About Doppler Labs
If you've ever wished that you could tune out the loud patrons in a movie theater, and concentrate on the movie itself, or turn off the loud background noise of a party so you could hear what it was your friend was saying, then the Here One Smart Earbuds by Doppler Labs are exactly the type of wearables that you need. Founded in 2013 by Noah Kraft and Fritz Lanman, Doppler Labs is a company devoted to making computing part of our lifestyle, and focus all of their energy on audio. Their software engineers are continuously on the cutting edge of developing technologies which will create an augmented reality by utilizing audio instead of visuals.
With the Here One Smart Earbuds, Doppler Labs hopes to make earbuds more than just an accessory to your audio life, but a part of your everyday existence. These innovative and futuristic headphones seamlessly blend the Bauhaus concept of art by combining both form and function, to create a beautiful piece of wearable technology. These earbuds are geared for both the audiophile who appreciates not only great design, style and technological advancements, but also the casual user who simply needs to filter out sounds while enjoying their favorite television show.
Introduction
Earbuds first became popular with the public in the 1960's with the advent of the transistor radio. The transistor radio was the very first time the masses had the ability to carry radio broadcasts with them wherever they went. A single, wired earbud was soon created as an accessory to these transistor radios, which allowed the public to listen to a ballgame, the news, or their favorite music while out and about in public areas and not disturb anyone else. Over the years, that single wired earbud spawned many new and innovative headphone designs by various companies.
The software engineering team at Here One continues this tradition of audio experimentation and excellence with its Here One Smart Earbuds. These earbuds are the third generation in their line of products, and their most advanced. Following the same standards of high quality and performance as its predecessors, DUBS Acoustic Filters and Here Active Listening, the Here One Smart Earbuds are a step forward in Dopplers non-stop quest to make computing a more 'immersive and human experience. These are also the first 3-in-1 earbuds which blend Smart Noise Cancellation, Premium Audio, and Voice Amplification Technologies. The engineers at Doppler refer to this model as 'in-ear computers', as they were designed with multiple processors to single out and screen background noise, and they do this using directional microphone arrays in the earbuds.
In a nutshell, these earbuds offer you the power to decide what it is you want to listen to. By using an iOS or Android app and Smart Noise Filter Technology, you have complete control over the surrounding ambient sound to the point where you can actively decide to listen to a conversation, or completely screen it out. You'll be able to stop the music, and handle a phone call, then turn the music back on using the Bypass mode. The Here One Smart Earbuds were built with a frequency response rate of 20Hz - 18kHz, which guarantees excellence in audio reproduction.
Active Listening Technology
The Here One earbuds have the ability to 'actively listen', which means that the listener can actually have control over what they are hearing in the world around them. They have small 8mm, full-range Knowles balanced armature high-fidelity drivers which allow Doppler to insert microphones. Each Here One earbud is a mini computer with three MEM microphones. MEM stands for Microelectromechanical systems, which simply means 'microscopic device'. These MEM microphones perform like a high frequency pressure sensor where capacitor plates vibrate one against another when they come in contact with a sound wave. These microphones capture the sounds and transmit them to a digital signal processor, which then goes straight to your ears. Latency refers to the delay between when the sound is detected by the device and when you actually hear it, is reported to be quite low at under 30 microseconds.
The Here One Earphones consist of two stylish, wireless earbuds which are available in either a black or white finish. These wireless earbuds then connect to your smartphone by way of Bluetooth. The difference between these and standard earbuds/headphone sets is that they concentrate on the method of attaining the audio, instead of playback of audio. In other words, while standard earphones only transmit sounds to you, with the Here One headphones, you are free to screen out real world audio you do not wish to listen to.
Fit and Comfort
First and foremost, the fact that they are wireless is already a comfort zone plus. No one likes to untangle or arrange headset wires or fiddle with clips behind the ear. Here One earbuds come in three sizes, are comfortable and easy to insert. They are built with an in-ear design which means they will fit snugly in your ear for hours of nonstop audio, without the risk of falling out. To assist you in getting the perfect fit possible, the Here One earbuds come with six sets of rubber and foam tips in small, medium and large size. While the rubber is more rigid and for some less comfortable, the foam sets will create a comfortable seal as they expand to fit your ear canal when inserted.
One of the first, most noticeable attributes of these earbuds is exactly how well they do work. After a while of walking down a busy street, or noisy office party the world will seem like a different place when you take them off. Indeed, you'll probably notice how loud the world around you really is, and how much it derailed you from your focus in life. These earbuds are absolutely perfect for students who are cramming for exams, writers, or anyone who has a need to focus and concentrate on the task at hand. Gamers will also find these earbuds useful, as they can filter out environmental noise, and concentrate on their games. In short, the augmented reality provided by the Here One earbuds may seem a bit surreal at first, but its usefulness will soon become apparent, and you may wonder how you got along without them.
