MobileTechTalk There are many Kickstarter projects that are for products that are so niche they never get off the ground. Or perhaps it’s for a sequel to that retro game you loved in the 80’s. Either way, many crowd funded projects are either small projects of passion, or turn out to be duds in either the delivery or functionality stakes. We’re hoping that the Audeara campaign is different and it certainly looks like it will be!
The Audeara Headphones project is brought to life by a group of Brisbane-based Doctors and Engineers hell-bent on providing not only an audiophile grade product at a great price, but also delivering an ever evolving listening experience tuned to your own hearing.
According to Audeara, the headphones can be used to test hearing, and adapt to each users’ requirements. Perhaps a user has particularly poor hearing in their left ear at the low-end. It might tweak the bass on the left hand side to compensate. I’ve drastically over-simplified what these guys are trying to do, but the technology, below, should give you an understanding.
How do they manage this level of audio optimising? Well, it sounds quite simple!
Audeara headphones use a software interface from a smartphone application to send Bluetooth commands to the on-board printed circuit board (PCB). This allows the headphones themselves to generate the tones and maintains consistency across all Bluetooth devices.
The headphones are calibrated and the profile is used as the baseline for accurate audiogram testing. After the user performs the audiogram, a modulation table is applied. This adjusts all incoming musical signals to the user’s requirements. Using an attenuation model, rather than increasing gain, ensures maximisation of the overall signal intensity, without distortion.
With the modulation table stored in the on-board PCB, the user only has to test once for the headphones to apply that table to any Bluetooth signal source. The user can, however, test multiple times, and the software application stores numerous profiles that are then uploaded and stored as the active profile.
The result of the audiogram is displayed for the user, perfect for long-term tracking of any hearing loss, and also as an educational tool in preventing long-term hearing impairment. If the user’s hearing profile shows significant impairment an alert will be shown, which suggests they seek more specialist advice and analysis.
Features
- Low-latency, high-fidelity Bluetooth.
- High-quality 40mm Mylar speakers.
- Adjustable headband and soft over-ear cushion.
- Rotatable design for easy storage in a slim, hard carry case when traveling.
- Built-in lithium-ion battery, rechargeable via Micro-USB jack.
- The headphones can be used as a common wired headphone with 3.5mm port.
- Advanced, active noise cancelling design effectively reduces noise by up to 85%.
Specifications
- Bluetooth & ANC
- Speakers: 40mm Mylar
- Audio impedance: 32Ohm
- Charging time: approx 3.0 hours
- Charging: micro USB
- Operating range: ≥10 m
- Connection: 3.5mm jack
- Working time :
– Noise cancelling function only: 30 hours
– Bluetooth function only: 15 hours
– Noise cancelling + Bluetooth function: 12 hours
If you want ot back this ambitious Kickstarter campaign, head on over to their campaign page. The project ends on April 14th, and they are already a quarter of the way to that goal at the time of writing. Early Bird backers can get an Audeara unit for just £155, whilst the RRP for this product will be around the £310 mark.
We’ll be looking out for this and reviewing it in due course.
