The Ozone Audio Story

Ozone Audio was founded with the goal of making a different kind of earplug.

Over thirty years of experience in this market provided a clear vision as to what was missing in current high-fidelity or concert earplugs.

The most important feature for a high-fidelity earplug is acoustic transparency. Countless times over these many years I have handed out high-fidelity earplugs to friends, family, and acquaintances in noisy restaurants and bars. I found that the overwhelming majority take them out after a few minutes, if they even last that long. When asked, most politely respond with "I couldn't hear what my friend was saying" or something similar. I didn’t take long to understand it was all about the feeling of being isolated and unable to communicate while wearing them. They would rather endure the noise than feel disconnected. Honestly, I felt the same way. You shouldn't have to take your earplugs out to talk comfortably. And you shouldn't have to accept the feeling of isolation as a requirement for protecting your hearing.

Having been involved in the development of high-fidelity earplugs for my whole career, I knew first-hand that earplugs that are uncomfortable won’t get used. Ear canal sizes and shapes vary widely and what is comfortable for one user may be unbearable for another. No single eartip design will ever be perfect for every ear canal but they shouldn’t ever hurt. Fortunately, years of designing eartips for numerous products meant that we knew how to design really comfortable eartips.

I also knew very well the risks of noise exposure, and so I always felt particularly stupid when I would find myself at a concert or a venue with live music and realize that I didn’t have any earplugs with me. Of all people, I should know better. But looking back, I realize that was largely due to the fact that earplug cases were bulky, unattractive, or impractical. Even the best earplugs are useless if you don’t have them with you when you need them.

I really wanted a different result. I wanted to see my friends grin as they hear their environment soften, as if they were just turning down the volume. And not rush to take them out. Effortlessly chatting with others without removing them. I wanted to make earplugs that my friends and family would actually use, and not just at concerts but anywhere it is just too noisy.

So I set out to design earplugs that would be different, earplugs that could be used in everyday environments, earplugs that were comfortable and acoustically transparent. Earplugs that would let you talk without taking them out. Earplugs so transparent and comfortable that you would forget they were in your ears. The design goals were clear:

• Maximum transparency - meaning moderate-attenuation, enough to make any environment more comfortable, coupled with a flat, high-fidelity frequency response.

• Comfortable – eartips made with the softest silicone and designed to seal easily into the widest range of ear canals.

• Portable - the most practical, small, and durable carry case possible, so you actually have them with you when you need them.

After 18 months in development, I am proud to say that the product we have designed meets all these goals and I can confidently say that the Ozone Audio Clear-series Lite earplugs are the most transparent and comfortable earplugs on the market. And everyone loves our unique silicone case, definitely a best-in-class design. If you decide to give our earplugs a try, I’m sure you will agree.

Steve Iseberg

Founder - Ozone Audio LLC