Koss STRIVA Is World's First WiFi Headphone System

Audio accessories maker Koss announced a new headphone system today that it's claiming to be the world's first to employ WiFi technology for receiving music directly from the Internet. The new WiFi-equipped headphone system is called STRIVA and is launching with two styles, one in-ear called the TAP and one over-the-ear called the PRO. Both come with a STRIVA CAP, or Content Access Point, which acts as the WiFi hub for the headphones and is the size of a matchbook.

Koss has been developing the STRIVA project for nearly four years. The system involves three major components, the STRIVA Core, MyKOSS online server, and the STRIVA CAP. The STRIVA Core is a mini battery-powered computer that functions as a web server coupled with WiFi components that are powerful enough to make any device wireless. The STRIVA Core is small enough to fit on the surface of a US dime.

The MyKOSS server links wirelessly with STRIVA products to connect them to remote Internet broadcasting sites. It scans the internet for thousands of free streams and radio stations that deliver music and other audio content. The STRIVA CAP acts as a wireless access point that converts music from smartphones, music players, or the computer into a digital TCP/IP stack that can be transmitted to STRIVA headphones.

All this wireless audio goodness, however, comes at a price. The TAP is priced at $500 and the PRO is priced at $450. The STRIVA system is available starting today at Koss.