Easily record 3D surround sound Sennheiser Ambeo Smart Headset headphones

In 2015, singer Lin Junjie launched a "speaking with himself" album, and so on. Isn't it listening to headphones? How do you start talking about the album first! ? Because the recording method of this record is very different, the record company called it an experimental album, and emphasized that Lin Junjie was the first Chinese singer to use Dummy Head Recording or Binaural Head Recording. He listened to the album with headphones. You can feel a very realistic 3D surround sound.

In fact, dummies are not new technologies, they have been around since the 19th century, but they have not really spread. One of the main reasons is that the sound recorded by this recording method can only hear the 3D surround sound field effect through the earphone. If you switch to the traditional two-channel sound system, it will not work. If you don't believe it, you can take "And". I will know when I play the album on the audio. The effect is definitely much worse.

Dummy head (provided by Warner Music)

As for what is the dummy recording? Generally speaking, the common recordings are to use a variety of different types of microphones to collect the sound, and the dummies are as the name suggests to find a model with the size and the real head. Install a miniature microphone at the eardrum of the left and right ears to simulate the real human ear. The way to listen to the ambient sound. In the past, I wanted to record such a dummy head recording. I had to have professional equipment. Since it is professionally used, the price is not low, and it is not easy to record in outdoor or other activities. It is impossible to hold a dummy head at any time. Go around? It is really weird!

In view of this, Germany Sennheiser has developed a new Ambeo Smart Headset earphone, which looks the same as a general ear-hook earphone, but in fact it is a mystery! This year, Zhongyuan CEO Daniel Sennhesier came to Taiwan to mention that the Ambeo Smart Headset function is like a dummy head recording, but it is worn on your Smart Head for easy carrying.

Originally, the silver metal mesh on the outside of the earphone contains a miniature microphone. As long as the pair of headphones is worn, it is equivalent to the dummy head, and a microphone is mounted on the left and right ears. This time, you don't need to hold a human head model to go out, you can record anytime, anywhere, and it is easy to carry and not attract people's attention. Although the original factory has not announced the pricing, it will definitely be much cheaper than the professional dummy head recording equipment. In addition to the recordings that can be used, modern people often use mobile phones to make videos, and the sound effects of the films taken by Ambeo Smart Headset sound really immersive, very interesting!

The Ambeo Smart Headset headphones that can replace the dummy head recordings must be complicated. I don't want you to say that I also thought about it at the beginning, so I especially tried it out before the agent, and I could ask for it if I didn't use it. But very unexpectedly, there is no difficulty at all! Just plug in the phone and directly open the video/recording app to record the 3D surround sound directly. No need for a dedicated app (the first time you connect to the phone, you will be asked to install the app, you can ignore the app, you can ignore it). Any complicated setting can be said to be as simple as one!

And the Ambeo Smart Headset does not need to be recharged, and it can operate normally by directly using the mobile phone power. You said, is it a very user-friendly design? And Daniel also mentioned that the recorded sound files do not require special playback software, codecs, and no headphones to listen to, even if it is not Sennheiser headphones, as long as you use headphones to listen, you can hear amazing The sound field effect is awkward!

However, this Ambeo Smart Headset can not only record, but also can be used as a general earphone to listen to music, the right earphone body is equipped with a microphone to facilitate voice calls. However, currently only the Lightning version, in other words, only Apple users can use, but the original said, the future will launch the Android version, non-Apple users please wait for it!

finished? Not yet, the Ambeo Smart Headset is not only a miniature radio microphone on the outside of the headset, but also has a white rectangular box near the end of the line, with the words "Sennheiser AMBEO Smart Headset" printed on it, at the bottom of the back of the box. The small "Powered by Apogee" word, the original key is the use of Apogee technology, including microphone preamp, A / D analog to digital, D / A digital to analog technology.

However, the small white box is a bit heavy, but the earphone body is designed with an ear-hook design, which can be used to reduce some of the burden. However, if the original factory launches the second generation in the future, it is better to recommend that the volume can be reduced and lighter.

