Ultrasone
 |
|
| Type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Audio electronics |
| Founded | 1991 |
| Headquarters | Tutzing, Germany |
| Key people | Michael Willberg, CEO Michael M. Zirkel, COO |
| Products | Headphones |
| Website | www.ultrasone.com |
Ultrasone AG is a German company specializing in headphones for studio, DJ, and consumer uses. Ultrasone's headquarters are located in Tutzing, Bavaria, Germany. The company has manufacturing facilities in Germany, the USA, Austria, and Taiwan.
[edit] Overview
Ultrasone AG was founded in 1991 with the stated objective to manufacture advanced headphones with an emphasis on the professional audio sector. A feature of many Ultrasone headphones is a proprietary surround-sound simulacrum technology called S-Logic.[1] The process uses decentralized transducer positioning to spread sound over the outer ear in an attempt to mimic sound heard over speakers.[1] Many people over-interpret the "virtual surround" thing and believe that it's some kind of fake surround, but the only thing it means, is that it makes the sound come a little more from the front of you so that the outer ear is involved in catching the sound, similar to when you use loudspeakers. Traditional headphones shoot the sound directly into the ear.
Since 1999, Ultrasone AG has been producing headphones that they claim reduce the risk of hearing damage, through the use of more efficient transducers and earcups shielded to reduce electromagnetic radiation, designated as LE/ULE (Low/UltraLow Emission). Ultrasone claims that magnetic fields so close to the head could contribute to "listener fatigue" and might be "a potential health hazard".[2] According to Ultrasone, their headphones reduce magnetic emissions by up to 98 percent compared to other headphones.[1][2]
However, the scientific consensus is that electromagnetic radiation from headphones does not constitute a health hazard. According to the World Health Organization, "no scientific basis currently exists for a connection between electromagnetic hypersensitivity and exposure to electromagnetic fields."[3]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Long, Russ. Ultrasone PROline 750 Headphones in ProAudio Review, July 1, 2005.
- ^ a b Gatski, John. Ultrasone PROline Headphones in ProAudio Review, September 1, 2004.
- ^ World Health Organisation (WHO) factsheet 296, Electromagnetic fields and public health: Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity, 2005.
