Sound has a kind of magic, a special power to move us. Of all the things that we sense around us, sound uniquely taps into our minds, into our conscious thoughts and moods, and even into our memories. But there is a disconnect between today’s electronic devices and the high-quality sound we all desire. The devices we use every day simply need to sound awesome.
For example, we are hyper aware of every nuance in the sound of the human voice. We can instantly detect deep emotional undertones of tension, delight, insecurity, approval and aggravation. This is especially true when we’re talking to someone we know well like a parent, or a spouse, a sibling, or a co-worker. But the limitations inherent in electronic devices have caused those undertones and nuances to be lost.
But today, that’s changing. We see consumer electronics OEMs taking sound seriously, paying close attention to the way high-quality sound can motivate their customers, and serve as a competitive advantage. The most recent example of this is how XPS integrated advanced audio processing algorithms from Waves in their newest laptops.
It’s also more than voice that companies like Dell are addressing. It’s our favorite songs that set off fireworks in our brains, sound effects in movies and videos that make us jump out of our seats, cringe in fear, and underscoring that inspires us to empathize with onscreen characters. The imperative for a new level of sound quality lets the listening experience transcend the device itself, and this is well on the way to becoming a check-the-box criterion for consumers.
Why now? Laptops have grown to become one of our most important windows to the world, our way to connect and our portable home theater. The laptop has been elevated beyond its role as a business productivity tool to become a primary communication device and an essential media center. Until now, most laptops provided unsatisfactory sound quality from built-in speakers and microphones that we accepted as a byproduct of convenience and mobility. We’ve become accustomed to noisy, garbled conference calls and tinny, flat-sounding media.
Now more than ever, we need our laptops and other electronics to finally deliver that essential experience of great sound. We expect impactful bass, crisp treble, and room-filling 3D audio that radiates from the physical confines of the speakers from any listening position. We expect noise-reduced, echo-free, level and clear conference calling. The magic of pure and amazing sound is within the reach of electronics OEMs, and XPS certainly stands out as “getting it” with their adoption of Waves MaxxAudio Pro featuring Waves Nx 3D audio for the new XPS laptops.
