wax&wires

Sleek Audio’s SA6 user-tunable headphones have been on the market for close to a year now, and were just listed on Popular Science’s list of the Top 100 Inventions of 2008… though the SA6 couldn’t quite beat out a particle accellerator, or Boeing’s new plane-mounted laser-gun. Not bad for a pair of headphones.

They have now released their long anticipated wireless adaptor, KLEER, for $120 too.

[From SleekAudio.com]

Acoustic performance is not something that can be simply measured in decibels with earphones; it is also a perceived sensation.

Insertion loss, or the amount of natural gain lost by inserting a device into the ear, has to be recreated with an in-ear earphone. How your earphone does this affects the performance. The resonant peak (the ear’s natural ability to amplify a certain frequency over all others) of one person’s ear canal may peak at 2k and another person at 3.5k. When you remove this natural peak by inserting something into the ear canal the sound changes differently depending on the person. The bottom line is that one device will not work perfectly for everyone. Enter the Variable Equalization (VQ) System.

We started by applying our knowledge of the acoustics of the ear.

The shape of the ear canal varies from person to person. The length and diameter of the ear canal changes the acoustics of the sound environment. For the same reason a bell rings at a certain tone based on its size and shape, the ear canal can increase or resonate certain tones (Resonant Frequency) more than others. This is why some people hear a tone as light and shimmery while others hear it as tinny and harsh.

So now you can hear your songs without all the hyped highs, muddy lows, and scooped mids that so many headphone makers roll in to try and create that “wow-factor” on first listening. The problem is, that sound gets fatiguing after a long listening session, and can actually end up causing hearing loss by pushing certain frequencies. The SA6 effectively lets you listen to your music a lot quieter (protecting your ears) since you can hear all the frequency content you want, without the need to dime the volume. Sleek audio ought to know a thing or two about protecting hearing, as the family run business actually started as a hearing aid maker.

CD quality, lossless sound…..Wireless

Sleek Audio is constantly developing innovative technology to make sure the product you purchase today isn’t obsolete in six months.We have recently completed our groundbreaking wireless system thatworks with our existing products. Due to our interchangeable cable design, with the release of our wireless technology, your currentor future Sleek Audio earphoneswill become just that: wireless. You won’t lose quality or your investment, just the cable.

If you want to pick up a pair for Sleek Audio’s SA6 Earphones, save some money and support wax&wires by buying here.

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