BBC_Science_Focus_-_08.2019

RADAR

The Elvie

breast pump

keeps both

hands free, so

nursing

mothers can

get on with

their day while

expressing

milk

need to hear, like fast-approaching
cars. It’s also supposed to be just as
useful if you’re at home and want
some peace and quiet, but don’t
want to your other half to throw
pens at you to get your aention.
I tried out SmartSound on our
commute. The soware on the Jabra
Sound + app listened in and realised
I was stood in public and stied the
droning buses stuck in traic, while
leaving the screeches and squeaks
made by its brakes intact. The idea is
that it’s supposed to tune in every
few minutes and see if the
headphones need to let in more or
less sound. In practice, this meant
occasionally you’re surprised by a
particularly loud car or conversation.
But that’s no bad thing if it means
you’re a lile more aware of your
surroundings.
For the most part the sound
pumped out by the Jabras is brilliant.

They stand up well to most lauded

headphones in this price range from

the likes of Sony and Bose. The treble

is crisp and clean, and the overall

sound feels roomy and inviting.

Experimental rock band Yeasayer’s

ambling keyboards and delicate ris

sing through. But put on something

that demands a lile more bass like

Thom Yorke’s new LPAnimaand the

bass notes are a lile lacking.

Audiophiles might be put oby

the absence of some high-end audio

codecs, which support lossless audio

quality over Bluetooth. If, like me,

you get your music mostly via Apple

Music or Spotify you won’t notice the

dierence and it could be addressed

via an update in the future.

The full-on noise cancellation is

excellent. They made my bus ride

almost serene, were it not for the

sweltering heat. And they avoid the

‘I’ve suddenly been sucked into an

empty void’ sensation that we felt

with other noise-cancellation tech.

The headphone’s baery life, at 36

hours with noise-cancelling turned

on, is top of its class and will mean

you can use them all week before

you have to plug them into a charger.

At £279, they’re not cheap, but the

Elite 85h does oer features and

audio quality of headphones that are

usually over the £300 mark. There’s

the aforementioned Jabra Sound +

app, which gives you an equaliser (so

you can turn the bass up), dierent

noise-cancelling seings and even

some ‘Soundscapes’. The

headphones automatically turn on

and connect to your phone or

computer when they’re unfolded,

and house some buons on the cans

to let youick through your preset

seings. All in all, they don’t scrimp

on quality or features, and are

aordable in this price range.