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Philips announces noise-cancelling Lightning headphones, no batteries required

Philips announces noise-cancelling Lightning headphones, no batteries required

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Last year Philips beat Apple in the race to release the first set of Lightning headphones, and here at CES it's taking a victory lap with another pair that feature active noise cancellation. The Fidelio NC1L headphones plug directly into iOS devices via the Lightning connector and, like their predecessors, use their own integrated 24-bit digital-to-analog converter instead of the one built into Apple's devices. But they also have noise cancellation, courtesy of four different microphones built into the headphones; the signal from those microphones is inverted, theoretically turning the background roar of those around you into silence.

Noise cancellation isn't a new feature unto itself by any means, but what sets the new headphones apart is that they don't require any batteries to make that sonic trickery work (Apple's Lightning port is capable of providing power along with data). If you'd rather hear if someone is sneaking up behind you, the headphones also feature a mode that lets in ambient noise, and a second noise suppression setting designed for making phone calls. The headphones will be released in North America and will cost $299, but hey — you won't have to spend any money on batteries.

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