer ear,…

It's a brave move to launch a pair of noise-canceling true-wireless earphones on the same day that Apple announces an update to its mighty AirPods Pro buds, but that exactly what audio titan Bose has done with the QuietComfort Earbuds II.In something of a battle of the buds, Bose opens by not only promising an "unprecedented listening experience" but also claiming that the QC Earbuds II can deliver "world’s best noise cancellation from any headphone – banded or in-ear."The true wireless earphones debut something called…

Headphones with active noise cancelling are a useful way to tune out unwanted noises, but what if you instead wanted to silence unwanted sounds at the source? Say you’re on a sensitive phone call, or you’re unleashing a tirade of expletives while gaming? There’s a device for that too, although it doesn’t look quite as comfortable to wear as headphones.Depending on how you spend your free time, the mutalk, from a company called Shiftall (which belongs to Panasonic), either looks like a miniature virtual reality headsetor…

You can now enjoy surround sound while streaming YouTube TV content on your Apple TV and Fire TV devices. As The Verge reports, the streaming television service has expanded the list of devices supporting its shows and movies with 5.1 audio after rolling out the capability to Android TV, Google TV and Roku devices back in June. YouTube TV first started testing 5.1 channel audio for those first three devices back in March, while also promising to work on support for Apple TV and Fire TV devices, as well as for gaming…

Apple wasn't the only company with new true wireless earbuds to debut today. Bose also has a new model on the way, the QuietComfort Earbuds II. As the name suggests, this set is an update to the first QC earbuds the company debuted in 2020. This time around, the company has retooled the design, tweaked the fit and added some heavy-duty sound calibration technology. But all of the upgrades come at a cost as the QuietComfort Earbuds II will be $20 more then their predecessor at launch.  Bose says these next-gen buds are…

After releasing YouTube TV surround sound capability for Google’s TV devices and Roku in June, Google is finally adding the feature for its cord-cutter audiences using Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV platforms. The company had promised to release the enhanced audio stream capability for those platforms eventually, saying it was “still working internally and with partners.” Google initially announced plans to add 5.1 surround sound capability for YouTube TV last year, coinciding with the launch of a 4K Plus package that…

If you happen to subscribe to YouTube TV and have an Apple TV, today is a good day for you.Today, YouTube announced that the YouTube TV app for the Apple TV now supports 5.1 surround sound. The company says that today's update brings 5.1 audio to both the Apple TV and Fire TV. According to the Twitter post, it only applies to compatible content on the streaming service.As far as what content is compatible, YouTube says that "live, DVR, & video on-demand" content will be compatible with 5.1 surround sound. The company…

Just last month, NATIVE Sound System—the music project from Nigeria’s NATIVE Magazine—dropped their debut album, NATIVEWORLD, an ambitious, globe-trotting project that united artists and creatives from across the diaspora. Nestled between contributions from the likes of Knucks, Arya Starr and Teezee was “Wedding Ring”, a group effort with WANI, BOJ, Odunsi The Engine and Odeal For “Wedding Ring” and it’s just been given a fresh set of visuals.Director Asia Ahmad handles this one, going all out to capture the tornado of…

Drew Thornton noticed something surprising about the arena that the New York Islanders hockey team now calls home—Billie Eilish sounded great inside.It could have been the wide, thin bags filled with fiberglass tucked against the ceiling of the new digs, UBS Arena, which opened last year. Or the panels pockmarked with holes strategically placed to capture loud noise. Or the sound-absorbent “bass trap” built above the broadcast booth, or maybe the upholstered seats. “I was just…