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Music

Oddio headphones offer a modular design with swappable components

It would be nice to be able to change the look of one’s headphones or upgrade the speakers on them every once in a while so that another headphone purchase isn’t necessary if the owner gets bored with their design or wants to improve their sound performance or other features.

patent-claimedOddio is a set of modular headphones with swappable components. Users can change its colors or the speakers, and also swap out the ear cups for a different sound profile. Skins, modules and batteries all are attached magnetically. Users can also attach Bluetooth or Active Noise Cancellation modules based on their needs.

A set of basic Oddio headphones starts shipping in December. It has a future price of $220. But early bird Indiegogo backers can order a set starting at $129 for super early birds. A “Pokemon Go” set comes in a choice of blue, red or yellow and with up to 12 characters per ear cap.

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Music

ASome transform your ordinary headset into awesome Bluetooth headset

It would be nice to add Bluetooth functionality to the earphones one already owns and loves to use.

ASome is an audio adapter that attaches to earbuds or headphones and adds Bluetooth functionality that enables them to be used with smartphones and other portable music devices. It comes equipped with a Qualcomm aptX chipset and a 210mAh battery that provides 10 hours of playback on a full charge, its makers say. ASome also features a multi-pairing feature via Bluetooth 4.1, allowing users to connect two devices simultaneously.

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Connected Objects Music

Harsaa multi-function earbuds offer NFC, sleep monitoring and more

There are many earbuds on the market, but few of them aspire to offer many features beyond good quality audio.

Harsaa are noise-cancelling Bluetooth earbuds that include NFC and emergency messaging, and also track activity and monitor sleep. As part of its NFC tap-and-go sharing feature, users just have to swipe the earbuds over their smartphones to transfer any information they choose.

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Music Networking

Hub lets you stream wireless hi-fi audio to multiple users

It would be nice if multiple people could all listen to a song, play a videogame, or watch TV using their own headphones or earbuds. It would be especially nice if the sound provided was hi-fi-quality.

Hub is a device that enables existing headphones or speakers to receive wireless, hi-fi audio from any source. Each user just selects a battery-powered sound “puck” receiver from the Hub base station. Each person can control the volume on their own headphones. In addition to promising better sound quality than many wireless audio solutions,

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Music

RippleBuds out to send ripples through earbuds market with noise-blocking technology

Bluetooth earbuds are enormously handy for both listening to music and conducting hands-free phone conversations. But it’s often hard to hear the music or people talking on the phone due to all the outside noise that often can’t be avoided.

patent-claimedRippleBuds are noise-blocking Bluetooth earbuds with a built-in microphone that solves that dilemma. Its makers have replaced the mouthpiece found in most headsets with a microphone that fits invisibly inside the ear. Most of the patents its makers have for the product cover its core technologies that reduces echo and howling sounds when the speaker and microphone are placed closely together inside the earbuds.

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Health and Wellness Technology

Nervana earbuds makes any tune feel-good music

As the old saying goes, music can soothe the savage beast. Certainly, at the very least, the right music can relax listeners and make them happy.

Nervana takes that concept a step further. It’s a nerve stimulator with patent-pending earbuds that syncs to music and releases natural chemicals in the human body that generate pleasure. Nervana generates a gentle electrical signal that is transmitted to the surface of the left earbud on what looks like a standard earbud assembly.

When the left earbud is placed in the left ear and the Nervana generator is turned on, the electrical signal beats to whatever music is being experienced by the user, whether supplied to the generator through a user’s phone or through the environment, such as in a concert hall.  The electrical signal stimulates the body’s vagus nerve, which could result in the release of neurotransmitters, the body’s natural feel-good messengers.

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Connected Objects Music

Aset and Pharaoh smart headphones turn Android on its ear

Wireless headphones provided a major boost to the headphone market. One reason why is that doing away with the cord made it much easier –- and safer — to use headphones while exercising.

patent-claimedThe patent-pending, over-the-ear Smart Listening Device (SLD) headphones take Bluetooth headphones one step further by adding the Android operating system, enabling users to download music and other media files directly to the headset. Other features include a built-in pedometer to track fitness accomplishments, USB connectivity, built-in GPS, and built-in internal microphones for phone calls and Skype conversations. Each set of headphones can play 8 hours after less than an hour of charging its lithium battery.

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Music

Music Wrap gently shares your audio aura with those around you

The dangers of hearing loss are always nipping at the ear lobe, yet everyone still regards the use of headphones to be perfectly normal. In addition, since the advent of the iPod and iPhone and their highly-valued place in society, much hullabaloo has been made about the unaware state in which headphones put people in — making them more of a target for thieves and other criminal types preying on people not having a clue.

The Music Wrap wants to envelop the ear in sonic goodness without all the negative effect.  The durable, highly transformable form factor allows users to take it wherever they want, however they want, as it features an IPX5 water resistant coating and anti-shock tech. Whether it be placed over the neck on bike ride or strapped to a book bag on a walk, the Music Wrap creates a directional sound field that can either be comfortably audible when near the ear or loud so it can serve as a Bluetooth speaker when farther away.

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Television

Blipcast lets you cast any headphones as your TV audio player

Trying to watch TV at night can be a major hassle when there are other people in the house trying to sleep. A pair of wireless headphones can sometimes solve the problem, but not if more than one person is watching a TV at the same time.

Blipcast is a solution to the late night TV blues, enabling transmission of audio from a TV, home theater receiver or other source to smartphones and tablets via an accompanying app. The audio can then be heard using just about any headphones or earbuds. The small, black device hooks up to TVs and other sources via USB. The device ships in November at future pricing of $99, although early bird Kickstarter backers have been able to get one at pricing that starts at $49. Its makers are hoping to raise $100,000 by Feb. 1.

Blipcast seems to offer a pretty good solution for at least some late night TV watchers. But, as with all audio products, it’s hard to tell from a Kickstarter campaign just how good the sound quality is. Users must also have Android or iOS mobile devices to use the app, so those with other operating systems need not apply.

 

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Music

Ear3 headphone amp opens your ears for safety

More people than ever seem to be tuning out the world around them, listening to music as they walk, run or bike in public while listening to loud music on their mobile devices. In doing so, they are risking serious harm and injury.

Ear3 is a headphone amp that’s designed to make listening to music in public while on the move much safer than it is now. The amp’s built-in microphone picks up sounds around the user and mixes it with music being listened to at the volume level users want, according to its Indiegogo campaign. Turning the microphone mode off, Ear3 becomes a high-fidelity amp that enhances the quality of the music source, adding stronger full bass, according to the campaign.