Latest news with #headsets
CNN
14-07-2025
- Business
- CNN
Sony is giving NFL coaches' headsets a major makeover
The NFL is partnering with Sony for new coaches headsets that will roll out this season. New York CNN — Between extreme weather and noisy stadiums, coaching a football game can be difficult. So, the NFL and Sony are listening to coaches to design new, custom-built headsets that can function best under tough conditions. The league announced Monday it was furthering its technology partnership with Sony, creating new headsets for coaches rolling out this season. That ends a three-year absence of a headset sponsor after its deal with Bose ended in 2022. For coaches, the new headsets involved rigorous testing in sweltering hot and bone-chilling conditions, improved noise-cancelling capabilities, and a custom-built microphone that better isolates the coach's voice, improving their communication. The headsets, which took a year to build, were a 'collaborative process between Sony, the NFL, clubs, coaches and people who use the headset on game day,' Kimberly Fields, NFL's senior vice president of football operations, told CNN. 'There was a constant feedback loop from the coaches about what was important to them.' In particular, durability was an important attribute, especially since some games are played in downpours, high heat and sub-zero conditions. Engineers tried out the headsets in freezers, outside Sony's headquarters in humid Tokyo, and even in the shower to ensure they are waterproof, said Shunsuke Nakahashi, product manager for audio at Sony. Sony said the new headsets undergone rigorous testing with NFL coaches and staff. 'The most important point is all the headsets work perfectly, regardless of the condition,' he told CNN. 'If it's autumn in Southern California, it's nice. But it needs to be working perfectly in January in Buffalo or in hot conditions in Miami.' The intensive testing should help the NFL avoid the debacle it had with Microsoft Surface tablets in 2013. Shortly after their reported $400 million partnership began, coaches and players publicly trashed the devices for not working or being complicated to use. Despite the rocky beginning, Surface tablets are still in use today. Financial terms of the multi-year deal with Sony weren't announced. However, the headsets are emblazoned with the company's logo, giving Sony massive exposure during the highly-rated games. Apex Marketing, which tracks sponsorship money, told CNN that Sony is estimated to earn about $150 million in advertising annually from the deal. That's because the logo can be seen during games and on other NFL-related programming, such as on HBO's 'Hard Knocks.' (Like CNN, HBO is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery). The headsets are part of the NFL's 2024 deal that named Sony as its 'official technology partner,' which includes cameras, line-calling technology dubbed Hawk-Eye and production assistance for its alternative telecasts, such as inserting characters from 'SpongeBob SquarePants' and 'The Simpsons' into the broadcast. The NFL is one of the world's largest sports leagues, with revenue hitting $13 billion in 2023, according to Sportico. Part of the league's success comes from growing sponsorship revenue, which increased 6% last year to $2.35 billion, per a report from SponsorUnited and obtained by CNN, which tracks money in sports.
