DTS has big plans to fine tune your headphone experience

Panasonic headphones
Panasonic headphones join the DTS dance party

Hear that? It's the sound of DTS expanding.

The audio company is making a pair of announcements at CES 2014, ones that spring from moves it made in 2013.

"Last year [at CES 2013] we showed exciting innovation," DTS CEO Jon Kirchner told us in a pre-show interview. "This year, we're turning that innovation into products that are getting ready to roll."

The company's latest moves are all about partnerships. DTS is introducing a growth of its Headphone:X ecosystem called the Headphone:X Headphone Tuning Program. It's also announcing a number of ODM partners that will start taking advantages of the company's Play-Fi technology.

Headphone:X on

The idea behind the Headphone:X Headphone Tuning Program is to deliver consistent, home-theater quality sound across headphones no matter what company makes them, Kirchner told us.

Manufacturers like Skullcandy, Panasonic and Republic of Friends have all signed on to work with DTS to tune their headphones so they deliver the same quality audio on any mobile device that is Headphone:X enabled.

Essentially consumers can customize their listening preferences through the DTS Headphone:X application, which recreates the sound of multiple speakers located throughout a room. Because no two ears are the same, Kirchner said Headphone:X lets users have the optimal listening experience.

A single set up on a device will let those settings "live on our phone from that point going forward."

And with the new partnerships, those settings will live on headphones from several makers as well.

Playing nice with Play-Fi

Lastly, DTS is introducing a Play-Fi Certified ODM Program.

The likes of Eastech Elecontronics, LiteOn Technology, Meiloon, Solidex, Tymphany, Wistron and Zylux are joining the Play-Fi ranks, expanding the tech well beyond DTS' original partner, Phorus.

The program gives ODM's access to DTS' open-architecture speaker platform, which lets users stream audio from Android, iOS and Kindle Fires and Windows PCs to multiple rooms using a standard Wi-Fi network.

For more from Kirchner's thoughts on DTS check out our video below.

Michelle Fitzsimmons

Michelle was previously a news editor at TechRadar, leading consumer tech news and reviews. Michelle is now a Content Strategist at Facebook.  A versatile, highly effective content writer and skilled editor with a keen eye for detail, Michelle is a collaborative problem solver and covered everything from smartwatches and microprocessors to VR and self-driving cars.