Dear Backers,
After investing thousands of personal and team hours redesigning and testing hundreds of advanced prototypes, Asius Technologies is happy to announce that our new ADEL™ Drum far exceeds the embodiment we originally designed for our Indiegogo campaign:
And at the heart of this is the completely redesigned ADEL™ Drum Module:
The ADEL™ Drum module's new mechanical membrane tensioning mechanism is now entirely magnetic and the adjustable thumbscrew (now provided with all models) never touches the membrane.
Instead, there are two very powerful yet tiny neodymium micro magnets precisely placed on both the tip of the new thumbscrew as well as at the center of the ADEL™ membrane, operating in opposite polarity.
This means the membrane is able to be very precisely tensioned without ever interfering with or over-damping its natural motion!
The effect of this is absolutely huge - this new approach doubles the ADEL™ membrane's effective surface area and turns it into a second ear drum/speaker combination, so to speak - it's operation being more that of an active trampoline than a passive radiator - because the sound energy which is stored in the two powerful micro-magnets actively energizes the ADEL™ membrane!
To this we have also added a new secondary stage non-tensioned ADEL™ membrane layer (a "third ear drum" if you will) which mitigates in-ear pneumatic pressures more effectively and dramatically opens and widens the ADEL™ Drum sound stage, effectively placing panned vocals, instruments and gaming effects way outside of the listener's head - rendering the actual speaker placement quite invisible.
Despite being fully sealed, the result is a revolutionary new open-ear listening experience which astonishingly immerses both the listener and performer together in the sound studio, concert venue or gaming environment, while variably including or isolating themselves from the surrounding ambient environment.
And coupled with a totally redesigned and independently adjustable ambience system, the membrane in our new ADEL™ Drum Adjustable Ambience Module is able to be precisely tightened under open ambient conditions, (augmenting bass frequencies and presence) and relaxed under totally isolated and sealed conditions (thereby restoring highs and sound stage width).
In listening, performance and engineering situations, these independently adjustable membrane tensioning and ambience controls allow the listener to create and explore endless sound "atmospheres" while fully maintaining ADEL™'s "lower listening volumes sound louder and better" tradition and long standing reputation for hearing safety, mitigating audio fatigue and preventing the exacerbation of conditions leading to tinnitus.
After more than 50 years of work since my invention of the original In Ear Monitors, I am happy to announce that we have finally completed what I was aiming for all along - the new ADEL™ Drum represents the safest yet loudest and most impressive and transparent audio experience I've ever dreamed of or enjoyed, with a never-heard-before natural openness, low, mid and high frequency clarity, startling sound stage width and height, extremely deep and anti-resonant bass, separation of vocals and instruments, - and all while being able to separately adjust the sound signature and amount of ambience to your personal tastes!
So after making thousands of modifications and building and testing hundreds of prototypes non-stop for almost a year now, our team has surpassed our original ADEL technology in every way with the following new features:
1. The ADEL™ Drum design is now completely modular, offering literally hundreds of snap-together combinations of an ever-expanding new line of ADEL™ membrane modules, dynamic, BA and hybrid speaker modules, and sound horn are tip/mold modules which accept conventional ear tips, custom ear molds, as well as our brand new universally adaptable self-molding viscoelastic ear mold technology (more on this later).
In fact, the wired speaker module can even be removed, allowing our new line of ADEL™ modules to be snapped directly into the sound horn/ear tip/mold module for use as adjustable musician's hearing protection.
2. The incorporation of our groundbreaking magnetic ADEL™ Drum membrane tensioning system into new Adjustable Ambience Module (as described above) together with our new modular IEM component design represents a whole new era of in-ear acoustics which Asius Technologies has proudly christened ADEL™ StudioHead and ADEL™ ConcertHead technology:
By allowing the listener to purchase and combine their favorite ADEL™ sound horn, speaker and ADEL™ Drum membrane module selections separately, listeners are able to build their devices up from the basic model into personal ADEL™ configurations which both adapt to and/or emulate endless combinations of different studio, sound stage, performing and listening environments as well as many traditional and brand new sound signatures.
