HelloEar has just launched two pairs of custom-fit earphones that are the first to be made from liquid metal.
Sure, noise-cancelling headphones are clever and that, and sound-isolating earphones can do a good job if you get the right size and shape of tip for your lughole, but pro musicians will tell you there’s nothing quite like a custom-fitted in-ear monitor.
Custom-fits are moulded to the exact shape of your ear, so they block outside noise almost entirely, as well as being super-comfortable. And the latest flagship IEMs from HelloEar are the first to have shells made from metal – a 92.5% silver alloy, to be precise.
The company employs 3D scanning, model rebuilding and laser sintering technology used by jewellers to print the bodies of the monitors, which are available in a platinum or rose-gold finish. There are also over 100 artwork designs to choose from, to ensure you don’t run into another super-rich audiophile with the exact same in-ears.
The (only slightly) more affordable HelloEar Wonderland Monet has six balanced-armature drivers per ear and costs $2499, or you can go all out for the Wonderland Gauguin at an eye-watering $3699 and brimming with 12 drivers per side.
Despite the metal shells, each monitor weighs just 15g. Both models cover a frequency range of 10Hz-30kHz and offer noise isolation of -26dB.
Related: Best Headphones to Buy
If the liquid metal models are too rich for you, HelloEar also makes more conventional resin custom-fitted earphones (as in the pic above) starting from $599 and heading up to $1099.
Think people must be barmy for spending that much on headphones? Let us know in the comments below.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.