Wireless headphones that record 3D sound [crowdfunding]

When we hear things in the real world, we take in the sound and can also tell where it’s coming from. A Williamsburg company is running a crowdfunding campaign for a new set of wireless headphones that replicates that natural process. The headphones record sound so that listeners can experience audio directionality as well.

It’s called binaural audio, and the team behind Hooke does it with a microphone on each headphone, recording, together, 360 degrees of sound. Here’s a drawing:

(Image courtesy of Hooke Audio)

As of this writing, Hooke Audio has raised half of its $100,000 goal. Early backers can snatch up a pair of the headphones for a pledge of $99. After that offer ends, they’ll go for pledges of $119.

“If sound occurs all around us in 3D, we should be capturing it that same way,” said Anthony Mattana, Hooke’s founder. “Yet most headphones are not designed to record audio at all. Hooke changes this. By combining the discovery of binaural recording and exceptional playback into one stylish unit.”

That said, you can also just use the headphones as headphones. The binaural microphones are just an extra feature you can use when you want to.

Hardware projects tend to do well in crowdfunding efforts. We’ll be watching to see if this one looks like a candidate for our next list of the most over-subscribed Brooklyn Kickstarters.