Archive for the ‘Memory Foam’ Category
Memory Foam, Shove it in Your Ear
During the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES), which is held each year in Las Vegas, we expect to hear about the latest electronic gadgets and tech toys, but we don’t expect to hear about products using memory foam. Memory foam, of course, is the space age mattress material that softens in response to body heat to conform to the curves and contours of the body. This cradling action relieves pressure points while providing firm support for what some call the most comfortable night’s sleep they’ve ever experienced, but what does that have to do with CES 2009 and electronics?
An audio company called iharmonix has introduced two new models of earbud headphones. Earbuds are those tiny in-ear speakers like those that come with the iPod. Although they are popular because of their small size and portability, they certainly don’t usually win any awards for comfort. The new Pro Series earbuds from iharmonix, according to the company press release, use memory foam cushions on the earpieces, not for comfort, although they will certainly feel more comfortable than hard plastic earbuds shoved in your ear, but for what iharmonix calls “ergonomic noise isolation.”
Ergonomic noise isolation essentially means that the memory foam covers on the earbuds conform to the shape of your ear so well that they act as a barrier to outside sounds. This is pretty much the same way that little foam earplugs work to dampen sound. Noise isolation is not to be confused with noise cancellation found on some higher end headphones. Noise cancellation headphones listen to the sound waves propagating from outside the earcup and create an opposing sound pressure wave to actively silence the sound that leaks through from the outside.
Still, the iharmonix memory foam earbuds should provide an effective level of noise reduction. They offer two models, one with an in-line microphone and one without. Both models are priced under $40 and were available for sale immediately after being introduced during the first day of CES 2009.
These new Pro Series earbuds claim on the company website to reproduce sound from 20Hz to 20kHz which is the effective upper and lower limits of the human ear for a very young person who doesn’t make a habit of listening to his iPod a too high a volume. However, like most audio companies, iharmonix fails to provide the full frequency range information; they don’t say how far the level drops off at either extreme of the listed frequency range making the information essentially useless for an audiophile. Of course, if you are listening to standard quality digital recordings on your iPod, you most likely won’t have to worry about that little shortcoming.
The question for consumers is whether they will value the additional promise of ergonomic noise isolation in the form of memory foam, the material more often associated with memory foam mattresses and memory foam pillows, enough to pay $30-$40 for earbuds.