Jabra challenges its competitors at CES 2019, with the launch of the Elite 85h headphones, the newest addition to their Elite range of headsets. The new headphones are engineered with Jabra SmartSound, a combination of audEERING’s context intelligence technology, Jabra’s HearThrough technology and include Active Noise Cancellation (ANC),†to empower users to decide how much of the outside world penetrates through to the listener. Whether you are commuting, concentrating at work or are in a crowded place, SmartSound ensures the audio of the Elite 85h offers the best calls and music experience by automatically adjusting to your surroundings.
The†Elite 85h headphones set new standards across the board, with 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 industry-leading durability. Together with SmartSound and completely hands-free Voice Assistant Control – allowing for faster and easier voice assistant access on-the-go – the Elite 85h are the smartest ANC headphones on the market.
Like every Jabra device, the Elite 85h has been engineered to meet the challenges that users face in the real world. In today’s digitally-connected society, noise overload is considered a critical factor affecting personal wellbeing2, and 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 goes 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,†SiriÆ 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 of the Jabra Elite 85h: †
- 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
Availability & pricing††
The headset will be available 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†at an MSRP of†299 USD/399 CAD.
