Since long now, San Francisco based Dolby Laboratories has been providing their sound technology to third party hardware manufacturers. Now they have decided to enter the ring and create their own consumer electronic products. Dolby Dimension is the first item to come from their stables.
Targeted for home entertainment use, Dimension is a set of wireless headphones with built-in noise cancellation. Five microphones work in tandem with their proprietary signal processing technology to provide the active noise-cancellation (ANC) functionality. As expected, with ANC turned on, the ambient noise won't pass through, and vice-versa. What's interesting is that the functionality is not restricted to its binary form (either on or off) - you can set the ANC to various levels in between, depending on how much surrounding noise you want to hear.
The touchpad on the side of the Dolby Dimension headphones can be used to adjust the volume, play/pause/skip/forward/back the tracks, answer or decline calls, or fire up the virtual assistant (Siri/Google Assistant). The touch panel can also be used to adjust the ANC levels. Moreover, the companion Android/iOS app can also be used to serve the same purposes.
The headphones are fitted with 40-mm custom made acoustic drivers. They can be synced with up to three Bluetooth connected devices at a time. Dedicated buttons on the right cup can then be used to switch between the three.
With a full-charge time of two hours, Dolby claims that the Dimension headphones can be used for 10 hours with noise-cancellation on, and 15 hours otherwise. There is also a quick top-up charge support, which provides two hours of playtime on a 20-minute charge. The battery can be filled via the micro USB port, or charged wirelessly.
With a price tag of $599 (around 43,000 INR), the Dolby Dimension is an expensive affair. But given the legacy of the company as far as sound technology is concerned, the performance and sound quality of the device should live up to the mark. It is available in the States, and there is no information as to when they will be able for purchase in India.
Ankit writes code for a living. He reviews gadgets and books in his free time, and believes in the magical power of a strong cup of coffee.
