A restaurant is judged not solely by the taste of the food or the calories that energize you. The food matters, but so does the ambience, the service, the lighting, and the holistic experience. Strip away any of these and even the best ingredients cannot carry the experience on their own. Audio works the same way: a great driver is only as good as the earbud surrounding it.
The device must be designed so that it can be worn comfortably for long periods of time while still maintaining an effective seal. Rather than treating the classic earbud form factor as a solved problem, with SANWEAR, we approached ergonomics from the ground up, treating everything as one unified and interdependent system that guided every step of our design process.
Conventional in-ear headphones secure themselves like earplugs, relying on pressure inside the ear canal to stay in place and create the seal. This approach is simple and effective for earplugs, but not for in-ear headphones that weigh more.
The inner ear contains a high concentration of nerve endings, and is optimized for auditory perception, not load-bearing. This sensitivity is what allows us to hear subtle detail, but it also explains why many earbuds become uncomfortable to use over time. To compensate, traditional in-ear monitors often introduce external ear hooks, commonly also seen in “sport” or athletically-oriented earbuds, that loop over the top of the ear. This shifts weight away from the ear canal and, while effective, still leaves the ear canal to bear part of the load, and does not fully eliminate pressure or discomfort.
SANWEAR uses internal ear hooks that redistribute the weight of the earbud directly into the concha, a naturally rigid and stable part of the outer ear’s anatomy. By anchoring the weight there, pressure inside the ear canal is reduced significantly without sacrificing the stability of the earbud. The nozzle is then angled such that it sits perfectly centered on the opening of the ear canal.
This alignment ensures that no significant pressure ever touches the side of your ear canal, which is what leads to most cases of in-ear headphone discomfort. However, to keep the nozzle centered, and to ensure a proper seal, the right ear tip must also be carefully selected.
While many earbuds already use medical-grade silicone, not all silicone behaves the same way. The exact composite we selected is designed to be microscopically adhesive, creating a reliable seal based on skin contact alone and not requiring any additional force or pressure to maintain stability.
In addition, this exact composite gives our ear tips the right balance between rigidity and flexibility that adapts to most ear canal openings. Finally, unlike most in-ear designs that are forced to bear weight, SANWEAR’s ear tips can focus on one thing alone: maintaining a pressure-free seal and keeping the nozzle centered.
Form is function
This unique combination of the ear tip material, the nozzle angle, and the ear hook bearing all of the weight, allows SANWEAR to provide a pressure-free seal to the user that’s not only comfortable to use for long periods of time, but preserves our drivers’ intended fidelity.
Our design combines comfort and stability, negating the need for artificial noise management. SANWEAR then, never needs to rely on active noise cancellation to “correct” background sound signals. Comfort improves because the weight is distributed correctly. Stability improves because the earbud works with the ear’s structure, not against it. And sound quality, along with noise cancelling, are maintained with a natural snug seal.
To enjoy SANWEAR exactly as we intended, having the right fit for your ears is essential. Learn how to select the right ear tip and hook size combination for your ear, as well as the twist-and-seal method that will help your SANWEAR stay secure and comfortable on your ear for hours.
You can check out our fitting guide here.
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