Uvero Custom Earphones Perfectly Fit Your Inner Ear
Uvero Store photo provided to Boston Magazine.
Lantos Technologies, a Wakefield-based company that makes in-ear monitors for professional musicians, just released a product for the everyday music fan: custom earbuds that mold to your inner ear.
“Ears come in all shapes and sizes, but earphone companies treat them the same,” says CEO Jeffrey Leathe, noting that ears are as unique as fingerprints. “These fit perfectly. If you go for a run, they’re not falling out.”
Uvero earphones are tailor-made using 3-D scanning technology from MIT, a technique that was originally developed to measure the volume of oil in a car engine. A membrane inflates inside the consumer’s ear, conforms to its environment, and maps the exact shape of the canal. This model is then sent to Lantos, where custom tips are printed and made into earbuds. The entire process takes about five minutes.
“The only people previously using this technology were professional musicians who had to go see audiologists and get ear mold impressions,” says Brian Fligor, the company’s chief audiology officer. “Now we can turn that around a lot faster, and make it a lot easier.”
And while 3-D printing may be hot in the tech sector, Lantos’ products—which are also used by the Department of Defense—also revolve around protecting individuals’ ear drums from excessively loud sound. The earphones’ custom fit prevents sound from leaking out, going straight to your inner ear while blocking out external sound, so there’s no need to compensate by cranking up the volume. This, in turn, helps protect your hearing from long-term damage.
“Hearing protection is a really big deal to us,” says Fligor. “But if a product isn’t comfortable you won’t wear it. That’s where the custom fit comes in.”
Uvero earbuds come with a hefty price tag ($269 retail), but the company says that, in addition to a custom fit, they boast durability and audio comparable to the high-end products used by professionals. They’re currently available at Lantos’ flagship store, which opened this month in the Burlington Mall.
