Skip to main content

A pair of headphones has raised more than $720K in five days — because cat ears

Axent Wear cat ear headphones
A pair of headphones has raised nearly three-quarters of a million dollars on Indiegogo in five days. The reason for this enthusiastic groundswell of support isn’t some sort of newfangled audiophile-pleasing technology. Far from it. The reason is – wait for it – cat ears.

We gave you a heads up about Axent Wear’s cat ear headphones back in June, but now this spectacle is alive and doing quite well thanks to its insanely successful crowdfunding campaign. The brainchild of two UC Berkeley alumni, who were awarded a fellowship for this endeavor, the headphones feature traditional over-the-ear cups, along with a detachable 3.5mm jack equipped with a mic. But the true stars of this pair of “glowing, badass headphones” (words taken directly from the Indiegogo page) are two cat ear-shaped external speakers, along with bright LED accent lights.

The external cat ear speakers (for when you want to share the music you’re listening to with your friends, who will obviously ignore the music) and LED lights can be turned off whenever the wearer wants to, you know, not stand out from the crowd so much.

A pair of these headphones costs $150 — $115 for the actual headphones and an additional $35 for shipping and taxes. It currently comes in four versions, each with different colored LED lights: blue, red, green and purple. You can get all four versions of the cat ear headphones for $575, or spring for either of two $2,000 donation packs: one will get you a pair of Axent Wear’s headphones and a custom digital painting of you “or your character” wearing them, and the other will get you a pair of cat ear headphones with a custom paint job.

For the truly dedicated, a $10,000 pack will get you a personalized painting, a custom paint job and custom LED light colors (changing or a color of your choice).

Axent Wear expects to deliver these cat ear headphones to backers in April 2015. The Indiegogo campaign, which began on Oct. 8, will close on Nov. 7.

Those who can’t afford Axent Wear’s creation but still want cat ears on their headphones can always go for the DIY version.

Jason Hahn
Jason Hahn is a part-time freelance writer based in New Jersey. He earned his master's degree in journalism at Northwestern…
There’s a rare deal on the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones today
Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones seen in black.

The massively popular Sony WH-1000XM5 wireless headphones rarely appear in headphone deals, so if you've had your eye on them for quite a while, you're in luck because they're currently $51 off on Walmart. From their original price of $400, you'll only have to pay $349, but only if you hurry because we don't expect stocks to last long. You're going to miss out on the offer if you take too long, so don't hesitate -- add the wireless headphones to your cart and check out as fast as you can.

Why you should buy the Sony WH-1000XM5
The best headphones that you can buy right now are the Sony WH-1000XM5 wireless headphones, and it's not even close. At the heart is their outstanding wireless sound, supported by top-quality active noise cancellation that uses two processors and eight microphones to block all unwanted sound, as well as crystal-clear hands-free calling using four beamforming microphones and advanced audio signal processing. The wireless headphones also offer Bluetooth multipoint connection so that you can quickly switch between different devices, touch controls for functions like adjusting volume and calling your digital assistant, and Speak-to-Chat and Quick Attention features to stop your music and let ambient sound in without having to take them off.

Read more
Sony’s premium soundbars will finally get support for VRR, ALLM
Sony HT-A7000 Dolby Atmos soundbar close-up of top panel.

It's been a long time coming, but the wait is almost over. Sony's premium home theater soundbars are set to receive a software update that will add support for variable refresh rate (VRR) and auto low-latency mode (ALLM), two HDMI 2.1 gaming features that have been absent since these products launched.

The soundbars in question are the Sony HT-A5000, HT-A7000, and the multi-wireless speaker HT-A9 system. All three are scheduled to receive the update this fall, but Sony has declined to share specific timing, saying only that there will be more information closer to the rollout date.

Read more
What is Roku? The streaming platform explained
A roku powered TV hanging on a wall running Roku OS 12.

How do you get your Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, or Prime Video fix? Chances are it's through a streaming device or smart TV, and there's a good chance that it's through a Roku device or one running its pioneering streaming operating system. At this point, cord-cutting is old news, and Roku was one of the earliest companies to drive the adoption of web-based streaming with its self-contained, app-driven devices.

Today, watching something "on Roku" is standard parlance and the company's popular platform can be found baked into some of the biggest TV brands in the world as well as in its own lineup of streaming devices sticks, and set-top boxes. Even so, that doesn't mean you totally get what a Roku actually is. What is Roku? How does Roku work? Do you need a subscription to use it? Is it just a device you buy, or is it software?

Read more