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At this point, when we see a pair of wireless over-ear headphones, we just expect that it’s got active noise cancellation (ANC) built in, and that they’ll connect easily with our phone, tablet, or laptop. And that’s certainly what the HED Unity wireless headphones can do, but they’ve also got another trick up their sleeve.
What’s the trick?
Let’s just lay it out right up front – the HED Unity wireless headphones can stream lossless audio, rather than the compressed version you normally get on a bluetooth connection. How they’re doing lossless is a bit unique as well. When we’ve seen that in the past, it’s usually courtesy of a 2.4 gHz dongle that the headset is communicating with. Here, however, they’ve built wifi into the headphones, which allows for that higher bandwidth to sent that high-quality audio to your ears. This allows for up to 24bit/96kHz audio to be pushed through the 40mm drivers.
What are they made out of?
The earcups are milled from a solid block of 6603 aluminum alloy, which allows for the uniquely smooth and swoopy look to the headset, as well as – we presume – some interior tuning for how those large drivers are reacting in the space.
How do you control them?
As you would expect, the HED Unity wireless headphones has an associated app (for both iOS and Android), as well as having buttons on the earcups to control playback, volume, and turning ANC off and on.
How much do they cost?
If the inclusion of WiFi streaming, and earcups milled from blocks of aluminum didn’t tip you off, you’re not paying attention to the world of audio. I’m on the edges of that world, and even I realized we were dealing with a premium offering here. Well, aside from the battery power, 6-8 hours on a charge doesn’t feel premium. But I digress – for this latest in lossless audio playback, you’re looking at $2,199 to put them on your ears. A bit steep for our wallet, but if you want to check them out, head on over to getunity.com
Tech Specs from HED
- Closed back design
- SBC and AAC Codec
- Version 5.3 Bluetooth®
- Dynamic 40mm titanium coated drivers
- Frequency response of 20Hz-22kHz
- Dual core 650 MHz 32-bit processor
- Integrated Active ANC Processor
- Mobile app available on iOS and Android
- Lithium-ion battery charged to 100% within an hour and a half
- 6-8 hours of Bluetooth streaming or Hi-Res Wi-Fi Streaming
- Carrying case included with USB charging cable, USB 3.5mm Audio Dongle
