Aiaiai H05 modular headphones
Aiaiai’s modular headphones are getting a major new
option today: Bluetooth. The company has announced a headband called the H05
that can be swapped in to add Bluetooth to its TMA-2 headphones.
If you’re unfamiliar with the TMA-2, it’s a
customizable headphone system from Aiaiai that was released last year. The
TMA-2 itself is divided into four different part types: speaker units,
headbands, earpads, and cables, each of which has multiple options that can be
easily swapped in and out. The H05 is a modular piece that slots directly into the speaker units to
form the headphones. Specifically, the H05 supports Bluetooth AptX HD audio,
offers an estimated 16 hours of battery life, and charges over USB-C.
As the first major upgrade that Aiaiai has announced
for the TMA-2, the H05 really highlights the strengths of the modular system.
It takes an already good pair of headphones and dramatically extends the
product life cycle by letting users upgrade individual components on their own
at a fraction of the cost of buying an entirely new device. And it’s easy to
imagine how Aiaiai could continue to build on this model by offering new parts
to swap in as new technologies and styles of headphones emerge.
The customizable nature of the TMA-2 filters down to
the retail method Aiaiai is using for the H05. By initially selling it at a
reduced price with a Kickstarter campaign, the modular accessory will only be
produced if enough people actually want to buy it. Backers can either buy an
individual H05 module, for upgrading an existing pair of TMA-2s, or buy a
complete pair of headphones.
The H05 is available to back on Kickstarter now for
a discounted price, with an expected full retail cost of US$ 125 following the
campaign.
