Orbitsound T3: Walking in a bubble of music

Audio equipment is one of those areas of personal technology where you can spend anything from a few quid to a few grand, or anything in between. Sound quality varies enormously, but once you get beyond the ultracheap and ultratinny, the law of diminishing returns kicks in quite quickly.

The problem is that top-level kit uses pretty much the same technology as budget ranges, but with higher quality materials and better craftsmanship – there’s no step change, just a long continuum of cost versus benefits.

The Orbitsound T3, a dongle-like speaker that you wear around your neck, sidesteps that rule by generating stereo sound by different means. Instead of separating it into left and right channels and sending one to each speaker or earphone, the Airsound technology used in the T3 uses a single speaker to project sound from both the left and right channels. As the promotional blurb says:

The drawback with personal music systems like the iPod® or MP3 enabled phones is that you have to wear headphones. And the trouble with headphones is that you are not hearing true stereo - just two separated mono signals clamped to your ears. True stereo lets you hear the sound from both speakers with both ears - the stereo sound field between the speakers. …

The T3’s approach is to create a personal sound field (sound bubble), and when worn around the neck the T3’s unique BODYSOUND™ effect uses your own body to reinforce the sound. This innovative system allows music to be literally placed in the air, all around your head.

This sounds like marketing babble, but it’s true: you really do feel as if the music is hovering around your head. Set to maximum differentiation, the sound is strikingly three-dimensional (there's more information here about how it works). Lower settings provide a more subtle stereo effect.

The sound is not as rich as you would expect from a top-end set of headphones or hi-fi speakers, but at £49, this device isn’t competing with that kind of audiophile equipment. In comparison with £50 earphones, the T3 offers a surprising and pleasing way of listening to music.

The obvious disadvantage is that using the device in public is not going to win you many friends, especially if your taste in music doesn’t match that of your fellow bus or train passengers. At least the sound quality will be better than what comes out of mobile phone speakers.

Being a considerate member of society, I didn’t use the T3 on public transport, but I did find plenty of other applications. Plugged into a laptop or PC, it provides much better sound quality than most built-in speakers, and it would be perfect for in-car entertainment. A future wireless version could replace an MP3 player dock or even supplement a TV speaker.

Right now, Orbitsound makes a beefier model, the T12, which consists of a soundbar and subwoofer and is intended for use with a hi-fi, TV or iPod dock. At £249, that’s more of an investment, but judging by the performance of the T3, it may well be worth it.

Specs:

Size: 102 x 60 x 19mm
Weight: 115g
Battery life: 10 hours (rechargeable)
Input: Standard 3.5mm earphone jack (cable supplied)
Price: £49 from Orbitsound.co.uk

Comments

[Craig]

Didn't Trathor bring out something like this a few years ago?

[mcglashan]

Saw one of these at Stuff show at Excel. Was very sceptical until had hung round my neck by one of their girls; it's a real hoot, unlike anything i have heard before. You get this stereo envelope round your head; really unlike anything have heard before. Great sound for the price; have reduced headphone use since buying T3. Only problem is my GF keeps nicking it to watch BBC Iplayer on her Laptop (she much prefers this to headphones she used previously)

[Chris Stevens]

It should actually be fully legal to kill anyone playing music from any speaker on public transport. Not only would it quieten everything down and act as a deterrent to others but it would also remove from the gene pool those who are so socially inept that they would do this.

[aaa]

Thank You for providing the benefits of Orbitsound T3: Walking in a bubble of music