CNN
14-07-2025
- Sport
- CNN
Sony is giving NFL's coaches headsets a major makeover
Between extreme weather and noisy stadiums, coaching a football game can be difficult. So, the NFL and Sony are listening to coaches to design new, custom-built headsets that can function best under tough conditions. The league announced Monday it was furthering its technology partnership with Sony, creating new headsets for coaches rolling out this season. That ends a three-year absence of a headset sponsor after its deal with Bose ended in 2022. For coaches, the new headsets involved rigorous testing in sweltering hot and bone-chilling conditions, improved noise-cancelling capabilities, and a custom-built microphone that better isolates the coach's voice, improving their communication. The headsets, which took a year to build, were a 'collaborative process between Sony, the NFL, clubs, coaches and people who use the headset on game day,' Kimberly Fields, NFL's senior vice president of football operations, told CNN. 'There was a constant feedback loop from the coaches about what was important to them.' In particular, durability was an important attribute, especially since some games are played in downpours, high heat and sub-zero conditions. Engineers tried out the headsets in freezers, outside Sony's headquarters in humid Tokyo, and even in the shower to ensure they are waterproof, said Shunsuke Nakahashi, product manager for audio at Sony. 'The most important point is all the headsets work perfectly, regardless of the condition,' he told CNN. 'If it's autumn in Southern California, it's nice. But it needs to be working perfectly in January in Buffalo or in hot conditions in Miami.' The intensive testing should help the NFL avoid the debacle it had with Microsoft Surface tablets in 2013. Shortly after their reported $400 million partnership began, coaches and players publicly trashed the devices for not working or being complicated to use. Despite the rocky beginning, Surface tablets are still in use today. Financial terms of the multi-year deal with Sony weren't announced. However, the headsets are emblazoned with the company's logo, giving Sony massive exposure during the highly-rated games. Apex Marketing, which tracks sponsorship money, told CNN that Sony is estimated to earn about $150 million in advertising annually from the deal. That's because the logo can be seen during games and on other NFL-related programming, such as on HBO's 'Hard Knocks.' (Like CNN, HBO is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery). The headsets are part of the NFL's 2024 deal that named Sony as its 'official technology partner,' which includes cameras, line-calling technology dubbed Hawk-Eye and production assistance for its alternative telecasts, such as inserting characters from 'SpongeBob SquarePants' and 'The Simpsons' into the broadcast. The NFL is one of the world's largest sports leagues, with revenue hitting $13 billion in 2023, according to Sportico. Part of the league's success comes from growing sponsorship revenue, which increased 6% last year to $2.35 billion, per a report from SponsorUnited and obtained by CNN, which tracks money in sports.
New York Times
14-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
NFL, Sony set to debut new headsets for coaches this season
During the 2025 NFL season, coaches will use new headsets developed by Sony. It's part of a growing partnership between the league and the company, which also created the 'Hawk-Eye' technology that'll be used as the primary method for measuring the line to gain. 'This is just the next step in the equation — being able to bring these coaches' headsets to the NFL and working collaboratively with them to give the coaches and the teams … what they need,' Theresa Alesso, Sony Electronics' president of imaging products and solutions, said. Advertisement The development of the new headset, which utilizes engineering principles from Sony's 1000X headphone series, began last July. The first step was conducting interviews with NFL coaches and staffers from all 32 teams. 'We spent a lot of time working with coaches and with game day assistants getting feedback,' NFL senior vice president of football operations Kimberly Fields said. 'And Sony has been a great partner to take that feedback and improve upon the design of the headset that we'll be launching this year.' One of the main areas of focus that emerged was a desire to improve the quality of the microphone. The new headset will have a custom dynamic microphone that isolates a coach's voice from crowd noise and other sounds on the sideline. Through real-time signal processing, the microphone amplifies and filters the coaches' voices so they can be heard clearly. Sony also improved the quality of the speakers in players' helmets so they can hear better what their coaches are saying. On-field, coach-to-player communication is allowed between a coach and one player on each side of the ball. On offense, that player is always the quarterback. It varies on defense, but it's usually a linebacker or safety. The communication is cut off either when there's 15 seconds left on the play clock or when the ball is snapped, whichever comes first. It will also be easier for coaches to mute their microphones when they want to have direct in-person conversations with officials, players and other staffers. To mute the microphone, they simply have to raise the lever. 