Yamaha’s YH-L700A headphones track your noggin for total audio immersion
Listen up, down and all around
Think surround sound is immersive? Yamaha’s 3D Sound Field smarts dunk you headfirst into harmonies. Squaring off against Samsung’s 360 Audio and Apple’s Spatial Audio, the Japanese brand channels its home cinema heritage to build a bubble of virtual vibrations around your bonce. But it’s the head-tracking tech on Yamaha’s new YH-L700A headphones (£449) that makes them extra special: tilt your noggin and the multi-directional soundstage will react to your movements in real-time, so you can physically explore the sonic sphere. Backing up the experience is Yamaha’s Listening Optimizer, which deploys microphones inside the ear cups to continuously adapt playback to suit fit and surroundings. The noise-cancelling cans also come with an ambient background mode, Listening Care for fuller sound at lower volumes, plus a predicted 34-hour battery life. The various effects can be customised through Yamaha’s Headphones Controller App, while the fabric-wrapped ‘phones themselves fold down for easy stowage.
Chris Rowlands
Freelance contributor 
