Cat-ear earphones with LED lights raise $1 million through crowdfunding

How do you reinvigorate a common electrical product?

According to two alumni from the University of California, Berkeley, attaching feline-inspired speakers and LED lights to earphones should do the trick.

The Axent Wear Cat Ear Headphones, which comes with external cat-ear speakers and LED lights, has raised more than US$800,000 (S$1.02 million) since its launch on crowd funding website Indiegogo one week ago.

Founders Wenqing Yan and Victoria Hu had a modest target of US$250,000 originally for their Axent Wear Cat Ear Headphones, which they envisioned to be a "fusion of fashion and functionality".

Describing their unique earphones as "glowing" "and badass", it seems to have hit the right note in today's milieu - flamboyant and creative.

The Axent Wear Cat Ear Headphones come in four different colours - Blue, Purple, Green, and Red - and there are switches for the speakers and LED lights, ensuring that you won't be a pariah on the public transport.

According to Axent Wear's Indiegogo page, "wireless and Bluetooth were not popular requests", while top requests were for over-the-ear cushioning, removable cord, and a mic for gaming, which have all been incorporated.

At US$150 (S$191.13) for a pair, the Axent Wear Cat Ear Headphones commands a relatively high price in the saturated earphones market. While the flashy LED lights make the Axent Wear Cat Ear Headphones an attractive proposition, its sound quality remains to be seen.

The earphones have been so popular that even imitations have appeared online - which is incredible considering that it has not retailed yet - only prototypes are available currently.

Click through the gallery to see the specs: 

grongloh@sph.com.sg