These Weird-Looking Headphones Promise a Leak-Free Open-Ear Listening with Reverse ANC

Will you try these open-ear over-ear headphones?
Will you try these open-ear over-ear headphones?

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Get all the perks of open-ear headphones minus the downsides with nwm ONE.

Open-ear headphones have become popular as a safer option for letting users hear their surroundings while listening to music. But this awareness comes with a catch: the sound leakage can turn your personal listening session into a public nuisance.

That’s where the nwm ONE headphones come in. These open-ear, over-ear headphones claim to give you the best of what open-ear headphones can offer without the compromise.

nwm ONE Features

A close look at the nwm ONE headphones. (From: nwm)
A close look at the nwm ONE headphones. (From: nwm)

One of the things you’ll notice first when seeing the nwm ONE headphones os their unique appearance.

These aren’t your run-of-the-mill cans. Instead, they have a unique double-loop design that goes over your head and around your ears without covering them. Thanks to this, these headphones keep you aware of your surroundings while creating an open-air listening experience that looks cool and sounds great.

But there’s more to these headphones than just their unusual appearance.

As previously mentioned, these headphones promise to solve one of the biggest problems of open-ear headphones: sound leakage.

To do this, the headphones are equipped with the Personalized Sound Zone (PSZ) technology. This smart system uses phase cancellation to create a bubble of sound around your ears, which greatly reduces sound leakage.

If this sounds familiar, it’s because phase cancellation is the same principle used in Active Noise Cancelling headphones. But here’s the twist – instead of blocking external noise from reaching your ears, it’s containing your audio within a personal zone.

Basically, you could crank up your guilty pleasure playlist in the office without bothering your coworkers. That’s the promise of PSZ.

The Personalized Sound Zone (PSZ) technology is like ANC tech but in reverse. (From: nwm)
The Personalized Sound Zone (PSZ) technology is like ANC tech but in reverse. (From: nwm)

Aside from this, the nwm ONE headphones also have the Magic Focus Voice feature. This patented tech improves call quality by focusing on your voice and removing background noise. So, you can expect your voice to come through crystal clear, no matter where you are.

When it comes to the drivers, the nwm ONE have a new 2-way speaker system. We’re talking a 12mm tweeter for crisp highs and a meaty 35mm woofer for robust low-end response.

To keep this accurate, each driver gets its own amplifier. Plus, smart DSP ensures distortion-free sound reproduction, even at high volumes.

But, this dual-driver setup isn’t just about sound quality – it’s also key to making the PSZ technology work well.

The smaller 12mm tweeter allows for more precise phase cancellation, especially in higher frequencies where sound leakage is often most noticeable. Meanwhile, the larger 35mm woofer handles low notes, where phase cancellation isn’t as important for stopping leakage.

Using two specialized speakers helps the PSZ technology create a better personal sound zone around your ears.

Even though they go over your ears, the nwm ONE are comfortable like other open-ear headphones.

How the nwm ONE headphones look like when worn. (From: nwm)
How the nwm ONE headphones look like when worn. (From: nwm)

For one, they weigh only 185 grams, so you can wear them for a long time without getting tired.

The open design also prevents that dreaded ear sweat, which is a common problem with regular closed-back headphones that can make long listening sessions uncomfortable.

For connecting to devices, the nwm ONE use Bluetooth 5.3 and work with different audio codecs including SBC, AAC, and the newer LC3. They also support Sony’s 360 Reality Audio for immersive listening, as well as LE Audio and Auracast, A.K.A. the newest Bluetooth standards.

And, for those who like to fine-tune their audio experience, you can use the parametric equalizer in the dedicated “nwm Connect” app.

The battery lasts for 20 hours of playback, and a quick five-minute charge gives you an hour of listening time. If you prefer a wired connection, the nwm ONE also work with USB audio using the included USB-C cable.

Where to Buy

The nwm ONE are available in dark gray and light gray color options. (From: nwm)
The nwm ONE are available in dark gray and light gray color options. (From: nwm)

The nwm ONE headphones are now available on Amazon Japan for 39,600 yen ($250).

There’s also an nwm store in Amazon US, but there’s no news on when these headphones will be available there.

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