Sony WF-1000XM3 and AfterShokz Aeropex are two different ways to see the future of personal audio
Sony
He has just put on sale the WF-1000XM3 that, in addition to a careful design and sound quality at the height of what is expected of a high-end product (cost 250 euros), have a feature that is almost not Go on models of this size: an active noise cancellation system.
On different levels
In this way, they manage to substantially reduce unwanted sounds when we are listening to music and when making calls in hands-free format. Its intraaural design helps.
But the protagonism is of a technology that works in the same way as in the 'larger' models: a pair of microphones located in each of the headphones record the surrounding noise (traffic, conversations …), analyze it and create an inverted sound wave that compensates for it, causing it to be virtually eliminated.
This capability can also be regulated depending on the situation: for example, since it is not advisable to activate it while walking on the street, it would be enough to tap on the touch surface of the left handset to deactivate it.
It is not the only option
Here an application installed on the mobile enters the scene that, in addition to adding equalization options or displaying the level of charge of each of the headphones (but not of its carrying case …), contemplates the possibility of adjusting the intensity of the Noise cancellation between 20 different levels.
Our choice has been to activate the automatic detection option, which regulates it without having to touch anything.
The Sony WF-1000XM3
They have a couple more features that are worth stopping by. The first is that both headphones connect via Bluetooth to the mobile device.
We highlight this feature because the usual thing is that only the right handset does it and that it, in turn, be the one that sends the signal to the left. With this system, the connection is more stable, latency is also reduced and even autonomy is improved.
Specific
They offer up to six hours of playback with active noise cancellation and eight without it, according to the firm; figures that are very close to reality, thus achieving one of the best autonomies in the market.
This data increases up to 24 hours when the carrying case is used, with capacity for two additional full loads. One more detail: they have fast charging, so 10 minutes plugged into 90 playback. Missing, of course, the possibility of doing it wirelessly; The other feature we miss is resistance to water and sweat.
Through the bone
The proposal of the firm AfterShokz with its Aeropex (169.99 euros), on the other hand, is based on the use of a different system to transmit sound: bone conduction technology. Thus, they are placed in the cheekbones instead of in the ears and generate small vibrations that propagate through the skull without going through the eardrums.
When you use them
It is similar to listening to music with speakers, with the exception that nobody around you hears anything. In addition, this system leaves the ears free, allowing the environment to be perceived very well and not necessary to remove them to hold a conversation.
The audio quality is not bad: low and medium sound reasonably deep, although the overall richness is not comparable to that obtained with traditional headphones.
His design
Wireless and with a band that is placed in the back of the neck, it is very comfortable. This helps a gummed finish, a light body and that you do not have to place anything in the ears.
That also makes them a very interesting alternative for all those people who feel uncomfortable when they use classic models for a long time and, of course, in sports. And they have IP67 certification, which guarantees their resistance to water and sweat
