Last year, music gear maker Boss cut the instrument cable for its impressive portable guitar amp: the Katana Air. Now the company has put premium amplifier technology and guitar effects into a pair of wireless headphones.
Boss says that the usual route for guitarists practicing at home – plugging a pair of standard headphones into a small combo amp – just doesn't offer the kind of depth and dimension most players desire. The Waza-Air headphones are geared towards providing musicians with that sought-after "amp-in-room" tone, allowing players to noodle away without bothering other members of the household.
The headphones feature tones and controls from the company's Katana amps, with customization possible through the free Tone Studio mobile app. Five amp types are offered as standard, together with more than 50 kinds of effects. Users can store favorite setups on the headphones, and recall them with dedicated buttons.
A built-in gyro tracks the player's head movements, then 3D algorithms produce an immersive soundscape with "extraordinary spatial realism." Three tailored modes are offered. Surround positions the amp-in-cans in a virtual room, for an experience akin to playing in a recording studio. Static sees the combined amp and room sound continually adapt to changes of the player's head position. And Stage puts the player at the center of it all when jamming along to backing tracks streamed over Bluetooth, with the amp sound seeming to appear from a backline behind them.
Elsewhere, the headphones sport 50-mm drivers, and the integrated Li-ion battery should be good for five hours of play for every three hours recharging.
Boss is promising players an ultra-low latency wireless experience thanks to its own 2.4 GHz digital system, and the US$399.99 ticket price will ship with a transmitter for plugging into the guitar's output jack. The Waza-Air headphones are available now.
Product page: Boss Waza-Air