A Bespoke Fit for Off-the-Shelf Earphones
By Harry McCracken | Tuesday, November 9, 2010 at 5:43 pm
Last Gadget Standing Nominee: Sonomax Soundcage
Price: $199
I have oddly-shaped ears. I’m not sure if they’re oddly large or oddly small–all I know is that most headphones either fall out or sting. Or sometimes both. So I’m interested in the idea, at least, of Sonomax’s Soundcage–a set of headphones you buy, then custom-fit yourself. The fitting process takes four minutes and involves a special headband, shown to the right.
The $199 price may sound stiff, but it’s a pittance compared to fully customized headphones such as Ultimate Ears’ $999-and-about models which are produced from molds of your ears. I wonder how close the quality comes–and whether these would stay in my ears without hurting?
Soundcage is scheduled to ship in February of next year.
4 Comments
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November 12th, 2010 at 6:30 am
Please, look at the gutter to the right telling about the various judges. The one about Joanna Stern is particularly interesting, because it reads;
"Joanna Stern is n editor at Engadget-—one of the top technology sites on the Internet—where she reviews…"
Don't you think an editor would appreciate having her profile edited? Brilliant. No one seems to give a damn about spelling or proper grammar anymore.
November 23rd, 2010 at 10:00 pm
You're not the only one who encounters the "can't fit standard earbuds syndrome." I was relieved when I read this article by David Pogue at NYT. Who knows, this may trigger support groups and a groundswell for the those of us who have odd ears.
December 25th, 2010 at 7:01 am
Finally an earphone that will actually fit, should be very comfortable, and sound great! I can hardly wait to get one for my teenage daughter.
December 29th, 2010 at 8:44 pm
Custom fit earphones in 4 minutes off the shelf thats great ! I hear that they reduce outside noise interference witch allow's you to listen to your music at a decent level so you don't end up over time with hearing loss issues. No need to crank up the volume you'll hear it just fine, thats awsome!