Two startups upping the headphone ante
Kickstarter darlings tackle long-standing earbud irritants with new listening devices
At the annual CES consumer technology showcase in Las Vegas earlier this month, a couple of players unveiled earphones that tackled two of the longest-standing irritations with the listening devices.
The technology in both cases is new and so is relatively costly: Revols and Bragi Dash both come with a $299 (U.S.) price tag, a pretty steep price to pay for such a small product.
That’s a new price point for these types of products, and it will be interesting to see if any of these can break into the mainstream. Made to measure Montreal-based startup Revols promises custom-fit earbuds that mould to your ear’s dimensions perfectly, within minutes.
“Regular earphones don’t fit for a lot of people — they’re uncomfortable or they fall out,” said Daniel Blumer, 29, one of the founders of Revols.
“The reason is actually pretty simple: our ears are unique as our finger- prints — they are totally unique, they are totally different from one another.”
Custom earphones exist, but usually require an audiologist to take measurements and about a month to be made. There are 3D printing approaches, but Blumer and his partner have created a faster way to create a personalized product.
Revols are a pair of Bluetooth headphones that have a mouldable gellike material that, upon first fitting, uses an app to trigger a chemical reaction. The headphones fit to your ears about a minute after you open them up.
Beyond the custom fit, which creates its own form of noise isolation, Blumer touts other features, including an adjustable soundscape, another app-controlled feature that allows you to hear ambient noise, eight hours of battery life, an extra battery pack and also the ability to charge while listening.
The company is working with audio company Onkyo to ensure excellent sound quality.
The pair started the company at an incubator at Concordia University and have also worked on the product at Hax, a Shenzen-based hardware accelerator. The company has won the crown of being the most highly funded Canadian product on Kickstarter, with more than $2.5 million (U.S.) pledged by backers.
Blumer says the company initially planned to create a completely wireless product, and may try again in the future.
The stumbling block for all wireless earbuds is getting the signal through the wearer’s head. The sheer mass of the human head blocks the signal.
As a result, the current Revols model has a short wire connecting the two earbuds around the back of the wearer’s head.
Revols is giving September of this year as an estimated shipping date. Cutting the cord Most of the buzz at CES this year surrounded Bragi, a German company that wowed journalists with its Dash — wireless earbuds that purport to be “smart,” with gesture control functions.
The Dash was also a Kickstarter darling, raising more than $3 million (U.S.) when it closed in 2014.
The company had similar issues with the Bluetooth signal being blocked by the wearer’s head. It solved the problem using a technology called Near-Field Magnetic Induction, a low-power magnetic field used to transmit data that’s typically been used in hearing aids.
Beyond being truly wireless, the products are being labelled as smart earphones. They pack 23 sensors in the product, promising in-ear biometric controls and gesture controls. You can turn them off with a wave of your hand and receive a weather update by pointing upwards.
After being shown off to good reviews at this month’s CES, the Dash earbuds are now available to order with a February ship date. Future ’phones There are a number of players trying to get into the truly wireless ear- phone space.
Here’s what we would like to see from them: 1. Wireless charging: Preferably while in use. And we say that knowing that is kind of asking for the moon. Some models like the Earins, have a carrying case that charges when not in use. 2. Find my buds: The new products are incredibly small and really expensive, so a method to find them when they get misplaced is really important. Phazon, a new one-size-fitall in-earbuds, which has raised more than $1.5 million on Indiegogo, has this function in its app, and this is something that all these products need. 3. Better than Bluetooth: Getting signals between brain matter tends to be an issue with the wireless standard, which also tends to be a occasionally unreliable on the go, so it’s definitely something that could be improved.