HelloEar aims to make headphones more comfortable with a custom fit

Uncomfortable headphones are a terrible thing and, now that we're living in a world of wireless earbuds following Apple's Airpods, having them fall out can mean going back to the shop for a replacement pair.

HelloEar is looking to avoid all that with Arc, wired headphones custom-designed for your ears for painless, effortless listening.

According to the company's Kickstarter page, "you simply take a photo of your ear with a coin and our advanced ear recognition algorithm will customize perfect Arc earphones just for you."

As on many wired headphones, there's playback control on the cable, but the company is also looking to add GPS, noise cancelling and health data tracking into its cans.

You can also add a Bluetooth sports module to make these headphones wireless. A two-hour charging time will give them a claimed battery life of eight hours. This might be a prudent investment, if future smartphones like the Galaxy S8 keep removing their headphone jacks.

Early-bird backing starts at $69 (approx £56) - just take care playing MP3s through them...

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Adam was a staff writer for What Hi-Fi?, reviewing consumer gadgets for online and print publication, as well as researching and producing features and advice pieces on new technology in the hi-fi industry. He has since worked for PC Mag as a contributing editor and is now a science and technology reporter for The Independent.