Subtle earbuds with noise canceling models launch

Voice AI startup Subtle, which creates sound isolation models to make computers better understand you in noisy environments, today launched a new pair of wireless earbuds that help users get clear audio on calls and get clear note transcription.

The company unveiled these earphones ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, and said it plans to ship them to the United States in the next few months. The headphones cost $199 and will come with a one-year subscription to the iOS and Mac app. The app will allow users to take voice notes or chat with AI without pressing any keys. The company said it uses a chip that allows it to activate the iPhone while it is locked.

The startup is also trying to compete with AI-powered voice dictation apps like Wispr Flow, Willow, Monologue, and Superwhisper by allowing users to dictate into any app using voice buds. The company claimed that the buds will deliver five times fewer errors than the AirPods Pro 3 with OpenAI’s transcription model.

In the demo seen by TechCrunch, the audio buds were able to pick up sound in a noisy background. The buds were also able to capture the text of a voice note when Tyler Chen, co-founder and CEO of Subtle, was speaking in a whisper.

“We’re seeing that there’s a big move toward voice as a new interface that a lot of people are embracing. You can do a lot more with voice in a more natural way than with a keyboard. However, we’ve seen that voice is rarely an interface that people use when other people are around them. So, with our noise isolation model, we’ll give consumers a way to experience an audio interface in the form of our earbuds,” Chen told TechCrunch over a phone call.

Last year, companies like Sandbar and Pebble launched note-taking rings. Chen said that by integrating his headphones with the app, he wants to provide different tool functions such as dictation, AI chat and voice notes in one package.

Users can place a pre-order for these buds using the startup’s website. Voicebuds are available in white and black.

Subtle has raised $6 million in funding so far, and is working with consumer companies like Qualcomm and Nothing to deploy its noise isolation models.