INTRO
The following project started with a collaboration between Alcatel / TCL, Waves Audio and Abbey Roads Studio. The goal was to design premium headphones that would use 3D Audio Technology developed by Waves. Unfortunately the project didn’t hit the market so I decided to bring the concept forward, rebranding it and including new technologies emerged in the past years.
DEVELOPMENT
We kicked off the project with a demo from Waves of the 3D sound technology and the support of third party engineering supplier. After a few rounds of concepts, following a disagreement with the engineering firm over the internals layout, I made a few low-fi mockups to test the idea of a magnetic glide, bringing the concept of frictionless movement to the headphones. At that time, the norm for on-ear headphones was to have cables around the hinge, exposed, connecting the drivers to each other from side to the other.
EVOLUTION
From the first version the shape of the headphones has been changing a lot. Mainly due to design language adjustments since the headphones were initially meant to be part of the Idol Family. The head arc curvature and the top cushion got smoother in order to match and flow with the overall look and comfort.
A NEW LIFE
As the project didn't move forward, I decided to rebrand it and give it a new life. I played with the idea of high-tech / futuristic typeface with straight lines and pronounced corners. Two camera were added to the headphones to incorporate a new feature: motion tracking, allowing to control the headphones with gestures, potentually making your own custom ones to make it even more personal. Another feature added was the ability to create your own soundprint, like fingerprints are unique to each of us. Tailoring the sound to your own set of frequences, making the headphones unique to you.
