Music Wrap is a new crowdfunding project with the aim of changing the way we listen to music, by eliminating earbuds and headphones in favor of its M25 headphone/speaker hybrid. The device sits around your neck, and creates what the company (perhaps a bit hyperbolically) calls a "personal sound field." Flexible, water-resistant, anti-shock and dust proof, the M25 is designed to free users' hands and ears while delivering a listening experience that will lessen the chance of damaging their eardrums.
A report released last year by the World Health Organization warned that 1.1 billion teenagers and young adults are at risk of hearing loss due to prolonged use of personal music players and smartphones, and exposure to damaging sound levels at concerts, nightclubs and sporting events.
Music Wrap's solution? Well, basically a pair of speakers you wear around your neck.
The company does say that the speaker's unique shape create a "directional audio" that transmits sound directly to the user without impairing alertness or causing inner ear damage. This may just be PR speak for "the speakers are pointing at you," though, and we'd be surprised if people around you wouldn't hear you jamming out to Rihanna's new album. That's going to severely limit the places you'll want to use the product.
As you'd expect, the M25 connects to any music device or smartphone via Bluetooth, and it also features a built-in hands-free speakerphone, as well as up to eight hours of battery life while in use or 16 days of standby time when it's not. Its flexible design lets you twist it into a multitude of shapes, including using it as a free-standing set of speakers.
Music Wrap first introduced the M25 at CES 2016 and recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to help bring the product to market. Early backers can secure an M25 for a pledge of US$35 compared to the suggested retail price of $69, if all goes according to plan.
Sources: Music Wrap, Kickstarter
This new unit definitely looks cooler and I'm sure it works better.