Taking a cue from companies like Normal, MrSpeakers, and V-MODA, instrument maker Fender has released their own line of 3D printed headphones. With the guitar icon’s release of a new line of in-hear monitors (aka fancy earbuds), Fender has included a series of higher-end models 3D printed to fit the shape of the human ear.
To produce the headphones, Fender purchased boutique manufacturer Aurisonics, rebranding and updating their own series of headphones. Every pair of the five new earbud models, ranging from $99 to $499 in price, feature a titanium driver, but those you see shaped like the inside of a human ear have a 3D printed shell. The company describes the manufacturing process as 3D-printed Digital Hybrid Technology (DHT)™, with the design based off of the 3D scans of thousands of ears. As a result, the headphones are said to fit “95% of ears like an expensive custom-molded monitor”.
As the 3D printed models don’t look all that complex, you might wonder why they weren’t injection molded to bring the price down. Andy Rowley, formerly of Aurisonics and now a part of Fender, tells one audiophile via email, “The FXA series began with the Digital Hybrid Technology (DHT) shells that Aurisonics has developed over the past 5 years – based on 1000s of ear scans to ensure comfort and isolation. 3D printing technology allows the creation of a shell shape that can’t be injection molded, and an internal cavity shaped to enhance the performance of our dynamic and balanced armature drivers. Each model has been specifically tuned to balance performance, all the while ensuring we would out perform our competitors.” So, while Fender may not gone full-customization, like Normal, to 3D print earbud shells to precisely fit the ears of its wearers, the design is said to require 3D printing to create the specific geometries of the earbuds.
If you’re looking for some $499 earbuds from Fender, you may be able to find them soon through authorized Fender dealers. Otherwise, you can have a different style of headphones printed for you through Print+. Or you might try to 3D print some yourself with via Thingiverse.
