These bizarre headphones are actually better than everything you’ve ever used

A headphone designer has been getting noticed on Reddit. His designs are eccentric, with little explanation as to why he’s built them – other than he could.

They range from “head-phones”, which simulate being on stage by blasting the wearer’s voice through two attached phones.

There is also a pair with corks sticking out, which target the audio making it “dry” – or more detailed. The cork inside also acts as a diffuser, creating a larger room-like sound.

These headphones are designed by Philip J. Kaplan, who is the founder of DistroKid. It’s a service that lets people get their music on places like Apple Music or Spotify. 

On his website, Pud.com – which he’s owned since 1996 – it appears that the headphones will also be for sale. None are available right now, but a big reminder button accompanies each section.

There’s one called the Polycule. It looks like a very expensive pair of headphones, with an external cup for friends to listen to. Kaplan has also fitted output jacks, so anyone can connect their own pair of headphones.

Another pair, dubbed “Ol’ Thumpy”, is the most unique. It is effectively like putting two giant Coke bottles on your head. Ol’ Thumpy is built on the Helmholtz resonance, which you can do by blowing onto a bottle’s opening. 

It requires an opening, a neck, and a “cavity”. Kaplan has Ol’ Thumpy “tuned” to 60Hz, for extreme bass. The tuning is done depending on the size of the resonator. 

To make one at a different frequency, Kaplan would need to go back to the drawing board – and calculator.

With the music blasting as normal, it is sent through the device and produces a very low, but intense bass. In the video, he describes it as “feeling [his] ears moving”.

While bizarre, it has given the headphones subreddit  “a breath of fresh air”. It’s even begun to leak into dedicated subreddits for tech YouTubers, like DankPods. 

Kaplan’s “Double Headphones” feature a toggle switch to listen in open-back or closed-back. However, as it is literally two headphones smashed into one device, you need to move them to the correct cup.

Dexerto has reached out to Philip Kaplan.