Despite all recorded music having to be additionally mixed for ear buds today, all "reference" headphones and IEMs normally sound different depending on both their fit and who is wearing them. Asius Technologies' new ADEL™ Drum StudioHead configurations allow artists, producers and engineers to customize their new ADEL™ Drums to emulate their favorite studio monitors for a more representative and consistent in-ear mix.
Similarly, our ADEL™ Drum ConcertHead configurations allow the performer to adapt to or emulate an almost limitless number of live performing situations and conditions, ranging from very small indoor stage environments to the largest outdoor performing venues, covering all types of music from lower volume orchestral or acoustic performances all the way up to the loudest of hard rock and metal sets.
3. The redesigned ADEL™ membrane module can now entirely eliminate the annoying "occlusion effect" so common to all in-ear audio devices. This is an unwanted condition wherein the sealing of audio devices in the ear causes one's own voice, body sounds, foot falls and wire motions to boom unnaturally in the head, becoming loud and muddy. Reduction or elimination of the occlusion effect is a capability quite important for athletes, singers and wind instrument performers and allows simple phone conversations and normal dialogue to sound far more natural to the wearer, thereby significantly reducing audio fatigue along with its propensity for increased hearing loss and tinnitus.
Since this occlusion effect also colors the music being listened to by shutting down the stereo image and masking the highs with exaggerated bass resonances, our new lineup of selectable ADEL™ Drum membrane modules is of special interest to recording artists, music producers, sound engineers, or anyone who wants to enjoy The ADEL™ Drum's spacious, out-of-the-head and non-resonant listening experience.
Also, optimal adjustment of the new ADEL™ Drum Adjustable Ambience Module together with selected listening levels now more effectively allows the listener to variably include or lower the ambient acoustic environment, allowing one to be even more situationally aware of and protected from surrounding sounds.
4. Announcing the new ADEL™ Drum ViscoElastic Self-Adapting Custom Ear Mold (ADEL™ VisMold) - a radically new sound coupling and self-conforming ear tip/mold technology from Asius Technologies and EarJellies’ (www.earjellies.com) founder Rudy McEntire will be incorporated into the new ADEL™ Drum.
As the original inventor of the custom In Ear Monitors, I have been pairing custom ear molds with high fidelity personal listening devices ever since the 1960s and using them in many thousands of performances all over the world either as a performer or as the very first IEM engineer.
And despite my having worn these while performing or mixing for hours on end through these many decades as well as having popularized their use the world over, ironically enough, because of their inherent discomfort and inconsistent fit due to bad impression or changes or growth (as with children) in the wearer’s ear anatomy, I personally dislike using them - which is one of the reasons I developed the inflatable ADEL™ bubble.
And although the soon to be released ADEL™ bubble technology represents a tremendous breakthrough in in-ear comfort, fidelity and even the ability to restore hearing function (I'm delivering the first inflatable ADEL™ hearing aid/IEM prototype to AC/DC's Brian Johnson sometime in April), there needs to be a similar technology which easily retrofits all pre-existing universal fit personal listening devices IEMs and earbuds.
Therefore, Asius Technologies has collaborated with EarJellies to safely bring this revolutionary new viscoelastic hearing protection technology to our new ADEL™ Drum and ultimately all universal personal listening devices, hearing aids and new hearing function restoration devices.
Unlike custom-made ear molds, this incredible new ear-sealing technology is so capable of providing anyone with a self-adapting, custom, comfortable and completely sealed fit- that up until now, EarJellies has restricted its use to speaker-less hearing protection devices rather than allow it to render in-ear devices even more dangerous and capable of causing hearing damage than they currently are.
And as one might easily imagine, this self-forming custom ear mold technology has long been the "holy grail" for all in-ear audio manufacturing giants, many of whom have rushed to acquire EarJellies’ newly patented product. EarJellies has rejected all offers from earbud manufacturers until a way to make their technology safe for in-ear audio applications could be found.
