There's nothing quite like listening to music through a decent pair of headphones, but they're not always the best choice when out and about. Cabled earphones are convenient for music on the go, but wireless is better. But a bad fit could spoil your enjoyment, or a bud could pop out while you're running down the forest trail. The Neopon 2 earphones have been developed for universal comfort and a secure fit.
Currently raising production funds on Kickstarter, the Neopon 2 build on the design of the first product from tech startup Neopon, a single-ear Bluetooth earpiece with an extended microphone for comms. Version two has been designed to offer a stereo listening experience.
Arc-shaped housing rests behind the ear and is home to the electronics and battery. To the top of each earpiece is a flexible arm that can be hooked over the top of the ear. The earphone component sits at the end of a flexible cable that allows the bud end to be placed at the opening of the ear canal, but not pushed down inside. The user is said to be able to control how much ambient noise gets in by moving the speaker closer or farther away from the ear canal. The result is the promise of a comfortable and secure custom fit for all.
"I created this product to remove every single pain point associated with prolonged earphone usage," said company founder and CEO Neo Lee. "No more ear discomfort, no more volume adjustments. Now anybody can have full control over their earphone audio without sacrificing their comfort or health."
The earphones are built around Qualcomm's QCC3040 true wireless chipset, which rocks Bluetooth 5.2 with aptX support, tri-core processing and support for active noise cancellation. Neopon is promising "rich sound quality" from the 10-mm speakers, and an "AI-powered interface" caters for use with popular voice assistants. Battery life is reckoned to be six hours per charge, with a supplied charging case offering 20 additional hours.
We've tried many wired and wireless earphones over the years and long-haul comfort can be a deal-breaker for otherwise decent sounding gear. We'd have to try the Neopon 2 earphone out ourselves before we can confirm if they deliver the goods, but they look pretty good on paper.
Kickstarter pledges start at US$49, and if all goes to plan, shipping is estimated to start in December.
Source: Neopon
