Sony’s Project N headphones project sound to your ears

By Max Langridge
published

The headphones are the first product from Sony’s new Future Lab R&D department and are worn around your neck as opposed to on your ears.

The idea of the headphones is to create a “music bubble” using speakers placed in the neckband that direct sound to your ears.

Sony says you won't become a walking speaker; supposedly only you can really hear what’s being played, though people around you will be faintly aware of music emanating from your neck.

And the reason for leaving your ears free? It’s so you can still hear noises going on around you, making them safer for cyclists and pedestrians, for example.

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If you do find yourself wanting earbuds then Project N comes with a pair that have holes in them so you're still able to hear external noise.

You can use your voice to control the neckband too and there’s even a built-in camera which responds to the name “Arc”.

Sony has said Project N - on show at South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas - is purely a prototype at the moment, with no word on whether it will make it into full production.

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Max Langridge

Max is a staff writer for What Hi-Fi?'s sister site, TechRadar, in Australia. But being the wonderful English guy he is, he helps out with content across a number of Future sites, including What Hi-Fi?. It wouldn't be his first exposure to the world of all things hi-fi and home cinema, as his first role in technology journalism was with What Hi-Fi? in the UK. Clearly he pined to return after making the move to Australia and the team have welcomed him back with arms wide open.