Apple filed an application in 2010 for a “user-specific noise suppression for voice quality improvements” patent before the company decided to partner up with Audience over Noise Free for the supply of noise-canceling technology. “On further information and belief, Apple provided Audience with Noise Free’s confidential trade secret information to assist Audience in delivering a noise cancellation solution that was similar and/or identical to the solution that Noise Free designed,” Noise Free alleged in the suit.

In addition to patent infringement, Noise Free is suing Apple for trade secret theft and breach of contract, seeking “exemplary or punitive damages” for the misappropriation of its trade secrets. Noise Free has also requested the court to grant the company any of Apple’s patents that may come from Apple’s own patent application for noise-canceling technology. At this point, Apple has not yet commented on the lawsuit.

[via Apple Insider]

This isn’t the first time we’ve come in contact with the Ludacris in audio situation, the first time being WAY back in 2009 when Chris Davies interviewed the rapper / producer / actor as he sat beside Monster’s Noel Lee. At the time they’d been speaking about “possible” projects. Now we’re talking about Ludacris matching up with Soul Electronics, completely separate group, to create these lovely noise-canceling headphones in several color combinations.

The fact that Ludacris recently starred in the newest installment of the Fast and the Furious series of car-racing movies is not to be mistaken for the five-model-lineup this SOUL by Ludacris headphone extravaganza is turning into. The SL300s are only the tip of the iceberg, there’s still the High Definition On-Ear models SL150 and SL100, and the SL99 and SL49 High Definition In-Ear headphones to come! This entier line will and does contain pro-voiced sound technology with “advanced circutry and drivers” designed by a team of engineers who have also reportedly “developed some of the most notable acoustic breakthroughs in the audio industry.

Also note, since it’s the most awesome feature ever, all modes feature gold-plated connectors for seamless signal transfer. The SL300 models are now available nationwide at Apple.com, Amazon.com, BestBuy.com, Headphones.com, Brookstone, Buy.com, Bobizzo.com, AAFES, InMotion, MacMall, Microsoft Store, Huppin’s OneCall, Ovation and Vann’s and are going to run you approximately $299.

The Nexus One uses dual mics to cancel noise and we also know that the iPhone 4 does too. Inside that Nexus One smartphone, the audience A1026 voice processor that handles those noise cancellation duties was clearly labeled. When iFixit tore the Verizon iPhone 4 apart, they noted the dual mics but there was one chip on the board of the iPhone that they were unable to identify presumed to be the noise cancellation chip. That chip has now been named thanks to it being uncapped.

The people at Chipworks took that unidentified processor and pulled the cap off and then found underneath that the chip is in fact an audience voice processor, not some Apple designed part that was suspected at one point. The Audience chip was sans labels on the outside to make it harder to identify. The die marking shown in the gallery clearly labels the chip.

[via ifixit]

Each of the earpieces has a tiny microphone that picks up the sound in the room and then eliminates it with active tech. The earphones also have innovative ANC circuitry for pure audio signal and good music quality when you listen. The headphones are aimed at uses of earphones and other portable devices.

The earpieces are interchangeable and the noise cancellation tech runs off a battery. If the battery goes dead the user can still use the headphones for listening to music. They ship with a hard case to store the accessories and earphones and the frequency response is 20-20,000Hz. They are available for $99.99 and are shipping now.

In the box there are the Extreme XNC230W headphones themselves, together with a detachable audio cable (with a 3.5mm plug), a 1/4-inch headphones adapter for use with home stereo equipment, a battery and a soft carrying case. The headphones fold down at multiple points to a reasonably small, flat package; smaller, in fact, than the Able Planet NC300B’s we reviewed back in December 2009. On, they’re reasonably comfortable thanks to plenty of ear-cup and headband padding, though we’re not sure how well they’d hold up to jogging or other active exercise.

As with the NC300B’s, the Able Planet Extreme XNC230W’s have active noise cancellation powered by a single AAA battery. It’s a straightforward affair with no user-settings or adjustability: a switch basically turns it on or off. Turned on, Able Planet’s DSP works reasonable well, with a combination of amplifying the source audio, better defining the higher frequency sounds and of course the large ear-cups doing a good job of blocking out extraneous audio on their own. Monotonous background droning – like airplane engines – is handled best; active noise cancellation is never going to get rid of occasionally shrieking children or unexpected sounds.

If you turn the noise cancellation off, the headphones still function in passive mode. Volume isn’t quite as high – even with the in-line volume control at maximum – and audio quality is only average, but we’re glad you can still listen to music even if your battery goes dead. The audio cable is detachable in case you snag or break it, which is a nice touch, and Able Planet also make a plug-in boom microphone accessory ($39.99) that turns the headphones into a gaming headset or hands-free kit.

