BINAURAL BATTLE
Sennheiser Ambeo Smart Headset
AU$469.95 | www.sennheiser.com.au
PROS
Can record at any resolution
Mics well protected
Low noise recording
CONS
iOS only
Bulky cable lump
SUMMARY
Sennheiser’s Ambeo Smart Headset takes a different tack to the Verse; it’s wired and iOS-only. While you have to plug it in, it does mean you can choose your recording resolution and it plays nicely with all your apps.
Hooke Audio Verse
US$189.99 | www.hookeaudio.com
PROS
Easy Bluetooth operation
Realtime wireless recording
Lots of earplug sizes
CONS
Cable operation a bit noisy
WAV only a wrapped MP3
SUMMARY
Hooke has not only managed to reinvigorate binaural recording, it’s also made wireless recording absolutely seamless. Simply hook up via Bluetooth for realtime 4K video and immersive audio in a jiffy. All at a very reasonable price.
VR may still be finding its legs, but immersive audio is well and truly available to anyone who cares to give it a go. Decent binaural capture devices have often required shelling out big bucks or nicking a mannequin head from your local Vinnies and supergluing omni capsules to the ears.
No more, these days you can simply buy a pair of in-ears with integrated microphones and use your own melon as the dummy head. They’re reasonably affordable, too, so there’s no excuse not to record every intrepid adventure in pure binaural sound.
If you’re new to this whole binaural thing, and wondering why on earth you’d even bother. Well, the whole