'As a head coach, communication with my staff and players is everything,' Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur said in a news release. 'Sony took the time to understand exactly what we need — from clarity in noisy environments to comfort and reliability when the pressure is highest.' Besides the changes to the headset microphone and in-helmet speakers, Sony also improved features such as noise cancellation and water resistance, in addition to making the equipment more comfortable and durable. Last season, Sony sent audio engineers from Tokyo to conduct testing at several NFL stadiums. They recorded crowd noise, which they used in a sound room in Tokyo to test the noise cancellation. They also exposed the headsets to extreme heat and cold, rain, sleet and snow to test their ability to handle adverse conditions. There were also various drop tests to ensure the headsets can hold up when coaches inevitably slam them down in frustration. Advertisement In addition to the lab trials, NFL coaches conducted real-world testing with the headsets during practices and preseason games last year. That led to more feedback and fine-tuning. All 32 teams now possess the new headsets, which will be used when training camps kick off in the coming weeks. The NFL is confident the new tools will improve the overall experience for coaches once games get underway. 'We want to make sure — regardless of what happens during the game — that the technology is durable and will still work,' Fields said. 'Sony has risen to that challenge, and then some.' (Photos courtesy of Sony)
CNN
14-07-2025
- Sport
- CNN
Sony is giving NFL's coaches headsets a major makeover
Between extreme weather and noisy stadiums, coaching a football game can be difficult. So, the NFL and Sony are listening to coaches to design new, custom-built headsets that can function best under tough conditions. The league announced Monday it was furthering its technology partnership with Sony, creating new headsets for coaches rolling out this season. That ends a three-year absence of a headset sponsor after its deal with Bose ended in 2022. For coaches, the new headsets involved rigorous testing in sweltering hot and bone-chilling conditions, improved noise-canceling capabilities, and a custom-built microphone that better isolates the coach's voice, improving their communication. The headsets, which took a year to build, were a 'collaborative process between Sony, the NFL, clubs, coaches and people who use the headset on game day,' Kimberly Fields, NFL's senior vice president of football operations, told CNN. 'There was a constant feedback loop from the coaches about what was important to them.' In particular, durability was an important attribute, especially since some games are played in downpours, high heat and sub-zero conditions. Engineers tried out the headsets in freezers, outside Sony's headquarters in humid Tokyo, and even in the shower to ensure they are waterproof, said Shunsuke Nakahashi, product manager for audio at Sony. 'The most important point is all the headsets work perfectly, regardless of the condition,' he told CNN. 'If it's autumn in Southern California, it's nice. But it needs to be working perfectly in January in Buffalo or in hot conditions in Miami.' The intensive testing should help the NFL avoid the debacle it had with Microsoft Surface tablets in 2013. Shortly after their reported $400 million partnership began, coaches and players publicly trashed the devices for not working or being complicated to use. Despite the rocky beginning, Surface tablets are still in use today. Financial terms of the multi-year deal with Sony weren't announced. However, the headsets are emblazoned with the company's logo, giving Sony massive exposure during the highly-rated games. Apex Marketing, which tracks sponsorship money, told CNN that Sony is estimated to earn about $150 million in advertising annually from the deal. That's because the logo can be seen during games and on other NFL-related programming, such as on HBO's 'Hard Knocks.' (Like CNN, HBO is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery). The headsets are part of the NFL's 2024 deal that named Sony as its 'official technology partner,' which includes cameras, line-calling technology dubbed Hawk-Eye and production assistance for its alternative telecasts, such as inserting characters from 'SpongeBob SquarePants' and 'The Simpsons' into the broadcast. The NFL is one of the world's largest sports leagues, with revenue hitting $13 billion in 2023, according to Sportico. Part of the league's success comes from growing sponsorship revenue, which increased 6% last year to $2.35 billion, per a report from SponsorUnited and obtained by CNN, which tracks money in sports.