With the extra degree of folding possible in the XNC230W’s design, and the soft carrying pouch versus the hard-shell case supplied with the NC300B’s, the newer headphones are more suited to frequent travellers. Audio wise, both perform the same, and the plastics quality of the NC300B’s feels a little better than the XNC230W’s, but there’s really little in it. More importantly, even at the $149.99 MRSP you’re paying far less than you would for a set of Bose active noise-cancelling headphones, and that’s before you start shopping around online. With little effort we found the Extreme XNC230W’s for $40 under list (though it’s worth noting that the NC300B’s can be found at around the $80 mark).

Design-wise they’re an acquired taste, and you’ll have to really want the extra collapsibility to justify the premium over the NC300B street price, but you can’t complain too much about the Able Planet Extreme XNC230W headphones. Yes, some rivals have better noise reduction, and yes others have improved audio quality, but for the balance of both those factors together with price, Able Planet are still ahead of the game.

Considering the NC300B headphones are Able Planet’s entry-level models, the don’t skimp on the packaging. Inside the box there’s a hard-shell carrying case with a moulded cradle for the headphones along with a small, zipped pouch for the cable and included adapters. This is Velcro-backed, so even if you decide to ditch the case you can still keep drop the adapter bag into your rucksack.

Included accessories are a six foot audio cable with standard 3.5mm stereo plug on either end and an in-line volume control, a 3.5mm-to-1/4-inch adapter, airplane adapter and a single AAA battery that slots into the right earcup. We particularly like the fact you can replace the cable without having to buy whole new headphones, and thanks to the 3.5mm socket you don’t even have to go to Able Planet to do so. Controls are simple, a power switch and red LED indicator, and the earcups rotate and twist as well as extending to suit different head sizes.

It’s straightforward to get a comfortable fit, and there’s neither a sense that the NC300B’s are going to crush your skull nor fall off if you shake your head. Even turned off, there’s an instant noise-isolating effect from the closed cup design. However Able Planet offer active rather than simply passive noise reduction, and you can use it with or without an audio source.

The concept behind active noise reduction is simple: microphones pick up external noise and then the DSP system suppresses it with an “antinoise” signal. Able Planet’s is called LINX AUDIO, and – like other approaches – it’s biased toward higher frequency sounds, emphasising them in the audio source to help pick out speech and singing among any remaining background noise. With no audio source there’s a quiet hum of white noise, which is harder to hear once you’ve turned on music.

Does it work? The impact from merely putting on the headphones is greater than the active circuitry, but there is a small if noticeable reduction in lower frequency external noise when the DSP is turned on. Start up some music, meanwhile, and there’s a significant boost in volume through the headphones when you turn on the cancellation system. That makes it tricky to directly compare the impact, but we’d say it’s certainly harder to make out background noise with an audio source playing and the noise cancellation turned on.

Active noise cancellation works best dealing with a continuous background buzz, such as you’d get on an airplane, and true enough when we played some static-like drones the NC300B’s handled them better. It’s not some magic isolation booth – you won’t switch on the system and never hear screaming children the next row over again – but the combination of active and passive work well together and do allow you to turn down the volume of your PMP player. Even if nothing else, that should save some of its battery life, and if the headphones’ AAA battery dies they’ll still work, just without the DSP. Sound quality in general is good, though we found the NC300B’s sound better with bass-heavy audio and lack a little in the midrange. A set of decent in-ear monitor earphones will give you better audio, yes, but the Able Planets are surprisingly comfortable for extended use.

Best of all is the price: MRSP is $129.99, but Buy.com list the Able Planet NC300B headphones at around $78 and a quick Google threw up some even more competitive prices from other retailers. That’s a bargain, and while you might get more complex DSP from more expensive rival systems – Bose, we’re looking at you – semi-frequent fliers will find the Able Planet price much easier to swallow.

It works by lining the walls of the case with acoustic dampening material. This prevents sound from escaping and reduces case rattle and vibration. You can add the H-SRS tech to any iBUYPOWER system from now on for $49 or $89 with White Lightning LED-lit fans.

The DR-BT100CX model are in-ear earbuds that can last up to 8 hours on a single charge and feature 9mm Neodymium drivers. They come with three different silicon earbud sizes to ensure you find the perfect fit. The DR-BT101, on the other hand are a set of headphones that can last up to 12 hours on a single charge and feature a 30mm speaker.

Both models can be used for taking calls with the built-in microphone. They offer support for HFP, AVRCP, A2DP and HSP Bluetooth profiles and sport music controls for easy adjusting. We don’t know when the earbuds or headphones will be released or how much they’ll cost, but we’ll be sure to keep you posted.

The BlueAnt Q1 also allows multipoint for connecting two phones to the headset, and being able to answer either one when they ring. It can be paired with up to 8 devices. The battery life will give you 4 hours of talk time and 100 hours of standby.

The slick, aluminum headset fits comfortably in the ear, and has a very slim profile. For the time being, the Q1 is available only in the brushed aluminum. Thanks to Taisen Maddern, the Executive Chairmen of BlueAnt, we got a great video of the unboxing, and we’ll have a hands on review of the Q1 for you tomorrow.