Streaming Music
While the Here One is actually designed to augment your real world audio, they are also state of the art wireless earbuds, and work perfectly if you want to use them as standard earphones. Just open your app and choose either Pandora, Spotify or Apple Music. As far as music streaming goes, the Here One does quite a good job in delivery of the music, reproducing rich, refined true-to-life audio. The bass is full, robust, strong yet not boomy, the mid-range is smooth as silk and clear as crystal, while the treble is nicely defined with the detail being sharp, and not 'tinny', scratchy or breaking off at the higher points. While they might not live up to a true audiophiles standards, they nonetheless render superb playback.
Quick Access with Touch Controls
The Here One earbuds come with convenient touch controls, which allow you to stream your favorite music, or take a hands-free phone call minus the tangle of wires. Activating the Bypass mode will let you put the music on hold, in case you need to quickly converse with someone or answer the phone. If you are a user of Siri or Google Assistant and need them to schedule your events, phone options and basic fact checking, you're in luck as Here One has included them in their system of convenient touch controls. Simply tap your earbuds once to answer a call, or tap them twice to access your virtual assistant.
Battery Life
According to Here One, the earbuds are guaranteed to give you up to 2 hours of audio streaming per one battery charge. However, this may change depending on how you use your Smart Noise Cancellation technology as you enjoy streaming your music. For instance, if you are learning how to use your new Here One earbuds and experimenting with your app, your battery life can drop a bit due to the extra activity.
The battery life is extended up to 8 hours by using the portable charging case which is included. The charging case is sturdy and durable with a sleek, streamlined design, and adds three full charges to your earbuds. You can charge your case by way of a micro USB and depending on how you use it, the charge can last up to 8 hours or more. An LED indicator light on the outside of the case alerts you it is fully charged, while the interior of the case has a four-dot light array which keeps you abreast of the case's battery life.
Here One includes everything you will need to get started. Your Here One Smart Earbuds come complete with a selection of six sets of rubber and foam eartips for size, a charging case, micro USB cable, and a quick start guide. As far as warranties go, you get a 1 year manufacturer’s warranty for both parts and labour.
The Here One App
While the first thing one usually considers when looking at earbuds is 'music', the Here One Smart Earbuds offer you something a little different. They are actually designed to let the listener to recreate the audio world around them. This means that those living in the city will be able to walk the streets, sit in a loud bar or party, and screen out whatever they do not wish to hear, while augmenting what they do wish to hear. This ability to balance what you are hearing, while using the phone or streaming music is referred to as 'Layered Listening'.
While these earbuds are amazing all by themselves, it is by using the companion iOS and Android app that you have access to its noise filters and Live Mix features. These noise filters are presets used to optimize each category and include: Airplane, crowd, office, restaurant, enhance speech-back, enhance speech-front, and subway. Each of these filters serve to augment your audio capabilities in situations where there is noise interference, such as a concert or sporting event.
Lets take some time out to see how easy it is to use this app. If you would like to raise the volume, simply swipe upwards on the screen, and it raises you up six decibels. If you would like to lower the volume, just swipe downward, to a negative 22 decibel decrease. You also have music streaming buttons for Apple music, Spotify and Pandora, plus access to your noise filters and Live Mix features.
Mixing live sounds is actually easy to do and quite fun as you become your own personal DJ, remixing and mastering your music by manipulating the base, mid-range and treble. So, if you are listening to a live band and they are a little heavy on the bass, you can actually alter that bass so it's more to your liking. When you initiate the Live Mix feature, you'll see an EQ or equalizer screen. This is a graph which has the following decibel levels: 180Hz, 360Hz, 1.1kHz, 3.3 kHz and 6,8 kHz. Simply by swiping your screen, you can manipulate the nodules to remix the real world sound in real time.
By screening out the surrounding noise, these filters not only allow you to control, or remix the surrounding sound, but also work to protect your hearing from the loud noise. This makes the Here One earbuds a perfect choice for musicians or anyone who needs to hear what is going on, but also needs to protect their hearing. As a side note, just be aware that Doppler is continuously updating their app, so they will probably be adding and subtracting various filters and features as they go in order to improve performance.
Summary
The Here One earbuds by Doppler Labs are designed to let the listener control what they hear, thereby using audio to augment the real world around them. They have a comfortable in-ear design which lets them fit snugly in your ear canal for optimal use. Their Bluetooth interface allows for direct wireless pairing with any of your Blue-tooth enabled devices, and the Smart Noise Cancellation Technology allows you to be selective in screening what you want to hear and what you do not, which makes it the perfect choice for commuters who wish to enjoy a good book in peace.
Speech Amplification Technology assists you in concentrating on conversations of interest, especially in a loud environment such as a sports bar. While the battery life is only two hours, the Here One earbuds come with a portable charging case, so it's perfect for individuals who are constantly on the go as the case is good for three full charges. Simply remove your earbuds and place them in the charging case when not in use, and the LED light will alert you when they are fully charged by turning green.
Designed with convenience and ease of use in mind, with just a quick tap of your finger, the easy to use touch controls allow you to control music, Bypass mode and have full access to your virtual assistants, Siri and Google Assistant. In order to access to your noise filter presets and Live Mix there is an easy to use iOS and Android Here One app. Finally, always know that your purchase will keep up with the times, as Doppler Labs is continuously improving their product so institutes regular software updates to the app, as well as firmware updates are available.