Aequus Customizable Planar Magnetic Headphones

Affordable audiophile headphones with ultra-comfortable omnidirectional articulating ear cups are the future of headphones, according to Boston-based Aequus Audio.

The traditional headphones most people wear to listen to tunes use dynamic drivers, featuring a cone and voice coil to create sound. This design, according to Aequus, is fundamentally flawed and has a number of limitations.

The unique design of the Aequus planar magnetic headphones features planar magnetic drivers as transducers as opposed to traditional dynamic drivers. This design allows the speakers to overcome the many constraints in traditional headphones and offer a premium listening experience with crisp, accurate sound.

The product also features omnidirectional articulating ear cups rather than the fixed pivot points that traditional headphones offer. With this suspension system, the ear cups are able to pivot effortlessly and conform to heads of all sizes and shapes.

© Aequus Audio

To further enhance comfort, the headphones offer less clamping force than traditional headphones. Most headphones have 4 to 7 newtons of clamping force, according to Aequus, but these unique headphones have only 2.5 newtons. The decreased clamping force is attributed to the omnidirectional articulating earcup design that requires less force in order to achieve a perfect seal. This means users can wear Aequus for longer without risking a headache from clamping force.

The company recently succeeded in its Kickstarter campaign, with 80 backers pledging more than $15,000 to help bring this innovative project to life. Production and delivery of Aequus is slated for the end of 2015.