Maker Story

Tune In, Not Out

Listening to music on noise-cancelling headphones often means shutting out the world around you. While that’s ok in some circumstances, it’s not safe when you’re biking, running, skiing or doing other activities that require situational awareness. A sophisticated headphone solution aims to solve that problem. The earHero system uses miniature speakers that are tiny enough to fit into the ear canal but won’t block it, which means outside sounds can pass. Users can still hear sirens, horns, and even conversations while they’re listening to music. The system was designed by audiologist Matt Murphy, who went on a ski trip and realized skiers with ordinary headphones couldn’t hear what was going on around them. He started playing with hearing-aid components to create earHero’s tiny units, which have been widely adopted by government agencies and security personnel. Minimalist and comfortable, earHero’s headphones can be worn for long periods without ear fatigue. They fit securely, so you won’t be constantly adjusting them during a run, for example. Noise-cancelling headphones tune out everything but your music. EarHero is different. You can tune into music without tuning out the world around you.

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