# Budding Kickstarter that Might be Good for Your Ears



## Todd Anderson (Jul 24, 2009)

Sensitivity might be an important number on a loudspeaker’s spec sheet, but it’s also an inherent part of an audiophile’s most crucial piece of gear: the human ear. Like it or not, those two audiological sensory units on either side of your head aren’t designed to handle loud sound. Prolonged exposure to loud music can lead to permanent damage and a maddening ringing sound called tinnitus. According to the American Osteopathic Association, 1 out of every 5 teens has some form of hearing loss. This ratio is growing (about 30% larger than it was just 20 years ago), and some studies suggest that one of the biggest culprits is an increased use of headphones. With the introduction of MP3 players during that period (and, now, the widespread adoption of handheld mobile devices), logic says that these studies probably aren't too far off the mark.










The obvious preventative remedy is to turn down the sound, but most headphone users will be quick to admit that this isn’t as easy as it seems. Rocking out to a sweet tune? Why not crank it up! Listening to headphones in an environment with loud ambient noise? Drown it out by kicking up to the volume a notch or two. It happens.

1964|ADEL says they have an answer to the problem. It’s called RealLoud Technology and is currently featured in a red-hot kickstarter campaign that has already surpassed its $200,000 goal with 31 days to go. The company says its headphones are the first and only patented earbud audio technology that can deliver loud sound with better relative safety.










_The inner workings of the ADEL module._​

Traditional earbuds essentially seal-off the ear canal. 1964|ADEL says sound vibrations create an acoustic pressure (due to the earbud's sealing effect) that builds and forces the eardrum to move at an amplitude thousands of times greater than normal. The body’s response is to tighten the eardrum to deaden the sound. Unfortunately, this deadening response makes the sound appear less loud, causing a user to turn up the volume. It’s easy to see how this process leads to dangerously elevated volume levels.

1964|ADEL’s solution is to mimic the ear’s natural structure by building-in a secondary eardrum. This second eardrum takes the bullet, so to speak, by absorbing the pneumatic pressures that build-up in the ear canal. According to the company’s research, this allows users to listen to music at significantly lower levels (operating at nearly a 1/10th of traditional amplified in-ear power levels), without ever feeling the need to crank the volume.










_The ADEL Ambient In-Ear phones are available in four different models._​

The company’s kickstarter campaign is currently offering $100 investors a pair of ADEL Control In-Ear Buds for half of their suggested MSRP. Those interested in contributing more will gain access to the ADEL Ambient line, which offers four different models of increasing complexities. 

For more information about 1964|ADEL and its innovative new earbud products, visit the company’s *website* or their *kickstarter page*.



_Image Credits: 1964|ADEL_


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