In use, the gray lever on the top of the box is the microphone radio switch. When turned on, the red LED will be steady. If you listen to music purely as a headset, you can choose to turn off the power. Further down is the common three-button remote control, the bottom has a button like a seesaw, responsible for adjusting the degree of receiving ambient sound, the default value is off (that is, does not receive ambient sound), can be enhanced in three segments, the principle The microphone is received through the microphone outside the earphone, and then the sound is played by the earphone unit. The actual trial, opening this function in a quiet indoor space, will sound strange, a bit like a fan, will amplify the surrounding air-conditioning, electric fan sound. But if you use it outdoors, it's great. It can help users pay attention to the surrounding environment and identify the location of the vehicle to avoid danger.

For the actual trial, I first use the recording function of Ambeo Smart Headset to test whether it can easily record the 3D surround sound field effect like the dummy head recording. To this end, I asked the editorial staff, Dong Hongjun, to specially invite the director of the Kunming Kunqu Opera Society, Yang Khanru, to let us perform the recording test while practicing in the rehearsal room. I would like to thank Teacher Yang for his assistance! The singer is from the "Golden Birds and Joe Vinegar" tune [Tai Shi cited], the singer is "Don't be shocked, squatting like a dangling, can't stop Yingying tears zero." It can be noticed that Teacher Yang goes from the front to the right and moves back and forth. Finally, he turns back from the left side. It is clear that Yang’s voice is positioned around, instead of simply changing the left and right channels. (I want to remind you again, please listen to it with headphones!) In addition, I also recorded two sounds using the iPhone's built-in "voice memo" app. The first paragraph is from the far left to quickly approach the recorder's left ear. The second segment moves from the far right to the left and then quickly approaches the recorder's left ear. With the sound, you can feel the obvious difference between the two soundtracks in sound localization.

It is worth mentioning that when testing the recording, I deliberately rubbed the microphone on the outside of the earphone with my fingers. Now I heard a very clear rustling sound. When I listened to the recording file back and forth, I found that the friction sound became very slight. It seems that the original factory has Take into account the wind noise and friction noise that may occur during recording.
The sound is clean and mellow

I tried the recording function of Ambeo Smart Headset. Don't forget, it is also a Lightning earphone, and it uses Apogee's D/A conversion technology. The sound is very clean and almost no noise. However, if you want to listen to music, remember to choose the right earbud size first, because the earbuds I chose at the beginning are too small, the airtightness is not good, the sound is very thin, and there is no thickness. The low frequency is also very empty. But after changing the earplugs, the thickness and low frequency of the whole sound are alive! However, the original factory only comes with a single form of three sizes (S, M, L) earplugs. If there is no suitable choice, it is recommended that you directly purchase the earplugs you like.

First play the "Min Modir" of the third track Eivor on The Dali CD Vol.4 album, listen to the drum sound in the recording through the AMBEO Smart Headset, and the Q-bull graininess, the density is not loose, in addition, I can hear the endless low-frequency sound details in the background, and it is quite shocking. When the song is over, the audience applauded the cheers to bring out the relaxed sound space. Listening to Zeng Yuqian's "Fantasy Movement Reverie", the AMBEO Smart Headset shows a violin sound that is round and thick, with sufficient energy and no excitement. The piano with the accompaniment has a wide distance, and the sound and body shapes are distinct and will not feel the sound. Squeezed in the middle of the mind, there is a good sense of looseness, it is quite resistant.

As for the function of receiving ambient sound mentioned above, this function is turned on when listening to music. In the state of 1st gear, there is quite a listening experience of open headphones, and the music details and sound quality will not be affected too much. 2~3 files, it sounds unnatural, and the noise of the air conditioners and electric fans around them are also amplified.

Friends who like to play with headphones should have noticed that in recent years, in addition to trying to improve the sound quality, various headset manufacturers are also trying to add new ideas to the headset, hoping to get a different path in a competitive market environment, but this The AMBEO Smart Headset launched by Sennheiser really broke away from the existing frame, so that the headset can not only listen to music, but also become a good tool for filming and recording. It can easily record like a dummy recording. 3D surrounds the sense of presence.

Do you like video recording when you travel abroad? Still like to play with friends and sing? However, the official recommended price has not yet been announced. If it is not too expensive, I suggest you try it out and make sure that it will record different sound effects. Even I want to buy it myself!