December is here, and the holidays are in full swing (our gift guide linked), so I thought I’d focus on a very giftable, consumer-focussed startup this month. December’s startup of the month is Decibullz, one of the two only Kickstarter projects I’ve ever supported,  and one I’m very excited about.

* Read about past startups of the month, or recommend your favorite startup in the comments, and we may consider them for next month’s award*

The Custom Headphone Dilemma: solved

Custom-fitted headphones feel like the cloud. They fit perfectly, avoiding the discomfort of regular earphones, and they don’t fall out. Their fit seals out noise much better than regular earphones (I’m looking at you, Apple earpods), making them great for long flights.

Unfortunately, until now they’ve cost a small fortune. For example Ultimate Ears, a brand used by many professional musicians, sells their custom monitors for a staggering $1000, plus the cost of getting an ear mold at an audiologist.

Decibullz makes the process affordable and quick, bringing custom-fit earphones to the masses.  Decibullz may not have insane drivers, and studio quality audio, but at $40, they deliver a much more comfortable feel than standard ear buds.

They designed a custom bioplastic that can be heated in a microwave, and molded to your ear in minutes, creating that perfect fit of a pair of custom headphones. And if you screw up, it’s entirely remold-able.

Unfortunately, in the past, Decibullz has been plagued with mixed reviews. Their original pair was met with the Gizmodo headline, “A perfect fit that sounds like shit”.

But I think they’ve reached a turning point. This month, the company went on Kickstarter to crowdfund their newest pair of headphones, and raised over $110,000. Thanks to overwhelming support, their latest pair will have upgraded drivers, and a new design optimized for sound quality.

I ordered a pair, which should come by March, and which I will of course review here, but for now, I’m cautiously optimistic that they can work out the sound quality issues.

P.S. One of the best things about Decibullz may be their downfall – but you should take advantage. Supposedly, their moldable ear pieces fit on a variety of headphones, so you may be able to buy a pair for $15, and just stick them on your existing headphones, with the same great fit – albeit not optimized like the new pair.

[button link=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C0M5A1A/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00C0M5A1A&linkCode=as2&tag=appstochr-20″]Buy a pair now[/button]

Why They Made The List:

• Innovative design – bringing custom headphones to the masses
• Design promise – the new headphones look beautiful
• Crowdfunding popularity – $110,000 from 2,000+ backers

See past startups of the month, or recommend your favorite startups in the comments.

Previous Startup of the month: Flamestower – Fire powered charger

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