NAMM Members Make TIME’s 200 Best Inventions of 2022 List

For over two decades, TIME editors have “highlighted the 100 most impactful new products and ideas,” and the publication has recognized that 2022 was a year of prolific innovation. To reflect this, the magazine increased the number of recognized products to 200. The list was compiled from nominations from TIME editors and correspondents from around the world, with particular attention to growing fields, including electric vehicles, green energy, and the metaverse. Factors considered in the selection process include originality, efficacy, ambition, and impact of the innovative product or service.

NAMM member company, Audeze, earned a spot within TIME’s list under the “Productivity” category for its FILTER conference speaker. According to TIME, the smartphone-sized speaker “does for audio what the ring light did for video.” The speaker utilizes AI-based noise reduction technology to eliminate unwanted background noises. Audeze CEO Sankar Thiagasamudram shared with TIME that he “wanted something small enough to carry but loud enough to use in crowded settings.” The planar speaker has wired and wireless functionality and is dual-sided. Users can narrow or widen the pickup pattern of mics to focus on one person or several people, depending on the environment.

Of the recognition, Sankar Thiagasamudram, CEO of Audeze, shared, “We designed a new product for the hybrid workforce. A small speakerphone with a microphone can be used for your online meetings or conference calls with built-in AI that can automatically identify and remove most household noises. It's very gratifying to know that the editors of TIME Magazine recognize that FILTER is such an innovative product in the productivity marketplace."

To learn more about Audeze and its FILTER conference speaker, please visit https://www.audeze.com/.

Another NAMM member company on TIME’s list, this time under the “Entertainment and Gaming” category, is Roli and its innovative Seaboard Rise 2. The re-engineered RISE 2 is the latest iteration of a keyboard “designed for limitless exploration of sound.” In contrast to a traditional piano keyboard, where the force of striking a key controls sound, the Seaboard RISE 2 incorporates five intuitive movements, including strikes, glides, slides, press, and lifts, that users can shape sounds alongside the instrument’s 49 soft, silicone key waves and even incorporates frets to provide users with more control.

This allows users to manipulate sound without mixing faders, knobs, or pedals. The sounds produced by the Seaboard RISE 2 may seem familiar as the first version helped shape the other-worldly sounds found in the hit series Stranger Things and on platinum albums from artists like Drake and Ed Sheeran. For more on Roli and its Seabord RISE 2, please visit https://roli.com/products/seaboard/rise2.

Sony rounds out the list of NAMM members present on TIME’s 200 Best Inventions list with its LinkBuds. The headphones earned a nod within the list’s “Consumer Electronics” category, specifically for their unique approach to relaying ambient sound. Traditional headphones employ a mic to artificially relay ambient sound, while the LinkBuds rely on a “distinctive doughnut shape that allows external sound to enter the ear directly.” In addition, the wireless earbuds offer multiple smart features, including taping your ear to control audio, adaptive volume adjustment for noisy environments, and auto-pausing when the wearer is speaking.

The NAMM Show will host the latest innovations like Audeze and FILTER and others in April. Registration for The 2023 NAMM Show is now open at https://registration.namm.org/.