Yamaha unveils New Range of Wireless Earbuds and Headphones with Personalized Sound

Yahama has announced the new series of wireless headphones: TW-E3A, TW-E5A, TW-E7A true wireless earbuds, and YH-E700A over-ear Yamaha headphones. The technology common to all the products is Listening Care to which is added then, gradually increasing towards the higher-end models, Ambient Sound, Active Noise Cancellation, and Listening Optimizer. At the base of some of these technologies, we find DSP (Digital Signal Processing) derived from those that Yamaha has been using for years on home cinema amplifiers.

Let’s start with Listening Care: it is a solution developed to improve quality when listening to music at a lower volume. The goal is to obtain a balanced audio signal with a result comparable, at low and high frequencies, to what can be appreciated with higher sound pressure. To achieve this, Yamaha has adapted YPAO Volume (already in use on home theater products) to headphones and earphones.

The adjustments made affect the equalization and act according to the volume level set. Yamaha claims that in this way some frequencies are not sacrificed even at low volumes and therefore it is not necessary to increase the volume much to get a “full” sound. On the YH-E700 Yamaha headphones, there is a further refined version that applies interventions in an adaptive way. Corrections to the four-band equalizer are applied gradually (for a more natural intervention) by calculating the average volume every 0.7 ms and taking into account the data of the last 5 seconds.
Ambient Sound, on the other hand, allows you to take advantage of the integrated microphones in headphones and earbuds to capture external noises and keep them in the background while playing music. In this way, users are no longer isolated from their surroundings and can hear noises that may be important, such as an ambulance siren, a car horn, or a public announcement from a loudspeaker.

Active Noise Cancellation is available on the TW-E7A and YH-E700A Yamaha headphones. As for Ambient Sound, the microphone present on the aforementioned models is used to capture external noises and thus send a signal with an opposite phase, in order to cancel the noise and improve the listening experience. The over-ear headphones offer Advanced Active Noise Cancellation, an improved version that suppresses ambient noise without applying to the process of audio signals. Yamaha describes it as a function capable of keeping the sound pure and therefore not giving a color that modifies the listening to music by degrading its quality.

Finally, we close with Listening Optimizer, perhaps the most interesting feature among all those introduced by Yamaha. In other words, it is a system that compensates for individual characteristics such as head and ear size and shape and different conditions of fit. In the auricle, there is a microphone that measures the insulation and the passage of air every 20 seconds. The data obtained is used to optimize the sound based on the real listening conditions, influenced by the shape of each user’s ear, the way in which the headset adheres to the head, and also by the positioning of the headset itself which can vary from person to person. The corrections made to allow you to tailor the sound to each listener.

Yamaha TW-E3A

The earbuds are equipped with 6mm dynamic transducers and weigh 6.3 grams each. The frequency response is between 20 Hz and 20 kHz. There is IPX5 certification, which guarantees protection from water sprays. Connectivity is based on Bluetooth 5.0; A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP profiles and SBC, AAC, and aptX codecs are supported.

The TW-E3A offer the Listening Care function and can be used to make calls from smartphones via the integrated microphones. The latter also allows you to interact with the voice assistants Siri and Google Assistant. The earbuds can be managed with the application for iOS and Android and offer up to 6 hours of battery. The case then allows you to further extend the duration thanks to three full recharges (there is of course an integrated battery) for a total of 24 hours of operation. Charging takes approximately two hours.

The earbuds include a USB-A – USB-C cable, four rubber tips with sizes XS, S, M, L, and two silicone tips in the S and M options to make the earbuds more stable inside the ears. Yamaha TW-E3A is currently listed on the BestBuy.com for $129.95 and will be available in Pink, Blue, White and Black colors. 

Yamaha TW-E5A

The TW-E5A earbuds are positioned in the mid-range between the entry threshold and the top of the range. Inside we always find dynamic drivers that have a slightly higher dimension: from 6 millimeters we pass to 6.2 millimeters. The weight rises to 7 grams for each of the two elements. There is also the IPX5 certification and we find the same connectivity based on Bluetooth 5.0.

Supported features include Listening Care and Ambient Sound. Of course, the TW-E5A can also make calls and support Siri and Google Assistant. The battery reaches 6.5 hours with a single charge to which are added the three additional charges through the case supplied, for a total of 26 hours of operation. Charging takes approximately two hours.

The package contains the USB-A – USB-C cable, five rubber tips in sizes XS, S, M, L, and XL, and three silicone tips in sizes S, M, and L. The earbuds are available from October in the Black and White at the price of  $179.99. 

Yamaha TW-E7A

The flagship in the wireless earbuds series feature 6.2mm dynamic transducers and weigh 7 grams each. Active Noise Cancellation is added to the Listening Care and Ambient Sound functions. The rest of the equipment follows what is proposed by the TW-E5A with some differences.

The battery life changes, which with active cancellation reach up to 5 hours of operation with an additional three charges guaranteed by the case for a total of 20 hours of playback. Charging can also be done via a wireless charger with a Qi standard.

The earbuds also include the charging cable, five rubber tips, three silicone tips, and a bag in which to store the case during transport. The Yamaha TW-E7A earbuds are also listed on the BestBuy.com in Black and White color and priced at $229.95. 

Yamaha YH-E700A

The YH-E700A Yamaha headphones are the most advanced product of the entire range. We’re talking about a closed-back over-ear model with 40mm dynamic transducers. Yamaha declares a frequency response between 8 Hz and 40 kHz and a weight of 325 grams. The supported functions include all those we talked about at the beginning: Advanced Listening Care, Ambient Sound, Advanced Active Noise Cancellation, and Listening Optimizer.

Connectivity offers dual options with a cable to 3.5mm jack or wireless. It is also based on Bluetooth 5.0; A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP profiles and SBC, AAC, and aptX Adaptive codecs are supported. Even the YH-E700A can handle calls from smartphones and the voice assistants Siri and Google Assistant.

The built-in battery allows you to listen to music for up to 35 hours on a single charge and active cancellation. Charging takes about three and a half hours. Included are a USB-A – USB-C cable for charging, a rigid carrying case (the headphones can also be folded to take up less space), a cable with 3.5mm jack at both ends, and the adapter for the plane.

Availability is scheduled for December 2020 in Black and White colors at a price of $399.99.