100% Tangle-Free, Sport-Zip Earbuds
We may have wireless (almost) everything these days, but still-wired ear buds are about as portable as most personal audio equipment gets – which brings us to the ever-present problem for pro, amateur and audiophile alike: tangled headphone cords that lead to loose wiring at best and entirely broken audio connections at worst. Who wants to spend inordinate amounts of time untangling all the knots in their delicate headphone cords before each and every use?
To combat this classic design dilemma, designer Ji Woong has posed and simplest of solutions: zip-up headphones where the two individual strands of wire (leading up to the left and right earbud) become one with a singular zipper action. Compared to bulky over-ear answers to the same engineering question, this is as mobile as it gets.
As an added bonus, the zip-action piece doubles as volume control and status hold so you can adjust your audio settings then lock them in place while jogging, biking or otherwise on the go. Add some noise canceling, a slick black version and this might be the most style-savvy as well as function set of in-ear headphones ever designed.
Honestly, why aren’t all earbuds designed this way already?
From Yanko Design:
“Your trouser fly just influenced my friend Ji. Quit smirking, coz his YI earphones concept will take care of a lot of wire-tangle-hassles in the future, if it ever gets to production. Simple thought process and application! If pants can have a zipper to hold in the essentials then why the idea can’t be used on earphones to manage them when not in use! Zip then open when you want to use them; zip them shut when you want to store them. Did I mention that it even features a volume control button? No? Oh…ok…now you know, so happy Zipppiiinnnggg!”
