Just when we were thinking there was nothing new in the world of headphones, along comes Marc Ecko with some bonkers new designs.
Because his new range of in-ear headphones under the *ECKOUNLTD brand don't feature bog standard cords. (Well some do, but not the ones we're interested in.) Instead, there's a zip, a chain, and shoelaces in place of the cable. Altogether now: wtf?
That's right, the Zip headphones feature a functioning zip, though it's not clear how far you can do it up. Presumably not all the way to your ears; though it would stop them getting tangled when you pack them in your bag. That's the only real benefit we can see to having a zip in place of a cord, but from the promotional bumf it looks to be some kind of 'lifestyle' add-on.
The second most crackers pair in the range are called Chain, and — yes, you've guessed it — feature a beaded, dog-tag chain in place of the cord. Like the Zip, they have an inline mic for handsfree calls, volume controls, and come with a travel bag and three sizes of ear-piece gels. But both are surprisingly affordable: $39.99 (£25) for Chain, and $29.99 (£19) for Zip.
And the Lace pair? They have a shoelace-style cord, unsurprisingly, and will set you back $19.99 (£13). Also announced are the Zone, Chaos II and Stomp earbuds, which are more conventional and come in a range of colours. And Mr. Ecko has something special up his sleeve for CES 2012, according to the release.
Marc Ecko Enterprises is a fashion and lifestyle company, but previously it has dabbled in a range of bling-style over-the-ear headphones.
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