earbud / headphone adapter by jc karich

‘ear adapter’ by jc karich offers a way to combine the comfort of headphones with the portability of earbuds

the work of chilean-born, paris-based designer jc karich, ‘ear adapter’ lets users adapt their devices to their listening habits by transforming earbuds to over-the-ear headphones. while earbuds are extremely portable and offer a focused, isolating sound experience; karich reflects that headphones are often more comfortable, and permit a user to listen to music without completely blocking out his environment, if desired.

‘ear adapter’, currently in its second iteration but with future developments in planning, fits the earbuds into a headphone-like structure, complete with fabric cushioning. karich notes, ‘the shape intends to be open to ambient sounds so the will mix in with the music‘, although a more closed version would also be possible to design and produce.

the current design of ‘ear adapter’ is available on thingiverse for users to 3D print themselves.

view of mechanism (here of the first iteration prototype)

detail of second iteration

the 3D printed parts are fit over ABS filament in this prototype, although karich plans to develop a commercial version

view of the device in use

video of the production process of the first iteration (which used aluminum rather than ABS filament for the over-the-head structure)