CNET
02-07-2025
- CNET
Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 3 Headphone Review: Fantastic for Gaming, With One Big Compromise
Turtle Beach is no stranger to good gaming headsets. As far as my friends were concerned, they were essential if you wanted to be considered a "serious" gamer. The company's Stealth 700 Gen 3 sits just below its Stealth Pro line and offers an impressive range of features for $200. For starters the headphones has big, 60mm drivers, plus multiple wireless transmitters as well as Bluetooth. The PC version even includes the option for 24-bit audio, sadly at the cost of Xbox compatibility. Speaking of compatibility, the non-24-bit version will work with PC, Xbox, PlayStation and any Bluetooth device like a phone or Nintendo Switch. The CrossPlay button on the right earcup lets you instantly switch between the wireless transmitters. You can even stream audio from a Bluetooth-connected device and the wireless transmitter simultaneously so you can listen to an epic playlist from your phone while dominating on the battlefield. What I like about the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 3 Lori Grunin/CNET The ear cups are quite comfortable. The cushions are memory foam and covered in a leatherette material that never got uncomfortable or hot for me while wearing them for long periods. Turtle Beach also has what they call "ProSpecs" technology, which is supposedly glasses-friendly. As a spectacle-clad gamer, I appreciated how comfortable they were while wearing my glasses. Other headsets I've worn were not as accommodating. The mic is cleverly hidden away in the left ear cup, and when you pull it down, it automatically unmutes. For the Gen 3, Turtle Beach has added AI-assisted noise reduction to the microphone, which worked very well for me during video calls. I don't play many multiplayer games, so I wasn't able to test it out during gameplay. Judging by my experience on several video calls I'd say it works well. I wouldn't say it's significantly better than what any other company is doing, but it's good at what it does. The left earcup also houses the power button, USB-C charging port, two control wheels - one of which is remappable. There's also a remappable Mode button which by default toggles Turtle Beach's Superhuman hearing mode which increases the sounds of gunshots and footsteps. On the right earcup is the Bluetooth pairing button, Bluetooth volume control wheel and CrossPlay button for switching between sources. What I don't like about the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 3 Lori Grunin/CNET As my colleague Lori Grunin pointed out in her Stealth Pro review, having a single Bluetooth button can be a double-edged sword. Since Bluetooth headphones automatically connect to the most recently connected device the headphones are always jumping back and forth between devices. So this might take a moment to remedy at the start of a play session. To be honest, with all the buttons and controls on the Stealth 700, it took me a while to learn them all. At times it became annoying. I'd have to remember which wheel controlled volume for which device. Sometimes I'd hit one when trying to readjust the headset. What I'd really have liked was a master volume wheel that decreased everything at once. CNET Oddly, I noticed that the power indicator light around the power button would blink rapidly while it was on instead of remaining solid green. It wasn't a deal-breaker for me since I couldn't see it, but it seemed the opposite of what a blinking light means on other gear. There's a bit of a downside to those big drivers and extra cushiony ear cups: the Stealth 700 is a bit heavy. It never became uncomfortable or painful, but I would instantly feel them with even the slightest head movement. I was always conscious that they were on my head and I always had to be careful of never moving my head too quickly. What might be a bigger dealbreaker for some, and became more of an issue for me the longer I used them, is the lack of any sort of active noise cancellation. With lots of far cheaper headphones offering noise canceling, albeit not gaming headsets, that seems a drawback for the price of the Stealth 700s. I also liked these headphones enough to use them as my daily headphones, but trying to work in a coffee shop without any noise cancellation can be tough. Lori Grunin/CNET The lack of noise cancellation likely helps Turtle Beach's claim that the Stealth 700 gets up to 80 hours of battery life. That's pretty impressive for a gaming headset like this. While 80 hours may be technically achievable, you'll likely never see battery life that high. For me, while gaming an average of 2 to 3 hours a day, a charge lasted about two weeks. Turtle Beach also claims it can fast charge to give you 3 hours of gaming time in about 15 minutes. Customization of the buttons and EQs takes place in the Turtle Beach Swarm II app, which also lets you adjust mic levels, chat settings and most other typical gaming adjustments. The software can be a bit confusing, even glitchy, at times though. It had trouble recognizing the 700 headset a few times, especially when connected via Bluetooth. Should you buy the Stealth 700 Gen 3? The third generation of the Stealth 700 headset is a significant upgrade from the Gen 2 and it offers quite a few more substantial features than other headsets at this price. If you're in the market for a new gaming headset, the Stealth 700 will give you just about everything you could ask for and then some... except noise canceling. Lastly, there are three versions of the Stealth 700 Gen 3. The Xbox version is compatible with every platform. The Playstation is compatible with PC and the PC versions is capable of 24-bit audio as well as being compatible with PlayStation. All versions can also connect to Bluetooth devices.
