The user’s individual physiognomy plays a role in how they perceive sound through headphones. The vividly elegant YH-L700A headphones adapt to the shape of the user’s ears and head. Based on the Listening Optimizer function, playback is optimised in real time in order to continuously cancel out deviations between the source and the actual listening conditions. The sound produced by these headphones thus conveys a spellbinding sense of depth and is therefore highly suitable for consuming video content. The headphones are also compatible with the “3D Sound Field”, an immersive audio technology that transforms a two-channel sound source into a three-dimensional auditory space. For designer Masafumi Futo, the simple and unusual rectangular silhouette of the headphones is the inevitable result of eliminating dead space and represents the achievement of the twin goals of a user-friendly product that feels pleasant to wear. As these headphones are generally used for leisure-time listening in people’s living rooms, the decision was made to employ materials that reflect this environment. Thus, the headphones feature fabric and leather to give the user the impression of being pleasantly enveloped, a sensation familiar from their sofa or from comfortable clothing. In this regard, the design process followed the principle that the user should put on and then wear these headphones as naturally as clothes.
Statement by the Jury
The YH-L700A headphones stand out thanks to their unusual rectangular silhouette, the result of advanced technology and individual sound optimisation. They offer a profoundly immersive listening experience, ideal for consuming video content. Skilfully implementing the concept of adapting the product to the listening environment in people’s living rooms, these headphones are made of high-quality materials such as fabric and leather which offer pleasing haptics when enveloping the listener’s ears.
