Able Planet Clear Harmony Active Noise Cancelling Headphones $129.00 Shipped
Monday, December 7th, 2009
Able Planet Clear Harmony Active Noise Cancelling Headphones $129.00 Shipped
Exp. unknown
Able Planet made its mark in the portable audio field at the 2007 International CES trade show, where its Clear Harmony active noise-canceling headphones won an Innovations Design and Engineering award for high-performance audio. Since then, the Clear Harmony headphones have won wide acclaim from consumers and experts alike, who rave about the phones’ ability to eliminate almost all background noise while offering superior sound quality. Released in tandem with a pair of sibling models–the True Fidelity and Sound Clarity–the Clear Harmony headphones are ideal for everything from iPods to home stereos to portable DVD players, with full, rich sound that shuts out such extraneous sounds as airplane engines, bus motors, and background conversations.
As the high-end model in Able Planet’s noise-canceling line, the Clear Harmony headphones offer slightly more sophisticated speaker components than the Sound Clarity and True Fidelity models. As a result, they’re the best choice of the three for audiophiles who value a robust bass performance and aren’t intimidated by the higher price tag. The Sound Clarity phones, by contrast, aren’t quite as bass intensive but still boast the same rich clarity and noise-reducing performance as the Clear Harmony headphones. Price-sensitive listeners or people with hearing aids, meanwhile, will likely find the True Fidelity headphones more to their liking. Not only does the True Fidelity model cost less, but it also emphasizes the upper and mid-range frequencies more than the other two, helping hard-of-hearing listeners better enjoy the full audio spectrum while they listen to music or news radio.
Linx Audio Technology
Although the speaker components differ, all three headphones share Able Planet’s patented Linx Audio technology. Originally developed for a new generation of top-of-the-line hearing aids, Linx Audio technology alters the audio signal to increase the intensity of higher-frequency harmonics. This makes it easier to hear words, music, and sounds in the higher frequencies where clarity is often lost, while also ensuring that speech and other high-frequency sounds are not smothered by bass tracks. Able Planet compares the results to the difference between hearing a “C” note on a piano as opposed to a “C” chord. The “C” chord, which sounds richer and more complex, demonstrates the impact of adding harmonics to the audio signal.
Linx Audio technology also fits into Able Planet’s mission of creating audio solutions for people with hearing disabilities. By filtering undesirable sounds and noise via the state-of-the-art active noise cancellation (ANC) technology, Able Planet headphones encourage users to listen to music at lower volumes to reduce long-term hearing loss. The phones also provide crisp sound for people already suffering from moderate hearing problems, and even accommodate hearing aids thanks to a new technology that restricts electromagnetic interference.
Special Features
Clear Harmony headphones also reduce distortion at higher volumes by soft-clipping the sound wave rather than squaring it off, delivering a full-bodied frequency range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz and an industry-leading 18 dB of active noise cancellation. And as a bonus, the phones offer an inline volume control that makes it easy to turn the volume up or down without reaching for your portable audio device. Other features include a 5-foot removable cord with 1/8-inch, 1/4-inch, and two-prong airline adapters; a lightweight adjustable headband that provides a superior fit; full-size swiveling ear cups with soft cushions; and a hard-shell protective carrying case with a storage area for iPods and other MP3 players.
The headphones–which can be used at home as well as on the road with TVs, computers, portable DVD players, CD players, MP3 players, and assisted listening devices–fold flat for easy storage.
