OPTOMA’S NEW IN-EAR WIRELESS HEADPHONES
Optoma, the brand renowned for its projectors rather than headphones has announced its new NuForce Be Free8, in-ear, wireless noise cancelling headphones with aptX Bluetooth support.
Competing squarely against Sony's WF-1000Xs, Google's Pixel buds and Apple AirPods, the NuForce Be Free8 technologies including NMFI, aptX LL, and AAC, while boasting a battery life of four hours. Like AirPods though, the charging case will provide enough juice for a total of 16 hours use.
The Be Free8 headphones are said to work with any Android, iOS, and Windows devices. Featuring dynamic drivers and NuForce’s 'Sonic Coating', NuForce says "it allows ultra-low distortion and ultra-fast transient response". They are also said to be ergonomically designed with 'SpinFit' 360-degree rotation ear tips for maximum comfort.
Using Bluetooth for connectivity brings convenience, but Be Free8 takes advantage of Near-Field Magnetic Induction (NFMI) for a more reliable connection that has a range of up to 10 metres.
With noise-cancellation plus an IPX5 rating, they're perfect for listeners with an active lifestyle.
Optoma, who claim to sell their products to 157 countries from their Taiwanese headquarters have established the headphone division of the brand as an entirely separate division after acquiring the Californian based NuForce brand, in 2014.
It has been reported locally that Australia's existing Optoma distributor, Amber Technology, do not have access to the NuForce range despite their well-established and existing business within the audio-video sector within Australia.
Before the Optoma acquisition of the NuForce brand, NSW based distributor, Audio Visual Revolution, represented NuForce in Australia.
And while the Be Free8 specs look good on paper and the overseas price of US$149 is attractive, there's just one problem. You can't actually buy them in Australia, officially.
Right now buyers will need to look online for the best deal. In fact, the official press release encourages purchasing from Amazon, which is also yet to launch locally.
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Marc Rushton
StereoNET’s Founder and Publisher was born in England and raised on British Hi-Fi before moving to Australia. He developed an early love of music and playing bass guitar before discovering the studio and the other side of the mixing desk. After writing for print magazines, Marc saw the future in digital publishing and founded the first version of StereoNET in 1999.
Posted in: Headphones | Industry
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