Anyone know how "Near Field Audio" actually works?

Forums › Gadgets, robotics, home automation, electronics (including wearables) › Anyone know how "Near Field Audio" actually works?

SteveC

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Topic # 112950 29-Dec-2012 10:13

I came across this at Jaycar's ...
http://jaycar.co.nz/productView.asp?ID=XC5220
Put my standard $150 phone on the thing, and it worked just like the video.
Other sites have this term in their URL, but neither seems to give any idea of how it works, apart from a reference to it being 'magical" (I have my doubts).
http://www.nearfieldaudio.com/
http://nearfa.org/

Ideas anyone?

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Reply # 738240 29-Dec-2012 10:30

Most likely picks up the magnetic field from the [relatively] high AC current passing through the originating device's speaker, then amplifies it.

Along the same lines as an AC transformer...

Goosey

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Reply # 738241 29-Dec-2012 10:31

Near Field Communication NFC
As it says its for the iphone5. I dont know too much about the iphone5 specs however assuming apple would have come into the ages and fitted NFC like everyone else has been doing recently.

Poll

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Reply # 738245 29-Dec-2012 10:35

From what I can find it works like a cassette tape recorder head, quality is probably not outstanding.

tonyhughes

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Reply # 738246 29-Dec-2012 10:37

Gooseybhai: Near Field Communication NFC
As it says its for the iphone5. I dont know too much about the iphone5 specs however assuming apple would have come into the ages and fitted NFC like everyone else has been doing recently.

This thread and this technology is nothing to do with NFC.

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RunningMan

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Reply # 738247 29-Dec-2012 10:38

Gooseybhai: Near Field Communication NFC
As it says its for the iphone5. I dont know too much about the iphone5 specs however assuming apple would have come into the ages and fitted NFC like everyone else has been doing recently.

Very unlikely you could transmit audio via NFC!

Goosey

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Reply # 738251 29-Dec-2012 10:58

RunningMan:
Gooseybhai: Near Field Communication NFC
As it says its for the iphone5. I dont know too much about the iphone5 specs however assuming apple would have come into the ages and fitted NFC like everyone else has been doing recently.

Very unlikely you could transmit audio via NFC!

Ok thanks for the clarity...

So then it only leaves the option where the unit itself is highly sensitive and will pick up the signals on the phone speaker terminals?

Waste of time if you ask me.... because if you have to 'dock' it on this unit then why not just plug it in to the unit.

Time will tell if these devices are worth it or just simply another low audio quality option !

RunningMan

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Reply # 738255 29-Dec-2012 11:09

Gooseybhai:

Waste of time if you ask me.... because if you have to 'dock' it on this unit then why not just plug it in to the unit.

Agreed - the audio quality would be far better too.

richms

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Reply # 738270 29-Dec-2012 11:58

hate to think how much filtering they had to design in to stop GSM noise..

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SteveC

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Reply # 738308 29-Dec-2012 13:00

Thanks for the thoughts - interesting that we can all just collectively speculate on how it works!
Very like a thing a mate at work bought off GrabOne or soemsuch. It is about 40mm round, 20 deep, and plugged into the headphone socket of a device. You attach it to the outside bottom of any cardboard box. It reverberates through the box, and makes a quite reasonable sound. Can't think of a practical use for it ... but an excellent novelty.

I'll give the Jaycar device a miss, but on a related topic, what other portable speakers can anyone recommend in this price range please?

Cheers all for you input.

freitasm

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Reply # 738348 29-Dec-2012 15:09

tonyhughes:
Gooseybhai: Near Field Communication NFC
As it says its for the iphone5. I dont know too much about the iphone5 specs however assuming apple would have come into the ages and fitted NFC like everyone else has been doing recently.

This thread and this technology is nothing to do with NFC.

Not only that, but iPhone 5 doesn't have NFC anyway.

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oxnsox

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Reply # 738430 29-Dec-2012 22:04

Probably uses an induction loop, similar to hearing loops found in Picture Theatres/Courtrooms etc. Easy to filter for noise etc, but most likely has the bandwidth of a cats hair

kiwijunglist

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Reply # 738444 29-Dec-2012 22:50

lol NFC... sound quality is probably not great, and definitely would be inferior to plugging into the 3.5mm jack

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richms

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Reply # 738449 29-Dec-2012 23:30

Plus who knows what equalization and cutoffs are applied to the inbuilt speaker of anything. I foresee no bass

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tonyhughes

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Reply # 738453 29-Dec-2012 23:46

Lots of speculation in this thread. Go read some reviews on the internet. Some respected blogs giving it rave reviews, with plenty of mentions of excellent audio quality.

richms

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Reply # 738454 29-Dec-2012 23:48

After hearing some of the headphones that have received rave reviews all I can conclude is that the internet is full of deaf or non selective people being paid by people with products.

Richard rich.ms

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