Headphones meet home speaker in new crowdfunding project

A Speaker projectWe’ve been charting the recent surge of innovation in headphones and personal music listening happening at major tech companies and on crowdfunding platforms. Another one has joined them. The A speaker from Akoustic Arts promises a focused beam of directional audio that can reach a single individual from across the room. It does so with the use of ultrasonic waves rather than the usual audio waves. The speaker has a 3.5mm jack to connect to any home audio music player, from a smartphone to a turntable.

The company’s Indiegogo project suggests several ideas for potential use of the speaker, such as working in an office or consuming media without disturbing others. It removes headphones from the personal audio equation, which could potentially create more comfort and flexibility for listeners.

Anna Washenko