There are plenty of different Sony headphones available for those of us looking to listen to our music collection in the highest quality possible, but what if we want them to complement our own personal style at the same time? With this in mind we set out to create a range of headphones with a striking, modern design that would also reflect the quality of the sound within. The h.ear headphones are our answer.
Aoyagi-san, one of the main designers behind h.ear, wanted people to instantly fall in love with the design. “We really approached it from a design perspective and focused on a modern and stylish type of headphone which we really hope will appeal to a new generation of consumers,” he says. “I feel this is the direction that we needed to take.”
The most challenging hurdle faced by our designers was deciding on the five different colours - each of which was deliberated and tested for hours on end. “I wanted to focus on something that was very new and to avoid primary colours which I think are being used to such a great extent already in the market,” Aoyagi-san tells us. “I wanted to come up with new, innovative colours that would be a challenge for us but which I also think will bring a new dimension to the Sony brand.”
And so Aoyagi-san and the rest of his team began searching for what they call ‘in-between shades’. “This is where a colour does not have distinctive hue but rather falls in between two straight colours. It may appear blue or green depending on the [individual] and the environment, so I feel these types of ‘in-between’ colours are a lot more interesting.”
But finding the five perfect shades was more difficult than anticipated. “In realising this goal there was a lot of difficulty and testing required to incorporate this ‘colour in between’ concept onto our electronics products, and the painstaking process involved a lot of adjusting of gloss and brightness to achieve the required feeling. The process was complicated somewhat by the challenge of ensuring that the five chosen colours could coexist together and create the right balance and beauty that I wanted.”
After months of brainstorming concepts, experimentation, internal review and the laborious process of manufacturing over 30 different components in these exact in-between shades, the end result really does bring a new dimension to the Sony brand, just as Aoyagi-san intended. Not only do the colours instantly catch your eye, but that matte and gloss finish also adds a mysterious depth that can’t be found on other headphones.
Finally, people can enjoy Hi-Res Audio quality music that’s closer to the original studio recording while also wearing something that complements their own personal style. “Specs and features will always matter,” says Aoyagi-san, “but why not pick out audio products as you might choose clothes - because the colour catches your eye.”
Learn more about the design of the h.ear headphones by clicking on the link below.
