Loud music and human ears often don’t mix well, but Aegis Acoustics has a solution. The company, co-founded by 16-year-old Kingsley Cheng, has designed Aegis Pro, ear-safe headphones that aim to reduce the risk of permanent hearing loss, a common health problem in the United States. With Aegis Pro, the company hopes to revolutionize auditory safety and has launched an already highly successful Kickstarter to that end.
Aegis Pro incorporates the company’s optimized jamsDEFENDER technology, which protects your ears by actively canceling noise, limiting volume, and utilizing a digital decibel equalizer. The headphones boast the ability to cancel out 95 percent of ambient noise, thereby improving the clarity and perceived volume of music being listened to. At the same time, Aegis Pro optimizes the content played back to ensure its quality remains at safe levels as it is played, even as the user turns up the volume. To further enhance listening quality, users can choose one of three listening modes: music, movies, or gaming.
According to Aegis Acoustics, listening to music or sound above 85 decibels for extensive periods puts listeners at high risk of hearing loss. The equalizer technology ensures that the source volume is normalized before bringing it up to a safeguarded level. The feature is so unique that the company says no other product on the market has incorporated it.
LED Lights are also used to monitor listening habits. Blue lights indicate safe levels, yellow represents reasonable levels, and red means that your listening experience has crossed into potentially harmful territory. Parents will likely find the lights particularly useful, as they can be a visual indicator of whether or not their child is practicing healthy listening. The monitoring system also tracks and displays duration, even when the lights are turned off.
Aegis Pro has a striking appearance and comes in a variety of colors, including gold, silver, red, and more. “Aegis headphones are all about looking and sounding great,” said Cheng in press release. “They’re stylish and they sound amazing, and the best part is that you’ll be able to hear them well into the future because you’re not damaging your hearing by listening to them.”
Comfort and convenience are also incorporated into the Aegis Pro listening experience. The wireless headphones are designed with a durable frame, but fit comfortably with perfect grip pressure on the adjustable headband. Additionally, hypoallergenic memory foam is used inside the ear cushions. Aegis Pro also has built-in Bluetooth, so users can pair it with any compatible device and use from up to 30 feet away. The rechargeable lithium-ion battery has a 14-hour span, and a 3.5mm auxiliary jack allows for wired listening if desired.
Within three days of its Sept. 25 launch, the campaign had already hit its $25,000 goal. Impressively (but not surprisingly), the project was almost 250 percent funded by Oct. 6. Backers will be happy to know that by hitting its stretch goal of $65,000, Aegis Acoustics has decided to include a protective case with every Aegis Pro ordered. Shipments are expected to begin in January 2016.