Having learned of our extensive NSF and NIH-funded ADEL™ research and hearing technology which mitigates in-ear pneumatic pressures which has been confirmed by formal studies at Vanderbilt University to allow lower listening volumes to sound louder and better, EarJellies has collaborated with Asius Technologies to finally make this vital new viscoelastic hearing technology available in a form which more safely takes advantage of its incomparable comfort and acoustical sealing properties.
Enter the new ADEL™ Drum ViscoElastic Self-Adapting Custom Ear Mold:
Since the ADEL™ technology has so emphatically proven that the removal of in-ear pneumatic pressures restores the ear's natural acoustics and dramatically improves the directional qualities of all in-ear audio, Asius Technologies' new ADEL™ Drum spatial imaging capabilities demand the best sound conveyance conditions.
It is common experience that conventional ear tips easily become blocked or occluded by their sound tubes becoming mashed against the canal wall. While this partial blockage is not as noticeable in conventional personal listening devices and hearing aids, the ADEL™ Drum's unique and dramatically wide, out-of-the-head soundstage can be noticeably changed or diminished should the sound tube become even slightly occluded.
In a manner similar to, but far exceeding the capabilities of custom ear molds, the new ADEL™ Drum ViscoElastic Self-Adapting Custom Ear Mold from Asius Technologies and EarJellies more effectively couples the sound tube directly to the ear canal, but without the normal discomfort or need for expensive impressions and audiologist visits.
Needing only a moment or so to warm to body temperature, this new ear tip self-forms to adapt to any ear and can afford a far more comfortable and effective seal than conventional custom molds or ear tips and stays reliably seated and sealed during even the most active exercise.
And its highly isolating and non-resonant viscoelastic material conveys sound much more accurately than hard acrylics and is also easily cleaned and sterilized with alcohol to be reused or safely shared with others.
Asius Technologies is proud to team with EarJellies to immediately provide our new ADEL™ Drum ViscoElastic Self-Adapting Custom Ear Molds (ADEL™ VisMold) beta prototypes to all of our Indiegogo backers as well as all new ADEL™ Drum orders.
5. The extremely rapid evolution and deployment of Asius Technologies' new ADEL™ Drum is due to our mastering of the use of the latest 3D software and manufacturing techniques, employed by larger custom in-ear monitor manufacturers. Seeing the advantage of this technology, Asius has upgraded our production facilities from conventional part molding techniques to the latest 3D part printing capabilities.
Asius Technologies' lightning fast product development and exploration of the science behind ADEL™ has been greatly enhanced by our new 3D manufacturing capabilities which allows customer experience and feedback from the performance of our products to be quickly incorporated into new sectional ADEL™ sound horn, speaker and membrane modules which are then able to be easily swapped into our new modular ADEL™ Drum design.
Customers can now quickly and affordably upgrade to the latest ADEL™ advancements without having to scrap their original purchase. Instead, new sectional ADEL™ Drum Membrane, Sound horn and Speaker Modules can simply be added to your personal product configuration while older ones can be collected, sold or exchanged with other ADEL™ Drum owners.
6. Our new ADEL™ Drum magnetic membrane tensioning system has been included in the basic model, replacing the less easily adjustable set screw approach.
7. A new sectional ADEL™ Drum sound horn, speaker and membrane module line up offering many new modules and acoustic configurations will be announced soon and made available to Indiegogo supporters at a discount.
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As can be seen by all these new developments, Asius Technologies has been very busy these past months since our Indiegogo launch with greatly improving our new ADEL™ Drum IEM well beyond its originally offered embodiment.
We sincerely appreciate everyone's support and patience while the extremely rapid prototyping capabilities of our new 3D manufacturing system so dramatically improved our understanding of the science and full capabilities of our new ADEL™ technology.
We think you will be more than gratified that we took the extra time to include all these new discoveries and features into your products. But we also know that it's high time we got this show on the road, so to speak, so let the deliveries begin!
Shipping will commence in April.
Warm regards,
Stephen Ambrose
Founder, Chief Scientist
Asius Technologies, LLC