When it comes to day-to-day listening, there is nothing better than a comfortable in-ear earphone or noise canceling headset. Unfortunately, there are many circumstances where they probably aren’t that practical. For those who live in the big city, for example, they can be quite dangerous because they block outside noise. Luckily, the earHero provides a new earphone design that doesn’t block the ear canal from outside noise.

The headphones are designed by audiologist Matt Murphy and consists of two small speakers that do not block the canal. This might not be so important for those that use headphones at home or live in small communities, but it could come in hand for those that jam to tunes while crossing major city streets. Best of all, this design is supposed to help prevent long-term hearing loss. The earphones are the result of seven years of research and are supposed to be pretty comfortable for long-term use. There are two versions, the Sport and Pro, with both costing just $149. While this is a little pricey, for those that live in major cities and like to take to the roads on foot, this could come in handy. Personally I’d rather spend such a price on a noise-canceling set not a set that makes it easier to hear background noise, but I understand the need for something like this.

[ source via earHero ]