- Sony shares more details about its NFL -Coaching headset
- Sony NFL -Coach’s headset will debut in the 2025 NFL season
- This one cannot be purchased by consumers but promises best in class ANC as WH-1000XM6
Sony is the official technology partner for the NFL – National Football League – and we know that the tech giant has worked on a headset for coaches and other officials. We even got a first look at it back in January at the Consumer Electronics show.
But now Sony’s NFL Coachs headset is officially, coming in three styles and will debut in front of the 2025 season. And when the season starts later in the year, you can expect 32 teams to use the headset.
Unlike the latest Sony WH-1000XM6 for Sony, the NFL coach’s headset is tailored to, yes, what the name describes. It is designed from the bottom of working for coaches in a gaming environment and it starts with connection. It does not have Bluetooth on board, but is connected to a special connection box that taps into the private network, powered by Verizon, to the NFL and the teams.
There are also physical buttons or capacitive touch checks on the NFL Coach’s headset. It also does not have a rechargeable battery; Rather, Sony goes old-school, possibly a faster route than requiring a recharge by turning on this headset with two AAA batteries. It also does not have a specific IPX assessment, but Sony stressed the device for both extremely cold and extreme heat on NFL games.
This was done in environments where these weather conditions have been recreated, as well as through live tests during the NFL game this last season, including a Frigid and snow -covered game at Buffalo Bills’ Highmark Stadium.
Sony’s previous experience with various consumer headphones, including the WH-1000 series, will inform the design and other aspects, but it is likely to focus on noise reduction and pickup. Nor is it as straightforward as there are several design options for this headset, depending on the team and even individual preference.
Yes, it comes in a model with left and right ear cups, but there are also two other options – just a left ear cup and just a right ear cup. However, all three come with a microphone on a boom. However, Sony offers active noise cancellation on all three models.
Sony put this to the test in stadium environments where the surrounding crowd noise was measured at 100 decibels.
The resulting noise cancellation does, sony claims, works effectively and has been set specifically to this use-and-here it means to be able to hear communication while on the sidelines, but also to the microphone on board using signal voice treatment to pick up just the person who speaks and not the background is scraped or even sound from the stadium.
Given that there are no buttons on the headphones, the microphone will automatically dampen when the boom is raised. However, the belt package, which the headset will be connected, will also have some manual controls.
Much of the focus here was clear to make a durable headset that could resist games after game use, although Sony confirmed with us that each team would have backups and that the overall function set was purposeful for each coaching staff.
Sony’s NFL Coachs headset will be worn during the 2025 season, which starts early September, but will debut in the Hall of Fame in late July. Of course, it has some Sony Branding Front and Center, after all it appears on TV. I’m just curious if these will make it a Beyond Sports Simulcast – Homer Rocking One could be neat.
As you may suspect such a custom-built product, there are no plans for a consumer release to the NFL coach’s headset. They after a Sony headphone will have to consider the Sony WH-1000XM6 and you can read our full review here.
