Wearables

earHero earphones let you hear your music, and the outside world

earHero earphones let you hear your music, and the outside world
earHero earphones don't block the entire ear canal, reportedly allowing users to still hear outside noises
earHero earphones don't block the entire ear canal, reportedly allowing users to still hear outside noises
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A diagram showing how earHero fits in the ear
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A diagram showing how earHero fits in the ear
earHero earphones work with any device with a 3.5mm headphone jack
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earHero earphones work with any device with a 3.5mm headphone jack
earHero earphones don't block the entire ear canal, reportedly allowing users to still hear outside noises
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earHero earphones don't block the entire ear canal, reportedly allowing users to still hear outside noises
Two versions are available – the earHerosport, and the stealthier earHeropro, aimed more at security personnel
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Two versions are available – the earHerosport, and the stealthier earHeropro, aimed more at security personnel
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Conventional earphones can become a liability you are out and about on city streets by limiting your ability to hear approaching vehicles or other potential hazards. That’s where the earHero comes into play. It’s an earphone system designed not to block the ear canal so that users are still be able to hear what’s going on around them.

Designed by audiologist Matt Murphy, earHero incorporates two tiny speakers, one of which slides into each ear canal. A retention device attached to each speaker sits inside the bowl of the ear, to keep it in place. Because the speakers are so small, they don’t occupy the entire width of the ear canal, reportedly allowing outside noises to still be heard and, because they don't seal the ear, are said to help prevent hearing loss over time. However, this might also mean that it’s easier for other people to hear the user’s music.

earHero earphones work with any device with a 3.5mm headphone jack
earHero earphones work with any device with a 3.5mm headphone jack

The earphones are the result of seven years of market research and while we can't vouch for the sound quality, the makers of earHero claim that it is quite comfortable to wear for long periods of time. Two versions are available – the earHerosport, and the stealthier earHeropro, aimed more at security personnel. Both models sell for US$149.

Source: earHero

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1 comment
1 comment
Daniel Micklethwaite
I'm confused wasn't the point of in ear noise blocking earphones so that you didn't have to turn the music up so loud it deafened you? how can something that allows a lot of external noise to come in be better in this respect? Is there research that actually shows sealing the ear and then inputting lower volumes of sound actually contributes more to a persons loss of hearing?