Libratone TRACK+ wireless earbuds offer adjustable noise cancellation
Libratone is adding to its range of noise-cancelling earphones, introducing a new in-ear design to the line-up at CES 2018 today. The Libratone TRACK+ Wireless In-Ear Earphones keep the four levels of adjustable noise cancellation that the existing Q Adapt models offer, but package that with Bluetooth instead of cables.
Libratone already offers two sets of in-ear wired models with noise cancellation, the Q Adapt In-Ear Earphones: one has a USB-C connector, and is designed for use with Android smartphones, while the other has a Lightning connector and is intended for use with iPhones and iPads. Then there's the Q Adapt On-Ear Bluetooth Wireless Headphones, which are among the first to support Google's "fast pairing" feature in Android Oreo, as debuted on the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. Finally, there's the Q Adapt On-Ear Bluetooth Wireless Headphones, which are the closest to today's announcement.
While there's no shortage of headphones and earbuds promising to minimize how much of the environmental noise around you gets through, it's still fairly unusual to have adjustable levels as Libratone offers. Cleverly, the cancellation is also adaptive, with the earbuds automatically adjusting their settings according to ambient sound levels. The new TRACK+ set also includes a Hush mode, which when triggered will automatically silence whatever music or other audio you're listening to, and feed whatever is picked up through from the external microphones.
Connectivity with your smartphone or laptop is via Bluetooth, and there's also a Bluetooth +1 feature. That allows two TRACK+ or Q Adapt Wireless headphones – whether today's new TRACK+ In-Ear set, or the existing Q Adapt over-the-ear Bluetooth headphones – to be linked together, sharing a single source. In the same way, you can also share a Libratone SoundSpace, a "personal cocoon" of sound with adjustable levels of ambient noise.
Libratone has made the earphones IPX4 water resistant, if you want to wear them while exercising. There are four sizes of tips in the box, too, along with a set that have been specially designed for athletes. The in-cable control block has volume keys along with a smart button, together with a power switch. They recharge via microUSB.
The Libratone TRACK+ Wireless In-Ear Earphones will go on sale early in 2018, the company says. They'll be priced at $199.