Bragi's The Headphone isn't your typical wireless headphone

The German startup has announced a second set of totally wireless earbuds that's much more affordable and will reportedly begin shipping in November.

David Carnoy Executive Editor / Reviews

Executive Editor David Carnoy has been a leading member of CNET's Reviews team since 2000. He covers the gamut of gadgets and is a notable reviewer of mobile accessories and portable audio products, including headphones and speakers. He's also an e-reader and e-publishing expert as well as the author of the novels Knife Music, The Big Exit and Lucidity. All the titles are available as Kindle, iBooks, Nook e-books and audiobooks.

Expertise Mobile accessories and portable audio, including headphones, earbuds and speakers Credentials

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David Carnoy

Sept. 5, 2016 10:00 a.m. PT

2 min read

Bragi's The Headphone is available for $120 until November 1, then goes up to $150.
Bragi

In case you haven't heard of Bragi, it's a German startup that had a highly successful Kickstarter for a totally wireless "smart" earphone called The Dash. After finally shipping in January of this year, the high-tech $300 Dash (€300, converting roughly to £225 in the UK and AU$395 in Australia) got off to a rocky start, garnering some critical reviews, but has apparently improved with subsequent software upgrades.

The company is back with a second headphone that it simply calls The Headphone. It, too, is completely wireless and consists of two wireless earbuds and a charging case. It's much more affordable than The Dash, carrying a list price of $149 (converting roughly to £110 in the UK and AU$195 in Australia), but will be available for $119 until November 1 in a preorder sale. That preorder price is roughly £90 and AU$155.

I've yet to try the Dash but will hopefully receive review samples of both The Dash and The Headphone in the coming weeks. Several new totally wireless earbuds are making their way onto the market, including Jabra's just-announced Sport Elite, so Bragi's headphones aren't such a novelty and now have plenty of competition.

Here's a look at The Headphone's key features, according to Bragi.

Can be connected to any Bluetooth device.
Users can switch between listening to music tracks, take phone calls, activate Audio Transparency (allows ambient noise in) and deliver voice commands, all without having to look at a second device.
Three different FitTip size tips are included to help get a secure, tight seal.
Just over six hours of wireless battery life per charge
Available through the newly launched Bragi Shop (http://shop.bragi.com) for a special presale price of $119 until November 1.
Those who participated in the Bragi Dash Kickstarter will receive $20 off coupon via email.
Following the presale, The Headphone will retail for $149.
Shipping is expected to begin in November (though it's worth noting that The Dash was delayed for months).
No word on international pricing yet.

Bragi has also announced that its Bragi OS 2.1 is now available through its new Desktop Updater. It's the second major software update for The Dash since its January 2016 launch and according to Bragi, with the update The Dash "becomes smarter, faster and better in several areas, including Bluetooth connectivity."

With the software update, the headphonecan speak four new languages - Chinese, French, German and Spanish -- and now synchronizes with Google Fit, Apple Watch and the Apple Health Kit.

Other Bragi OS 2.1 features include Touch Lock, which prevents inadvertent gestures from impacting the Dash, Shuffle for the internal music player and on-demand heart-rate tracking.