Ultrasone AG is a German

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 company specializing in headphones for studio

Professional audio

Professional audio, also 'pro audio', refers to both an activity and a type of audio equipment. Typically it encompasses the production or reproduction of sound for an audience, by individuals who do such work as an occupation like live event support, using sound reinforcement systems designed for...

, DJ, and consumer uses. Ultrasone's headquarters are located in Tutzing

Tutzing

Tutzing is a municipality in the district of Starnberg in Bavaria, Germany and is situated on the west bank of the Starnberger See south of Munich...

, Bavaria

Bavaria

Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...

, Germany. The company has manufacturing facilities in Germany, the USA, Austria, and Taiwan.

Overview

Ultrasone AG was founded in 1991 with the stated objective to manufacture advanced headphones with an emphasis on the professional audio sector. A feature of many Ultrasone headphones is a proprietary surround-sound simulacrum

Virtual surround

Virtual surround is an audio system which attempts to create the perception that there are many more sources of sound than are actually present. In order to achieve this it is necessary to devise some means of tricking the human auditory system into thinking that a sound is coming from somewhere...

 technology called S-Logic. The process uses decentralized transducer positioning to spread sound over the outer ear in an attempt to mimic sound heard over speakers.

Since 1999, Ultrasone AG has been producing headphones that they claim reduce the risk of hearing damage, through the use of more efficient transducers and earcups shielded to reduce electromagnetic radiation

Electromagnetic radiation

Electromagnetic radiation is a form of energy that exhibits wave-like behavior as it travels through space...

, designated as LE/ULE (Low/UltraLow Emission). Ultrasone claims that magnetic fields so close to the head could contribute to "listener fatigue" and might be "a potential health hazard". According to Ultrasone, their headphones reduce magnetic emissions by up to 98 percent compared to other headphones.

However, the scientific consensus

Scientific consensus

Scientific consensus is the collective judgment, position, and opinion of the community of scientists in a particular field of study. Consensus implies general agreement, though not necessarily unanimity. Scientific consensus is not by itself a scientific argument, and it is not part of the...

 is that electromagnetic radiation from headphones does not constitute a health hazard. According to the World Health Organization

World Health Organization

The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...

, "no scientific basis currently exists for a connection between electromagnetic hypersensitivity and exposure to electromagnetic fields."