Andrea Launches PC Audio Accessories

By John Laposky -- TWICE, 6/23/2010

New York - Andrea Electronics, an OEM developer of embedded PC audio technologies, rolled out a new branded retail product line at the Consumer Electronics Association Line Shows here this week, anchored by two new USB PC headsets for digital communications applications.

The flagship NC-185 digital USB headset utilizes the company's proprietary PureAudio Voice Solutions software suite that is said to enhance intelligibility and audio quality. It features in-line volume and mute controls and includes Andrea's USB-SA external digital sound card adapter that activates Andrea's included PureAudio software suite. The PureAudio suite provides users with built-in features like echo cancellation, noise reduction, an equalizer and an audio recorder.

The software suite includes:

* a noise-reduction speech-enhancement algorithm to deliver high-fidelity sound quality and, according to the company, significantly improve accuracy in speech-recognition applications, especially in environments with significant ambient noise. The algorithm also filters incoming audio stream and enhances its clarity;

* Andrea's EchoStop full duplex acoustic echo-cancellation algorithm, which enables echo-free VoIP communications with simultaneous speaker broadcast and microphone transmission;

* Andrea's AudioCommander, which provides a PC-audio control panel for controlling microphone and speaker volume, a 10-band graphic-equalizer with 18 built-in presets, and PureAudio noise-reduction control to allow sound customization; and

* VoiceCenter digital audio/voice recording software that creates compressed WMA audio/voice files that can be emailed or drag-and-dropped into applications that support audio functionality, such as Microsoft Word and PowerPoint.

The NC-185 has a suggested retail of $54.95.

"The introduction of our retail line empowers everyone to transform their PC audio experience," said Roland Nutter, product marketing director of the Bohemia, N.Y.-based company. "Whether you are using VoIP, streaming video from YouTube, using game chat or simply listening to music, Andrea's products will reduce the background noise, eliminate the echo and give you a studio-quality audio experience."

Also new is the step-down NC-181 single-ear USB headset with PureAudio for $49.95.

The new line also bundles a USB-SA adapter with a SuperBeam stereo Array 2s microphone. The Array 2S was designed to take advantage of Andrea DSDA beam forming audio-input software that is said to reduce background noise and provide far-field speech accuracy to enhance audio/video conferencing and continuous speech-recognition applications. It retails for $49.95.