Amphony Headphones Cut the Cord

Amphony, a German technology company, is offering the world's first 5.8-GHz digital wireless RF headphones, for high-end, cordless audio sound.

The Model 2500 headphones, which will be available shortly for $269, are designed for audiophiles and audio professionals who want to duplicate the quality of wired headphones.

Amphony demonstrated the new headphones at the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where company executives spoke about the products' sound quality.

"Transmitting the audio signal at 5.8 GHz--instead of the currently available 2.4 GHz--further eliminates the common interference problems that the lower-frequency signals face from other 2.4-GHz devices such as microwave ovens, cordless phones, Bluetooth devices, and wireless networks," says Amphony's Gunter Fellbaum.

The Model 2500's transmitter cuts out any unnecessary analog-to-digital or digital-to-analog conversion and presents no audio distortion. Because the device uses RF, no limited line of sight issues arise: The headphones can pick up signals from behind walls and up to distances of 200 feet.

Amp It Up

Amphony also showed its new 2.4-GHz Digital Wireless Audio Transmitter/Amplifier. The $129 Model 1050 transmits audio to loudspeakers without any cables or audio degradation. The device can be used with any sound-producing device, including audio equipment, televisions, or PCs.

"In the past," Fellbaum says, "it was virtually impossible to run wires to speakers in another room. Either you had to drill into walls or feed wire around walls or under carpeting. Previous wireless audio solutions suffered from noise and audio distortion."

The Model 1050 Receiver/Amplifier uses digital audio transmission without any audio compression. Output power up to 50 watts per speaker is possible and the device works with any passive speaker.

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