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Normals are a 3D printed pair of earbuds made tailored to your ears, all through a mobile app

Callum Tennent
July 9, 2014

Everyone has dreamed of a perfect pair of headphones. Even the most luxurious, most expensive set on the market will never tailor to your needs and desires absolutely – particularly when we’re discussing in-ear models.

The fact of the matter is that everybody’s ears are different, yet we still contentedly buy-in to a one-size-fits-all model. Why should we have to? That’s the ideology Normal believes in.

For just $199, Normal will make a unique pair of earbuds specifically tailored to your ears. Using 3D printing technology it can quickly and cost-effectively create a pair and have your Normals  delivered to you within just 48 hours of your order being placed. Not only that, but they only cost $199 a pair.

To submit your aural schematics you need to download the Normal app (available on both iOS and Android). From within that app, it walks you through, step-by-step, the process of photographing your ears. It may sound weird, but it’s how the process works. There’s no mould or putty of any sort involved, and no trip to some sort of centre to get your ears measured. You simply hold a US 25 ¢ coin up to each  ear and take a picture. Normal then uses some software wizardry to accurately map the size and shape of your ears to craft your buds.

The app allows you to customise the colour of your Normals buds (from a fairly wide range) and the cable (black or clear), too, and at no extra cost.

Unfortunately this service is only available to those in the US… for now. The Normal website promises that it will be expanding to the rest of the world soon. A good thing, too, because now that we’ve seen what Normal has to offer, we’re not sure we want anything else.

Be sure to check out the official Normal website here, and watch the amusingly quirky promotional video just below.

About the Author

Callum Tennent

International playboy/tech journalist.

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