Rebuildable Earbuds?

If you’re like us, you have a tangled nest of broken earbuds stashed away in a drawer somewhere. For some reason when they break, it’s hard to throw them out, especially the expensive ones. “I’ll send them back to the manufacturer next time I get a day off,” many think, “but someday, someones got to make these things repairable!”

Well, that someday has come!

Acoustic Forge is a company in Durham, NH that has developed Ironbuds, the world’s first home repairable earphone system. With decades of experience making audio equipment, the folks at Acoustic Forge admit secret behind Ironbuds is not terribly esoteric. “Ironbuds utilize familiar earphone components, albeit high quality ones designed by us, that connect via interconnects,” explains Thomas Young, one of Acoustic Forge’s founders. “When a particular component gets damaged, like when the cat finds out how much fun earphones are to chew on, the damaged part can be swapped out. This can save a great deal of money.”

As fascinating as the Ironbuds concept is (and who knows, it could be a game changer), equally fascinating is the way they are being brought to fruition; Ironbuds are being developed and funded via Crowdfunding. Crowdfunding has been around for a few years but it just becoming mainstream. As the term suggests, it involves a group of people that gather to fund a project they are passionate about. This requires a catalyst website that profiles the project, typically utilizing video clips, audio and other rich media, and allows “backers” to commit funds based on their level of interest. The folks at Acoustic Forge elected to crowdfund their Ironbuds project on Kickstarter, one of the original crowdfunding sites.

So far, Ironbuds is doing quite well raising funds, yet they would like everyone to know that this is a rare opportunity to join the cause. Young explains, “There are just 14 days left in our Kickstarter Project and a chance to pledge for our Original Ironbuds. We believe Ironbuds will become a significant enterprise in the future and we fully intend on rewarding those that help launch the business in major ways. Besides, owning Original Ironbuds is going to be a strong statement of one’s passion for intelligent change.”

To find out more about Ironbuds, visit Acoustic Forge and to buy Ironbuds visit their Kickstarter website here.