Koss brought out an entirely new headphone line for itself Wednesday in the Striva series. The lineup, including the in-ear Tap and over-ear Pro, uses Wi-Fi rather than Bluetooth for wireless audio. The line is purportedly the first to offer content directly to the headphones instead going through a computer, phone or tablet: it can stream “thousands” of Internet radio stations on its own.
The direct sourcing comes from both a Koss Core processor as well as a MyKoss service that acts as the gateway. Listeners can use software to customize the content going to the headphones.
Both headsets ship with the CAP (Content Access Point), which provides the Wi-Fi access when a router or hotspot isn’t available. The pocketable add-on plugs into the headphone output of a given device and creates a Wi-Fi connection that feeds the audio, regardless of the source. Using Wi-Fi theoretically allows for more bandwidth and solves problems with over-compressed sound from Bluetooth.
The two Striva models are shipping now and include the CAP as a matter of course. Pro users pay a relatively steep $450, while opting for the Tap raises this price to $500.
Striva Tap
Cap
Striva Pro
